Tracking deer after being shot!

[David_218]

Hi Fellow Hoosier!

Your post was interesting, and I am sorry you were unable to locate your Deer. It is impossible to say, but she may recover from your shot. Last year my Brother saw a Doe with an arrow sticking (on our property) out of it's back and I had to put it down as it was suffering. I went ahead and taged and reported the kill but when I skinned the Deer it was all infected and so I just dumped her in the woods. VERY SAD THING TO HAVE HAPPEN I use to bow hunt, but haven't since 1985, mainly due to the problem of locating Deer after they've been hit. So I just "Gun Hunt" now in both Indiana & Kentucky for Deer. You might increase your pratice with your bow to sharpen your skill.

[horst]

Re: Tracking deer after being shot!

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People on tv always say the best shot is right behind the shoulder blade or in the very middle of the shoulder blade. And thats were i hit her.

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Candy, dont aim for the shoulder blade.With a gun its a good shot, with a bow you often dontr have enough energy to get through it into the vitals, always try to aim behind the shoulder.

When you hunt from ground level with a bow, like I often do you will run into poor blood trails at the point of the shot quite often.From a treestand you get an angle down through the deer, the lower exit hole gives you almost an immediate blood trail.With a bow from the ground the arrow passes straight through, the chest cavities gotta fill up with blood befoe you start find a good blood trail.If you bowhunt from ground level make sure to watch the deer after the shot, pinpoint where it goes out of your line of sight, wait a few minutes and mark that spot.If theres no blood where you originally shot this will be your new starting point for trying to bloodtrail them.Dont rush in and mark the spot, wait a few minutes, and go in quietly to mark it.

Getting back to not having a lower exit hole to bleed out of, your entry and exit holes will both be up on the deer, when you start tracking dont concentrate to hard on the ground, look up on leaves and tall grass at about the level of your hips or stomach, often times a deer thats not leaving much blood on the ground will rub it off on these things as it runs, you just have to look up a little higher to find it.Eventually if its a good hit it should turn into a good blood trail on the ground but dont expect to find it there right away.

Listen when the deer runs away to what direction it goes, if you cant find blood right off this may be your only clue as to what direction it went after leaving your sight.Look for tracks, if the ground is soft enough you can sometimes follow them quite aways on tracks alone.

Waiting was a good idea, if your not sure about the hit wait even longer, a good shot, double lung i only wait about 15 minutes, a questionable shot Ill often leave t till the next morning if it isnt real hot out.If you hit the shoulder blade again consider it a questionable shot and wait, you dont know how far the arrow went in, you might only get 1 lung and it takes them longer to die.Dont push the animal.and remember try not to hit the shoulder blade.hitting that coupled with shooting from the ground very often you wont find any blood at all escpecially if the arrow didnt go in very far.Good Luck

[Doc]

Re: Tracking deer after being shot!

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i seen my arrow was stuck in the middle of her shoulder blade so i thought it was a pretty decient shot. People on tv always say the best shot is right behind the shoulder blade or in the very middle of the shoulder blade. And thats were i hit her.

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No....no...no.....no! Do not aim for the shoulder blade! There's that danged TV again passing on bad info. Search the net and find a good anatomical diagram for deer. You want to hit lungs without encountering any more bone than you have to. This is VERY important. Broadside shot......just BEHIND the shoulder and about 1/3 to 1/2 way up.

Doc

[Guest bigbuckmiddaugh]

Re: Tracking deer after being shot!

i always aim in the center of the lung area, gives you little room for error, in which we all have. Expecially if the ole' buck fever kicks in,lol. Isn't that a great feeling!!

[Stinger-Hunter]

Re: Tracking deer after being shot!

I've never been shot, but I think I would get medical attention first. LOL - Seriously, Horst is absolutely correct.

[wtnhunt]

Re: Tracking deer after being shot!

Welcome to the forums. Think horst is right on track with his reply. Would not be shooting into the shoulder blade with your bow either.

On tracking get some bright orange marking tape and keep with you. When you go to track your deer, mark where the deer was standing when you shot and get on the ground level to find tracks and blood. Mark the sign as you find it following along.

[GWSmith]

Re: Tracking deer after being shot!

Candy13, I hope you have the time to check this link out.... Deer Anatomy

Maybe it will serve you well in the future. Spend some time looking at it and scrolling around in the different views of the deers anatomy...figure out where you can place an arrow that will positively ensure that the blood does not reach the brain(resulting in the deers death).

Learning what an arrow cant do will have already given you valuable experience you hopefully will remember the rest of your hunting days.

Like paint for a wall...the experience you have gained, through your shot on this doe, will only be good if its applied in the future.

I know that alot of things come into the picture when deer are in your sights.

That happens with everyone even if they say that it doesnt anymore....its just that they may be taking some things for granted they used to be mindful of.

Please keep hunting and making every attempt to ensure that your shots on game are as lethal as they can be.

I know its hard to believe but...there are people here who will tell you that what you did was wrong...

I Pray That You Learn To Listen With Ears That Hear The Experience and Not the Criticism.

Experience in the field will teach you alot as well...Finding a deer that you have shot is fantastic..not finding one is what your feeling now...Painful doesnt describe it well enough I would imagine.

Keep sharing what happens too...but most of all: Keep Hunting no matter what anyone says.

Experience will teach you alot....especially here.

[buckee]

Re: Tracking deer after being shot!

Candy,

I respectfully agree with all my buddies here that a shoulder shot is NOT the ideal shot to take on an animal with a bow.

With a rifle "MAYBE"(not my #1 choice), bow definately "NO".

The pictures below are the ideal place to go for on a deer with a bow. An arrow placed where I have high-lighted in red will be, beyond a doubt, a 100% kill shot. A shot placed anywhere else on an animal, may or may not kill it. The percentage of a successful shot decreases from 100% to whatever, depending on your choices.

You have to remember also, that some of these guys on TV that promote shoulder shots are shooting a bow, with a draw weight of 75 lbs and greater. Even their shoulder shots are not a 100% kill shots and they are still taking a chance.

In the pictures below, the centre of the red area is the ideal place to aim, but the rest of the red would also be a 100% kill, no problem.

[Texan_Til_I_Die]

Re: Tracking deer after being shot!

Right after I shoot a deer, here's something I always do if I don't see him fall. Go directly to the spot where the deer was standing and mark it. Try to find some blood and mark that. Then try to find the deer's tracks and mark them. That will give you an exact starting point when you go back later to trail the deer. If its dry, I can usually track by a blood trail. If its wet, I follow by looking at the deer's tracks. If you take your time and pay attention, you can trail an individual deer for miles by its tracks alone. If the deer's gone further than a mile or so, you're probably not going to find it dead anytime soon.