Hey guys, I' m really torn up about this situation. Tonight at around 6 30 I shot at a 6 point that was roughly 13-15 yards away with my recurve. He was broadside and looking the other way when I drew back my bow and then I released. I heard a " thump" and then the deer ran but didnt act like he was hit really like you see on tv shows and stuff ( i' ve never shot a deer with a bow before ). But then he ran for about 30 yards and then started walking, except it didn' t look like he was walking like a normal deer would. It was getting dark and I didnt find my arrow or any blood in the 10 or 15 minutes I was looking for it. We are going back at sunrise to track him and look for the arrow. Do you think I might have hit him in the ribs and thats why I heard the thump? I just hope I didnt hit him in the hind quarter at all.
Thanks

Buck Boy

good luck tommorrow morning. A thump could be anything. The dirt beneath him or a stomach full of corn. I would not speculate on a hit by the sound. But if you hit the dirt you' d have found your arrow.
Shooting from a tree, its possible you didn' t get complete penetration, which would explain no blood or bloody arrow. The broadhead is probably still working as it walked away.
The deers reaction would be hard to pin point a hit or not. When you miss a deer, it' ll jump, run and then walk away. However most deer missed would jump, run and then at a safe distance try to look back at what startled them, unless they got a snoot full of your scent after the shot.
Its just hard to say. It was a close shot and since the deer walked away after the initial run, I' d say you hit it. If it walked away hunched up, then the paunch would be my guess. I think you are doing the right thing by not pushing it.
I have a paper back book, by John Trout Jr. called " Trailing Whitetails" that when I hit a deer and wait to take up the track I read through it on the parts that I believe I hit. Excellent book.
Good Luck in the morning.
Dan

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I can' t really remember what the tail was doing.....but i do remember watching him walk with a sort of bounce. Also we were both in a field and I was hunting from land. He ran and walked like he was about to make a circle it seemed. My recurve is 50# so imagine I wouldn' t have gotten a pass through. If the arrow was still in him would that prevent me from seeing any blood? Thanks

Buck Boy

Its hard to say but you very well could have hit him. Yes the arrow still in the deer will definitely effect the blood trail, especially if the broadhead didnt make it through. The bouncing almost makes me think he maybe was limping but I wasnt there. Good decision to wait till morning, good luck finding him, take your time and dont rush the track job if you hit him, its easy to get carried away and overlook or even cover up important sign.

you could have hit the deer and not have had a pass through or a gut shot or you missed and the thump you heard was what the arrow hit.the only thing to do is continue the search by expanding the circle .[&o]

Good luck in your search

Well guys I was a little disappointed this morning because I found my arrow and I did not hit nim but I know it was for the best. Thanks for all of your opinions.

Buck Boy

I am sorry to hear that you missed your deer. At least you found your arrow and you now know that there is not a injured deer running around.

Sorryabout the disappointment. On the bright side, a missed shot is so much better than a bad hit. One year I missed a nice eight pointer. A month later I shot a huge eleven pointer. Hang in there, it' ll get better.
Dan