Sorry to hear of your situation. It has happened to me twice, and like it was said before, it's the worst part of hunting. Leaves a big pit in your gut. My father made me feel a bit better when he told me, that's one the coyotes won't have to kill, they'll eat it instead of killing tonight. Even though he's right, it still feels awful losing an animal.
Lost my first deer...
- Thread starter horseshoe
- Start date
deadeyes40
CGN Regular
- Location
- nova scotia
sucks but it happens.i lost a large black bear in 2008.arrow clipped twig went high into shoulderblade.very little to no blood.guess what i am still hunting that bear.has been at my bait site every year since but a little less likely to show up in day light.animals are tough good chance it will make it.
Dorian Gray
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
It happened to me as well. First deer i ever shot at. 12 gauge slug, just clipped it. Not much blood but dark. I'm pretty sure i hit it in the neck but that it wasn't a very deep wound. I was 13 and pissed the hell off at myself. It was only about a 30 yard shot too. And then i missed my 2nd deer...Bought a slug barrel, practiced more and no problems after that. 
A buddy of mine pulled a broadhead and about two inches of arrow shaft out of the spine of a archery killed deer, a couple years back.
The deer had apparently picked up the arrow the year before, or earlier, as there was no sign that there was anything different about it, when it was harvested.
Not until the knife hit metal, anyway.
Don't wreck yourself over it. Learn from it!
I was firsthand witness to a CGN member whonking an arrow into the side of a buck's head. It had just come up out of the river valley, and was broadside to us at maybe 30 yards. It started out facing to our left. When he jumped the string, he swapped ends and his head was where his ribs were a part of a second before. He survived. But I cannot imagine the frustration that was felt, watching the buck bouncing away with the arrow sticking out behind his ear. Well, ya, I can, as I was there for that too.
The buck survived, the arrow was found later in the season, too.
BTDT. I spent the better part of a couple hunting days doing laps around an area where I had put an arrow into a doe outside Moose Jaw. Found a few drops of blood, and my arrow, but as far as I ever figured out, the doe got away and survived, as I never did find a carcass or remains.
The crows have found a deer for me in the past. Worth paying close attention to them. If there is much of a coyote population in the area, the carcass may not last the night. Coyotes gotta eat too!
Better luck (and careful planning) next time.
Cheers
Trev
The deer had apparently picked up the arrow the year before, or earlier, as there was no sign that there was anything different about it, when it was harvested.
Not until the knife hit metal, anyway.
Don't wreck yourself over it. Learn from it!
I was firsthand witness to a CGN member whonking an arrow into the side of a buck's head. It had just come up out of the river valley, and was broadside to us at maybe 30 yards. It started out facing to our left. When he jumped the string, he swapped ends and his head was where his ribs were a part of a second before. He survived. But I cannot imagine the frustration that was felt, watching the buck bouncing away with the arrow sticking out behind his ear. Well, ya, I can, as I was there for that too.
The buck survived, the arrow was found later in the season, too.
BTDT. I spent the better part of a couple hunting days doing laps around an area where I had put an arrow into a doe outside Moose Jaw. Found a few drops of blood, and my arrow, but as far as I ever figured out, the doe got away and survived, as I never did find a carcass or remains.
The crows have found a deer for me in the past. Worth paying close attention to them. If there is much of a coyote population in the area, the carcass may not last the night. Coyotes gotta eat too!
Better luck (and careful planning) next time.
Cheers
Trev
I think I grazed a bear a couple of weeks ago. We tracked it for two hours and then the blood trail, which had only been occasional drops, vanished. He went in to thick bush you could not penetrate. It was too dark to continue. The next day I looked for a couple of hours but could not pick up the trail again.
I think he was back on my bait two days later.
Since then I ordered some luminol from EBAY. It's the stuff you see on CSI that is supposed to show blood as a blue color after dark. Haven't received it but I do intend to start carrying it with me.
I think he was back on my bait two days later.
Since then I ordered some luminol from EBAY. It's the stuff you see on CSI that is supposed to show blood as a blue color after dark. Haven't received it but I do intend to start carrying it with me.
Yes I lost one big doe must be 20 years ago now with the bow, we looked for almost two days and the only blood was where I first shot at her. Two weeks later rabbit hunting with the dogs I found her buried under some exposed tree roots not 250 yards from where I 1st shot her. Problem was when we were looking I must have walked by that tree 15 times and never seen her .
To this day It still upsets me
To this day It still upsets me
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I don't know if the flashlight things work, but I carry a relatively small spray bottle of hydrogen peroxide which does work. When the spray hits blood, it foams up red but does nothing if there is no blood (handy when the red leaves are down and its hard to see blood on them). I tried it last year when I took a buck (I could actually see the dead animal but was just experimenting) and was amazed at how clear the blood showed up under the spray.
