Good luck finding your deer man. Keep looking, you owe it to the deer, (Had to say it,BAM!) But seriously good luck to you, it does happen and keep your head up! PS...Illinois guys, if this happens, HIT ME UP! I will gladly join a search party, as long as you're not too far away!
dont beat yourself up about it. it sucks but people make mistakes next time you take a shot you will focus harder on making a good shot and it will boost your confidence again
shot (shotgun) a big guy last year while he was standing in flooded timber. Needless to say blood doesn't stand out in dirty water. I looked in the area for 2 days and could find a drop of blood. I didn't sleep for weeks, but then I caught a pic of him in Feb with his antlers off, and guess what no bullet hole. he must have fell down in front of me in shock then got up and ran away. I must say, I was shaking way to much to pull that trigger, but I had never missed a shotgun shot before and I've taken probably 30 + deer in my lifetime with a shot gun. I'm only 33 years old. well there is good news if you don't find him, and it is that the Rut hasn't even began yet, so there should be most opportunities down the road this season. P.S. If you don't find him after searching any further, then you might want to abandon this particular hunting property along for a couple of weeks to allow your scent to fade, and calm the remaining deer down. The last thing you want is to have your Nannies leaving prior to the rut. You'll most likely need to perform an exorcism over there. If you have rain in forecast, then wait at least 2 days after that to return. But if the rain is this week or early next forget about it. I’m telling you this so that you don’t ruin the property for the remainder of the season. best of luck to you buddy.
But I hope this is the ONLY time I ever make this mistake. Hopefully it is. He may or may not lose future deer, but I would hope that the same mistake of a 1 hr wait on a shot that was possibly back a little would not be made. Unfortunate things happen, but learning and NOT repeating those mistakes is all you can ask for.
Like Rybo mentioned, learn from your mistakes to hopefully prevent a lost deer in the future. Its bowhunting, lost deer happen. Do your best to prevent it, and don't beat yourself up too much. In the end, its just a deer. Get back out and hunt. Making a good shot is the best cure for getting over a bad one.
Thanks guys, I giving my property a break after all that intrusion, and in the mean time make sure my Bear is still dialed in.
