Last night I had a buck come in right before dark. This particular location is on the back side of a hill and when the sun goes down over the hill, it gets dark much faster than the sky. Even though I was well within the legal shooting hours, I probably should not have shot.
But I did. I waited for him to clear a tree and felt like I could still pick out a spot on his body. As I drew, he raised his head and was in total alert but not looking in my direction. I released and I thought I was dead on about 3 inches above I always refer to as their arm pit.
However, I heard a loud thwack like I have never heard before and I did not notice the nock disappearing through the body. The noise and position of the arrow on the ground made it look like it was stuck in something and combined with that "thwack" sound I actually wondered if I stuck the arrow in the base of a tree or a root.
The deer jumped up and went about 15 yards and stopped for a minute, then slowly walked out of sight. I thought I could hear him movement and so I thought I missed him and he might come back. By then though it was really too late and 30 minutes later I get down and go get my arrow.
Arrow is lightly imbedded in dirt - no wood and it doesn't look like any blood on arrow. I still look around for signs of blood and fine none. I get back to camp and examine the arrow in more light and there is light blood on the arrow and a very few deer hairs around the broadhead and the nock. No obvious blood on the broadhead except that under the dirt, there was some red blood. The white vain on my arrow was also a very light pink.
I went back this morning and looked for almost 2 hours - and could not even find a hint of blood. Two other guys from camp came and helped and same thing.
The one thing though is that I went back to where the arrow landed and confirmed the path the deer was on when I released. I am 95% sure that the the arrow was in front and the path I think he was on when I shot. In other words, the arrow came to rest in in front of the deer - not behind.
It was a broadside shot with a fixed blade that had no damage. I either hit him and the arrow hit bone and glanced downward - or I hit him so low that I only got a smidgen of blood and hair and the "thwack" sound was the arrow hitting the dirt. Or, more likely, in the excitement of the shot, something altogether different happened that I am totally missing.
Painful lesson learned. If you don't have the lighting to take the shot, don't take the shot. No matter what time it is.
But I did. I waited for him to clear a tree and felt like I could still pick out a spot on his body. As I drew, he raised his head and was in total alert but not looking in my direction. I released and I thought I was dead on about 3 inches above I always refer to as their arm pit.
However, I heard a loud thwack like I have never heard before and I did not notice the nock disappearing through the body. The noise and position of the arrow on the ground made it look like it was stuck in something and combined with that "thwack" sound I actually wondered if I stuck the arrow in the base of a tree or a root.
The deer jumped up and went about 15 yards and stopped for a minute, then slowly walked out of sight. I thought I could hear him movement and so I thought I missed him and he might come back. By then though it was really too late and 30 minutes later I get down and go get my arrow.
Arrow is lightly imbedded in dirt - no wood and it doesn't look like any blood on arrow. I still look around for signs of blood and fine none. I get back to camp and examine the arrow in more light and there is light blood on the arrow and a very few deer hairs around the broadhead and the nock. No obvious blood on the broadhead except that under the dirt, there was some red blood. The white vain on my arrow was also a very light pink.
I went back this morning and looked for almost 2 hours - and could not even find a hint of blood. Two other guys from camp came and helped and same thing.
The one thing though is that I went back to where the arrow landed and confirmed the path the deer was on when I released. I am 95% sure that the the arrow was in front and the path I think he was on when I shot. In other words, the arrow came to rest in in front of the deer - not behind.
It was a broadside shot with a fixed blade that had no damage. I either hit him and the arrow hit bone and glanced downward - or I hit him so low that I only got a smidgen of blood and hair and the "thwack" sound was the arrow hitting the dirt. Or, more likely, in the excitement of the shot, something altogether different happened that I am totally missing.
Painful lesson learned. If you don't have the lighting to take the shot, don't take the shot. No matter what time it is.
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