Just recently got my deer for archery. A spike buck with the bow. But it was an adventure getting it! First of all, when I shot, I heard a louder than usual sound when the arrow hit the deer - I thought perhaps it was the shoulder bone since that was near where I shot at. To my surprise when I looked around a bit 30 min after the shot that the arrow had stomach matter on it! All I can figure is that the arrow hit a piece of brush and ricocheted into the paunch - what I found later seemed to confirm this. At any rate, I left the area as darkness was approaching and came back early the next morning with helpers (did not have to go into work, which worked out well!) First, I went out alone with bow. There was no blood trail at all so I just followed a deer trail and tried to predict how this deer would circle around to where it first came from. Within 5 minutes I spotted the deer! Appeared to be dead, so I walked up and then surprise, Up and Away it went! So I retreated again, but I figured it would not have much left, so I came back alone in a few hours. The bed it left had very little blood but I figured I could find it again (should have marked it!) Could not find the bed walking around for 20 minutes and then when it was looking hopeless I looked down and there was the bed! No wonder I could not find it - it was barely visible as a bed! From there, I continued my theoretical circle back to where I thought it originally came from. Again no blood and now not even a trail of any type. About 80 yds down, there it was! But still alive, although much weaker. I did not fool around this time - shot it once and then got closer and finished it off with one more arrow. It was not only paunch shot, but shot far back in an area that was clearly not even in my shooting window. It was not a trophy by many standards, but in my mind I felt very blessed to recover this gut shot deer that ended up being perfectly fine for consumption minus a few pounds of meat.

Way to stick with it and not give up.

Good to see someone not giving up.

congrats on the recovery

and for anyone else...

two words... Blood hound..... I have a buddy who has two in GA that found a gut shot deer 72 hours after the shot..his dogs have found 100s of deer for folks..

Good job MZS! When im out logging i find quite a few deer dead after hunting season, some of them with good shots?! Diligent tracking is part of hunting for sure. The last i knew we can't use dogs for blood trailing deer in WI, unless there was a rule change, sure wish we could.

On the surface that sounds like a terrible law. Do they have an explanation for that?

Well maybe i'm wrong about that rule? just read you can now in wisconsin if its on a leash and you have no weapon. I read that from a google search that led me to another forum, so don't know how reliable that is.

Maybe they are just trying to make sure your not just actually hunting with dogs.

I do believe it is legal to track a downed deer with the use of dogs in WI. I taked to a gentalman this past summer at a sports show the Greenbay that has dogs trained for this. I did get a brochure from him as well as his cell number. I believe his business is Blood hound trackers out of Tigerton area. It is for sure illagke to use dogs for hunting purposes in WI though.

Good job on finding your deer.