Good luck Steve. You are doing the right things, just keep at it tonight with a grid search and the lab. Let us know how you turn out.

Your effort allready is respected, I know a lot of guys who would have shirked allready..Those swamps are tough,, and it has rained.But keep the drive....As for the lab,, Take a piece of deer, fresh meat preferably, or a pinch of the dirt (I use a tarsal gland on bucks)where the blood was or from the scrape, or both and let the dog smell it then pretend to throw it .. If there is scent and she is a good retriever this will incite her drive to hunt.. that is how my Chessie works deer and hogs.Gotta kinda tease them into working a smell they are not trained on. I am betting she knows exactly which direction the buck followed after the blood she just doesn't understand that you want her to follow that..Seems kinda quirky but is has worked more often than not... Good Luck.

Just a thought with dogs.  Unless they've had some training in blood trailing, they can be more of a hindrance than a help.  

Stan

joe c and i are going to do a grid search tonight for a couple hours before dark..that is what i love about you guys... Joe is gonna skip a hunt and come help me track.. He is going to spend his time and travel to come help a fellow tradganger out... I'm looking forward to meeting him tonight...i'll keep you guys posted and i havent given up.... this deer is a nice buck .. not a monster..just an average buck.. but i would do the same if it was a yearling doe... any deer taken with stick and string is a trophy in my book... plus my stinkin freezer is empty!

Steve, I wish I could make it there to help you out buddy.  I really hope you find him!!

Take the dog..

good luck keep us posted

Hope ya find him bud,, I just got home from work,,wish I could be there for ya,,J

I'm pullin for ya Bud! Don't give up!

QuoteOriginally posted by Landshark160:
There is no void between the spine and the lungs.

However you want to look at it or the term used, a high shoulder hit, particularly from ground level, often will not kill a deer as it hits nothing vital...

Another potential problem that goes along with a hit that does score high in the lungs is the lack of external bleeding...

Good luck!

Well..ive got a fair 10 hours in to the recovery of this animal.. I felt very comfortable with the 10 yd shot and feel like with the amount of practice and shooting ive had with longbow since last winter i was prepared for this..... If i have learned my first lesson with trad gear it would be to aim at a raisen not a grapefruit. I felt that this animal would be recovered with the hit 6" back from the shoulder and 2/3 high on the deer.. i did not blow thru the deer and was shooting a 46# bow 500 grain arrow with muzzy phantoms up front... The arrow penetrated a good 8" and i saw where it hit as well as where it was hanging out from when he ran...If i had any money left over from my bow buying habit I would bet that he is laying in the swamp somewhere.. With loss of blood trail and the amount of people that have combed and helped me search for this deer it is going to take tripping over him in this thick nasty area to find him.. and with the warm weather the meat would be most likely spoiled.. I'd like to thank JoeC (a newcomer to the gang) for skipping a hunt and traveling 45 minutes to assist me on this last 2.5 hour search.. I'm gonna keep my head high on this one because i truly felt like i played it by the book.. The only thing different i could of done was shoot at that raisen.. thanks to tradgang and thanks to my buddies ..and also thanks to God for putting me so close to such a beautiful animal...You guys know where i'll be tomorrow... in the thicket on the ground!!!!!!

Sorry to hear it didn't work out.  A big thumbs up to JoeC, that was classy.

Stan

Man what a bummer.  I am sorry that your first experience with Trad gear didnt go better for you bud.  I know you did everything right.  Like you said you have been preparing for that shot all summer long.  Good for you on keeping your head high and getting right back on the horse.  Good luck this weekend!!

ALL RIGHT!! ITS ZE WANGO ZE TANGO>> all right man glad to see your mounting your saddle again,,LOL,,J

You never know with whitetail, there was a thread not to awful long ago on a doe shot in the head and lost , that was shot the next year with her jaw fused but healthy..Good luck.. and keep flingin...

Sorry Steve! You did everything you could. Better luck this weekend.