Tracking
 

How far is your average track with a bow?
I'm hunting a narrow strip of state land, with 2 private parcels on both sides. I can't trespass, so I'm wondering what's your average track job on a good shot ?

10 lung shot deer will react 10 different ways. Highly pressured/spooky deer may run WAO until they just fall dead 200-300yds (or more). A big, rutted up buck that was chasing a doe or fighting will be amped up & can take as much killing as a Cape Buffalo. Are there ALOT of coyotes/predators in the area that constantly hound the deer? We're they just feeding along, early season, unaware when you shot? They might not run out of sight... Only thing "predictable" about mortally wounded deer is that they are unpredictable!

But "usually" (if there is such?) if you put a good broad head cleanly through the pump house then "usually" they won't go over 100yds before they lay down & if you (or another critter) doesn't jump them to early then you should be able to find them right there.

I've found with bow, lung shots tend to put them down quicker than anything. Pop both lungs and they struggle to breathe, panic, and tend to kind of circle rather than just balls out straight run. Like Hatchie said though, no deer is predictable. Double lung pass throughs give you a LOT better blood trail than a heart shot. Not heart, no blood pumping out. Both lungs, they spray blood with every attempt to breathe.

I've found that a lung-shot deer will live about 5-10 seconds. However far they run in that time is how far you need to track them. I've had them stand there for that length of time, then drop, if I don't hit a rib, or more frequently, run, usually 1-200 yards.

What I do in a situation like that is try to predict where they will run and try to position myself and take my shot accordingly. Still unpredictable but probably not as unpredictable as how far they will run. For example I have one farm that is all field on my side and all timber on the neighbor. Lots of deer but they ALL come from the neighbor. I position myself to shoot deer that are traveling away from the neighbor and I am between the deer in the neighbor when I take the shot. They all start circling back towards the neighbor but don't make it.

30-50 yards is typical, but 100+ yards is not uncommon, even a good lung shot. For sure, if you hunt this and shoot a deer, do not make a single move or sound for at least 30 minutes after the shot. And even then I think you might want to proceed slowly and quietly. And only take a good broadside lung shot. Work on getting that permission.

Every deer is different, from dropping in their tracks to running over 200y.

How long and how wide is this piece of land?

My hunting track of land is about 100 yards wide. I know exactly where the deer enter & leave my huntable track of land. They come in between 2 thickets, real thick on both sides. They come in about 20 yards from the neighbor, to the food plot. They leave the exact opposite direction.

So I know they feel pretty safe coming & going. If I set up on the property line, I feel they would run back to their passage way after being hit.

Setting up on the property line would be the worst thing you could do knowing you are not allowed to follow a wounded deer onto the neighboring property. 20 yards from the line isn't even half way reasonable, a wounded deer can cover that distance in two or three bounds. I suspect you know that or you would have asked the question. What would it serve to shoot a deer if you are not legally able to retrieve it. Find another place to hunt on the public land.