Last night around 4:45 I took a good shot at a large Doe. Heard the arrow hit the Doe and watched her run off into the woods. Grab all my gear and headed off to the truck to drop everything off and pick up my buddy and our flash lights. It was a good 30 minutes before we started to look for her. Found the arrow just as she entered the woods. The arrow was covered with light coloured blood and had small air bubbles on it indicating a lung shot. Found where she lay down and decided to wait a few more minutes. This whole time we are following a big blood trail and the spot where she was laying was full of blood.
So this went on for a couple hours until finally we seen her eyes with the reflection of the flash light. Again we decided to wait a few minutes before we went after her. When we walked up to her she stood up, grunted at us and jumped over a pile of wood and shrubs. After that we could not find any more traces of blood. We looked for another 20 minutes before we decided to end the search. At this time it was almost 8 pm.
She layed down 6 times, each of those times the area was filled with blood. The trail we were folllowing was filled with blood. The whole 2 and a half hours there was blood and lots of it.
I've followed deer before but I have never lost one. With the amount of blood she lost I find it hard to believe she could go on for over 2 hours without dieing.
What went wrong?
What went wrong?
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Grizzly Adam
- Posts: 5701
- Joined: Fri Aug 04, 2006 8:36 pm
- Location: Decatur County, Indiana
What was her position in relation to you when you took the shot, Rudy?
From what you described, it sounds like you may have one-lunged her, or even just sliced a lung ... it truly is hard to say.
They can lose what looks like a "lot of blood" and keep right on going ... and in my experience, some of the toughest deer have proven to be wounded does. I had one that was shot through both lungs with a .30-'06 run 150 yards back into the woods before expiring! "One-lungers" of either sex are notorious for going hundreds of yards and lasting hours before keeling over.
In my opinion, you should have backed off immediately and waited at least two hours before going on when you saw her eyes after tracking her for a while. If she was lively enough to hold her head up and alert enough to look at you, she was far from being down for the count. If she laid down and got up that many times, she was hurting, but not nearly ready to quit.
I've been in on a lot of deer tracking, and I've found that a marginally wounded deer will often go into shock and die without going far if it is left alone ... jump it up a few times and you'll likely never find it.
Experience is a stern teacher, but even if you don't get her, count this as a learning experience. It's the only way to progress as a hunter. No one gets 'em all.
Better luck next time!
Let us know if you ever found her.
From what you described, it sounds like you may have one-lunged her, or even just sliced a lung ... it truly is hard to say.
They can lose what looks like a "lot of blood" and keep right on going ... and in my experience, some of the toughest deer have proven to be wounded does. I had one that was shot through both lungs with a .30-'06 run 150 yards back into the woods before expiring! "One-lungers" of either sex are notorious for going hundreds of yards and lasting hours before keeling over.
In my opinion, you should have backed off immediately and waited at least two hours before going on when you saw her eyes after tracking her for a while. If she was lively enough to hold her head up and alert enough to look at you, she was far from being down for the count. If she laid down and got up that many times, she was hurting, but not nearly ready to quit.
I've been in on a lot of deer tracking, and I've found that a marginally wounded deer will often go into shock and die without going far if it is left alone ... jump it up a few times and you'll likely never find it.
Experience is a stern teacher, but even if you don't get her, count this as a learning experience. It's the only way to progress as a hunter. No one gets 'em all.
Better luck next time!
Let us know if you ever found her.
Grizz
What went wrong
I wrote about this when it happened to me. Double-lunged a big doe; not much of a blood trail; after 200 yds, found lung tissue in a couple of places. 100 yds farther, she was down. It's amazing how far some can run when the adrenalin starts pumping.
This year I had the misfortune of hitting a twig before hitting a big doe...in the paunch and out the offside plural cavity. However, because of the noise from a combine in the field I was hunting she did not associate her plight with my bow. I stayed prefectly still, didn't even try to recock, while she walked off a bit lay down and untimately expired from internal blood loss ans shock. Had I tried to recock she would have run off with little or no blood to follow. I agree that an adrenaline boost makes a big difference. If in doubt about the hit it's best to wait as long as weather permits. Rain and heat can make thngs more hectic. But I'd rather wait, even overnight, than lose a deer.
She was standing broad side to me. It was only a 25 yard shot. I even aimed a little low incase she dropped when she heard the bow.
We wanted to wait a little longer but it was almost 8 pm and we didn't have a clue where we were in the woods. ( thank god for a full moon )We also had a way to drive home. It sucks having to leave a deer out in the woods especially knowing it is going to die.
We wanted to wait a little longer but it was almost 8 pm and we didn't have a clue where we were in the woods. ( thank god for a full moon )We also had a way to drive home. It sucks having to leave a deer out in the woods especially knowing it is going to die.
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raydaughety
- Posts: 2411
- Joined: Tue Mar 25, 2003 11:32 am
- Location: North Carolina
They have to loose the amount of blood that would fill 4 beer bottles worth. How quick they loose that will determine how fast you find your deer. But if you think that is not a lot of blood try it some day. Sprinkle some fluid out of a bottle while you walk. It can take a long time before it is empty. sounds to me like she is running out of fluid and will not be far especially if she kept laying down knowing she was being tracked. Good luck in finding her.
After you found the first spot where she laid down and then got up agin, you should have left her for a few hours. If she moved on it was most likely because she knew she was being followed. I would look again today. A hit deer will take the path of least resistance (trail) and go to a safe or thick spot to bed down. If you can't find any blood, do a circular search from the last spot you saw her or the blood. She probably didn't go far.
I hunt for memories, the meat's a bonus!
This is a topic that makes me sick to be honest with you. I have seen 3 deer so the same thing this season. 2 during the shotgun hunt and 1 with the Xbow i cant understand it. In our situation there was no blood where the deer was standing but lots of hair and and one situation no blood anywhere to be found i mean with no disrespect but a blind man can find blood on snow and yet we looked for hours not to find even a drop?????????? In the other situation I didnt find blood till over 100 yards.. whats going on~~!!
Hate to say it, but I've done the same thing in years past. I've learned the hard way, too. If you think you got a good hit give them 1/2 hour then pursue quietly. If you jump one off the bed - back off for several hours or overnight! If it's hot or raining you'll very possibly loose it anyway, but if you push it hard you'll loose it for sure!
I've had them go for unbelievable distances with a good hit if they were pushed, I've also had them go far less than 100 yards, bed down and die right there with a poor hit. Had one a few years ago I knew I put a very poor hit on. He moved just as I pulled the trigger and I gut-shot him. Gave him 2 hours then started slowly and quietly on the trail. Jumped him off the bed within 100 yards. Backed off until the next morning and found him within 50 yards of that first bed. Unfortunately very dead, very bloated, and the scavengers were ahead of me.
At least I knew his fate.
I've had them go for unbelievable distances with a good hit if they were pushed, I've also had them go far less than 100 yards, bed down and die right there with a poor hit. Had one a few years ago I knew I put a very poor hit on. He moved just as I pulled the trigger and I gut-shot him. Gave him 2 hours then started slowly and quietly on the trail. Jumped him off the bed within 100 yards. Backed off until the next morning and found him within 50 yards of that first bed. Unfortunately very dead, very bloated, and the scavengers were ahead of me.
At least I knew his fate.wabi
For what it is worth, you might have made 2 mistakes.
1. You got out of the tree before the 1/2 hour was up. Best to stay put for that 1/2 hour and be very quiet. If the hit is not a gravy shot, getting out of the stand may bump them. If you stay quiet and let them lay down, most times they won't go far and may stiffen up or expire in that time. Give the wound time to do it's job.
2. When tracking them, if you bump (jump) them once, chances are they are not done for yet and with a poor hit, may go an awful long way before stopping.
Best thing to do once you know you are pushing a wounded deer is to mark last blood with something you can find next morning and come back then. It is a tough thing to do but really, it is your best chance of retrieving that animal. Very rarely can you bump an animal and expect it to lay down and die if you stay on it. I have found that when you back off, they are usually with 100 yards of where you stopped.
Good luck
1. You got out of the tree before the 1/2 hour was up. Best to stay put for that 1/2 hour and be very quiet. If the hit is not a gravy shot, getting out of the stand may bump them. If you stay quiet and let them lay down, most times they won't go far and may stiffen up or expire in that time. Give the wound time to do it's job.
2. When tracking them, if you bump (jump) them once, chances are they are not done for yet and with a poor hit, may go an awful long way before stopping.
Best thing to do once you know you are pushing a wounded deer is to mark last blood with something you can find next morning and come back then. It is a tough thing to do but really, it is your best chance of retrieving that animal. Very rarely can you bump an animal and expect it to lay down and die if you stay on it. I have found that when you back off, they are usually with 100 yards of where you stopped.
Good luck
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