Good Luck Donnie!!! I am pulling for ya....I will definately take the advice about crows and the doubling back thing to heart....I have shot about 10deer with a bow and all of them except two ended up within 40yds from where they got shot....and I would definately say to check any water near the last blood and make sure your not overlooking sides of trees when looking for blood! I actually found my buck this yr thanks to a lone crow....one might just fly up in front of you....they dont necessarily circle above all the time....anyway Im sure your sick of suggestions by now...I know the feeling I lost my first ever bow buck yrs ago due to a meat shot!
Not tired of suggestions....I love em'. Brett..Don't have a GPS but yesterday I thought about how useful that would have been. Great tip. Guys thank you all so much. I'm heading out the door right now. It hasn't rained since the shot so if he bled considerably in some spots...I should still be able to find blood. Going back to last blood (again). Wish me luck!
Oh....and I've heard from you guy too many times about the possibility of him circling back to the POI. Definitely going to check that again and where I think he was bedding.
The circling back is a good tip. I've also found that if I hit a deer in the evening, and the hit isn't immediately fatal, it seems that they want to try to get back to where they were bedding and felt safe. Good luck.
Good luck this morning Donnie Might want to take a quick walk down that hedgerow that is south of the last blood. It looks to run all the way to the river. He may have tried to slip down that to get to water
]Just got back again from searching. Only spent 4.5 hrs looking this AM. I came out of the woods at noon and my dad called as I was getting in the truck. I told him I was officially done searching. He sounded very disappointed that I didn't find my buck...he knew how much it meant to me. Even though I told myself I was done...I still think I might give it one more day and that will be tomorrow evening. I promised a coworker I would help him move furniture in the AM so I only have the afternoon/evening to search. The area (purple oval) is where I saw him come out of several times last year and that is where I called him from Wednesday evening. I think that may be his bedding area. I didn't feel like going into all that thick stuff today because of all the other walking I've done. Once I go through that area....I'll be done. Its going to take some time because its a pine thicket and very hard to get around in. He could be anywhere. The yellow is where I searched today. I repeated in some areas just to make sure he was not overlooked yesterday.
I'm sorry to hear about your loss. I lost a doe this early season and it took me a good week to get over. This has to be harder considering this is the buck you were hunting. Nothing says that deer isn't still alive and will walk past your stand again.
Really sorry Finch, keep your head up and like many of us before you that have been through this.. you did all you could to find him, have a good season the rest of the way, get back in the saddle.
Yeah...I feel like I've done all I could do but I guess I won't end this w/out looking where I suspected him to bed. I'll feel better after I search that and then that will be it! AND I guess he still could be alive. I think about the picture with the arrow stuck in the doe's head (I know some of you have seen that) and other stories I've heard...maybe he is alive. I'm not really sure. I have a camera on a mock scrape in the area he uses. I'm also going to set out another camera on a trail coming out of the thicket that I suspect he beds. I'll also be hunting that stand some more...maybe I'll see him again. Who knows...
Man Finch....that really stinks. I thought for sure he would have been down, and relatively close based on your first post. From the blood and distance, I agree with the others - most likley a muscle hit. Hopefully he's still alive. You gave it a valient effort...don't beat yourself up too much. Maybe he was qtring harder than you thought and it went in the shouder too far forward? I don't know, doesn't make much sense. They are so tough, its amazing sometimes.
That is the area I was speaking of yesterday Finch. I thought it was a pond, but now I see it is a thicket with maybe a small creek by it. I would literally comb that place Finch. I know you are tired and I know you may even see him again. I would just be willing to bet that is where he went. I just have a feeling bud. Rest up and take a look. Good luck.
I'll check it out tomorrow. I'm really not looking forward to it though. It is some thick stuff. I'll give it my best shot though. Thanks
I hope u have a good post after this telling us u found him. My BUddy Matt spent 2.5 days looking for a buck afew years back. bound and determined he was lucky enough. he just had a gut feeling and he prevailed with his best buck ever and with a recurve. keep your chin up
I remember that thread, Frank. Very inspirational and I tried to find it again to re-read it but I didn't have any luck!
