Last night I shot a buck that was with a doe that was in heat. I took a shot that was perfectly broadside from about 19 yards away. The only problem was that there was a little bit of brush in the way, which is probably what caused my arrow to not hit where I was aiming. After the shot, he and the doe ran off into an area that had grown up after logging. They ran far enough that i figured it would be okay if I got down and looked at my arrow while I decided what to do next. Looking at the arrow, the was not much blood on the shaft, there was just some hair and a little bit of muscle fibers, as well as just a little bit of blood on all 3 of the fletchings. In my still adrenalized mind, I convinced myself that it was a fatal shot. After backing out for quite a while, I came back to see if I could find any blood to follow. After grid searching the area that I know he ran through, I didnt find any blood, and even at spots where he made a turn and kicked up some pine needles, there was no blood around. So at this point I had been thinking about it for hours and it started to make since that maybe it wasnt a fatal shot. And after a heavy rain the next morning, there is definitely no blood to be found. Anyways, I wanted to ask a question. Since he was with a hot doe, is there a possibility that he may keep following her wherever she goes and come back to that spot if she goes. He wasnt a mature deer so its not like "he got big by not being stupid". He was probably 2 years old.
That's a risky situation. The buck being pumped up on adrenaline, can run along way on that. If it was a high hit thru back straps, good chance he will make it. But if you hit just below the spine, probably a dead deer. I had a situation just like this a few years back. Rutted buck came in with doe. I shot high and hard quarter away shot. Deer bolted as if nothing happen. I found arrow same as you with hair and slight specs of blood. No blood on ground, just hair. I just walked the direction he went and over 100 yards away I stumbled upon him. Double lunged and dead. Zero blood on ground. It was all still inside of him. The high shot held all the blood in. I would give it another grid search just for peace of mind. And yes that buck will come back as long as that doe is hot! Sent from my SM-G900V using Tapatalk
He will come back. This year, friend of mine shot a buck in the shoulder, but the arrow didnt pass through. Deer lived to fight another day, my buddy then shot him the next week from the same spot.
