Shot first deer with a bow!!! Help me confirm when to take up trail!

Damn fixed heads..bet if you'ld have had another 1/2 inch of cutting surface you'd be grilling backstraps now.

 

FYI........dogs don't just track on blood. They track based on scent left by the interdigital gland found between the "toes" on their hoof. There doesn't need to be any blood present at all. 2x years ago, my best bud Dan hit one that bled everywhere, and did so for the better part of a mile. We lost blood, and then got a dog in there the following day. The dog followed a track that had absolutely no blood at all, and had us on the deer in 15 minutes from the last point of blood.

 

I'll still stick with necessarily......1.5 hours is not very long. As Christine alluded to, a liver hit deer can live for minutes, or hours.

Regardless, his arrow shows that it definately was not lung or liver hit.

Here's another picture of lung tip and liver hit.

 

Good to know.

Dan, do you agree that deer is probably alive?

 

Tough call on the tracking job............without being there it's hard to judge but it doesn't sound like you made any moronic mistakes........could you have done better?? Probably.

Your trouble started way before that though. Without beating you up about it I will just say a couple things and you can use them or not........your choice.


You HAVE to soak in more info when you take your shot........you really didn't know where she was hit........that puts you at a MAJOR disadvantage right from the start. You were left guessing from the very begining. Recipe for disaster. When I trip the release and the arrow flies I IMMEDIATELY start gathering info........it registers right away (smoked 'em---crap--looked a little far back, high, low etc). That is followed 1 second later by what the deer does (mule kick, hunch, tail down, up, trot, full run etc). Then it's sight and sound time......watch her until she disappears or falls......once she is gone pick a DEFINITE landmark where you saw her last for reference and sit down and LISTEN for stumbles, cracks, thrashing or just walking.

That is a TON of extremely valuable information and you had none of it to go on.


I don't know how well you can shoot or how well you can control your nerves but man...........a 10 yard complete broadside shot is harder to miss then make. I understand it was your first deer with a bow so I don't blame you one bit for getting the shakes but that is simply a shot you have to be able to make. You missed a target equivalent to about an 18" circle from 10 yards. Check your gear and make sure you have practiced WITH your broadheads. That is the easiest shot you will ever get.


Sounds like you have your head on straight and just need to execute the shot a little better.

Hang in there man.


I also think that deer is dead right now FWIW.

 

sorry bud..... keep at it though, you will be ok, not the end of the world and there are plenty of days left as well as deer.

 

Stay at it...

 

That is some great advice.

 

I agree I needed more information

Having said that, two primary reasons (other than nerves) why it was tough for me to get more detailed information was of the light conditions. I was within two minutes of calling it a day when this deer stepped out. If this deer would have been at 30 yards I would not of taking the shot due to light. But at 10 yards, I could clearly see her outline and even see her color yet. However, that makes it tough to see where your arrow went when it was that dark without lighted nocks. Maybe you could say that I should not have taken the shot then but I contemplated this as I drew and decided how the hell can I miss at 10 yards with what I am seeing? The other reason it was tough to tell where I shot her is because how fast the arrow got there. I think because she was so close and the angle I was shooting at my arrow went high. That is what I think right now. Was it too easy and close? Maybe.

I have practiced hard this year shooting since January. I know I put in my time with both FP and the last month with BH's. I don't question my preparation at all because I wanted to prevent this exact situation. I told myself no shots over 30 yards this season.

 

Ok lets think about this from the time she stepped out to the time you shot, how much time went by would you guess?

 

30 seconds max.

 

That's what I think happened. At 10 yards your shot angle is getting kind of steep, especially the higher up you are. That, coupled with the fact that a lot of people tend to drop their bow arm while aiming in a situation like that, instead of bending at the waist. This always causes a high shot. Probably hit the loins above the spine, a huge muscle hit. They will lose a lot of blood, then suddenly, it stops. Quite deceiving. Most muscle hit deer recover.

When I get to my stands for the first time with bow in hand, I adjust my straps and harnesses so that I can lean against them while maintaining shooting form. I found that if you don't lean enough because you feel like you might tip out of your stand, you WILL drop your bow arm so you can aim. Then you'll shoot high.

Unfortunately, I have learned these lessons the hard way. Maybe it'll help someone.

You'll get the next one.

 

I am going to agree with Gregh, IMO you did more right than wrong, just some bad luck.

 

If you couldn't see your arrow because it was too dark then I'm certain you know NOW that you shouldn't have shot.........anything less then a complete toast job and you are left fumbling in the dark racing the clock on a warm night. For a first timer that is REALLY stacking the deck against yourself.

On a side note........I believe you said you were only up 16 feet. If so you hit high because you aimed high. That shot is a slam dunk on a flat broadside deer. I just don't want you over compensating next time and shooting low.

 

Sometimes things happen, you have to just keep yopur chin up and move on. sounds like you did all you can do, kudos to you for waiting on the track job!

 

You know, hindsight is defiantly 20/20 and yes if I would have had time to consider every variable and yeah maybe I should not. I can tell you that if I would not of shot I probably wonder to myself why I didn't take a 10 yard shot that I felt good about. Like you said. It should be a slam dunk. That is what is so frustrating because it should of been just that..... a slam dunk.

My thought process was. Can I see the deer clear enough? yes Can I see my pin? yes Is my pin where it should be? yes Am I confident in this shot? yes and I squeezed.


If this was a mechanic problem as Greg mentioned (likely) it probably would have happened at the middle of the day as well.

In the 30 seconds I saw that deer I don't think it is unreasonable for me to take that shot with me thinking this is a gimme. Guess I was wrong.

 

He said he was only 16 feet up..............But whatever, it was one of the two or both. My guess is droping the bow arm and/or peaking........just a guess.


Deer loins don't go "above" the spine.......in fact there is a tough layer of fascia (connective tissue) that holds them firmly against the spine. You cannot send an arrow through the backstraps and not hit the spine (unless you are shooting head to tail).

 

Like GregH said man.........you did more right then wrong. Don't beat yourself up and take whatever help you want from this thread.

I'm sure you will be posting pics of a nice recovered deer soon enough.

Stick with it and keep your confidence up.

 

And thank everyone for your kind words and advice. I am going to take a few days off and re-group. I still can't believe this happened. I always told myself, I am going to do everything in my power to prevent this. And now it happened on the first one.

It does hurt. I admit it.

 

remember don't let his effect you in a negative way, you have learned from it, no let it go and move on. It's a new game!!