Unrecovered Buck....

[dbhn]

Went in woods for a quick still hunt on Saturday to mainly check my trail cams as I didn't have the time to get in my tree stand. We'll on my way out, half hour before I am supposed to ready for an evening event, a big buck walks unsuspecting in front of me broadside at 40yds. I have one clear alley for a shot and took it when we walk into it.

Because I had solid plans to get to and had to get out of the woods ASAP I jumped on him too soon and hence, never recovered him. Very, very depressed about this. I have a huge 10pt on my trail cams and this may have been him, I couldn't get a good eye on the rack as it happened so fast (but I was sure it was a decent one).

I really just wanted to vent my story to you guys as most people don't get the emotions involved in this. But, there was a couple odd things and I wanted to see what people thought of where I may have hit him, etc. So if you're inclined to give me your two cents, read on.

I am not sure where I hit him. It was long shot and I did not see the impact (did hear the "twap" noise of it though). Arrow passed through but did not have a lot of blood on it. Mostly fatty matter, etc. There was some fat on the ground near the impact. Trailing him there was very little blood. A drop here and there. No real puddles or accumulation. He was tearing up the ground a bit more than normal which makes me think was struggling. One strange thing (at least to me) is that I found two small (about 2" long) bone fragments. I was assuming rib parts. But, they were not in a blood puddle or even a spot. They were wet with blood but that was it. And they were 100 yards apart. The other sign I found was a small pile of gray matter which I suspect is a gut shot indication. I tracked him a bit on Sat night (and pushed him too much) and then went back in for hours yesterday. He was zig zagging and circling back and the blood and any indication on where he was heading to lay down dried up. Any thoughts on that evidence? Is there a chance he was just injured? The bones and gray matter really make me think he is down but then why so little blood?

 

[Finalygotabeltfed]

.....did you learn anything?

 

[pj150]

Took a shot 1/2 hour before you were supposed to be somewhere else? Should have just let him go or cancel out on the plans. Nothing good ever comes if you rush.

Maybe some dogs to track it? Body would have cooled by now so those thermal heat sensors won't do any good.

 

[Twigg]

You should not have taken the shot.

 

[dbhn]

Oh, I was late for the plans.... I was out til dark. Some things do come first. I don't feel I did anything un-ethical in the taking of the shot. In giving all the background as I did, I wasn't suggesting I should not have taken the shot. No way was that deer walking past me without a shot. After all, I was on my out but I was still hunting.

What did I learn? It was certainly my rush that made me loose him. Normally you'd let him run for while and give him time to lay down before getting on him. Because I didn't, I lost him. Once I realized he wasn't down quickly I should have let him go until morning. If I did that my wife would still like me and I'd have the buck.

I lost him for not making the right choices after I shot. I realize that and know that is on me. Believe me, it is killing me. I am not one to think lightly about this. So, I realize what you guys are saying but I'd take the shot again in the same situation. I don't get a lot of time in the woods or a lot of bucks walking in front of me.

I didn't really write to get chastised. But, I can take it if I do. And, I likely deserve some level of it.


What do you guys think of where my shot placement was, etc.?

 

[HorizontalHunter]

In my experience most of the fat on a deer is on the upper back in the "saddle" area of the hips and low in the brisket. You said it was 40 yards. Was this the estimate or was it the actual yardage and what pin did you use. What was the color and length of the hair at the impact site? If you hit a deer there is always hair and its color and length can tell you where you hit.

Based on the info I would guess a low brisket shot that clipped a leg. Though brisket shot deer don't usually bed. Did you mark the blood trail with something? The next thing I would typically do is a grid search or an expanding 1/2 circle. Pick up the book "Finding Wounded Deer" by John Trout Jr. It is cheap and there is a lot of good information in there about finding wounded deer.

Loosing a hit deer always sucks.

Bob

 

[dbhn]

Hmm. Always hair? I had zero hair anywhere. Not even on the arrow, not in any of the blood, and not on the bones.

40yds is an estimate. After reliving it I believe it was about 35 and I had the 40yd pin on him.

Yes, I know (by heart now) the full blood trail and exactly where I lost it. He was staying on defined runs (path of least resistance) and I followed every one anywhere near his last blood drop. I also did do a real thorough search of the area and the bedding/thick areas we thought he was heading to.

 

[arlow]

If you found pieces of rib bone he is dead. You should have been out looking all day yesterday and you should probably still be out there looking. There is a ton of fat on the deer this year. My doe I butchered saturday had over an inch on the hind end and a solid half inch of fat over the entire ribcage.

 

[dbhn]

I was guessing it is rib bone. I can't imagine what else it is and assumed the same thing - that he is dead. Does such a large wound that would drop bone without much blood make any sense? Based on your findings Arlow, a low gut shot, through that fat on the exterior that caught a couple of ribs makes some sense.

I was out all day yesterday but the sign was so slight I don't have evidence of even what direction he was heading. He was circling and zig zagging making it real tough.

Damn. The more I think about this the more flummoxed and frustrated I get.

 

[dbhn]

Another thing I just thought of. Has anyone ever had a broadhead break/catch bone and come out without a scratch?

 

[HorizontalHunter]

Another thing I just thought of. Has anyone ever had a broadhead break/catch bone and come out without a scratch?

Yes. I shot a 5 pointer (CT) last Monday and cut ribs in and out and after I cleaned it up the NAP Spitfire looked like it had just come out of the package. It also depends on the broadhead and what it after it left the deer. And yes there is always hair, even if there was none on the arrow. I have never seen a broadhead not cut hair on the way in. You may not have seen it but it was there.

WOW Arlo. That is a lot of fat on that doe. It has been a great mast year for the deer. There was nowhere near that on the buck I shot last week. I agree with Arlo. If it was rib bone he is dead. However, if it was leg bone maybe not.

Bob

 

[dbhn]

Yup, mine looked like it was brand new. Can't find a ding or anything on it. The broadhead was buried in the ground (arrow sticking out of ground) when I found it and I banged off all of the dirt and maybe any remnants of hair.

 

[Kicker96FS]

They go for water when they get injured like that, check the streams.

 

[redtail]

Thats too bad. I once shot a really nice buck with a rifle, the result of a lot of work and intense patterning, shot him right through the ribcage with a classic broadside shot, and I never recovered him. He took off and I soon lost the blood trail because it went from a light rain to a heavy downpour that lasted about 20 minutes. Washed it all away, and there was no such thing as a recovery dog back then. I looked for 3 days and never found him, even though I had help in the search. I am sure he vanished in to a swamp that was downhill. As kicker said, they would go for water. It can happen, to the best of us, and yeah it is a heart breaker. I felt sick for a month afterward.
Were there any nearby swamps? Did you hear any flocks of crows or jays in the following days? They would have advertised the location of his corpse nicely, I should think.

 

[arlow]

Another thing I just thought of. Has anyone ever had a broadhead break/catch bone and come out without a scratch?

I shoot a 530 grain arrow out of 80 lbs, (95 ft/lbs of KE) if anyones broadheads are gonna get damage it is gonna be mine. My doe I shot Thursday I broke the shoulder on the way in and buried it 6 inches in the ground. Another NAP spitfire. I took it apart, cleaned it out, washed it off and touched up the blades a little. It is back in my quiver now.

Entrywound

Arrow recovery

 

[DirkDiggler]

With the proper amount of KE you can shoot a pencil through a 2x4 and the pencil will be unscathed. You'd better get trackin big boy. Never leave a deer that you shot and always make sure that everyone knows during hunting season, all plans are flexible until you're out of the woods.

 

[Realtor MA]

Losing a deer sucks. It stays with you too. You should get back in there if you can. He's either down or still around. Start searching from the last piece of sign you found. Don't overlook anything. I've seen guys walk right past a dead deer.

 

[dhuze]

I have had the same experience with Spitfire broadheads. Twice I have had them exit through the opposite shoulder blade with no apparent damage.

Did you get back out the next day and look. The problem was after you found your arrow you should have known to back out and wait. You could have made you appointment and gone back the next morning to search for your deer. You pushed it and it probably ran to the next county. Deer that are hit poorly usually die anyways. They just take longer, but will usually bed and die there. If you ppush them even a little bit they will run until they are sure the threat is gone.