wounding and not finding :(

[PaHunter1972]

ok, I know it's a sore subject for any hunter, but just how many of you have had the rather un-pleasant experience of wounding an animal and not being able to find it, even with a good blood trail ?

[cantexduck]

lost one deer this year. Would of been my first deer with a bow.

[thebomb6_99]

shot a doe with my 243 in 2003 an not finding it

[DrenalinJunkie]

so far so good............. have luckily found all my dead critters. BUT, just in case I have gotten my hands on a book to train dogs to find wounded critters.

[Lungbustr]

Havent had it happen. Could have happened this year though. I made a bad shot, (total gut shot) but the rage two blade had it dead within seventy yards. I dont care to mess with swine though.

[kornsqueezer]

Lost one this year. No blood trail and rained that night. Made me sick.

[Jaspro]

I have only lost 2 deer in my hunting career. Never lost a turkey and if a hog runs off I don't bother.

[chrisgunguy]

It happend twice during my first two years of bow hunting (1 ea.) Not this year though. I was much more patient.

[TX_Kevin]

Had a friend many years ago lose two in one day, a doe, and a nice buck. We trailed the doe as far as we could, it was too far back - a paunch shot and we just ran out of sign. The next was a buck, and he hit it pretty well. We had lots of foamy blood for the first two hundred yards, then it went to super small droplet about the size of the head of a pin. We lost him after that.

I jerked and paunch shot a doe this year, and just got flat lucky and stumbled onto her. I guess I got a little more than paunch. There is no telling how far she went because I found her a long way from where I shot her.

[Landrover]

There was a thread on here a few months ago about "loss percentages!" A search may bring it back up! Also, if you are gonna HUNT it is gonna happen. I have lost my share and will probably loose another animal before i go off to the happy hunting grounds....practice, focus and prayer will get you thru!

[kramer]

Shot what would have been my first deer with my bow. Good blood trail for 300 yards, drops, then nothing. Looked for 5 hours and had to leave (rode with a buddy.....dang gas prices). Went back twice and looked for 6 hours. Landowner looking for buzzards, listening for coyotes......nothing. Got a call opening morning of rifle season and my deer walked out and was shot by a rifle hunter. He was quartering away, apparently the arrow penetrated and hit something, diverted, and just ran up under the skin. Was so HAPPY to find out where it was. He wasnt as big as the hunter thought and his son told him to make me tag it.......I shot it. They called the game warden and he said NO SIR.....you killed it, you tag it. 8 point scored 132. I would have been PUMPED with it as a bow kill.

[TX_Kevin]

I've been told by biologists that when you don't find them, the chances are that an archery shot wasn't fatal and the only real harm is that they are now educated.

[Buff]

if you shoot a deer in the guts...it will die. a muscle wound can heal but not a gut shot. I have been very fortunate that I have not had a problem finding deer but we lost about have of the deer shot by our customers... I bought a dog and Hope to have him going by next season

[glen]

Got a dog this year so it wont happen again. Ive found three animals that would have never been recovered without a dog. And found a few in minutes that would have taken an hour to find.

[AZ&F'sDaddy]

I lost what would have been my biggest buck to date this year. And, I think, he would have been BIG. All I remember seeing was antlers. I looked for hours and days and had others look with me. We found one big pile of blood, then nothing. I was so discouraged after that, I didn't bow hunt for the rest of the season. I didn't want to shoot another deer. I wanted that one. I was just thinking about this again earlier this week. It still makes me sick. - Joey