I shot a spike this morning not long after sun up, and thought I hit it pretty good. But when it ran off, it didn't run like there was anything wrong like they usually do. I gave it a half hour or so and then started out, found my arrow covered in blood, no green stuff but no frothy bubbles either. I started up the track and jumped one about 100 yards out, but it just walked away instead of running. At this point, I went back to my stand for another half hour and waited on my dad to help track. We found a lot of blood, then lost the trail. Found more about a couple hundred yards down the trail, then nothing again. I finally gave up after about an hour from the last time we found anything. Dad says I didn't hit anything vital and it's going to go find cover and heal up. I do think that I hit it low, I aimed on the 30 yard pin and it was further back in the opening than I thought. First time I've ever lost one.
Sounds like a live hit. Was the blood dark red? If so, thats a dead deer. You will need to give him several (at least 5-6) hours. Go back and look for him. Maybe find a tracking dog.
Blood was bright red, found quite a bit at first but tapered out quickly. I'm going backnowledge out there after lunch and looking some more.
Lost a 10 pointer yesterday. Had a bunch of blood with little pieces of bone, but after 2+ hrs of following the trail my host called off the search, said the deer probably kept going and was on land we can't search. SUCKS! But I have venison: dropped a 4 point today.
I hate to give up. I had a buddy "hit one good" and after he left it. I went back in that afternoon and found it about 100 yards from where he lost blood and had just jumped a deer.
Even if the shot looked good your eyes can play tricks on you especially in those type of situations. I shot a doe where it looked good and she was quartered away slightly. I still took out the jugular vein and a little heart but she only ran about 150 yards and dropped in less than 10 seconds. Maybe your shot wasn't what you thought it was.
When in doubt give them time. If you bump it back off and give it several hours maybe even overnight. Sometimes your not going to get much blood. It doest mean your not going to recovery the deer. Its so much easier if you just back off let them lie down and expire. Good luck.
Just to follow up, I measured the shot and the deer was standing 42 yards away, I was using the 30 yard pin. I shot low, no doubt about it. I WILL have a rangefinder before another hunting season. I hunted that stand every day since, and haven't seen buzzards in the area that makes me think it died nearby. I did, however, see a spike Tuesday evening that was walking kind of odd and I think it was the same deer. I'd like to think so anyway.
I scratched one in bow season that bled for over 400 yards. We tracked him for four hours the next morning to only lose the trail in the swamp. Had him on camera the next night eating apples. Picture showed a "line" on his belly.
