I hate to post stuff like this, nobody here knows me from a stranger on the street. So me posting about how much I practice, how much I really focus on only taking clean shots, how much time and energy I put into this sport isnt going to do any good. This is my second year in a row of drawing on a deer only to have my arrow venture off course. A solid old doe was standing just thirty yards from me. A shot I can make in my back yard from an elevated stand day in and day out. The old girl standing slightly quartering away is unaware of me, I draw hold look at her shoulder, release. KATHUNK.
First thought sounded good sounded real good. Second thought she is hit hard.
Third thought why the hell isnt she falling over. She stops out at 80 yards standing head down you can see the breath coming out of her at a rapid pace, almost to the point of hyperventilating.
Fourth thought she is dead tip over now.
Fifth thought well there is the exit hole mid ship low, that means shot was back a little further than anticipated.
Six thought lay down, please? Why are you still walking lay down! Keep an eye on her watch where she goes. Still walking 100 110 115 120 125 lay down now!
Seventh thought where did she go, ive lost her in a setaside field of tall grass and brush. Good spot maybe she will bed up and die there over night.
I get down get my arrow, smells like guts and poop an awful smell. Looks brown and bloody and has small chunks of food on it. Not the big hunks of undigested food but small hunks none the less. Just over all a foul looking arrow.
Am I correct in assuming that I probably hit her in the intestines and back of the stomach and that she should be dead in the morning probably in that setaside field? The snuffer 160's are some big ole heads and I feel confident she is hit hard.
I would say your assumption is right. As long as you didn't spook her on the way out she will be there in the morning. The biggest mistake made on that type of hit is to pursue too soon. A minimum of 8 hours is what I wait if I suspect that shot. Sometimes they expire sooner if you catch the mesenteric artery. If not they will expire from blood poisoning that takes a while. It is not what we would like to happen but it is a fatal shot, it is a matter of finding her in the morning. You did the right thing by backing out. Good luck in the morning.
Give her the night.
Dont push her tonight at all. Go in the morning and keep ready in case you have to put another arrow in her when you track her. She probably bedded not far from where you last saw her unless someone pushed her out of there most likely thats where you will find her.
SL
I think you are correct on the hit, but she should be dead in the morning. It may be a tough tracking job though. You won't get as good of a blood trail on a hit in the guts as one in the chest.
With that big Snuffer your odds are better than with any other head, IMO. If you truly didn't spook her when you left you should find her near where you last saw her. That has been my experience on shots like that.
Take your time in the morning. Wait for good light and try to sneak on her from downwind. Use your binocs if possible.So far I say you have done everything right. Good Luck
Dustin go reall slow in the morning. Dont forget to use your nose the deer that I have tracked that have been shot to far back usually give off an odor you can smell for some distance down wind.
Well like many of you said the hit was a bit far on the exit, but to my surprise about perfect on the entrance... my only thought was she dropped and loaded up to spin away and in doing so quartered to. They really are magicians when it comes to their movements. Anyways after a very tedious start to the blood trail she jumped a fence and headed into a standing corn field. From there the soft mud and big broad golden stalks showed me the way. By the edge of the field she was pumping blood pretty good and as I exited the field there she was, laying 20 yards from where my truck was parked. HA cant beat those easy drag jobs. If i had looked left when I got out of the truck I would have seen but I was so focused on the task at hand that I didnt even look around I just put my head down and headed to the last spot I saw her. In the picture you can see the ENTRANCE hole. The exit is mid body where the white meets the brown. Autopsy results were a severly damaged liver and cut open front of the stomach. she had been dead for a while more than likely by 8 or 9 last night.
(http://i42.photobucket.com/albums/e349/trdtnlbwhntr/doe11309.jpg)
Better to wait on a questionable hit, good follow up, Congrats!
Way to go....
Great advice here, and fine job. :saywhat:
Good job!
Yes they are pink.... Trust me I have thick skin. All of my hunting buddies are giving me crap about it too..... until they see the really cool marble dip that is on top of that pink coat. Then they say "well thats neat, but they are still pink you big girl"
:thumbsup: nice doe.
Congrats on finding your doe Dustin!
Hey, I had 5 bucks in front of my scrape cam yesterday and none from the 31st-2nd. Rattled in 2 young bucks 2yr olds, last night. I think it's safe to say it's on brother!
Oh ya, pur-dee arrows. hehe jk man. I've used hot pink fletch the last couple years except for the doe I killed this year were white/barred simply by chance. You can see the pink well!!
Sometimes the hardest part about bowhunting is restraint and patience. In your case it paid off. Congrats!!!!!!
You handled that one perfectly by backing out and coming back the next morning. Sure, she might have died shortly after the shot, but it was hard to know for sure. In the end, dead deer don't travel far, so it never hurts to wait unless weather or coyotes are a big worry.
Excellent follow-up. Congrats are in order.
By the way, could you please teach the deer I hunt to run toward my truck too? ;)
Congrats!!!! :thumbsup: Way to stick with it.