Advice-wounded deer

muleyslayer52 · Sep 5, 2015

LAST EDITED ON Sep-05-15 AT 09:15AM (MST)[p]What would you do differently?

I snuck out last night after work to find my big boy. I found him and he was in a great stalking position. I was able to get a shot at 30 yards. He was not on alert but feeding and perfectly broadside. I don't know if I pulled the shot or he ducked but I hit him high. The arrow did not penetrate very well. He kicked and ran over the hill down to the bottom of the draw and ran up the drainage. I was able to blood track him for 1/2 mile (not dark or pink) not a whole lot of blood but could slowly walk it (rage hyperdermic).
He continued up the draw to a clump of thicker brush where i was going to back out but ended up spooking a doe. she side hilled it and then I saw my buck walking away but limping. I couldn't tell if my arrow was in him or not. I never did find my arrow.

I went back in this morning for 3.5 hours. no sign. no arrow and no deer. It rained hard last night washing all blood trail I had from last night. the last time i saw him last night was at the beginning of the drainage where it goes to prairie land so he didn't have much drainage left to hide in.

I have a gut feeling I hit im in the scapula since I had a lack of penetration (shooting a 70 lbs Hoyt Nitrum 34)

Ideas?

fatrooster · Sep 5, 2015

I really don't have a lot of advice except to keep looking. You might go back in a week and try to glass him up to see if he is back in his home range. Or maybe in a month go see if he came back. Good luck. Fatrooster

elkassassin · Sep 5, 2015

Punch Your Tag!

You're Done!

Try & round a few of your Buddies up & give 180% to recover the Buck/Rack now!

I'd RAZZ the StickFlippers!

But they told me the SmokePolers Wound em too!

And them Dreaded Rifle Hunters,JUDAS!

Hope You Recover Him!

Go Ahead!

Make Me take it down!

BrowningRage · Sep 5, 2015

As anxious as we've all been to see that giant in your hands, this is terrible news my friend. I am sorry you are in this predicament. Sometimes, the arrow just doesn't fly the way we intended it to.

That said, dont give up. You need to hunt for him as if he were still alive. If you don't turn him up that way, you might get lucky and see the birds goin after his corpse out there. Don't "punch your tag" just yet. If you recover him in the season, you'll want to punch that tag the day you find him. I'd also suggest you hunt solely for him, dead or alive.

Tough break man. My heart is sick for you. Good luck to you and I hope we hear some good news in the very near future.

"Therefore, wo be unto him that is at ease in Zion!" 2 Ne. 28: 24

muleyslayer52 · Sep 5, 2015

>As anxious as we've all been
>to see that giant in
>your hands, this is terrible
>news my friend. I am
>sorry you are in this
>predicament. Sometimes, the arrow just
>doesn't fly the way we
>intended it to.
>
>That said, dont give up. You
>need to hunt for him
>as if he were still
>alive. If you don't turn
>him up that way, you
>might get lucky and see
>the birds goin after his
>corpse out there. Don't "punch
>your tag" just yet. If
>you recover him in the
>season, you'll want to punch
>that tag the day you
>find him. I'd also suggest
>you hunt solely for him,
>dead or alive.
>
>Tough break man. My heart is
>sick for you. Good luck
>to you and I hope
>we hear some good news
>in the very near future.
>

>
>"Therefore, wo be unto him that
>is at ease in Zion!"
>2 Ne. 28: 24

I'm not punching my tag. Only way that will happen will be when he is at my feet. I'm solely hunting for him.

The more I think about the more it leads me to believe that he is not dead. I would have found him if he was dead in that draw. The lack of penetration on the arrow. The way he was limping the last time I saw him. The lack of blood and the distance he traveled after the shot. To my knowledge he never bedded.

I have no idea what happened when I shot but I believe I hit him in the scapula. I guess time will tell if he turns up or not.

deadibob · Sep 5, 2015

Chalk it up to another Rage failure. I hope you find him.

muleyslayer52 · Sep 5, 2015

LAST EDITED ON Sep-05-15 AT 10:41PM (MST)[p]>Chalk it up to another Rage
>failure. I hope you find
>him.

Not going to blame the broadhead at all. Shot placement was the critical factor here on my deer!!

huntfish714 · Sep 5, 2015

My guess would be u hit the shoulder (bone itself not the blade), ive shot plenty of deer that have shot threw the thoulder blade and have shot two deer that ive found broken off broadheads in the shoulder joint where the skin had healed back around it and made full recover with small limps in each. Lack of penetration and running up hill suggest this. For the most part if its a vital shot theyll run straight down hill/path of least resistance (ive only had two that didnt do that). My guess is the arrow snapped off or fell out around where u lost blood sign, (if the arrows stuck in it blood generally drips down off the arrow, when the arrow breaks off or falls out the blood can clot pretty quickly on a shallow wound). Im sure ur arrow isin the thick stuff that u talked about and lost forever and I bet the next time you see him he'll be alive. Good luck tho and hope u can still fill your freezer either way.

bullskin · Sep 5, 2015

My advice may seem pretty obvious. Begin hunting around the nearby water holes--especially the secluded ones. Hunt the slopes above and down wind from these areas. Sniff around the thickets and keep your eye out for magpies, etc. I hope you get him and share the pic.

DW · Sep 6, 2015

You say he may have ducked the shot, as an arrow hits a dropping animal it alters the perfect pencil flight and robs it of its energy. I've had friends shoot thru both scapulas, 70lbs is plenty. My guess is (and i wasnt there so its only a guess based on what you've written) is u caught vertebrae and no spinal cord after clippin the top of the scapula ca using the limp. That's a bone that'll stop a broadhead. I doubt he's dead, but as has already been said watch for birds and check water sources. I'm sick for ya too, hope it ends well one way or the other.

muleyslayer52 · Sep 6, 2015

>You say he may have ducked
>the shot, as an arrow
>hits a dropping animal it
>alters the perfect pencil flight
>and robs it of its
>energy. I've had friends shoot
>thru both scapulas, 70lbs is
>plenty. My guess is (and
>i wasnt there so its
>only a guess based on
>what you've written) is u
>caught vertebrae and no spinal
>cord after clippin the top
>of the scapula ca using
>the limp. That's a bone
>that'll stop a broadhead. I
>doubt he's dead, but as
>has already been said watch
>for birds and check water
>sources. I'm sick for ya
>too, hope it ends well
>one way or the other.
>

Past three times out.. not crows...no coyotes..no magpies to be seen or heard.

I am convinced he is alive. He is just hunkering down until he feels better. I hope he will show himself in a week or two. Time will tell

JadgBob · Sep 6, 2015

Which state are you hunting in. Idaho allows the use of a dog to blood track. My son helped a guy find an Idaho bull that was hit and lost. Unfortunately it was two days after the bull was shot.

TheBoneCollector · Sep 7, 2015

Sorry to hear the bad luck. My advice would be to put out some trail cams and try to get a pic of him alive. Try not to blow him out of the country if you think he's still alive. Good luck!

BC

ForkWest · Sep 8, 2015

Dang! Bad deal. We lost one like that, found it 8 days later by just canvasing the area. Problem with that though is if he's still alive you run the risk of bumping him out for good.

How long after the shot did you see him walking?