I Done Did Messed Up

Well everyone, first bow hunt went crappy. First evening got in the blind and had a nice 8 point I was after come in but was right out of range therefore I never got a shot off. Next morning nothing at the same stand. That evening I got in a pop up facing a protein feeder. Well a deer came in really close to legal shooting time but still legal. Took what I thought was a good shot at 20 yards but apparently not because we never found it. Blood situation was started out spotty (Rage 2 blade chisel tip) then progressively got bigger. However it stopped probably 50 yards in the trail. The last marked blood was a good mark and the blood was a dark red the entire time. No bubbles or pink. Can yall help me figure out what I did wrong? I will agree it was dumb shooting at that deer so close to legal shooting time but my excitement got the best of me. On a good note though, I found an awesome new spot to put a stand lol! Thanks!

You hit it high probably pass through. More than likely deer is still alive. I did same thing last year and she was back at feeder in a week

Read my post in bow hunting "trackers round mountain/blanco county area?" May give some encouragement. Where did you hit him?

Maybe a liver shot? I hit a doe in the liver a couple of years ago and the blood trail ended up stopping just like you described. We only found her by fanning out from that point.

That would be my guess. Problem with shooting early is you can't "pick a spot", you are shooting an area. Add the excitement and, well you know.

From other deer I have seen hit there, it seems like they stop bleeding when they slow down. The guts tend to push and block the holes, therefore not allowing any more blood to come out. At the end of the blood trail, start making small circles. A deer hit in the liver usually doesn't make it much farther than that. I have seen them get right at the edge of dying and make a final attempt to flee, and end up 10-15 yards to the side of the trail they were following.

Heck of a deal for your first experience. Learn from it and move on...go get that first deer out of the way

That's bow hunting; I've been doing it since the Dead Sea was alive and I still get anxious but thank God I learned to think through those anxious moments.

Sux that you lost your first one with a bow; keep your spirits up, it will be better.

Im no expert by no means but learned alot when it happened to me. Was it pass through or not. I was told if it was but front of arrow (broadhead end) is not bloody but back part is, it is likely a muscle shot. In my case it was and deer was in pen 24 hrs later.

Could any of the things listed above. Muscular shot will most likely see the deer again on camera or live, Liver shot the deer is probably dead within 100 yards of where the blood trail was lost. Have seen it before where deer quit bleeding the last bit of the trail.

Shot a doe last year that ran off. I got on the blood trail and it was like a CSI crime scene. Made about fifty yards and then... nothing. No deer, no trail. After a few minutes of fanning out I realized hat for some reason she had doubled back down her own blood trail about 20 yards and then veered off. Found her under a cedar just a few feet off the trail.

Dark blood is blood without oxygen. My first thought is liver shot if you think it was a good hit. Could be a muscle wound or you could have knicked a vein as apposed to an artery. If you never found him there's a good chance he's still alive.. Happened to me!

Try to focus on one small quarter-sized spot just behind the shoulder instead of the whole body when you're aiming. Practice this on a life-sized target if possible (aim small, miss small).

Other thing is the old saying "when in doubt, back out". Can't tell you how many times I've seen a deer or hog pushed too early and never recovered (I've done it too many times myself). Even if you're sure it's a good shot, if you find yourself trailing for too long, back out and pick it up the next morning.

Good luck! Will be tuning in to this thread, I have yet to take my first bow deer yet and am learning a lot of good info here.

Sorry to hear that.

Better luck next time and don't let it keep you out of the woods. Beat yourself up just enough to keep practicing and not shoot so close to last light again.

Honestly I don't think I will ever back out and leave one over night at our place. I would rather let the arrow go and immediately start looking than wait till morning. If you wait till morning at our place chances of finding a head with chewed off nose and a stub of a neck are far better than finding a deer in the morning, not to mention it would 99.9% chance be spoiled. My progression is shoot, replay in mind. Very quietly get down look over shot area and arrow if its there wait 15 to 20 minutes and proceed from there with the info you have.

Not a good idea unless you see the deer go down and expire. Always give them at least an hour before getting out of the stand to start your search. The only deer I have lost bowhunting was from doing exactly what you said. It was getting dark so I got out to look for blood after about 15 minutes. While I was standing were the shot took place I saw the doe jump up and she didn't stop until she crossed every property in the county. Found where she was bedded and if I would have given her a little more time she would have expired.

Yes the arrow was a complete pass through. The broadhead had blood yet the fletching's did not have blood. The only problem with fanning out at that location is we have very tall grass. When I mean tall, it is nearly 6 feet tall and we walked that all last night and in the morning. I also walked about 100 yards behind the fence looking for it. If I had to guess, I hit it a little too far back or it was a high muscle shot. This will not keep me out of the woods at all and it had definatly caused me to practice even more. I think I have for sure learned from this experience and I will be in a better mind set when that next shot comes around (hopefully the day after homecoming this weekend)!! Thanks for the help yall!

Hang in there. This is a tough game we play and it can be very unforgiving. This very thing has happened to me twice. I took the shot at very last light. The kind where you are squinting and closing and opening you eyes trying to get them to adjust enough to see the pin and the animal at the same time. It is almost impossible at last light. Also, as txshntr mentioned above, you pretty much just shoot at an area on the deer, not pick a spot. Even worse, you can't really see where exactly your arrow struck the animal either. I ruined myself early on because I pulled of a late shot and recovered the deer. The next 2 times I tried it, I lost both. Since then, I have made a rule to never take a shot when I have to strain to see my pins and/or deer. I have not lost one since.

2 seasons back I shot at a doe and hit her a little high, waited several hours and headed out to track her down. After 5 hours and a blood trail 2 1/2 miles long the trail ran out. Never found her and a few weeks later she was back on the camera with a fresh scab over the shoulder I hit her in. You can never underestimate an animals will to live. Hopefully you see your deer again and get another chance.

I hope I see him the deer again! I'm just worried that it will die in an unethically way. I've always had that gut wrenching feeling when I wound a deer and know that its suffering somewhere. I hate it. I hope that I check the cameras this weekend and see him again

I have seen more deer lost for this reason. We have a few hunters that will shoot and wait 15-20 minutes and then go look for their arrow before coming back to get help searching. I can't tell you how many times we have found a pool where the deer stopped or laid down about 60 yards out and had to spend the next 5 hours searching for specs of blood because the deer was pushed.

I always tell people to sit a minimum of 30 minutes in the stand after a shot. Then, back out as quietly as possible and leave away from the direction the deer went and head back to camp. Give the deer a good hour at least to expire before returning. I usually wait 2 hours, even on shots I feel good about.

I was unsure of the spot I hit so I waited around 2 hours before I went back out again. I think I am going back out on sunday around noon, so I will be able to check the cameras then! I will let yall know. I really appreciate all the encouragement. Its brought up my mood a lot since the shot!

Had this happen on the first deer I had ever shot with a bow. I hunted the same stand 2 weeks later and saw the doe I had shot and the wound has already healed over. This year I changed broadheads to G5 Montecs. I'm hoping to get a chance to stick a deer with them this year and see the difference. Sorry about your luck but I happens. I'll bet the deer lived and maybe you'll get another shot later in the season.

Same here. First deer I shot was a pretty nice buck and I didn't even have a blood trail at all. Don't get discouraged. Don't give up on your tracking either. If it was a kill shot, I would be willing to bet your deer wasn't far away. Any bowhunter that says they have never lost an animal they shot is either extremely lucky or lying.