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bowhuntinfool
Guest
what is the best way to find your arrow after shoot a deer, i shot one last friday night and now i cant seem to find my arrow what do u guys do?
finding arrows
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Critter
Life Member
DID YOU HAVE A COMPLETE PASS-THROUGH, OR DID THE DEER CARRY IT AWAY AND LOSE IT AS IT WAS RUNNING?
IF YOU HAD A COMPLETE PASS-THROUGH AND YOU HAD A LOW ANGLE SHOT, IT COULD BE SOMEWHAT TOUGH TO FIND IT WITH ALL THE COLORED LEAVES ON THE GROUND NOW. WHENEVER I LOOSE ONE I TAKE A THIN PIECE OF ROD AND RUN IT ACROSS THE GROUND IN THE AREA I THINK THE ARROW MIGHT BE. USUALLY THE ROD WILL RUN OVER A PART OF THE ARROW REVEALING ITS LOCATION.
IF THE DEER LOST IT IN ITS RETREAT, ALL I CAN SAY IS GOOD LUCK. SEEK AND YE MIGHT POSSIBLY FIND.
CRITRGITR
IF YOU HAD A COMPLETE PASS-THROUGH AND YOU HAD A LOW ANGLE SHOT, IT COULD BE SOMEWHAT TOUGH TO FIND IT WITH ALL THE COLORED LEAVES ON THE GROUND NOW. WHENEVER I LOOSE ONE I TAKE A THIN PIECE OF ROD AND RUN IT ACROSS THE GROUND IN THE AREA I THINK THE ARROW MIGHT BE. USUALLY THE ROD WILL RUN OVER A PART OF THE ARROW REVEALING ITS LOCATION.
IF THE DEER LOST IT IN ITS RETREAT, ALL I CAN SAY IS GOOD LUCK. SEEK AND YE MIGHT POSSIBLY FIND.
CRITRGITR
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bowhuntinfool
Guest
it was a complete pass thru but i looked forever where it would be but no luck
Big Timber
Moderator
It's possible that the arrow was a partial pass-thru where the arrow could have looked to be a pass-thru but wasn't. If this is the case follow the blood trail and look for any trees or shrubs the buck might of brushed against. I shot one last year where this happened and I finally found the arrow after hours of searching. Good Luck.
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NWBuck
PMA Member
Bowhuntinfool,
I filled my anterless tag a little over a week ago and would've bet anything it was a quick pass thru. Couldn't find my arrow close by, so I went to get the doe, only to find it clinging to the exit wound by the vanes. Anyway, it's possible you need to follow his running path and that the arrow fell out during his final run. If this was in a farmer's field, spend a little extra time looking, as the broadhead could raise hell with a tractor tire. Try using a steel tooth rake perpendicular to the direction the arrow was shot, in the area you think it might be. Good luck, and congrats on the buck!
I filled my anterless tag a little over a week ago and would've bet anything it was a quick pass thru. Couldn't find my arrow close by, so I went to get the doe, only to find it clinging to the exit wound by the vanes. Anyway, it's possible you need to follow his running path and that the arrow fell out during his final run. If this was in a farmer's field, spend a little extra time looking, as the broadhead could raise hell with a tractor tire. Try using a steel tooth rake perpendicular to the direction the arrow was shot, in the area you think it might be. Good luck, and congrats on the buck!
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horst
Guest
I bought my kid a cheap metal detector at wallmart last year.Its already paid for itself in finding lost arrows.Aluminums it picks up fast but it will pick up the heads and inserts in carbons with a more thorough scan of the area.Only cost like 49$ and between me and me family and friends i bet weve picked up 2 dozen otherwise lost arrows with it.
scout
New Member
The first dozen XX75's I ever bought were camo with brown / black fletching. Never again! Now I crest about 10-12 inchers of the shaft in orange or white and use bright and use bright fletching. sky blue fletching with a white cock feather and white cresting shows up real well on the forest floor. It makes tracking the arrow with your eye alot easier after it leaves the bow. This whole camo thing is getting alittle out of hand. Give me an earth tone flannel shirt and I'll be as well hidden as if it were RealTree.
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bowhuntinfool
Guest
ok i've been looking for this arrow for about 2 hours total, its in kinda tall grass it went in but i dontknwo if its just layingontop or if its in the grass the rake didn't work but what else sh ould i try
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I'd try looking for it in the local bow shop. Might have to pay to get it back though, they'll claim it's new.
I lost one in the grass two years ago while sighting in a new bow, friend and I raked half of the farm looking for it unsuccessfully over a couple of days. Two weeks later I found it entirely by accident while checking out a game trail through the grass where we'd raked, and saw the flourescent green nock right in the middle of the trail. Absolutely and totally luck. Strongly recommend bright fletching and nocks to increase your odds of finding.
We're slow learners--my son shot 5 into the grass a couple of weeks later, didn't find any of them after looking an hour and a half, still haven't.
Have had two almost complete pass-throughs that worked their way out after the deer ran off a short distance, in both cases found by following the blood trail. Those don't burrow into the grass and leaves because no forward momentum, tend to be laying out on top of the litter. Had to be careful not to step on the broadhead in the dark, since the shots were at dusk and led to trailing in the dark.
I lost one in the grass two years ago while sighting in a new bow, friend and I raked half of the farm looking for it unsuccessfully over a couple of days. Two weeks later I found it entirely by accident while checking out a game trail through the grass where we'd raked, and saw the flourescent green nock right in the middle of the trail. Absolutely and totally luck. Strongly recommend bright fletching and nocks to increase your odds of finding.
We're slow learners--my son shot 5 into the grass a couple of weeks later, didn't find any of them after looking an hour and a half, still haven't.
Have had two almost complete pass-throughs that worked their way out after the deer ran off a short distance, in both cases found by following the blood trail. Those don't burrow into the grass and leaves because no forward momentum, tend to be laying out on top of the litter. Had to be careful not to step on the broadhead in the dark, since the shots were at dusk and led to trailing in the dark.
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bowhuntinfool
Guest
could it of recashaed after shooting the deer and skimmed off the deer and flew in another direction?
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bowhuntinfool
Guest
any suggestions?
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RIFLEMANZ
Guest
If you looked for it for that long,i would hang it up.Its lost! Your time would be better spent shooting at the archery range for the next shot!
Practice,Practice,Practice!!!!!!
Practice,Practice,Practice!!!!!!
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bowhuntinfool
Guest
yea, your probaly right, just give it up and get an arrow that looks like it and stick it behind the deer on the wall. MAYBE look for it after they chop everything hopfully it wont get chopped up
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bowhuntinfool
Guest
anyother ideas tho?
Daver
PMA Member
I would said try the rake, but others already have. I have found several otherwise lost arrows that way. You may have had a ricochet off a rib or something that sent the arrow in some other direction than what would be expected in which case it is likely gone. I had this happen shooting a turkey one time, the onyl saving grace I had is I saw the arrow flying slowly at an obtuse angle after it had passed through the turkey, so I was able to retrieve it about 100 yards out in the field. Had I not seen it, I would have never looked where it landed.
The only other thing I can think of that hasn't been mentioned is to return to your stand and shoot another arrow at the place where the deer was standing. ( Don't shoot a sharp broadhead into the ground though.) Get down, leave the arrow where it is and mark the arrow with something visible. Then search in concentric circles around the marker arrow. If it doesn't turn up within about 10-15 feet, then I would assume it is lost and move on.
The only other thing I can think of that hasn't been mentioned is to return to your stand and shoot another arrow at the place where the deer was standing. ( Don't shoot a sharp broadhead into the ground though.) Get down, leave the arrow where it is and mark the arrow with something visible. Then search in concentric circles around the marker arrow. If it doesn't turn up within about 10-15 feet, then I would assume it is lost and move on.
Old Buck
Life Member
Here are a couple of experiences that may or may not help.
Several years ago my son shot through a buck while I got the shot on video yet we couldn't find the arrow, even though it was in short clover. Eventually we found it some distance down the flight path of the buck. Apparently it had stayed in the deer for a short time then had fallen out.
This August I shot a springbok in Namibia and couldn't find the arrow even though it was almost bare ground. Eventually I found it 41 yards past the point where it exited the animal. That shot was from a ground blind but a deflection might put the arrow farther away than you would anticipate.
I shoot carbons now and like them except that they are difficult to see in flight and to find afterwards. I'm now putting some 5" or so white plastic on the shaft before fletching and using white, yellow or pink fletching for better visibility.
Several decades ago I used to paint the entire shaft first white and then sprayed with flourescent pink. Those arrows were hard to loose if I wanted to. Personally I think this camo thing is overdone and would use entirely flourescent arrows now if they were readily available. Wouldn't work on turkey but I don't think deer could see them against a sky background. I reallly like to see where my arrow goes when I shoot at an animal and hate not being able to find an arrow when stump shooting.
Several years ago my son shot through a buck while I got the shot on video yet we couldn't find the arrow, even though it was in short clover. Eventually we found it some distance down the flight path of the buck. Apparently it had stayed in the deer for a short time then had fallen out.
This August I shot a springbok in Namibia and couldn't find the arrow even though it was almost bare ground. Eventually I found it 41 yards past the point where it exited the animal. That shot was from a ground blind but a deflection might put the arrow farther away than you would anticipate.
I shoot carbons now and like them except that they are difficult to see in flight and to find afterwards. I'm now putting some 5" or so white plastic on the shaft before fletching and using white, yellow or pink fletching for better visibility.
Several decades ago I used to paint the entire shaft first white and then sprayed with flourescent pink. Those arrows were hard to loose if I wanted to. Personally I think this camo thing is overdone and would use entirely flourescent arrows now if they were readily available. Wouldn't work on turkey but I don't think deer could see them against a sky background. I reallly like to see where my arrow goes when I shoot at an animal and hate not being able to find an arrow when stump shooting.
