Lost one : need advice
 

All,

I took a shot yesterday on a solo doe. I looked with the help of a GPS for over 4 hours including 2 in pitch dark (essentially searched till I was completely exhausted, wet and scuffed all over my body).

This is the second time it happens to me in 4 years and am quite bummed this morning.

I hunt with an Excalibur Crossbow ... is there anything like a "string" that can be used? I know this exists on "regular" bows.

Thanks for any input and any suggestions. I am quite sure I took a good shot. It ran right back into the woods and only a few seconds later the sound disappeared, I thought it fell. Guess not. :(

did you find any blood? If not then you probably missed.

Plenty of blood on the arrow

String?? They used to and probably still do make tracking string that attaches bow to arrow. I have to believe it will affect arrow (bolt) flight. Has to.

Why not just make a good shot?

A sharp broadhead in the correct place and the animal is down in seconds. Sounds like you need practice and/or patience instead of a tracking crutch. Become proficient at 20 yards or less and take only broadside double lung shots at close deer.

how long did you wait before tracking the doe?

A good hit will leave a dead deer. If the deer wasn't found with such an exhaustive search then more than likely it wasn't as good a shot as you think. If the broadhead was sharp and its put into the vitals the story ends with a recovered deer.

Every hunter I know loses deer from time to time. It happens. Just keep taking good shots and you will find most of them without a string tracker. I also commend you on looking for the animal like you did. Many give up too fast.

Fair enough ... I probably had that one coming.

not enough information to help you. please provide more details. Unless you see the deer go down within sight BACK OUT and wait atleast 1 hour. you likely bumped the deer from its bed it clotted and now there is no blood trail, so you're screwed.

It's not hard to overlook them sometimes. Do you think it was a vital hit? Was there meat on the arrow? How far were you able to track blood? Like Terasec said, did you allow enough time before you started searching? Deer can circle back too, especially if you bumped her. There has to be blood somewhere. I'm gonna assume that the arrow passed through. Right?

sorry, the site has filled its quota on wounded deer that got away, get back out there and find it. gl