Bloodied Arrow: Your opinion

[rtarcher]

My saga began shortly after slipping out of my treestand to help Cheeze and his dad load up the deer Cheeze had shot. It was 1745, and darkness was falling. I needed to make my way up a sendero about 1/4 mile to my truck, so I decided to ease along the left edge with an arrow nocked. As luck would have it, a nice doe popped out from the left edge and began to graze. I estimated around 40 yards to her. She meandered back into the brush on the same side, and I inched forward, thinking she would show again. Out she comes, and I came to full draw. This time, I guessed she was at 30 yards. I put my pin on her. It was just light enough to make her out and make a clean shot. She was broadside, facing to the right, relaxed. I began to release when a deer behind me began snorting! As I released, the doe ducked and turned counter clockwise. I did hear a thwack, "but when?" I thought. I waited. Darkness fell. I text messaged for help. I did a quick search for my arrow as help arrived. It was not where I though it would have been. No blood anywhere.

During the eventual search, a guy in our party found the arrow. It was on a trail leading off of the sendero, about 20 yards in. Only the first 4 inces or so had blood on it, not a pass through. Upon further inspection, I also noticed the broadhead tip was bent. For the life of me, I don't know what happened! It makes me sick!

So, in your opinion, did she live? I walked the distance from my shot to where she had been standing, and it was 26 yards. Where do you think she was hit? I am bummed out about this, that's for sure.

Thanks,

Todd

[bdphunt]

Impossible to know where you hit in a situation like that. Things are never perfect in the hunting scenario. Sorry for the unrecovered deer. One thought is a possible shoulder bone hit. I hit a buck last year directly in the shoulder and only got a few inches of penetration. There was a tiny blood trail and some on the arrow, but I ended up killing that buck 4 weekends later and he was fine, until I sent an arrow through his lungs.

Just get back out there and get after it again. You can't control all of the factors of the enviroment and that is why it is hunting and not killing. Good luck.

[texaskinner]

Same thing happened to me as did with bdphunt - shoulder shot, 4 inches of penetration on the arrow, deer lived. If you got 4 inches of penetration behind the shoulder, you would have hit a vital. But, considering the tip of your point was bent, there's nothing in that I area that I would think would be hard enough to do that. I think she's still out there.

[rtarcher]

So it looks as if it's unanimous. She is probably still alive, though very sore.
At least my mind is eased a little in knowing this.

Thanks,

Todd

[Maroon Blade]

you need to go back to that spot and walk in half circles through the brush for at least another 5-600 yards. your deer is probably dead.