tonight i shot a real nice 8 pointer...and i mean a shoulder mount kind of nice! i grunted him over to me and took the shot at about 15 yards and it was a loud hit and he ran away with the arrow still stickin out of him so im thinkin i hit the shoulder blade :-(. he ran hard but tail was down about about 100-150 yards into a tree row between fields where i last seen him. i havent went to look yet, but this happened earlier this year to a nice buck and we followed a 70 yard blood trail and i never found him. please someone tell me that there is a good chance i could find him. 2 lost bucks in one year is just too much. rage broadhead, hoyt trykon, eason axis arrows. let me know what you guys think... thanks a lot!!
I am not trying to be smart, but did you actually see the arrow sticking out of the shouler blade or do you think you just heard it? Get him in the morning.
Its good that you backed out. Depending on your poundage, you should have gotten more penetration through the shoulder blade. Sounds more like a shoulder bone hit. All it takes is a couple inches of penetration to hit vitals. good luck
nope i definititly dont know that it was sticking out of the shoulder blade but i aimed for the sweet spot and it stuck out is what im sayin. thanks for your replies! any other tips please dont hesitate...ive been bow hunting for 5 years and have shot plenty of does but not yet a buck
Same thing happened to me last year, shot my buck sounded like I had hit a 2"x4". Deer ran 50 yards and was stone cold dead with cotton candy blood running out the nose. I hit the off side shoulder, took out both lungs. There's still hope.....
If it made a loud noise on impact its likely a shoulder hit. BUT it may also be a hit or bounce back from the off side shoulder. sometimes that gives the illusion of a bad hit and penetration because the arrow will bounce back out sometimes from hitting that off side shoulder. Im not trying to be a wise guy either but make sure your taking either broadside shots or quartering away shots, 1/4 to shots if turned enough can produce shoulder hits. Also watch that front leg before a shot. If its stepping forward it will allow the shoulder blade come forward some, if its stepping back the shoulder blade will be more back. Take those higher percentage shots and I really hope you find him good luck!!
i have heard that if you don't have enough kinetic energy with your arrow the rage broad heads barely penetrate but i have never used then but maybe its time to change if you have lost two bucks
I hope you find him. Best thing you could have done was back out for a while. Shoulder shots are iffy...it really depends on how much penetration you got. Good luck, I hope you are posting pics tomorrow!
Like others said, you did well by backing out. No need to push an injured animal any farther. Try to get a good nights sleep and go out first thing in the morning, bow in hand. Might take some toilet paper to mark the trail, if needed. If it gets sparse, get on your hands & knees and look HARD. Sometimes the only clue as to the direction he went is one little tiny speck. Hopefully you'll find your arrow first thing which will be your biggest clue. Don't leave us hanging. Good luck and take plenty of pics!
well i went out 2 hours later tonight after i shot it. it forcasted to rain so i figured chances would be best tonight. after finally finding a nice, bright red blood trail for about 200 yard i found my arrow. it had solid blood on it from the tip to about 6-7 inches up and found really steady blood after then...then we seen where it had laid down and after that the blood really slowed down to nothing. looked for 6 and a half hours tonight and followed blood for more than 400 yards i bet and didnt find it. will look more tomorrow. but i dont understand how a good wound like that can seal up... man for depressing....2 bucks lost this year now. makes me not even wanna go out anymore. every other deer ive shot and found without a problem. thanks for your input guys!!
You 1st posted at 8pm & its 6 hours until your last post ... You should have at least waited until midnight to look for something .... Im pretty sure you bumped him..... You mark last blood??? If anything ,,, Go back today & Bring with you a dog that behaves well.... No matter what the breed - They can sniff out your deer............. I have a dog named oreo that I brought with me to recover a does that i jumped (After i made a good shot/ Seen her go down within 30 yards & then gave her 45 additional minutes) ....\ Let the doe lay over night because of my mistake: As soon as I brought oreo over to the doe jumped up from in the morning - She smelled the blood in the bed ,, trotted in the direction where the doe ran & within minutes - she was barking funny ..... She located the doe an additional 60 yards or so in the brush Out of all breeds / A pitbull ....... I think they can smell 20 Thousand times better than we can so ,, try it out...
Sounds like you may have pushed him farther but hind sight is always 20/20. Given the circumstances, I may have done the same. Its a tough call (forecasted rain)...damned if you do and damned if you don't. Since it is forecasting rain then all you can do is a body search. If you remember where you guys left off...start from there and stretch out the search. Good luck! Oh....I know its tough because I've been there but keep your head up. I was in a slump for a couple years...almost to the point of not wanting to continue bowhunting. BUT I worked my butt off and have most of the kinks worked out. Will I ever injur another deer....more than likely but the same holds true for the majority of hunters. I hate it but its FACT. Again, good luck!
I've been there more times than I care to admit., It's a bummer, no one wants to wound an animal like that. I hope you find him!
I shot a doe last year that didn't pass through and was a little too far forward. I waited an hour or so and found good blood. Unfortunately, I bumped her only 100 yards from where I shot and never recovered. I should have waited longer but with the amount of blood that I found I thought she had to be dead. Live and learn and best to wait it out.
thank you so much for all your help and input...i havent found him yet today, but if i do, then i will put some pics up and fill you guys in.
with a trykon and axis's (heavy lil guys) he should have more than enough. i would say that that deer is probably dead. go look in the am
