1 doe that I bumped after misjudgment of my shot an went after her too early but I learned my lesson if ur not sure back out an come back later gotta giv'em time if ur not for certain
4 in 17 years of hunting. Two with a gun and two with a bow. For the gun deer- I shot two does when I recovered one I went to get the other and it jumped up and ran onto private property we couldn't go on. The other was a small buck I shot at when I was a teenager. High risk shot that looking back now I can't believe I took it but we are pretty sure the deer lived. The bow deer- My first deer I shot at with a bow 5 years ago I hit in the shoulder. A neighbor later shot him during gun season. The second was a small buck that I started tracking to soon and he got up and ran never to be found.
Hmmmm.....this same thread is on AT right now. Same OP possibly? It turned into a huge troll thread over there. Then again, most AT threads end up that way.lol
0 hit deer never found.... but then again in 8 total years of deer hunting, I've never had the chance to hit any during gun or bow... which IMHO is pretty pitiful... Though I did get one with a semi one year...not much there to recover...
But at least I can say that I have never wounded one that got away!!! (just to be clear... I'm not making light of shooting a deer and not finding it...it would make me sick to have that happen. I'm more or less making fun of myself and my ineptitude).
2 in 15 years of bowhunting 3 if you include the buck my daughter shot this year and I couldnt recover. I believe he is still alive. My two first was a doe, I am certain she died, heavy heavy blood in the snow for 60 yds, then she went through a fence, blood and hair on the fence but zero blood after and she entered a thick area that was completely covered in deer tracks. Searched for 6 hrs and didn't recover. I think today (this was several years ago) I could find that deer. #2 was a buck, he survived the shot and was killed the next week by the neighbor a mile away. Wasn't friends with him at the time but I am now. He actually gave me the rack last spring. I was at his home and standing in the garage talking when I noticed one of my arrows leaning in the corner. I asked about it and he laughed.... then pulled out the rack.
On my first rifle hunt I rushed a shot and shot at doe. She dropped straight down and I thought she died. When I glasses her she jumped up and ran off. We searched for about 2 hours with three of us and only found one drip of blood at point of first shot. I must have just grazed her. I hated the feeling but am pretty sure that she lived. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Two, one with my bow when I was probably 13 or 14 and one with a muzzleloader two years ago. Both were my fault and caused by rushed shots. Both pretty nice bucks. The archery wound was not fatal dad shot him the next year, I was young and dumb. Boom stick had to be fatal in my mind, I was sick as a dog and inside a heated blind. Took a shot on him while he was trotting about 60 yards in front of me after a doe and led a little too much and hit him in front of the shoulders. Bled like a stuck pig for 300 yards found a bed that was saturated and then nothing. To this day not sure what happened. Never have I had a blood trail like that without a deer down at the end of it.
3. 2 with a bow 1 with a muzzle loader. With the bow....I did find one that I lost, but too late and it spoiled. The other??? I think it was likely my fault though because I think I pushed it. The one with the muzzleloader was due to a complete failure of the power belt bullet I used. The bullet basically exploded on impact, created a horrible shallow wound and as best we can tell the deer tried to swim the river and likely didn't make the other side. We recovered a piece of the copper jacket on the ground where the deer was shot. After talking to other folks and doing an internet search I found I was not alone in my experience. Now I shoot hornady sabots and they are DRT.
I have only lost one in my ten or so seasons of hunting, it was my second attempt with a bow trying to take a large 10 point. It was a solid hit but a little high I'm guessing I missed all the vital organs. After the hit the deer acted like nothing was wrong, he just turned & walked away. He didn't start running until the arrow came in contact with a tree that he rubbed against to brush the arrow off, doing so snapped the carbon arrow like a twig. Then he started leaving a blood trail for about 100 yds. right into a swamp so I thought he died in the swamp. But after telling my story to other hunters in the area they told me they have seen a big ten point with a wound high on it's right side. Then one hunter told me that his buddy took that deer during muzzle loader season that year. I have tuned up my shooting since then with bigger broadheads & better accuracy. The last doe I took with my bow only ran about 20 yds.
1 doe and 1 buck both with a bow in the 12 yrs I've been slinging arrows. But will say I missed a whole bunch my 1st couple of years. The buck I lost was the biggest buck I have ever taken a shot at 150ish. It was my 2nd year archery hunting and I was shaking like a "better not say" and I hit his front shoulder. Found 9 inches of my arrow at 25 yards I looked and grumbled for 3 weeks until my future wife said enough is enough. Damn why did I reply to this it still gets me all fired up haha.
I've lost 3 in 18 years. 1. About 7 years ago I "lost" a 7 point buck that I made a great shot on but ended up going to a neighboring property and someone else had already tagged it and was gutting it after following the blood trail. I don't know if he shot it again or if he saw it crash but I wasn't about to approach someone on their property. I'm positive my shot would have killed the deer regardless if he shot it too. 2. About 5 years ago I lost a 6 point buck that I thought I made a good shot on but lost the blood trail after 300 yards and never ended up finding. I am unsure if this deer survived. 3. A few years ago I lost a doe that I shot high on. I simply made a bad shot and thought the angle was more than it actually was. I am unsure if this deer survived.
