Bad hits...

[dan]

Its usually taboo to talk about bad hits, but most veterans have lost a few deer over the years and have learned some valuable lessons in tracking, shooting, patience, and other aspects of the hunt... If we are open about our losses, perhaps we can learn a little from each others experiences.
So, lets hear about the one that got away...

[muddy]

I always error on the side of caution and give the deer more time if I think he is gut bombed. If it ends up over night then so be it. Looking for buzzards and crows have located 2 bucks for me though the trail was decent enough as well.

[Dor]

Number 1 rule-

Gut/Liver shot = next morning recovery, I don't even attempt to take up the trail. Climb out of stand and go the opposite direction.

[muddy]

Number 1 rule-

Gut/Liver shot = next morning recovery, I don't even attempt to take up the trail. Climb out of stand and go the opposite direction.

I'd even go one step further and say sleep in and wait till mid/late morning if possible.

[Wrinkleneck]

The very first buck I shot at was a very poor shot. I was in a ground blind when this nice buck came into the food plot working his way towards me. I knew in my mind that I needed him to get into the shooting lane in front of me so I could get a broadside shot. Well buck fever got the best of me and I let it fly early as the buck was 1/4ing to me. Smacked him right in the shoulder. Made me sick!!! I learned to stay calm and wait for the deer to get into the right shooting lane before attempting to let the arrow fly. I will NEVER take a bad angle shot again.

[Schultzy]

Number 1 rule-

Gut/Liver shot = next morning recovery, I don't even attempt to take up the trail. Climb out of stand and go the opposite direction.

Agree!!

In 25 years of bowhunting only I wounded my 1st deer last year. He happened to be a 150 Inch class buck. I hit him high In the shoulder blade or spine. I still wonder If I hit him In the blade and wasn't able to penetrate the blade being I tried some bigger broadheads last year. Lets just say their not on the end of my arrow this year If that's what happened. I saw this buck 4 more times after this and the hit didn't look that bad although It was a tad high and a tad forward. Maybe I can get lucky enough and shoot him this year and be able to finish the story on If I hit the blade or not.

[Indianahunter]

I have lost 2 deer in 25 years and it is painful indeed. Both were because I didn't bend at the waist was hunting high and didn't bend and aim a little low to compensate and made really high hits near the spine. Both ran off hardly no blood trail and never recovered. Heartbreaking. I have a method now that keeps me focused on the shot and helps prevent getting excited.

[BigHills BuckHunter]

6 years of bowhunting experience and I have wounded 2 bucks. Im really not proud of it and almost ashamed to write it but what I have learned is....WAIT WAIT WAIT....I also took a shot at a poor angle and have learned my lesson there as well to never take that bad angle shot....it turned into a nightmare. But to look at the brightside I have learned how to be patient in my shot and in my retrieve. I try to take deep breaths and literally focus my pin right on where I want that arrow to hit once I decide he is shooter buck. No looking at that rack it only causes "THE FEVER".

[Dewey]

I have lost a few deer because I always seem to crowd the shoulder a little too much. This is why I no longer shoot mechanical blades but shoot Muzzy's instead. Never lost a deer with my trusty Muzzy!!

[Black Squirrel]

My mistakes are similar to others. Pushing deer to soon after the shot, and shooting to quick. Patients is key. I gut shot a buck in 06, and the neighbor found him a month later, he went 400 yards up and down a ridge. We lost the bood trail, and went after him 6 hours after the shot. Don't rush the shot or the tracking job, if possible. I've lost a doe a couple of years before that also.

[AC Rider]

Leave gut/liver shots alone like mentioned. They get sick and lay down.

Two years ago I hit one high and didn't get much penetration. I think it ended up being just a meat hit as there was pretty good blood at first but it soon petered out to nothing. That buck just kept traveling and never layed down.

[martin peters]

Be patient on shot selection/execution. Shooting 150 arrows/day in the early pre season is great for tuning up the back/shoulder/arms but when opening day gets close start to practice as you hunt holding the bow in the predraw position,making that mental note to "draw now" and making that first arrow count. I would rather be able to draw 62 lb slow and smooth then crank down and back 80+ lbs, this is especially true on close shots and in the cold late season. Don't shoot at the whole deer,in the middle behind the shoulder doesn't cut it,pick a small spot,a tuft of hair or dark spot where you would like to put your arrow. As with people who become hypovolemic, deer get thirsty when they have lost a lot of blood and will often travel to water, know the area your hunting. The feeling of losing a wounded trophy buck/bear is a thousand times worst then not getting the shot on a particular hunt/day.

[ryanm]

my most recent bad hit was last year stopping a fast walking buck that ducked the arrow and stuck him high in the back - watched him run away. I know sometimes stopping a running buck is the only shot you will get, but if he's alert and and ready to spring... it would be better to let him go or wait till he relaxes again.

I've left quite a few deer that were hit well overnight just because I wasn't sure about the shot. I've made a few recoveries after loosing trail just by continuing to look and not giving up. Having extra sets of eyes also helps, my dad and brother help keep me from tacking too fast.

I like 60 lb's too and still puts arrows through the deer, and picking the spot is important to incorporate into your practice so it becomes automatic.

[Bucky]

If I don't see the animal go down or hear them crash I always back out and come back hrs later. If gut bag/liver overnight 4sure! I lost a few when I was younger and it was always from trying to track after the shot. You loose nothing but a little sleep by waiting when you are not sure... I spend 100s of hrs on stand each fall... I think waiting a few more on a questionalbe hit is a must.

[dan]

If I don't see the animal go down or hear them crash I always back out and come back hrs later. If gut bag/liver overnight 4sure! I lost a few when I was younger and it was always from trying to track after the shot. You loose nothing but a little sleep by waiting when you are not sure... I spend 100s of hrs on stand each fall... I think waiting a few more on a questionalbe hit is a must.

I agree that if you possibly hit liver, guts, or intestines you need to wait at least 12 hours... But disagree on waiting on all hits. If you know you hit anywhere other than guts, liver, intestines, and there is no doubt your arrow quartered into those locations, and if you are on a large enough property, I would push the buck immediately. I know for a fact that a lot of the bucks I have tracked for myself and others have been gotten by pushing them...
As a medical 1st responder I am trained in understanding how wounds work. A deer that is hit in flesh, 1 lung, artery, veins, etc. Dies do to blood loss. This is different from gut, Liver, and intestine hits which die from poisoning more than hemorrhaging. When an animal bleeds blood is designed to clot up and close wounds to keep the animal from bleeding to death. Without clotting animals and humans could easily bleed out and die from little cuts... However, when an animal is stressed the heart rate increases and pumps the blood harder, making it harder for the clotting to take effect to stop bleeding. Also, when stressed an animal releases adrenalin into its blood stream. Adrenalin is a natural blood thinner which will stop the blood from clotting effectively. Thats why as accident responders one of our first duties is to calm the patient.
If a flesh hit buck lies down for a 1/2 hour or hour he will likely push his wound against the dirt and calm down and clot up... No more blood trail.
I could give countless examples of recovered bucks because of pushing.
One of Andraes best bucks we recovered after it was hit by a deflected arrow into the lower leg. We chased that deer till it ran out of blood. Allowed to bed, that deer would of survived.
No matter how you look at it, waiting the traditional 1/2 hour is ridicules. A well hit deer dies in less than a minute, A one lung hit will survive for days, sometimes they will survive completely if allowed to clot up. and gut hit deer take 4 to 12 hours, sometimes longer... I can't think of a single reason to wait a 1/2 hour.