Learning from bad hits...

Discuss deer hunting tactics, Deer behavior. Post your Hunting Stories, Pictures, and Questions/Answers.
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rizzo999
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Re: Learning from bad hits...

Unread postby rizzo999 » Thu Jul 03, 2014 2:01 pm

Ghost Hunter wrote:Some of the places they take you. I have always called it looking through the eyes of a whitetail. The lead you right into their core area a lot of times. That is also why I always offer to help track no matter where I am at.


This is exactly what I was going to reply. :shock: :o


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Re: Learning from bad hits...

Unread postby PredatorTC » Thu Jul 03, 2014 4:36 pm

My first two years of bowhunting taught me many valuable lessons after wounding 3 bucks. When I was younger I always had the mindset that if I stuck an arrow in them, that would get them. The first buck I ever had within shooting distance was straight below my tree. I stuck an arrow through the top of his back and needless to say never found him. Being my first year, I headed back to the same tree and had another buck come through. He came form straight behind me and walked straight under and away from me. I ended up sticking an arrow in his hind end and needless to say never found him. That's season came and went and I just figured that it was a matter of time. The next season came around and I ended up doing the same stupid thing. I shot a big one through the top of the and got one lung and needless to say never recovered him also. That was the turning point. I had a problem, so I created a solution. I woke up every single morning before school and practiced shooting. When I got off the buss, I practiced some more. I became a very good shot. I then promised myself that I would only take shots at deer that were broadside or quartering away and not moving. While almost all of this worked well for me I felt like I was missing opportunities because the deer were always walking. I tried bleating many times and the deer would often bolt. I then started taking walking shots and found my happy medium. I believe that every single deer that I have shot since I joined the beast was a walking shot. It might not be the best idea, but it works for me. Now that I am older, the feelings of my first two years and first three wounded deer always remind me when I should not pull the trigger. Most of you probably remember the 140 class that I passed on a 15 yard shot in hill country this year. I guarantee you that I was reminded of the crummy feelings of loosing big buck as a had him at full draw at 15 yards facing forward. Below is the video for anyone that missed it.

[bbvideo=425,350]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pdEQMsvGd0o[/bbvideo]
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Re: Learning from bad hits...

Unread postby mainebowhunter » Wed Apr 05, 2017 5:07 am

Great advice on getting help 100% agree. I can track up someone else deer...but not my own. My best friend, He is like a bloodhound. Like nothing I have ever seen. He can spot pin pricks of blood almost at a fast walk. For some reason, he just has no issues seeing blood.

He tracked a 1.5yr old doe I shot...took off like a rocket....right into a swamp. And we were following stomach matter at 10pm at night. I shot deer quartering away, caught piece of the gut ...arrow fletching caught lining of the stomach and pulled it right to the elbow. Weirdest thing I have ever seen. Deer went 125yds at full bore.

Its also fascinating where everyone "thinks" they shoot the deer. And everyone ...i mean EVERYONE hears the deer go down. :D :lol:
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Re: Learning from bad hits...

Unread postby Dewey » Wed Apr 05, 2017 6:01 am

Unfortunately in my earlier bowhunting years I was involved in so many tracking jobs due to marginal hits myself included. I could go on and on about tracking stories but don't have time to tell them right now. Hunting in larger groups that shoots pretty much any deer all but guarantees you will get very valuable tracking experience just about every weekend. We unraveled so many blood trails mostly in the northwoods and many for miles. Wish I could say they were all recovered but even the lost deer provided great learning experiences following bloodtrails.

These days a quick clean kill is my only focus. I don't push shots I have no business taking. My goal is to drop a deer within sight and if I can't put an arrow thru both lungs I will not take the shot. Since using that mindset all of my deer and bear in the last 10 years have died within sight with most going down under 30 yards. Needless to say it's been awhile since I had to follow a blood trail.........good problem to have I guess. :lol: Hope I can keep that streak going for a LONG time.

That being said I still get extremely excited when somebody calls me and needs help tracking a buck. I truly enjoy it and there is no better feeling in the world than hearing or saying "THERE HE IS!!" after a long hard tracking job. 8-)
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Re: Learning from bad hits...

Unread postby JoeRE » Wed Apr 05, 2017 7:18 am

Stanley wrote:
Arrowbender wrote:One of the best lessons I learned and can hopefully spread is when things start to seem dire; get help.
Preferably not only an experienced tracker but a level headed sort that can keep you in the game.


[ Post made via iPhone ] Image

I agree 100% on this.


I also agree on that. We have all defeated ourselves mentally on a tough trail. I think that happens in most of those stories where a carcass is found many days later just a few yards beyond where the search was called off. That only happened because everyone involved just gave up. If you want to find the deer you don't give up. Giving up will haunt you later.

I will admit it - I am a far better tracker on someone else's deer than my own. I bet most of us are that way.


mainebowhunter wrote: Its also fascinating where everyone "thinks" they shoot the deer.And everyone ...i mean EVERYONE hears the deer go down. :D :lol:


Agreed!! I think I have been at least slightly wrong on where I thought the shot was on almost every deer I have ever shot. Eyes are deceptive, angles are deceptive. I am not saying I was way off, just a couple inches this way or that way. Most often I was wrong on the angle by a bit.

And a hunter absolutely does not know what they hit until you dress that deer out. Do not assume something just from a hole in the hide. "I put it right behind the shoulder" means just about nothing!
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Re: Learning from bad hits...

Unread postby mainebowhunter » Wed Apr 05, 2017 7:44 am

JoeRE wrote:
Stanley wrote:
Arrowbender wrote:One of the best lessons I learned and can hopefully spread is when things start to seem dire; get help.
Preferably not only an experienced tracker but a level headed sort that can keep you in the game.


[ Post made via iPhone ] Image

I agree 100% on this.


I also agree on that. We have all defeated ourselves mentally on a tough trail. I think that happens in most of those stories where a carcass is found many days later just a few yards beyond where the search was called off. That only happened because everyone involved just gave up. If you want to find the deer you don't give up. Giving up will haunt you later.

I will admit it - I am a far better tracker on someone else's deer than my own. I bet most of us are that way.


mainebowhunter wrote: Its also fascinating where everyone "thinks" they shoot the deer.And everyone ...i mean EVERYONE hears the deer go down. :D :lol:


Agreed!! I think I have been at least slightly wrong on where I thought the shot was on almost every deer I have ever shot. Eyes are deceptive, angles are deceptive. I am not saying I was way off, just a couple inches this way or that way. Most often I was wrong on the angle by a bit.

And a hunter absolutely does not know what they hit until you dress that deer out. Do not assume something just from a hole in the hide. "I put it right behind the shoulder" means just about nothing!


No matter how late...no matter how tired, we autopsy every deer. My closest hunting buddies do the same things. We then share the hit, the angle and the story. I have found also ...when the buckfever is not involved, everything is pretty clear on just what happened.

But the mind still pays tricks...most times, I am higher than a kite on adrenaline. 2015, shot a buck at 10yds. Buried the pin in the pocket. Deer starts to run, I watch in horror as the arrow fell out. What happened??? 2 seconds later, I see the buck start to bulldoze. But in that moment, I swear I must have screwed something up. Arrow just broke off on off side shoulder.

I wounded a buck in 2011. One of the bucks I was hunting. Rainy, foggy. Sept 29th. Deer showed up at 3:15. Picked out a hair, getting ready to squeeze, deer takes a hard quarter away. I never pulled back to the mid to last rib. Shot the deer way to far forward. He made the season. Saw him month later. Made a mental error. But with buckfever, I would have thought I "hit the deer perfect" post buckfever, I knew what happened once I started to settle down, started to sink in. Still a bit of the fever? Maybe. But it was not a trend. Has not happened since.

So yeah, I spend a lot of time analyzing bad hits ...probably more so from "before shot" rather than after. Be honest, my problems when I had the fever was hitting deer high. Good lines but the height was always key.
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Re: Learning from bad hits...

Unread postby tgreeno » Wed Apr 05, 2017 8:58 am

JoeRE wrote:. If you want to find the deer you don't give up. Giving up will haunt you later.


This is very good advice! I've been there! The best way to describe the feeling is "sickening"

I hit a nice buck a couple years ago, that I never found. I talked myself in to thinking, "he made it". Because the hit was a little high & back. Minimal blood, I thought maybe I missed the any vitals. Well, I'm hunting late season and a guy stops by my truck as I'm packing up one night. It turns out he lives down the road and had seen my truck parked more than a few times. "Have you shot anything this year"? I say, nope. He starts telling me about a nice buck they found dead during gun season. He shows me a picture on his phone. I knew from where he found it and by the picture it was my buck. It was probably 250-300 yards from where we last stopped looking. I will never give up again!!!

My question is: How many deer that get arrowed will actually will survive, if not found?

I'm guessing it has to be very very low %.
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Re: Learning from bad hits...

Unread postby JoeRE » Wed Apr 05, 2017 9:21 am

tgreeno wrote:
My question is: How many deer that get arrowed will actually will survive, if not found?

I'm guessing it has to be very very low %.


Hard to say. I think we can separate hits into those that penetrate the body cavity and those that do not.

If you hit any major organ very few deer survive. I am pretty sure even most 1 lung hit deer eventually die but they are darn hard to recover no doubt.

If you do not penetrate the body cavity - odds of survival are much higher unless you catch a major artery or vein.

I gave up on tracking a big buck when I was 17 and it haunts me to this day. I screwed up about 6 things all in a row from the shot through the trailing job and let it get to me. I gave up. Man I wish I could take that back. I would give up any 3 bucks on my wall right now to re-do that. I would have found him eventually I am certain of it now. He died in a small river and I didn't check downstream. I hate the memory but use it to make myself better today. I have lost a few deer since then but not because I walked off too early. Those other deer don't haunt me, I only stopped after I tried everything I could think of 2 or 3 times.
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Re: Learning from bad hits...

Unread postby tgreeno » Wed Apr 05, 2017 9:33 am

I should of said, "That penetrate the body cavity"
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Re: Learning from bad hits...

Unread postby mainebowhunter » Wed Apr 05, 2017 11:50 am

tgreeno wrote:I should of said, "That penetrate the body cavity"


And that is what I mean by height is more important the left to right. You can perfect left to right and height is wrong, tough deer to recover. Left to right is off but height is right it means that arrow hit vital organs.

The other interesting part is...how many deer do you actually recover that died soley from the injury alone. OR are they found chewed up...did they get chewed by coyotes because of their weakened condition?

I also scratch my head because at what point is it about the deer or is it really more about me admitting defeat? Because if I find it, and the meat has spoiled...did I recover the deer? Is it more about my pride or about the deer? I have had to ask myself that question many times. Because, early on, the majority of time, the deer were does. In sept, with 65-70 degree weather, 24hrs, that deer is not going to be much good. I beat myself up pretty good about this stuff.
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Re: Learning from bad hits...

Unread postby Fuzzy » Wed Apr 05, 2017 12:50 pm

The biggest lesson I've learned is that a deer doesn't follow any particular rule when hit. I've had to convince a couple guys that a deer will travel up hill when hit. Last season a neighbor shot a buck that went on our land. He lost blood shortly after crossing the property line and he kept telling me deer always go down hill when hit. We split up and I found his blood trail 30 yards away heading up hill from where he last found blood. Never assume you know where they will go. Let the sign lead you to the deer.
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Re: Learning from bad hits...

Unread postby gjs4 » Wed Apr 05, 2017 1:07 pm

Every track you can be part of is one to join.

For personal experience the reaction to the hit and in every detail is huge. The weather and visual tracking are as well.

A roll of toilet paper is invaluable- blood verification or marking the trail...

How did he/she use the wind and how did that relate to the fatality of the hit.

Love this part of the interaction though I would rather never have a long trail again. Thy can't expire quick enough for me.
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Re: Learning from bad hits...

Unread postby dan » Wed Apr 05, 2017 10:51 pm

Fuzzy wrote:The biggest lesson I've learned is that a deer doesn't follow any particular rule when hit. I've had to convince a couple guys that a deer will travel up hill when hit. Last season a neighbor shot a buck that went on our land. He lost blood shortly after crossing the property line and he kept telling me deer always go down hill when hit. We split up and I found his blood trail 30 yards away heading up hill from where he last found blood. Never assume you know where they will go. Let the sign lead you to the deer.

I agree with this to a point... Never and always are rarely words used when referring to whitetails by anybody who knows what there talking about. You need to follow the sign, but when you hit the wall, you should also be able to fall back on "most of the time" and search a certain area... For instance, a liver hit deer will often go to water. When the trail stops cold, I am checking water sources.
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Re: Learning from bad hits...

Unread postby stash59 » Wed Apr 05, 2017 11:59 pm

mainebowhunter wrote:
tgreeno wrote:I should of said, "That penetrate the body cavity"


And that is what I mean by height is more important the left to right. You can perfect left to right and height is wrong, tough deer to recover. Left to right is off but height is right it means that arrow hit vital organs.

The other interesting part is...how many deer do you actually recover that died soley from the injury alone. OR are they found chewed up...did they get chewed by coyotes because of their weakened condition?

I also scratch my head because at what point is it about the deer or is it really more about me admitting defeat? Because if I find it, and the meat has spoiled...did I recover the deer? Is it more about my pride or about the deer? I have had to ask myself that question many times. Because, early on, the majority of time, the deer were does. In sept, with 65-70 degree weather, 24hrs, that deer is not going to be much good. I beat myself up pretty good about this stuff.


I've always looked at this the opposite way. Left and right is bad!! It means hitting somewhere that leads to a tough track job. Extreme high and low misses the animal will survive! Hitting high lung may be tougher to track but they die pretty quick. Miss a little higher you severe a spine and they drop right there. May need to finish them off though. Low as long as you are above the brisket you get some vitals. Hit the brisket it just glances off. It does bleed quite abit but it's all very dark blood which doesn't last long.

Id' much rather miss just above the spine or off of the brisket. Than hit one in the liver or guts. They live too long and suffer. Even though a liver or gut shot animal still has a good chance of recovery.

I think tough terrain can really affect ones mind set while tracking wounded game. Unforetunately I hit 3 bull elk back in the liver or gut area in my life. The 1st I recovered. With my buddies help! He found it by staying on a general line the bull had been heading. I was down in a bottom searching near a small stream.

The other 2 I never found. I spent the better part of a day on each. Both I left over night. They both headed UPHILL! Through nasty tangles. Over countless deadfalls with slippery loose bark. I fell often. My concentration was eventually shot. Blood was pin pricks. Alot of the trail was following scuffs, broken branches and a rare track. Having already used up all vacation time I had to leave them and get back to work. Really sucked!
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Re: Learning from bad hits...

Unread postby Grasshopper » Thu Apr 06, 2017 2:26 am

I hit a buck high and front. He was close like 5 yds I rushed the shot, and hit him close to the base of the neck on the opposite side of the spine. The arrow came out in one piece after a few leaps. It had poor penetration I might have hit the far shoulder blade kinda straight down the length of it. I waited four hours knowing if I hit anything it was one lung. The blood trail was very light eventually I lost it. A week to the day later a guy down the road says on Facebook that he saw this sick buck meander through a field. I call him and tell him what happened. The next day he finds the buck dead "in the thickest nastiest cover he has ever seen." Instead of calling me he decided he wanted the antlers. He cut the head off left the rest puts it on Facebook. I guess someone reported it to the game commission they went to his employer and took it, because it wasn't tagged. When I finally find out he found it it's already gone, but I asked him about the wound all he would say is it was exactly where I thought and he didn't think I hit one lung he said that he thinks it just went septic.


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