1st time deer hunting. Parker F4 Tornado Red Hot Bolt Field Point “Slick Trick 100 Magnum” 1 1/8", 4 blade 20’ up in a tree stand Deer was 20 yards away Perfect side shot Aimed just above midline, because I was 20’ up shooting down. http://bowsite.com/bowsite/features/articles/deer/deergeometry/ Heard the bolt hit the deer and saw the hit Waited 30 minutes (it seemed like 3 hours) The deer did not jump up in the air like on the TV shows, it ran like hell down hill in the woods. Found the bolt with blood on it. Problem: no blood trail???????? Looked for 4 hours, no deer, going back in the morning. 90% confident it was a good lung shot Question: Could the deer be bleeding internally and not externally, or did I just miss the lungs from 20 yards?
It was a good rib shot. Behind the shoulder just slightly above the midline. The midline to me is half way between top of the back and the belly. The bold had red blood, it was sticky after 30 minutes.
I am guessing one lung and hit pretty high. Did the arrow pass through, to me it doesn't sound like it did, which doesn't matter just explains it a little better. A one lung high hit deer can go a very long ways and I have found sometimes that it is not lethal. Look for it like it is dead and have a positive attitude either way. Next time I would suggest just leaving and waiting until the next day on a shot like that. This is hunting and everyone has a learning curve.
The bolt went through. I took my time with the shot and feel good about the placement. I was 20' up in a tree shooting down at the deer 20 yards away. I know nothing is better than the real thing but I used http://bowsite.com/bowsite/features/articles/deer/deergeometry/ to learn where to aim. I would not take a shot I was not sure I could make (it was only 20 yards). My question is can you make a lung shot and not have a blood trail? I think the answer is no. But I was so sure it was a well placed shot. Thank you for your input.
If you had a pass through it will be bleeding somewhere. It usually takes a little time to clot. Look high as often as you look low for blood. You might have hit liver if you did you will find the deer. What kind of terrain are you hunting?
you either hit gut or hit high or you just didnt look hard enough. There is no way a good side shot would not give you any blood. I would go look again. there is normally a drop where the initial hit took place.
finding a blood trail for the first time on your own can be very tricky. It's best to get one more person (preferably someone who has tracked before) to go with you. After the shot, the deer bolted off, the last tree you saw him by, or the tree nearest to you that he ran closest to. Go there, using the tree as a reference should help you find the first drop of blood. Sometimes it's the size of a pencil eraser. Take TP with you to make the trail. Go SLOW and watch each step. You will find some blood.
I love shooting slick tricks (I shoot the same broadhead); however, in my opinion they don't leave a very good blood trail the first 20 to 40 yards. Look for the last place you saw the deer and walk towards it from the place the deer was standing. If you made a lethal shot you should find blood within 50 to 60 yards with that broadhead. If you don't do zig zags in the direction the deer ran and keep your eyes open. Once you find the first drop of blood you have a for sure spot the deer ran and its working it away from the shot from there. Once I find blood I have rarely had a hard time keeping on it with Slick Tricks. Hopefully this helps a little bit and Good Luck.
Are you by any chance color blind? I am red-green color blind (and pretty bad) so I need help finding blood and tracking. Just a thought as to why you might not be picking up the trail if there is one. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk www.skyangler.com
I'm also slightly color blind and I have a hell of a time...If it's not a river of blood...I need help most of the time. I've tracked a ton of deer and I know how to get it done, but I'll be darned if I can see blood on a brown leaf.
Shot sounds like it could have need to high You will shoot high from an elevated position and if you aim above the midline .. Probably hit high in the front part of the loin. There would be little or no blood, but would have meat and fat on the arrow. If the shot is uphill or downhill .. Shooting high will be magnified. Try this shot at home or out of the same stand and see how high you may have hit .. I was always taught to shoot at the lower one third Good luck Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk - now Free
Was the ground wet? any rain? As one other person mentioned, if it was a pass through and there is blood all the way down the arrow shaft/fletchings then there has to be blood somewhere. I've had the problem where I had a double lung pass through, and very very very little blood to find. However, I noticed it on bushed about the height of the deer and then was able to track small little bits on the ground here and there. GL hope you found it.
The next morning two friends and I did a grid search for 5 hours. There is a swamp about 300 yards away in the direction the deer ran. I'm in South Carolina and I'm not going to go knee deep in a swap looking for a deer. I looked for about a hour today but didn't find anything. I checked my crossbow yesterday at 20 & 30 yards and it's dead on. I've been talking to local bow hunters and realize I have a lot to learn about what to do after the shot. Your input is much appreciated! Thanks
