5 in 15 years. Two were superficial hits and I think the deer survived. One I started tracking too soon (time crunch) and she made it across the fence onto the neighbors, and he doesn't give permission to retrieve game that comes onto his property. On one occasion I ran out of blood and the last was a spot and stalk on a whitetail doe that went perfect until I miss judged the yardage. All were stupid mistakes that I had total control over. I still shake my head when i think about them.
3 in twenty years. A doe during early muzzle loader when I was nine and still hunting, a small buck four years ago on a high shot that I thought was a spine shot but befor I got all the way down he jumped up and ran off. Think it just Jared his spine enough to nock him down, and a hog of a buck two years ago right at first light. Ten yards hit a small limb and grazed his shoulder, he was killed in youth season later on. 169 inch 14 pointer. Talkin bout sick. You can see the scar from my broadhead on the mount
Do you mean unrecovered wounded deer or target deer that just vanished? I've had several vanish never to be seen again, can't put an accurate number on it. As far as wounded deer unrecovered. One with a bow and three with a rifle. I know it's an odd ratio...bow was a crappy mechanical broadhead kickout on a lagit Booner ~190"...deer survived but vanished so qualifies either way. Rifles were in order, stupid kid at 13 years old didn't double tap, loose scope mount, off right and grazed brisket...deer shot two years later with scar, probable gut shot at 160 yards due to a bad timed step...wet fescue to try to track in...lost blood 300 yards in CRP...found the deer the following spring during burn 600 yards north 90 degrees off last known heading due north. I still have the skull and antlers, that was the 2010 season and was a 135" ~seven year old ten point.
Since 1980 I have lost no deer during bow or gun or muzzy season(I've always been very ocd about my shots) and the ones that haunt me are three turkey in different bow seasons. I only take head and neck shots now on longbeards.
Im 50/50 shot one with a shot gun last year died instantly. Shot at one this year bad shot no recovery.
lost 4 deer in my 20 years of hunting. Best buck i ever shot was a 150in 8 point i lost after tracking for 8 hours lost the blood trail. Im sick each time i loose a deer but that one ended my hunting season a few weeks early. Shot placement after that deer has been my #1 Goal in shoot now.
I have failed to recover 4 deer in my 49 years of hunting. The first was my very first deer when I was 12 years old. Went with my Dad and his friends and he put me in a blind (Texas) with a .22 rifle. I didn't know any better but he should have. The other three were all archery deer. The first two were during my first few years of bowhunting back in in the mid 70's and the last one was last year. I took a "quartering to" shot I never should have taken and then foolishly pushed the deer instead of just backing out. Two brain farts in one day. All unrecovered deer were does.
1 lost and a hand full of misses. I completely questioned everything about that shot from the time I drew the bow to the time I let it fly. I should have just let down and didn't. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
I started bow hunting when in 2009 last year I shot three deer and lost the last deer I shot which was a doe. Tracked her a long ways but no good. Hit a little far back. Then just last night I hit a doe right below the spine missing all the arteries with no blood or arrow to be found. Both deer I lost was due to bad shot placement I'm not very old or been hunting that long, but I'm learning fast shot placement has everything to do with it now matter the setup of arrow and broadhead you have.
I've fortunately only lost 1 deer in the past 3 years I've ben bowhunting. It was a rushed shot from an inexperienced hunter. Ever since then I've only taken perfect or close too perfect shots on deer.
1 doe and 1 bear. Bear was my very first year hunting bears. I made a shot that I intended to make. But the spot was not very smart. We followed the blood trail to a huge swamp. We checked around that swamp, no prints, blood nothing. We came back next day to find a floater.... Nothing. The doe was last year. Made a great shot in the boiler room. I was hunting maybe 100 yards from the property line. I waited my usual 30 mins when I know it's a good shot. I follow blood trail. As soon as I reach fence the neighbour is standing there. Won't let me on his property no matter how much I asked. I go away for a bit. Then I sneak on later on when he's gone. I find bed and gut pile. No doe....
A nice buck and 2 does over the years. The shot on the buck was a little high, but still thought it should have been lethal (was using nuckturnal, so i know right where it hit). But who knows, maybe he rolled his internals or bottomed them out when he loaded his legs? I rushed the shots on the does, so they were definite lessons to get settled in and relax before the shot. I used to feel "pressed to make the shot" before a deer moved. I really shake my head at the thought of these unrecovered deer. Luckily on the does though, I hit them both in the shoulder, so they had a good chance of surviving the hit.
2...one I later found out died from a neighbor that found it...the other I believe may have lived. Both does....the day is coming it happens with a buck...hopefully not though!
One buck with a rifle. Hit a little back but pretty sure i hit liver. He ran in the woods and fell/slid (from the 4 foot blood smear on the ground) into a mud puddle. Mud must have stopped up blood, because not a trace after slid and due to heavy rains over night (and crappy shot) no recovery.
I have lost 6 in 39 years . A couple of those I am sure were still alive . Would have been 7 but I removed one from that list a few years ago after shooting him again the next year . I believe that every hunter should never forget the ones that went unrecovered , they help remind us to aim smaller and not repeat mistakes made .
One. First buck I ever shot with a bow. Hit a limb, sent the arrow low and just clipped his underside and splayed him open quite a bit. Had awesome blood for 300 yards.....then nothing. About a week later, I had him on camera feeding. 2 years later my father shot him with his crossbow, he was bald along the scar line. Cool to see him after I injured him
7 bow and 1 rifle in 39 years of hunting. Sad to say 2012 was my worst bow season ever and accounts for 2 of the lost deer. I make no excuses for any but one (neighbor would not allow access). If you have a conscience, it bothers you. Respect.
