Feeling very ill

[Kansasdeerslayer]

This is my first season with a bow in hand and my first 8 days in the woods have brought the highest of highs and the lowest of lows. I've been hunting all my life and thought it was time to step it up and try bowhunting. I bought a Switchback in Feb. and have been shooting 4 or 5 days a week since.

Last Monday I put a great stalk on a group of toms and made a perfect shot at 30 yards and bagged my 1st bow kill. I can't even put into words how satisfying that experience was. I was hooked for life on this bowhunting thing.

Now enter today's hunt. At 6pm tonight I had a doe come in and I got ready. She got to 15 yards and turned broadside and I let one fly. I hit her way too high I think. She turned and ran, arrow sticking out her side. It looked to be a little below her spine and the arrow didn't penetrate very deep. I heard her crashing through the woods and never did hear her pile up. I sat there 30 minutes replaying it over and over in my head. I went back to the house feeling very sick to my stomach. I waited till the landowner got home and he thought we should go look for her. I wanted to wait until tomorrow, knowing that she probably wasn't dead and I didn't want to bump her. Rain is in the forecast late tonight/tomorrow, and I knew we would lose any blood trail so we waited an hour. We grabbed the flashlights and the dogs. Never found a drop of blood, the arrow, or the deer. I will be back out in daylight but I have a bad feeling I won't find her.

Could she survive that hit? Or is she dying a slow, miserable death. A week ago I thought I was some bad @$$ with a bow, now I wish someone would beat me over the head with it. I have had easy recoveries of every rifle kill I have made and have always made kill shots. How could I have made such a poor shot from 15 yards?

 

[shadowpeople]

It happens and everyone makes mistakes and I will be the first to admit that I have lost a doe in the similar fashion. All you can do is give your best effort in trying to find her and do all you can to not let it happen again. It is the risk that all bowhunters take on every time they go into the woods. If bowhunting was easy I don't think that as many people would do it.

Good luck in your search. I hope you find her.

 

[NEIOWAARCHER]

Don't get to upset. I have been hunting deer with a bow for 17 years, and a couple days ago I did the same with a buck. I'm having a litle trouble finding him. It's gonna happen no matter how good you are with your bow.

 

[gersdorf]

Hey Kansasdeerslayer, dont beat yourself up too much. It happens to everyone. I had it happpen to me three years ago to a nice 8 pointer that I hit just below his spine and I never did find him. I looked for three days and never found him. The next thing I know my dad was sitting in the same stand about five days later and saw the same buck chasing the girls around. He said he was walking with a limp and saw where I had hit him. He ended up be harvested by shotgunners that winter and they said he was in good shape. Deer are amaizing animals and can survive a lot. Just practice more and work on judging distances and you will be fine. If you spend enough time in the woods it will happen sooner or later. Just to make you feel better I shot over the back of a massive 12 pointer two years a go at 10 yards!!! Everyone misses now and then. Nice work on getting your turkey! Keep your head up

 

[1luckyguy]

I'm guessing you were shooting out of a treestand. Get lots of practice shooting from that angle.(treestand/deck) I tend to shoot higher when aiming down at a deer at close range too. Hope you find it, everyone has made a bad at least once.

 

[Shon]

It happens. My first year bowhunting, I had a 20 yard shot on a nice 10 pointer. He was an old deer. I stood up, took aim and released. The arrow was about 12" back from where I wanted. I was not happy. He ran off, I looked for 2 days. Nothing. He ended up being harvested during 1st shotgun, and was ok. Part of the arrow still stuck in him. I then started practicing more shooting broadheads. I was pretty mad at myself, and felt bad for the deer. It happens, and all we can do, is practice, try again, and take as clean a shot as we can.

Shon

 

[quiverfull]

It's good that you are bothered by it, but as already stated don't beat yourself up over it. Learn from it and become a better bow hunter. It happens to the best. Through adversity we become stronger. You may even encounter that doe again.

Congrats on the turkey!

Ed

 

[Limb Chicken]

KSdeerslayer, It sounds to me like you hit her in the loins above the spine... very little penetration, blood trail like crazy for about 200 yards and then nothing. She will be fine. If you would have hit her below the spine you would have clipped the artery that runs along the spine...(did that one last night

) and she would have tipped over, or you would have got lungs.

 

[Kansasdeerslayer]

Thanks to everyone for the responses and the encouragement. This has been a long day of feeling terrible and to top it off, I wasn't able to get off work early due to taking yesterday off and having a very large work load today. I live an hour away from where I hunt, so it would be dark before I get there. The coyotes were thick last night, so I hope it was a loin shot and she is doing okay.

I have decided to not hunt this weekend. Instead I am going to shoot my bow all weekend from 15 feet up. I feel rock solid from the ground, but I need to shoot a lot more from in a tree before I get back out there.

A special thanks to Quiverfull. Ed, your phone call today really helped me out alot with putting everything into perspective. Your friendship and your wisdom as an experienced bow hunter are cherished.

P.S. Welcome to the forum! I like your screen name. You truly have been blessed with a full quiver.

Matt

 

[Bowhunter500]

Hey.. i was hunting the mornin last weekend... it was about 9 a.m. and i got down from mine to walk to my dads stand.... and the deer we saw across the street in the field walkin away from us previously that morning... but anyway... i was walkin to his stand.. and there were those 2 big does on a dead sprint for his stand.. i quickly and quietly get to his stand and tell him to get ready... they came up the hill and i was drawn back... i waited for her to turn broadside... then was my chance... 15 yds.... big doe... i let the arrow fly... but the doe arched her back and brought her head back.... i missed her body.. but got some back hair and half an ear!

i felt sick also becuz it was 15 yds and a beautiful deer.... but i guess i just gotta shake it off and continue on with the season! u should too! ttyl buddy

~!~Sirovy~!~