Deer down.....but

src4usarmy · 10-05-2009, 05:53 PM

I went out opening day Sat. morning and didn't see anything and went in for a while and grabbed some lunch and went back about 3 sat afternoon and set in my portable stand till bout 6:30 and decided to move right down the trail to one of our permanent stands. I was watching the trail that the deer normally take when I caught some movement behind me at around 7 pm. I turned around to see one big doe crossing an old 4-wheeler trail and then I saw two more coming behind her and the second stopped in the middle of the trail broadside at 20 yards. I drew back and held right behind her shoulder and squeezed my release and watched the arrow till it disappeared into her but then I heard it hit gravel behind her and seen my arrow bouncing off the ground. After hearing and seeing my arrow I started second guessing myself thinking I had missed so I got down and picked up my arrow which was covered in meat hair and blood. It had went through her and boucned off some rocks and went up the trail behind her about 10 more yards. I didn't see any blood around the area so I called dad and got him to come up and help me look since it was starting to get dark by now. He came up and I told him which direction she went and he took off on the 4-wheeler not realizing it hadn't been that long since I shot her. He didn't see anything so we went back off the mountain and got some better lights and my brothers. We found a really good blood trail going up the mountain and tracked her until about midnight after she jumped a fence and took off toward an area that had been logged a few years ago and was grown up with a ton of briars. We lost the trail then and decided to come back in the morning and look. We looked from 7 am until about 530 pm and couldn't find anything but I did get the chance to take Gage (my 6 year old) back up the mountain and show him how to track and he loved it so that is a plus. Dad and my brother took 4-wheelers back up this morning and decided to push through the thick stuff and found her but not before the coyotes had. She had apparently took a couple of big bounds off the side of the hill into the middle of a wall of briars but at least they found her. It looked like a good lung hit though. I guess dad just pushed her but I took some pics of the smallest blood spots and of course Gage wanted me to take his picture tracking. I didn't help him other than telling him where I last saw the deer and what to look for and he was able to track her to the point she jumped over the fence.

deer blood pictures by src4usarmy - Photobucket

**helomech** · 10-05-2009, 07:48 PM

Sorry you didn't find her in time, but that is bow hunting. Glad you got to take your son out, he will always remember that. At least you are hunting, not stuck at work, like some of us. But tomorrow is my last day working for 21 days so I will be hunting hard.

src4usarmy · 10-05-2009, 08:12 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by helomech

Sorry you didn't find her in time, but that is bow hunting. Glad you got to take your son out, he will always remember that. At least you are hunting, not stuck at work, like some of us. But tomorrow is my last day working for 21 days so I will be hunting hard.

Thanks, and you are right. It made my day to take him out especially seeing him taking to it so well and asking me when rifle season starts so he can go and the only thing that would have made it better is to have found her with him out there. I've not been able to hunt much the past few years but I have made it a point to go this year but dad's place is 45 minutes away so I mainly only get to go on the weekend but I'll take it. Good luck to ya, hope you fill your freezer.

**helomech** · 10-05-2009, 08:18 PM

Thanks man, I probably won't even get a deer this year unless a 4.5 or older deer comes my way. I am only taking 3 deer off my place this year (not counting if I encounter a mature deer, or if a trash deer comes along) 2 does and the 7 point if he shows himself. My niece (she is 8) will get one doe, and between my wife and kids they can take the 7 point and the other doe.

tnbowhunter · 10-06-2009, 06:24 AM

I hate to hear that. I agree, looks like your dad probably took up the trail a little early. Sounds like a high lung shot or a shot through the liver, a deer hit like that can go quite a way before laying down, especially if pushed. Other than pushing the deer a little early it sounds like you guys did everything else right and I commend you for your efforts on finding it. Even though you didn't recover this deer in time, just remember that nothing in Nature is wasted.
We should all learn from our mistakes, I wish you better luck next time.

src4usarmy · 10-06-2009, 09:40 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tnbowhunter

I hate to hear that. I agree, looks like your dad probably took up the trail a little early. Sounds like a high lung shot or a shot through the liver, a deer hit like that can go quite a way before laying down, especially if pushed. Other than pushing the deer a little early it sounds like you guys did everything else right and I commend you for your efforts on finding it. Even though you didn't recover this deer in time, just remember that nothing in Nature is wasted.
We should all learn from our mistakes, I wish you better luck next time.

Thanks. I've been doing some reading on it and read that once the heart stops and quits pumping blood out the deer can still travel some distance without a blood trail and I'm guessing that is what happened. She actually stopped about 40-50 yards out and probably would have stayed there if you she hadn't been spooked again but looking at what was left of her it appeared it was a good lung hit but she just got pushed (still kicking myself for that) but she didn't really travel all that far from where she was shot (probably a little more than 100 yards). She went left about 40 yards and then zig zagged up the mountain probably 80-90 yards, and left again over a fence about 8 yards and back down the direction she came from about 20 yards and that is where the trail stops but she went straight over the hill after that into the briars at the bottom. I tried to find someone that had dogs that could have tracked her after looking all day sun. but couldn't find anyone. Still just hate it happened.

Shane06fl · 10-06-2009, 06:28 PM

Man I hate to hear that. But ya at least you found her. Most likely she did lay up close by and your dad or even you walking in too soon made her jump and run. I have done the same thing but I found my little buck almost 150-175yds from where I shot him. Shot him with a .35Rem, perfect double lunger and he should have not ran much. But I got excited and jumped down and walked into some brush and he jumped and ran. I lost the blood trail 100 yads from that point. Luckily it was open field and zig zaged until I found him.

They will jump and run and when they shouldn't, they are tough critters, way tougher than us humans. Good luck the rest of the year.

DRTYAZN · 10-11-2009, 11:43 PM

Good hunt none the less... similar situation with my first archery kill, a small forky... I ended up tracking (flushing) it for close to 2 miles (didn't know any better then)... and you got to share the great outdoors with your next generation!

src4usarmy · 10-19-2009, 09:26 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DRTYAZN

Good hunt none the less... similar situation with my first archery kill, a small forky... I ended up tracking (flushing) it for close to 2 miles (didn't know any better then)... and you got to share the great outdoors with your next generation!

Yeah, that made me feel better that my boy enjoyed it and he made me promise that I would come get him after I shot the next one before I track it so he can help. I've been looking at a two man tree stand for us also.