Stinger-Hunter Posted October 4, 2009 Report Share Posted October 4, 2009 Ok, so I get out to a spot that I saw all the deer yesterday (Friday) and decide that I'm going to just hide behind a huge tree and wait for the little buggers to cross the road from the bean field and tag one as soon as she crosses. I see a couple does cross the road, I take a step back and hide a little bit more - I pull my bow back and wait. It took about 45 seconds to a minute for the doe to get within range (10 yards) with the angle that I was shooting from. Smack! Should have been a kill shot. She belts out a loud scream similar to some of the calls that are used, like "The Can." First time I've ever seen that! She runs right past me with the arrow sticking out of her - for some reason there wasn't much penetration. I thought maybe some branches that were in between me and the deer may have slowed the arrow down but it got there in a hurry. Sometimes those shoulders will block a broad-head, so she runs about 30 yards, hangs a left and sounds like a crash - I figured she went down. I go to my car, call my wife, text my cousin, get my knife, finish my coffee (the car was only about 75 yards away). I go back and start looking for her. I find some blood on a few of the bigger leaves that are about shoulder height to the deer, but the rain is coming down hard enough that the last blood i found was 20 yards away from where I was standing. The leaves are turning orange and red so everything looked like blood on a leaf. I look for an hour. The area she ran to is only about 20 yards wide before hitting the creek, so I scoured the area, deep thickets of thorn bushes and everything for about 300 hundred yards, nothing. I decide to hunt again for about 45 minutes and then resume look again for about a half an hour. Then before leaving I decide to ask the guy across the creek if I can look in his yard - totally nice guy - I find no blood, no arrow, nothing. He said that sometimes they run across his yard and go into other woods past the other houses - but it is all various spots of private land and in a country subdivision - not a typical subdivision. I figure someone else got her (from one of the houses) or she just chucked the arrow and will live on. She was probably hanging in someone's garage when I was looking for her. I joked with my wife that when I went to the guys house across the creek, he would answer the door with a leg bone in his mouth. "nope, I ain't seen no deer around here." It is a gut-wrenching feeling to hit something so close and have it disappear. One of the down sides of hunting with a bow and arrow. I still can hardly grasp the concept of a 65# bow hitting a doe at 10 yards and not getting full penetration or a pass-through. Has anyone ever shot a deer that screamed out when it was hit? Never seen it or heard of it. I think she may have been warning the doe behind her. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
earnhardts12000 Posted October 4, 2009 Report Share Posted October 4, 2009 thats crazy cause i shot my 7 pointer last yr at 7 yrds at 60# blowed through to nock Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tedicast Posted October 4, 2009 Report Share Posted October 4, 2009 Guessing you hit a little farther forward then you think. Scapula or brisket. Depending on how far you got through the scap you would have got lungs. A brisket shot will probably not be fatal. Been there, done that, heard the "roar". Not a good feeling not recovering a deer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Turkeygirl Posted October 4, 2009 Report Share Posted October 4, 2009 I remember having one bleat when I shot...good shot though so I recovered her.. Sounds like maybe you hit shoulder or something that kept the arrow from going through...too bad...sounds like you looked! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stinger-Hunter Posted October 4, 2009 Author Report Share Posted October 4, 2009 Def wasn't the brisket. She ran pass me 5 yards away - it was a well placed shot - nothing to be ashamed of, I don't think - just wrong weapon to place it there. I can't argue with reality, though. If I was 1 inch further back, then it would have been perfect. That matters while bowhunting - still sucks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WvBowhunterKE Posted October 4, 2009 Report Share Posted October 4, 2009 I can honestly say I have never heard a deer scream after being drilled with an arrow. Not that it matters too much in this situation, but what kind of broadhead were you using. From your description of the shot placement it would be hard to concieve on what could have possibly slowed the penetration. After all you were using a crossbow, the only thing I could have in mind would be the brisket as well. I am truly sorry for the misfortune. As for someone else having your doe strung up in the garage, its not to hard to believe. Well, best of luck on your next hunt. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fly Posted October 4, 2009 Report Share Posted October 4, 2009 Twice I can remember hearing that noise. The first was shotgun hunting. The slug went through both front legs (no chest cavity). It fell and couldn't get up. I walked down and used my knife to finish. Second was a arrow through the mid-spine (straight down). Went through to the underside. She fell paralyzed. Again had to finish with a knife. I was wondering about it being a warning (especially the second one) She had 2 6 month olds in tow. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GWSmith Posted October 4, 2009 Report Share Posted October 4, 2009 I hope you take this in the positive manner which it was intended... I thought maybe some branches that were in between me and the deer may have slowed the arrow down but it got there in a hurry. This could be one reason for the lack of penetration. I have heard them make that noise but like one of the deer Fly had to take care of with his knife mine was a Doe that had one of her front legs shot off by another hunter on the hill above me. She stopped when she saw me and I centerpunched her heart with a 30-30 corelokt(during rifle season of course). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ravin R10 man Posted October 4, 2009 Report Share Posted October 4, 2009 Again..sounds like a quartering to shot on the run in your post..both no no's... I have had a couple deer bellow after the shot, but it was a death bellow, there they laid. Think you hit shoulder. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
earnhardts12000 Posted October 4, 2009 Report Share Posted October 4, 2009 thats crazy cause i shot my 7 pointer last yr at 7 yrds at 60# blowed through to nock but was broadside Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.