This is about as bad it gets.

My first year to deer hunt with a bow.

Finally after hunting relentlessly all season, he shows up on the morning of the last day of year.
Biggest buck I have ever personally seen.

To set the stage a little bit, my brother comes over 2 nights before and tells me that he sees a ten point and 3 does cross the street by my house. I hunt right below it. I thought the 2nd rut was over but I guess where I am at there are still a few does that haven't been bred yet.

So I plan on hunting the morning of 12/30.
I set up well before sunrise and put out 4 freshly dipped estrus sticks.
I couldn't believe my eyes when I see what appears 30 minutes after daybreak .
There he is, the 10 point. He appears and walks straight to the 2nd stick closest to me. A 23 yard shot, broad side.
He is smelling the ground where the stick has been dripping.

I am hunting with a Barrett crossbow and using a Rage Broadhead Crossbow X.

I take my shot and he takes off up the hill about 40 yards and stops. Then he slowly walks the rest of the way up and over hill out of sight. So there I sit on my stand for 2 hours beating myself up for a complete miss.

I get down to retrieve the bolt and see that it was a complete pass thru.

I get to where I see him stop and blood has blown out of each side with bubbles in it.

I looked for him too soon. Apparently, I jumped him up and he ran for about two miles. I gave up a dark hoping he would eventually bed down and bleed out. I pick up the tracking the next morning for 3 more hours and never get to were he even bedded down. He jumped about a 7 foot ditch after about 2.5 miles with apparent ease. At this point I am exhausted and I can't find anyone who is willing to help track with a dog. I went this morning to check a thicket that he was headed to hoping to find him, but nothing.
After the first 1/4 mile the blood trail slowed somewhat. The last 1.5 mile was just spots.

Not fun, not good, not enjoyable.

I'll attach pics of his route, blood and bolt.

 

I'm going to say it wasn't actually a pass through (through the lungs)...but a meat hit, and that deer is still alive.

 

I'm on my phone so the pics may be deceiving, however if there is that much blood AND bubbles that deer should be dead inside of 100. Especially if you waited 2 hours to start tracking.

 

That's an awful lot of blood. I'm surprised he lasted more than 2 hours.

 

He's deads some wear, I would still see if you can find a dog to track this.

Beefie

 

That bolt doesn't look like it went through lungs, it looks like a meat hit.

 

I agree. its confusing. I may have hit high and nicked the lung and went under the spine. that would explain the meat on the bolt and bubbles in the blood.

 

cant find anyone with a dog and its rained all day today

 

I would keep trying at least one more time, look for the thickest stuff that you cant get into and I bet he's there.

Beefie

 

that's what did this morning. if you look on the map he was headed to a big thicket. I checked last night and this morning but couldn't find him.

 

anyone know of a deer tracking dog in bella vista Arkansas. the two people I contacted werent willing.

 

tomorrow would be day 4 after a good rain no less.

 

That arrow looks like a meat hit, way too much fat and not enough blood for vitals.

I hit a doe once that bled A LOT but the arrow looked the same as your bolt. The blood eventually stopped and we never found the doe. My friend shot a doe a few weeks later with a wound in the brisket that I really think was the one I shot. It's why I started using light nocks so I have a much better idea of where I hit.

 

Doesn't look like a double lung or vitals hit. If you got him in the right spot that arrow would be deep red from broad head to fletching.

 

I would agree with meat hit if he didn't say he had bubbles in the blood. I only know one way to get bubbles and that is to puncture the lungs. I can't tell from the pics of there are bubbles or not though.

Also I just looked at the bolt, looks too clean for lungs.

 

You could have caught the top of one lung? I have seen deer go a long way on a single lung shot. Were you hunting out of a tree stand?

 

I think that deer is still alive. Looks like a muscle hit. That blood isn't pink and frothy lung blood. Just my opinion, but with that deer covering ground like that I think he will be fine.

 

Doesn't look bubbly so my guess is meat or brisket shot. On a clean double lung the arrow will look like my avatar picture.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

After reading these posts, I think I was reading too much into the few bubbles that I did see. My gut told me I shot high because I switched shooting lanes at the last moment and didn't take into consideration the slight distance change. I hope he lives to see another rut and another one of broadheads. I'm thinking I hit him above the lungs and below the spine.

 

Oh boy......