So the other evening I shot a nice little buck but recovered the arrow and found that he was either gut or liver shot. the whole arrow was covered in very dark blood and brown matter. I noted where the arrow lay and which way the deer ran after shot. after seeing the arrow I knew I had to wait till morning to look for him so I wouldn't jump him. Well I have been looking for days everywhere I can think of. trails, around water sources, heavy cover, and still no sign of him. no blood or matter anywhere. I feel so disgusted and I can't even explain it. This has never happened to me and I feel horrible. I want to at least find him although by now the meat is no good. How far does a gut shot deer usually run? I have circled around everywhere and no signs at all. He must have ran a good ways because even my dog can't sniff him out. any ideas?
they can run for miles, and we've found that a dog who is great at following blood isn't good at following a gut shot trail.
Things happen sometimes. Just one of those things. Don't let it get you down too much. I know it's easier said than done but you gotta get back on the horse my friend. Something will find it and make a meal of it as bucksnbears mentioned.
Actually, a gut shot deer will usually bed down pretty quickly, if it isn't being pursued. Gut shot deer are dead deer!
First off don't feel bad. If you don't shoot you will never get anywhere. If the deer is gone, let nature take over and move on. Deer are very tough. If it lives, you might see him again.
Everyone has this happen at some time or another. I can relate to how you feel. Its hard to know how far he went, without knowing how careful you were getting out of the stand and out of the area, without bumping him. Other factors that might influence this, is predator densities in your area. Gut shot is one thing, they can go quite a ways, but I've hit liver once before, and she went 80 yards from impact. I also left her overnight, but made sure to pay attention to which direction she ran off to and took the long way home to insure I didn't bump her. If its been a few days now, I would be hard pressed to say, its over my friend. Wait till the season is over and the first snow melt after winter (if you're still curious) and take a look around for those antlers.
I agree 100%. If you know its a gut shot do not look for at least 8-12 hours. They will not live once gut shot. They will bed down very fast but often get up and move again but not too far. Seems they always go to water if they can.
Did the arrow smell like paunch? If it were me I would re check around your water sources, walk creeks, and around any ponds. Typically they will get and stay near water if they can.
At this point, your best bet is to look for large birds in the area. Watch for vultures, hawks, eagle. If the deer is dead somewhere, you can guarantee they have found him.
they almost always go to water down in the lowest section of the land....look in creeks or river beds
