Fess up... lets hear about some shots that had a happy ending (with recovery) but made your heart sink when you hit the deer. I was 18 years old. Had a nice 11 pointer came out into an open hay field. It was only my second year hunting and I knew next to nothing. I had practiced with my bow quite a bit. But I admit I had some SERIOUS buck fever going on. Shaking like a leaf, grossly misjudged the distance, he was walking, slapped the release, floating pin, etc.... hell I think I may have even closed my eyes. It was just awful I have to tell ya . The buck ran off with my arrow sticking out of its' pooper! I did have enough awareness to back out of there and go back later to look. Took my buddy with me just to go for a token look figuring no way in hell I'll find that deer. I was already sick to my stomach long before heading back to look. Was having a pity party and couldn't believe what I just did. Blew the opportunity of a lifetime (so far) in my hunting career. To make a long story short. We started looking where he entered the woods. Saw HUGE sprays of blood on the saplings where he went in. He was laying there dead down the bank about 40 yards. Looks like he slid 20 of them. Blood like I've never seen before in my life! Hit the femoral artery and got luckier than lucky. I think I have some pics of it somewhere I'll post (maybe black and white ). It was a weird array of emotions. Thrilled I killed the deer, but ..... OMG how can I miss that bad? I'm actually glad such a thing happened to me so early in my bowhunting life (20+ years ago). It really enlightened me about being precise and collecting myself. Being sure of yardages, angles, controlling buck fever, anatomy of deer, etc..... Since that deer I have really pinpointed my opportunities of where and when to shoot at a deer. Big lesson learned and a feeling I never wanted to experience again of an arrow sticking out of a bucks butt. So ... it's not a perfect world and I'm sure everyone has had some hard lessons. Let's hear about some horrible shots with recovered deer you thought you would never see again.
The first buck I shot with my bow was a 30 yard shot quartering to as I released he turned and my arrow hit him right in the ham!!! He ran twenty yards right at me and bedded down he expired 10 minutes later! I couldn't believe what had happened and figured that buck would have left the county but I fortunately had hit the artery and he bled out!
I shot one broadside right in the butt also.... Found out when I let my bow down the night before out of the tree stand my arrow nock hit the ground and cracked the carbon shaft which made it curve left right to his butt.... I thought I had missed until I couldn't find my arrow and found blood.... Waited an hour or so until it started raining so I went looking and found a massive puddle of blood and then it stopped..... I search all day and finally decided to check bedding areas and there he was dead.
17 below, foot in a cast, tree stand, peep was full of popcorn snow at full draw, clipped the back of the ham and cut the femoral, 20 steps, dead. best shot was 107 yards on a Montana speed goat.
My second year hunting I spined my first deer. As a whole mix of emotions flooded my system, I reached for another arrow to try and finish her off, nocked the arrow, and missed clipping my release on all the way. So when I started to draw back the arrow released and fell in a rainbow about 10 yards in front of me. Luckily I hit enough of the artery that she died within a few mins but that was a tough way to start out. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk www.skyangler.com
Femoral Artery shot, piled up no more than 25 yards. I couldn't believe what I saw. Then when I opened him up he was filled with a pool of blood. God helped me that day!
Way back when I was young and dumb (only dumb these days) I had a doe out in a small field at probably 75 yards and it was time to get out of the stand. I didn't want her knowing where I was but wanted her to leave so I could get out unnoticed. My thoughts were to launch an arrow to hit right behind her and spook her, hopefully without giving up my position. (I said I was dumb) Anyway, I threw one out there and it hit a bit too close, like in her hind leg. Six inches further back and it would have sent a little breeze up her butt as it flew by. Anyway, I knew something was off as she was limping pretty bad as she cleared out. Checking the spot she was at I saw blood. I followed it for 50 yards to the edge of the field and saw her laying just a few feet into the brush. I had hit the femoral artery and she had bled out as she cleared the field. My hunting partners told me from that day on NOT to shoot them in the butt. Advice I have followed religiously.
Happened this year. First deer of the season. I didn't go through my fundamentals and rushed the shot. I thought I missed, he didnt jump or run off, just walked off like nothing happened. Lucky for me, I found him. Good blood trail, I ended up bumping him. I backed out a little while and picked the trail back up. 75 yard tracking job turned into a 300 yard track.
Femoral Artery on one of the first deer I've ever shot, a doe. Made it maybe 50 yards. Was sick when I saw impact, relieved when she dropped.
I've taken a few quartering to shots that I probably shoouldn't have but both turned out to be liver kills. One ran 10 yards and the other 70 yards. The one that went 10 yards I actually shot a second time while he stood on a hillside wobbling and I shot him through the back and out the neck. I probably didn't need to shoot him again but I didn't want to take any chances. You live and learn, we all have an ethical responsibility to take the best shot and it's all about patience and understanding the anatomy of a deer.
Femoral Artery just below the spine toward the back end, stopped, looking bewildered and piled up no more than 15 feet later. Best shot was a heart shot from 10 yards while 15' up in a tree. He made it about 25 yards before crashing.
X2. I've been both lucky and unlucky. Unlucky in that if there is a twig between me and a deer I'll find it. Lucky in that I always find them after they are hit.
Shot a buck one evening many years ago right in the neck. Was aiming behind the shoulder, no idea what happened to make it hit the neck. I could see the blood coming out pretty well, but it was close to dark so I backed out and got my hunting partners and some lights and came back about 90mins later. Upon picking up the trail...about 50yds into it, a blind man could have followed it. Looked like it was poured from a pitcher. I figured for sure he'd be laying there, be we kept looking and following. He was running straight down a mountain, ended up going 300+yds. When I found ...the last 40yds there was no blood trail, and he had done a powerslide about 10yds to where he laid. Gutted him and I swear, there wasn't any blood left. Couldn't believe he made it that far. I'm gonna say he made that entire sprint in the first 20-30 seconds, no way he could have lasted very long with all that blood out.
Pretty lucky. Never had a "bad" shot. Either clean miss, or solid hit. Worst would have been a doe I shot years ago in the liver. Hit back further than I wanted do to bad shot execution. Still got her after backing out. The oddest goes to my buck in 2009. Shot him at 37yds, and never heard him crash. The arrow has some blood and a little gut material with no blood on the ground. Backed out. Called Rob/PA and Ben/PA, and they came up to assist that night. We got to the spot where I shot and moved in about 20yds in the woods when Rob told me he would back out and wait until morning. So we did. Next day, we found the found 150yds away dead. Hit lung and heart with exit nicking intestine that blocked the hole. He didn't bleed a spec externally.
I've gotten lucky more times than I care to admit. Been saved by the femoral artery under the spine several times. A few single lungs that were recovered. A couple gut shots.
Sadly I have two. First one was two years ago. I spine shot a buck. Don't know what happened. It was 17 yards. Don't know if he just dropped that much or I just aimed too high or a little of both. Luckily he fell over with his underside facing me and I was able to put another arrow through the bottom of his heart. Whole ordeal lasted less than a minute but he was looking at me the whole time which made it feel like an eternity. Last year I flinched horribly on 27 yard shot. Arrow went though her hams. Luckily hit the artery and she died pretty quickly. Looking for a good clean kill this year.
Man i wish i would have know this when i was younger lol when i was younger shot at a nice 8 point and got a butt shot lol didnt really think it killed it when we tracked it tho blood everywhere but we stopped after we lost the blood trail bc we figured to bad of a shot and that i didnt kill it lol who knows now probaly did
This was the first year ever for me bow hunting - I do not have a stand and sit on the ground to hunt. Had a big doe at 25yds - Rushed the shot and the arrow deflected, hit her right below the ear and dropped her in her tracks. First deer I have ever shot at with a bow and that happens.... Needless to say I will be practcing more than I did this year - Which is damn near impossible.
