will this buck return ?????

BOB7255KHZ · Post by **BOB7255KHZ** » Tue Nov 11, 2008 10:03 am

Fellas , I screwed up big time and need ur thoughts.
I grunted in a massive buck on Saturday morn....took a 25 yard broadside shot, 15 feet up in my tree stand. I did not hear no "smack".....but the buck twisted when he ran off as if hit in the front leg or shoulder , no drop or lunge, no grunt ....he had no trouble running off full steam ahead to the direction he came from. I waited a good two hours before looking.....went back to the shot area.....no blood until 50 yards.....normal bright red blood trail for 300 yards along side of steep mountain.....then NOTHING......blood stopped completely as he started down the mountain.....i searched high and low , nothing.....even the leaves were not even messed up, no lay down or stumbles....vaporized into thin air.
Went back to look for my arrow.....impossible to find with tons of leaves falling , no arrow to be found.
Looking from where I hit him , looking back to my stand were small branches that were in the travel of the arrow.....the arrow had to be deflected or I pulled the shot or combo of everything.
I have seen this buck in this location /area chasing does along with a lil 6 pointer just about every time I've been at this stand.
My question is .....do u think this buck will come back to this location after being hit.....or should I just give up of that hope ? I have stayed out of the area for the last few days and there are no other hunters in the area for sure.....my season ends this weekend. Maybe he'll be back because of the rut ???
Whatcha think..............BOB in PA ...... EXOCET 200

vixenmaster · Post by **vixenmaster** » Tue Nov 11, 2008 10:38 am

friend if your Buck bled for 300 yds and it stopped at a steep downhill. i would say your Buck will never come back. he is most likely dead from your arrow hit and just hasn't been recovered. deer nor anything else recovers from a good hit giving out a good blood trail for 300 yds.

VixChix · Post by **VixChix** » Tue Nov 11, 2008 10:50 am

Can you take a dog along to track him?

hunter 740 · Post by **hunter 740** » Tue Nov 11, 2008 10:51 am

I've seen deer hit in the legs or just in heavy flesh and bleed very heavy amounts of blood then the wound will clot and the blood trail stops.If this is the case the deer could live.If he does it depends how bad his injury is as to wether he will be back anytime soon.

fuel80guy · Post by **fuel80guy** » Tue Nov 11, 2008 11:10 am

Ive read that deer have a certain agent in there blood that promotes clotting.Dont know if this helps or not but only time will tell because when more does come into estrous and you dont see him again,,,he is probably dead.

BOB7255KHZ · Post by **BOB7255KHZ** » Tue Nov 11, 2008 12:57 pm

Wife and I searched on our hands and knees looking for more blood drops, nothing to be found.
Before the last 100 yards the blood flow was slowing down to just little drops. I dropped down the mountain and looked up the hill side that we marked to keep track of the blood: went out and down many times looking for any sign. At the bottom of the hill was a creek.....I checked that good thinking he went to water. Other than that is the next mountain from this valley straight up heading for his bedding area.....I went part way up , didn't jump him.
No can't get a dog or any help here as I'm very secluded.
I've been bowhunting for many years , but man , this is just tearing me up in my mind. Haunts me at all hours day & night.
I just hope and pray that it was just a healing wound.....if I can just find my arrow.... but doubt if I will ever find the answer , or the peace of mind.
I feel SOOOoooo bad.....unreal. I'm a sportsman , not just a hunter who would just take a wild shot for those who might think that. I know my hunting area quite well and my equipment....starting to tear up as I type this....I 'll shut up.
Guess I just had to vent.........BOB
Bob

vixenmaster · Post by **vixenmaster** » Tue Nov 11, 2008 1:59 pm

just how much did he bleed ? drops ? or sprayed ? its really hard to say but going from your discription of being possibly broadside maybe it didn't get a pass thru and arrow is in body cavity/shoulder. then again you may have just opened his shoulder up good and never got into the vitals. if that happened he will recover but doubt you will see him around your stand in hrs of light for another shot. may catch him after Doess in that area. no use to beat yourself up about something you don't control the outcome of. we do our best and thats all we can do

BOB7255KHZ · Post by **BOB7255KHZ** » Tue Nov 11, 2008 4:19 pm

Drops.....no spayed brush , leaves or trees. Bright red , no bubbles etc.

DesertRat · Post by **DesertRat** » Tue Nov 11, 2008 4:36 pm

I know someone who shouldered a deer last fall, got in fairly deep too, and that very deer was killed a month later with the shoulder wound but otherwise healthy. A muscle hit may heal over if it was not too bad. They bleed what seems like a lot but so do we if we cut our finger. The thing that makes ya wonder if he is going to survive is the lack of an arrow. If it is in him deep enough to not fall out, chances are he is dead or dying.

Dead or alive,the chances of him coming back and you possibly getting a second poke at him is about the same as Michel Jackson being normal someday. Sorry to say it, but that buck is gone. It sucks and it will invade your thoughts for a while. If you have done all you can to recover that animal and can't find him, it is time to forget him and move on. Take what you have learned and apply to your future hunting trips.

Saddly, I have been down this road myself

GA.crossbowhunt · Post by **GA.crossbowhunt** » Tue Nov 11, 2008 5:07 pm

aslo if you think you hit a shoulder and you still havent found your arrow it may be inside the deer. do yoyu have any water or creeks around? look around them.

BOB7255KHZ · Post by **BOB7255KHZ** » Tue Nov 11, 2008 7:58 pm

I'm going to small game hunt tomorrow , gonna check the creek bottom of this valley which runs for miles......also gonna check his bedding area.
I have all day to walk / search even though the deer will be no good for consumption...it will help my mind.
I must put my mind to rest of this haunting feeling.
BOB

huntman · Post by **huntman** » Tue Nov 11, 2008 8:34 pm

DesertRat wrote: Dead or alive,the chances of him coming back and you possibly getting a second poke at him is about the same as Michel Jackson being normal someday.

LMFAO

Sandman · Post by **Sandman** » Tue Nov 11, 2008 8:40 pm

huntman wrote:
DesertRat wrote: Dead or alive,the chances of him coming back and you possibly getting a second poke at him is about the same as Michel Jackson being normal someday.

Good one~!

crazyfarmer · Post by **crazyfarmer** » Tue Nov 11, 2008 8:43 pm

deer have been killed here in shotgun season with arrows stuck in them from the previous bow season lol.. it just depends on the hit location. But no matter what, he's not coming back to that spot even if he makes it. I killed a deer during ML season last year that had been shot 3 days before and just grazed onthe bottom of his neck. I talked with the guy that had shot at him and he said he trailed blood for 200 yards. It was a open wound on the deer when i shot him but it was starting to heal and he was in perfect shape.

like said, it just depends on where you hit him. Look for buzzards in a few days

mikej · Post by **mikej** » Tue Nov 11, 2008 8:50 pm

it sounds like a shoulder hit to me. the arrow likely stayed with him for and while and then he would have broke it off. i think he will survie but you won't being seeing any of him for a while except for maybe trail cam pics at 2am. good luck