Decided to take a doe tonight, was all set had a good size group of does in the plot. I should have known better they were on edge but I got drawn without a problem. I let the release go and it was like a burst right before the arrow went. The deer mule kicked and flipped around and ran off I didn't get a real good look but the arrow was stuck in what looked like 12" or more and it looked high and back. The doe ran off in the worst possible direction and I backed out. I was fuming all the way back to the tent pissed about the shot. I waited till dark to go look for the arrow no dice did a perimeter search of the neighbors property. I was so pissed at myself. I headed to town to go buy some z-quil so I could sleep tonight get down the drive way and out on the county road take the left and go about 200 hundred yards and I caught something out of the corner of my eye turned around and went slow and could see a flicker of green nocturnal thru the brush. I went down the driveway and there just a speck thru the brush is the light. I grabbed the head lamp and weaved in and dammit there she is laying there but her head was up I was 5 yards away and she made no effort to get up. I backed out. Brush is too thick to get in there for a follow up shot with either a bow or a 22 in the dark. Been a while since have had this happen and it sucks but at least I found her and hopefully in the am the deer will be laying there dead.
Sorry this happened Sota. You did the right thing and she should be there in the am. Good luck buddy.
So pissed I can't figure out what happened with the shot, I don't get excited to shoot does it was calm cool collected it was almost like they started bolting before the arrow left. I can't wait to see where exactly the arrow entered, that and a few arrows into the target to check that. I do not get it has been years since I have had a bad shot like this happen.
Understand completely. I blew two easy shots this year and everything seemed good. Nature has a way of humbling us. Interested in what you find. Keep us posted.
Buck or doe, you get the same feeling just hard to admit. It's not the animal, usually(big bucks be damned), but the acknowledgent within ourselves we are going to take that life. Crazy story how you tracked her down without tracking, hopefully she is still there tomorrow. It's the decision not the animal that gets the heart pumping.
Be thankful you didnt hit two awesome bucks this year in the shoulder blade and never found anything... I practice ever day and have perfected my shot as good as it can get from 0 to 50 yards and still manage to screw things up... its been a bad year
Had my first experience not finding a deer yesterday and man it is sickening. Doe come trotting in straight towards me and turned broadside at little over 30 yards. I get ready but not in time for the big opening so I swing over to a small gap about 1 foot wide and wait as soon as her front shoulder comes into view I pull the trigger. She turns and heads back I can see what looks like a great shot just a little farther back that was aiming but blood is gushing out. I think she won't go far so I wait about 30 min then go check out my arrow. Blood on arrow and good blood trail. I follow it about 100 north then 140 yards south taking my time going real slow. I see her jump up and run over the little hill. I back out and go home. 4 hours later I go back track blood for about 70 yards and nothing. Just quit bleeding. Best I can figure it was a liver shot. She shouldn't be far going back today with a dog. Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
I did not look real hard for blood last night my first priority was making sure that there was not a green nock lit up on my neighbors property. They are good people but would upset with the idea of a wounded deer. That was one of the things that really bothered me that there was a deer running around with a lit nock sticking out of it pretty much advertising a bad shot by a bow hunter. Going to head out and go recover her in a little bit, just waiting on the sun to come up.
Went down to where she was laying last night, not there. She got back up and was still losing just a drop here and there and I am moving and looking for just specs. I look down at what looks like clotted blood and look up and there she was laying there dead. Never been so happy to recover a doe.
I have chunks of clown posers like MasterHunter in my stool every morning. Guys like him are Poptarts, soft in the middle and they get eaten for breakfast.