Well what the hell. We shot a doe tonight 25Yards broadside. Arrow passed through, we found it and there was just a tiny amount of blood and fur on the arrow, although it did go through a wack of snow and into leafs. lots of hair but no BLOOD, easy shot right. Tracked it 250yards and nothing (should mention four come in and all ran away in the same direction) Then finally found a spek of blood on a tiny branch wtf. gonna go out in the morning look again
Lost deer tonight/ pass through no blood
- Thread starter Moose02
- Start date
Such posts are always a venue to learn a lot and sometimes hurt a lot. Don't give up. Yes, critters sometimes can have the amazing ability to go some distance. Always learn from these experiences. They teach you a lot. Stay firm in your resolve.
Start doing a grid or circles around the last point of blood found. Winter hides can suck up a lot of blood, especially if you hit center or high of center. Good chance the body cavity filled up and the deer is down.
Use all your senses to review the data. Did you smell the arrow for stomach (arrow can look clean but has the pungent smell). Did you visualise the hit in relation to the anatomy amongst other things.
Beware, there is a no mans land just above the lungs and under the spine which causes a lot of grief. Although smaller in deer, it does exist. So really visualize the hit and consider the angles taken. If you hit a little back of high center on a slightly quartering forward and uphill shot, guess what you have. Don't give up until you have eliminated all possibilities. In some cases, a no mans land hit may find the deer walking some days/weeks later.
PS, I found one on a similar hit. Made a high hit, flat ground, 90degrees, hit on a mulie in snow. From the shot, it hit 4" high from center chest. Upon inspection very little blood on the arrow fletch, otherise clean. Followed tracks, no blood, then a spec, then a couple more specs about 50 yards down trail. But without snow would have been impossible to follow. Deer went at least 200 yards. I knew where the deer fell by sound.
IMO, your best hits are always bottom third on flat ground. That changes a lot depending on shot angle and slope. You have to tailor the shot to the anatomy of the animal on any given angle or slope. 3D targets train you improperly.
Hope you find this one. If you hunt enough, this S#$t happens. Learn from these times.
Elky....
Start doing a grid or circles around the last point of blood found. Winter hides can suck up a lot of blood, especially if you hit center or high of center. Good chance the body cavity filled up and the deer is down.
Use all your senses to review the data. Did you smell the arrow for stomach (arrow can look clean but has the pungent smell). Did you visualise the hit in relation to the anatomy amongst other things.
Beware, there is a no mans land just above the lungs and under the spine which causes a lot of grief. Although smaller in deer, it does exist. So really visualize the hit and consider the angles taken. If you hit a little back of high center on a slightly quartering forward and uphill shot, guess what you have. Don't give up until you have eliminated all possibilities. In some cases, a no mans land hit may find the deer walking some days/weeks later.
PS, I found one on a similar hit. Made a high hit, flat ground, 90degrees, hit on a mulie in snow. From the shot, it hit 4" high from center chest. Upon inspection very little blood on the arrow fletch, otherise clean. Followed tracks, no blood, then a spec, then a couple more specs about 50 yards down trail. But without snow would have been impossible to follow. Deer went at least 200 yards. I knew where the deer fell by sound.
IMO, your best hits are always bottom third on flat ground. That changes a lot depending on shot angle and slope. You have to tailor the shot to the anatomy of the animal on any given angle or slope. 3D targets train you improperly.
Hope you find this one. If you hunt enough, this S#$t happens. Learn from these times.
Elky....
You said you tracked for 250 yards, is it open field or bush? Because it's very easy to not see a deer and to then keep looking further if it's bush; depending how thick it is.
As others said, try to rethink what happened. Where do you 'think' you hit it? Did you see the impact point? What colour was the hair? (in case was white, so a belly shot) A buddy shot a buck about 130 yards, it ran about 20 yards, and 5 yards into the bush it was down. It was pitch black and not a single speck of blood anywhere! He got a lung and heart, just bullet didn't come out the other end.
Make sure you're 100% positive where it ran. Put a piece of trail tape anywhere you find a clue and don't just run through the bush, take your time and observe all directions.
If you guys end up with nothing, maybe it was a bad shot and it's simply injured. But can always try to sweep the area with a few guys and hope one of you run into it. Make sure look in the hardest to reach places, they'll go under trees, in really thick bush, etc.
You also mentioned tonight, so it was likely dark. Hopefully you guys are able to get out there again today, night searching can be a pain in the..
Best of luck tracking it down
As others said, try to rethink what happened. Where do you 'think' you hit it? Did you see the impact point? What colour was the hair? (in case was white, so a belly shot) A buddy shot a buck about 130 yards, it ran about 20 yards, and 5 yards into the bush it was down. It was pitch black and not a single speck of blood anywhere! He got a lung and heart, just bullet didn't come out the other end.
Make sure you're 100% positive where it ran. Put a piece of trail tape anywhere you find a clue and don't just run through the bush, take your time and observe all directions.
If you guys end up with nothing, maybe it was a bad shot and it's simply injured. But can always try to sweep the area with a few guys and hope one of you run into it. Make sure look in the hardest to reach places, they'll go under trees, in really thick bush, etc.
You also mentioned tonight, so it was likely dark. Hopefully you guys are able to get out there again today, night searching can be a pain in the..
Best of luck tracking it down
Shot a deer on Sunday with my 243. Saw the hit and knew where it took off to and was pretty sur eit had fallen. Walked over and found a perfectly placed shot (heart was shredded and lungs were hit). Not a speck of blood or hair amywhere. None. This included where the animal died. I began gutting and every ounce of blood in that animal remained in the cavity. I have never seen anything quit elike it as the entry exit wounds were not plugged by fat or similar but in the end it didn't bleed. Get a group together and walk within site for as far as you can looking for anything unusual. You might get lucky.
Deer shot during the evening hunt present unique problems. You lose light and are rushed to track. Going back in the morning might show you walked right by it. Morning light is a huge help and some friendly ravens might help you out.
Again another instance where a good dog can help out. This same scenario happened to me this year. Buck got hit, went down, but got up and limped into the thick stuff. came back in the morning at first light and found blood right away right where I was looking the previous night. The landowners dog showed up seeing what I was up to and the dog helped out huge by sniffing out a few more blood spots in the brush telling us the deers direction of travel. Found it 300 yards from where I shot is some thick nasty willows.
Dogs and daylight your two best friends on a wounded deer. I can't understand any province with rules prohibiting the use of a dog to find game.
BTW for all you out there who get your knickers in a twist the dog was not used in the hunt, he was not mine, and he just showed up on his own with no prompting from me. Therefore no rules were broken in any way just a bit of good luck.
Again another instance where a good dog can help out. This same scenario happened to me this year. Buck got hit, went down, but got up and limped into the thick stuff. came back in the morning at first light and found blood right away right where I was looking the previous night. The landowners dog showed up seeing what I was up to and the dog helped out huge by sniffing out a few more blood spots in the brush telling us the deers direction of travel. Found it 300 yards from where I shot is some thick nasty willows.
Dogs and daylight your two best friends on a wounded deer. I can't understand any province with rules prohibiting the use of a dog to find game.
BTW for all you out there who get your knickers in a twist the dog was not used in the hunt, he was not mine, and he just showed up on his own with no prompting from me. Therefore no rules were broken in any way just a bit of good luck.
Well walked a good 400-500 yards this morning and nothing, saw tons of hair for the first 50 yards and then not a drop of blood or even a hair. The deer was running strong judging from the tracks. I took a shot when I got home and the bow is shooting maybe 2" high@ 20yards I think "elkhunter" hit the nail on the head. hit high below the spine and didn't touch anything major. I was aiming slightly high, maybe ill see her next week 
Well walked a good 400-500 yards this morning and nothing, I was aiming slightly high, maybe ill see her next week
I do hope she makes it, but I think the only date she'll have is with the pack of coyotes that have trailed her over night.
I thought the same thing last year when I hit a doe in that zone between spine and lungs... no blood, tracked for 500 yards and gave up till morning. Too late, the coyotes got her and there was nothing left.
Cranky Pants
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
You ain't alone! I fired on a nice buck this evening. I couldn't find any hair or blood but the light was fading.
Heading back out at first light. Hope I missed it clean or made a good shot and didn't see the blood / hair.
Not knowing is the worst, gonna be a long night.
Heading back out at first light. Hope I missed it clean or made a good shot and didn't see the blood / hair.
Not knowing is the worst, gonna be a long night.
Hopefully you find it. My wife shot one last week in the last 15 to 20 mins of legal light, couldn't find it cause it started to rain and went pitch dark fast. Found it the next morning, but not before the coyotes had it pretty well picked clean. I took a shot on one right after my wife, never found any sign of a hit at all. It really sucks when it happens, but I guess all we can do is learn from these experiences and do our best not to repeat them.
Look... this sucks... I have been there.... you have a duty to do EVERYTHING you can to recover... but sometimes they just elude you
Last muzzleloader season I shot a ten point (no trophy) and there was snow on the ground... I saw blood on point of impact as well as a good trail....
I went back to the house and got my dad who was there... he is almost 70 but this is where he wants to be involved in camp.... we got on the blood trail and followed it... found where the deer had laid down... big blood pool and dish in the snow.... then a trail of blood that looked like someone ran through the bush with an open paintcan......
I tracked it for over 3 KM .... yes... gps said 3km and an hour of tracking....in circles through brush, through cedars, after dark etc... marked the trail and came back next day... never could track it down...
bottom line.... do your best to recover
Don't let it shake your confidence. If you hunt long enough it will happen to us all. Ten or so years ago I'm sure I made the same shot on a nice buck, never found him,very little blood. I would have bet money that the arrow went through the lungs.
- Location
- Prince Albert, Sk
They can cover ALOT of ground with the adrenaline pumping.
Try chase a deer down on foot.
If say they do 30 mph, that's 44 ft/sec, even 30 seconds of that, that is damn near a half a km!!!!
Many variables working against us out in the field.It has happened or will happen to everyone eventually.
Just do your best at recovery and that is all you can do.Live , learn and move forward.
Try chase a deer down on foot.
If say they do 30 mph, that's 44 ft/sec, even 30 seconds of that, that is damn near a half a km!!!!
Many variables working against us out in the field.It has happened or will happen to everyone eventually.
Just do your best at recovery and that is all you can do.Live , learn and move forward.
Chucker243
Member
- Location
- quinte west area
Bow hunting/tracking can be challenging. Here's what I look for:
Length and colour of hair? Colour of blood (dark, pink, rich red?), debris on arrow (red meat, slime, froth, fat?). How high did you find the blood sign on the branch? Which side (entry or exist). Did its step pattern alter? How long did you wait to track? Reaction of deer when hit?
Good Luck. C.243
Length and colour of hair? Colour of blood (dark, pink, rich red?), debris on arrow (red meat, slime, froth, fat?). How high did you find the blood sign on the branch? Which side (entry or exist). Did its step pattern alter? How long did you wait to track? Reaction of deer when hit?
Good Luck. C.243
Sounds like you kept pushing it.
Yeah... I did... but it was dark and I had no choice... it was either I get it or the yotes did... and with the amount of blood there I figured it had to keel over soon..... there was snow on the ground and teh trail was easy to follow...
If I had to do it over again I would have found a log to sit on and relaxed for an extra hour to let it expire (even though I had already waited an hour)
They actually used to make something like that..... and they made arrow knocks that had a small beacon in them.... but they don't work on a pass through.....
deadeyes40
CGN Regular
- Location
- nova scotia
they used to make a string tracker.had a little harpoon fastened to arrow which stuck in the hide.the string attached to this.anothr one had a littleclip which fastened behind the broadhead and the string fastened to this.i the arrow passed thru so did the string.just had to follow string to the animal.but they had issues.
Brutus
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
It not fair to suppose anything with a wounded deer lost, but painful lessons from way back:
a. A deer can cover alot of ground on one undamaged lung.
b. Evening/late afternoon hunts s#ck for loosing light and tracking.
c. My bow was not energetic enough for expanding broadheads. Went back to fixed Muzzys, last deer shot in the lungs and ticker, found dead after 30 yards & 10 feet.
a. A deer can cover alot of ground on one undamaged lung.
b. Evening/late afternoon hunts s#ck for loosing light and tracking.
c. My bow was not energetic enough for expanding broadheads. Went back to fixed Muzzys, last deer shot in the lungs and ticker, found dead after 30 yards & 10 feet.
