This exact same scenario happened to me this year on a buck. My shot was 17 yards and i simply just hit him high. He fell to the ground, flopped, then got up and ran off in a straight line. The next morning we followed drops of blood for 396 yards. We got to a spot where we could tell he stood for awhile, then nothing. A week later i got this on my trail cam: How he looks now: Worst feeling in the world. But at least i know he survived. Sent from my SM-G900V using Tapatalk
Sounds like a brisket hit to me---white hairs brisket area no white hairs on back or near spine except for tailbone area---meat and white haie means low hit also--brisket, lack of much blood--brisket are very little blood less than cutting a finger ! why the knock down--did you every get hit by a crossbow bolt at 350 or more feet per second with a mechanical head ? Neither have it but I have seen shoulder shot deer with a xbow and muzzy heads get knocked over ! Mt 2 cents
I'm glad he lived! I was reading this thread thinking no way he hit the deer high and had only white hairs..... I'm glad I kept my mouth shut. Lol. He is a great looking buck, maybe you will catch up with him next year. Sent from my iPhone using Bowhunting.com Forums
I have to agree with the low brisket theory ! And I'm confident that buck is still alive unless someone else killed him! Deer are Tuff and resilient no doubt. I have 2 different bucks I got pics of on my trail camera 1 I posted here and the other buck had a broadhead wound in the brisket area. Both bucks are functioning normal and healing. No I was not the shooter
just noticing from the deer pics from above that the brisket doesn't have any white hair on it either. only places with white hair is inside the front legs, belly, inside the back legs, and crotch area. I still believe far front leg. legs bleed like crazy.
Everything you've said sounds like you entered at the spine (the flailing around)and exited near the brisket (the white hair). A shot like that should produce a dead animal at some point, it would be hard to have a hit like that and not hit something vital. Was this a steep angle shot?
30 ft in the air, approximately 30-35 yd shot. Didn't feel too steep at all. Highly doubtful that it was a high shot as I was holding dead steady on the heart area. Deer could have ducked I guess but I still think that's unlikely.
