What went wrong?

I am new to bowhunting this year. On Friday, I shot a doe at twenty yards. The shot went through and I found my arrow just behind where I shot her. I am using Rage broad heads. There was minimal blood, hair, and meat on the arrow and it did not smell like a gut shot. I swear I saw and heard the shot go through the ribs, but I found ZERO blood anywhere on the ground or in the surrounding cedars she ran in to. I looked for the doe for over an hour and a half until it was too late to continue and never found any sign of her. What did I do wrong?

 

Without being there or seeing it on video I can't say. Was there blood on the arrow itself? And if so was there bubbles? What color was the blood?

 

No bubbles, and the blood didn't look very bright.

 

I took a doe last year. Very little blood on the ground, arrow went through the heart and the majority of the blood just puddled up into the chest cavity. It wasn't until I opened her up that there was plenty of blood. If she would've went a distance to where I lost sight of her, I could've easily lost her.

On top of that, she had a gaping hole in her chest, but still very little blood.

 

You need to be on your hands an knees looking for blood. And for well over an hour and half. More like 4 or 5 hours. Don't give up, my first deer I had to track for around 200 with minimal blood. Took a while but it was worth it. Don't give up! If you keep at it you will be rewarded. Even if you lose it, that happens. Get it out of the way first and it will help educate you for next time.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

Using rage may be your first problem, but that's just my opinion. Are you sure you hit her good? maybe you hit her in the shoulder and that's where you heard the "whack." without more information is kind of hard. One more possibility is some meat or organs could have blocked the hole causing very minimal blood

 

For a pass through that arrow looks very clean.

 

Had the same thing happen to me earlier this year on a Depredation Hunt. Complete Pass Through! Only a few drops of blood. Rage opened up and was bloody from tip to nock. I found her the next day about 120 yards from where I shot her. She had crossed the railroad and went onto another property. A ton of blood where she died. Took out one lung and part of the other. Here is a pic of the arrow after the shot..



Here is a pic of what my arrows look like before a shot.

 

Sounds like you just hit fat.

 

I'd guess you shot through the straps. Were you on the ground or in a stand?

 

I agree. IME, although I didn't see blood on the ground, the arrow was red.

 

High shot would be my guess hardly any blood ever found with a high shot

 

i would say you went through her backstrap. there is enough space up there you might think you hit her good but you didn't. if that is the case, there is a good chance she will survive. keep looking though. you might find some more blood.

 

Shoot a rage at a target once and see if you hit high, they always shot high for me.

 

On the ground. She ducked and I'm beginning to think that I shot her higher than I originally thought.

 

From the ground I would almost bet you shot through the straps. The one time I did it I had a spec of blood on the vanes, a chunk if meat on the broadhead and a smear of fat on the shaft. No off putting smell to it or blood to be found.

I seen where it impacted so knew before I ever climbed down where it hit. Was 10 feet up and she was about 8 yards out.

 

I have never got good blood from shooting a Rage, but more times than not, I have watched them fall. *KNOCK ON WOOD*. But as someone has previous said, don't give up. You will learn a lot blood trailing your first few deer. Good luck