Shot this buck up in KY last year... it was the dreaded quartering too shot . I have taken this shot many times in my 40 some years of bow hunting and always found my deer.. It was the last day of a 5 day hunt near Lawrenceburg KY. The Buck was close maybe 20yds max, a doe close to him was starting to get a little nervous and I knew he was going to bolt at any second.. So I decided I would take the shot, I had many times before.. I slipped the 100gr swhacker just in front of his front should and it ended up exiting just in front of rear leg after traveling through his guts.. I caught one lung and clipped the liver but the exit wound was plugged by gut and the trail was sparse at best. We trailed for about 50 yds and the blood all but stopped it was also getting dark and foggy... We decided to back out and retrieve him at first light. He was most likely dead before we gave up the track. We got on the last blood an hour after light the deer was actually running a well used trail, we went maybe 50 to 60 yards and found him. ......... or at least what was left.. The coyotes had eaten most of his right side and it was pretty nasty... At least the cape was not hurt... A little bummed about the meat because I don't just hunt for racks.. But for the record the 10pt scored 126 and some change.. I remember back in the day we never left a deer in the woods over night, we would go home or camp eat a bite and come back with the coleman lanterns and find them,,
If you had not backed out, you may have bumped him and never found him... it always pays to back out, it just depends how you view it. Nice deer! T
It can be a gamble, especially in areas with a high population of predators. But, it's just as much of a gamble to keep tracking a deer with a marginal hit. You could just as easily push that deer and never find it.
I actually thought I heard him crash into a fence when we found him he was laying next to a 4' high hog wire fence..
That's the way she goes sometimes. I've let a doe that I hit broadside, run 40 yards, and stumble but bed(not fall) at last light sit for 4 hours. I climbed down real slow half hour after the shot in the dark. Didn't hear a peep of leaves rustle but still went home and ate dinner and whatnot. Came back and bumped two foxes off her. Stiff as can be. However I still felt better than trailing at night on a marginal hit only to see a wounded animal hop up and limp off out of sight. Handling hits without gunpowder is just part of bowhunting to me.
I have talked to my buddy about that, but he manages his farms they way he wants to. I told him he should offer low cost or even free pred hunts...
I have been lucky enough to hear my bucks drop within 100 yards or so, so I haven't had to wait. I do know that I would be risking it by leaving one over night around here because we have a huge problem with coyotes right now. So much so that I'm taking up trapping as I feel it will be a much more effective way to manage the numbers. I will be out hunting them too, but I think I can take more by trapping than by hunting.
IDK but it looks like he expired as something was chewing his backside the way his legs are splayed out like that. I bet you would have bumped him.
his legs do look weird but I think its the way he flopped over when hit the fence , if you look you can see two of his legs are resting on the wire... His chest cavity was full of blood as the yotes had not torn into it yet.. I will never know for sure I do know he made a pretty mount, I love the short summer coat.... And every time I go to KY it makes me want to move there more and more..
I still wonder the same thing as Martin Hunter. I have only left a deer over night once, I had so much wasted meat it made me depressed. I will let them lay for a few hours and then track it. I have always recovered them after that. Beefie
Awesome Buck! I had the same thing happen to a doe I couldn't find earlier this year. Glad you found him!
