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The worst feeling.......

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dunkin140

Guest
While hunting thursday morning on the edge of a CRP field I noticed a large buck making his way towards my stand. He walked to 35 yards away and he noticed something was wrong, so he turned and started to walk away, and i bleated at him to stop him, when he stopped i shot. I watched as my arrow hit him right in the guts! WOW! I was so disapointed. I knew on a bad shot to wait it out, so i waited for two hours after my shot to get down, then i went home. After waiting for 6 hours i decided to go look for him. I couldnt find him, I tracked blood for about 150yds but then it stopped. I searched all day today because i didnt want to give up on him, but i still didnt find him. I feel so bad!
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That is a tough one to swallow, I have been there a couple of times and the feeling downright sucks. SOmetimes you don't find them and they could be laying right there or they may be on the move to safer terrain. Big bucks are tough as nails and with a marginal shot, the deer may be in the next county by the time he dies. Stuff happens and you just have to learn from it. Sorry for the luck but make the next shot count, you will fell better........
 
If you feel bad then you are most likely a compassionate and good hunter.

You will probably take this experience to learn something and benefit from it.

Bowhunting is very much a human regulated adventure. Many opportunities arrise to allow us to develope as good outdoorsman. A good humbling now and then helps us to remember that this is a very challenging recreation.

Sooner or later it happens, no matter how good someone is.

Just do your very best and learn from every opportunity good and bad.

Hang in there.
 
I did the same earlier this season. It was a young doe. I could swear I had a great shot at 30 yrds. I searched for 2 hours that night hoping to beat the rain that came in. I looked agian the next morning, but with no chance of finding a blood trail. By the way. Does anybody know a way of practicing how to track, without having to do it by not recovering?
 
???? Have as many friends as you have that hunt call you whenever they nail one. The more you trail the better you get - or the more you see/learn.

A few other tips. Get down on hands and knees when going gets tough. When trail is lost make some circles from last blood starting close and working your way farther away. Also pay attention to land/cover you might know a good spot for them to head.
 
Man...I don't know what to say...except give it your best effort to make the recovery. If you bowhunt long enough you will make a bad shot. As others have said, it will stick with you as a learning experience.

Look to a thick creek bottom if there is one around. Good Luck.
 
I know how you feel. I had the perfect 20 yard shot last year on a 150 class 5x5. Just as I released he took off. I watched the arrow plow right through his guts.

I fealt horrible and knew I could not persure him as much as I wanted to. Instead I got down and went home.

I called several buddies to help look the next morning. We combed every inch of the woods and nearby corn field to look for him. We found blood for about 150 yards then nothing. Looked for 3 days and came up with nothing. Called local farmers and told them to be on the look out for him.

There is a little island about 50 yards off the shoreline from where I hunt. I brought that up the first day we looked and all my buddies agreed it was not likely he would swim to it. So I let it go. I would go out at night and listen for coyotes and go to those areas to see if they found him.

After a week I decided to start hunting again. I use a boat to get to my stand and drive by the island on my way. I hunted seeing nothing and at dark hit the boat to go home. As I went by the island the wind changed and was coming at me. I could smell that there was something dead coming from the direction of the island. I circled the island in the dark just to make sure. It was definetly on the island and so strong that I knew it had to be a large animal.

I headed home and planned to head out to the island the next morning to see what could smell so bad.

At first light my wife and I headed to the island. I drove her on the down wind side so she could see what I was talking about. She agreed that it had to be big to smell that strong. We parked the boat and followed our noses thru the head high cat tails and brush.

It took us about 15 minutes to find the source. It was in fact the buck I shot 8 days earlier. I was extremely excited that we found him, but it still sucked because I knew that deer suffered.

I guess the morale is...... Stick with the search, Head for water and don't rule out aything.

My buck went to the safest place he could find and I am sure yours did too.

Good luck
HT

P.S. He netted 152 & 3/8
 
Thanks for all of the helpful advice guys. I still havn't found him, but i'll be on the lookout.
 
good story horntickler. My dad's friend shot one right as it took a step some years back. We waited until the next morning to track it. We kicked it up as it started to snow. We lost the trail at a river crossing with an island in the middle. We saw his track and a drop of blood going in. We drove to the other side all looked for hours. Nothing. Finally we got a canoe and checked out the island. Sure enough he was on the sand bar in a down tree. He didn't have enough juice to make it up the 4 foot ledge up to the level ground on top. We couldn't see him from either side. Good safe place for a wounded deer to hide. As long as it would take to double check a place like that it is well worth it.

Guts are fatal, but it does take a long time. They will have enough strength to make it to a great hiding place. Then they usually bed down and die.
 
I feel your pain all too much.
Last year I lost one little buck to a shoulder shot. It was my fault completely, I hurried. Later in the season I shot another little 8 pt right at dark. I thought I put a good shot on him when he ran out into a field and laid down. I started walking to my truck when I realized he was back on his feet and running.
I went to a nearby buddies house and we gave it a little time and went searching. The whole time I thought it was a good hit. We ended up finding him the next morning laying on the opposite side of the South Skunk river at the waters edge. Coyotes had already tore him open.

I truly believe that deer will go to water when hit. I also learned a valuable lesson. Take more time before I go blood trailing, not to push them. I have also passed on several shots this year that I may have taken last year before all of this heppened.

The buck in my profile picture, I shot him Thursday night. I had the chance to take an "iffy" broadside 25 yard shot a week prior at him. He was standing in tall grass and I could only see part of his vitals. I passed (I hated it) but it worked out better in the end. I shot him at 12 yards the other night and he went 25 yards after the shot and died within 2 minutes.

A good practice place on blood trailing is at www.bowsite.com there is an interactive blood trail you can particapate in.
 
I've had some experience with gut-shot deer and their recovery. First, if you don't push them they quite often go less than a 1/4 mile before bedding. The second is they always seem to go to a water source (pond, creek, swamp - standing water. Hope this helps.
 
I had a shot at a decent 8 point Saturday afternoon. He was only 15 yards, but slightly quartering at me. The only thing running through my mind while I was at full draw was the incident a few weeks back where I "shouldered" a nice buck and lost him. I didn't shoot and ended up not even getting an opportunity because of the poor angle. I hated it, but I know I did the right thing.
My point is you'll not let it happen again!
 
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