Hi all, new to the forum - first time poster. I shot this buck on Friday morning at around 9:30 am. He took a half step forward as I released the arrow, so I hit him further back than ideal as you can see in the photo. The arrow was covered in fairly bright red blood. I tracked a decent blood trail that appeared to be pumping sporadically even laterally onto trees in some areas. The blood trail started to fade at about 150 yards so I pulled out and waited about 4 hours. We brought a dog back and had no luck after searching for a few hours. Later I checked my trail cameras and saw the photo attached- 45 minutes after he was shot about 200 yards from where I shot him. He appears hunched over with tail tucked and blood under his chin and on his side, possible that he bedded down and licked the wound then moved on. The hole shown in photo is the arrow entrance hole, shot from a ground blind slighted above the buck. I have thoroughly checked our 24 acre of property and no further sign of blood so I am assuming he will survive or he moved onto another property and expired. Sorry for the lengthy post, I am just seeking some other opinions. Thanks in advance!
Welcome, Forrest. Without knowing the angle of the shot it’s hard to say. I never bet against them unless I see them fall over dead. Tracking dog might be an option. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
With a gut shot like that the buck will die. Unfortunately it will take 8+ hrs. During that time he might not bed and could travel miles if he wanted to. But welcome to the forum In Venatione Veritas
more than likely it will die, but it can take time , 12-24 hrs, maybe longer .. if jumped all bets are off ... ....
Agreed with statements above. He will die, just a matter of when. If it was just stomach could take several days. I’m guessing you may have gotten some liver but maybe too low of shot for that. Liver would make him expire faster. I’m guessing he will die on someone else’s property unless he beds on yours
Thanks for the quick responses. The red blood on the arrow and the blood trail led me to believe it was possibly a low liver shot. I plan to ask surrounding neighbors today if they might’ve seen him. Hoping for some luck on this one.
Good luck on the recovery, I don't think he's gonna live much more than 12 hours but they can cover alot of ground in that amount of time if jumped, Sent from my motorola one 5G ace using Tapatalk
Its definitely a dead deer. If you hit liver and/or guts, he will die. Time frame until death is the hard part. If you have water, may want to check that. Most likely he will head back to a place he knows and feels safe. I shot my buck this year in a very similar place, only mine had a more downward angle. He lived for 17 day before expired. Another time I shot a buck with same entrance wound. I found him 25 hours later and he was very much still alive. I was able to sneak up on him and finish him off with a 2nd shot.
That deer is dead IMO. That is a shot that cannot be tracked for a LONG time. Most blood trackers would say 12 hour wait, if he beds and isn't pushed he will die there as his guts essentially poison him to death....if jumped or not allowed to bed they will keep walking until they die which with adrenaline now could be days.
Classic reaction from a gut shot deer. The picture showing shot placement confirms that as well. This deer will absolutely die but it is hard to say when. The blood on your arrow is likely from hitting vasculature that was feeding the stomach and small intestines. If that is the case I imagine the deer bled out and expired within 12 hours. If the deer did not bleed out it will eventually die of intrabdominal sepsis, as perforated viscus is a non-survivable injury. This could happen within 24 hours or a few days depending on how much gastric and enteric contents are spilling into the abdomen. I agree with others and think nearby water sources and known bedding areas are your best bet. Regardless of whether or not you find this deer, keep your head up. Bow hunting is difficult. Please keep us updated. Sent from my iPhone using Bowhunting.com Forums
