First bow kill. I feel horrible.

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buttonbuck
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First bow kill. I feel horrible.

Unread postby buttonbuck » Wed Sep 25, 2019 1:46 am

Got off work yesterday and hunted a small piece of public near my house. Walked in really slow ( learned that if you go really slow and glass with binos every couple of steps you'll sneak right up on em). Found a spot with muscadines dropping and deer scatt every where. Picked a tree, got a stick on it put one foot up and a doe walked around the corner. She blew and stomped so I froze. the woods shifted with deer, a heard of em. I froze and slinked to the blind side of the tree and just continued to slowly climb up. Hung my stand and 1 min later they walked back out. Shot the mature doe at 25 yards and she took a step as I shot. She ran back by with her guts hanging out. I defiantly should have waited more than an hour to track but I sure didn't. Found a killer blood trail for 100 yards then she disappeared into thick bedding. I looked for hours and couldn't find anything.

Sucks, I feel really bad.


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Re: First bow kill. I feel horrible.

Unread postby mipubbucks24 » Wed Sep 25, 2019 1:56 am

Don’t know what part of the country you are in, or how warm it is but it you get ahold of a tracking dog you can probably find her. Keep your head up, and keep grinding, bad shot and unrecovered deer happen to everyone. Just do your best not to repeat the same mistake.
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Re: First bow kill. I feel horrible.

Unread postby Wlog » Wed Sep 25, 2019 1:58 am

She is dead for sure. No telling how far she went if you jumped her. You will have to grid search to find her most likely. On a gut shot I figure 12 hours.
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Re: First bow kill. I feel horrible.

Unread postby stash59 » Wed Sep 25, 2019 2:01 am

PM simpzenith, Shane Simpson. If he can't bring in his dog. He should know someone who can track it for you!!!

And take something away from this. Patience next time. You'll be alright young man.
Happiness is a large gutpile!!!!!!!
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Re: First bow kill. I feel horrible.

Unread postby dan » Wed Sep 25, 2019 2:04 am

Cant push gut hits.
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Jackson Marsh
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Re: First bow kill. I feel horrible.

Unread postby Jackson Marsh » Wed Sep 25, 2019 2:08 am

It's a tough lesson to learn, but you gotta wait with a gut shot. Tracking dog is a good suggestion.
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Re: First bow kill. I feel horrible.

Unread postby hokiehunter373 » Wed Sep 25, 2019 2:23 am

buttonbuck wrote:Got off work yesterday and hunted a small piece of public near my house. Walked in really slow ( learned that if you go really slow and glass with binos every couple of steps you'll sneak right up on em). Found a spot with muscadines dropping and deer scatt every where. Picked a tree, got a stick on it put one foot up and a doe walked around the corner. She blew and stomped so I froze. the woods shifted with deer, a heard of em. I froze and slinked to the blind side of the tree and just continued to slowly climb up. Hung my stand and 1 min later they walked back out. Shot the mature doe at 25 yards and she took a step as I shot. She ran back by with her guts hanging out. I defiantly should have waited more than an hour to track but I sure didn't. Found a killer blood trail for 100 yards then she disappeared into thick bedding. I looked for hours and couldn't find anything.

Sucks, I feel really bad.


It sucks but it happens and will probably happen again. Worst part of hunting. Let that push you to practice all you can.

Also, there's still a chance you put the shot where it should have been. Did you see the hit? I've been unfortunate enough to have this happen twice. Both times my arrow legit changed course. One of them the deer was quartering away. I hit behind the shoulder and the arrow came out same side of the deer in the guts. I'm not sure if it had to do with the deer quartering, them taking off at the shot, hitting bone, or likely a combination of all of them, but it happened. Both deer were dead quicker than I imagined they would be because I still got a lung and they bled real good. Just trying to say don't beat yourself up too bad. It's good that you're upset, but sometimes things happen in archery that aren't in your control. If you can, get back on that trail today. If you can get a dog you'll find her for sure but I bet even without one you can find her holed up in some thick stuff if you go look again.
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buttonbuck
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Re: First bow kill. I feel horrible.

Unread postby buttonbuck » Wed Sep 25, 2019 3:43 am

dan wrote:Cant push gut hits.


Remember you talking about this. Reckon I had to learn the hard way.

Im from South Carolina guys.
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Re: First bow kill. I feel horrible.

Unread postby Josh_S » Wed Sep 25, 2019 3:57 am

It's a part of bow hunting, we've all been there. The fact that you have remorse for the animal and truly feel bad says a lot about you as a hunter. I hope you recover her, but if not remember nothing goes to waste in nature. Chalk this up as a learning experience.

You're a better hunter today than you were yesterday.
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Re: First bow kill. I feel horrible.

Unread postby Mschmeiske » Wed Sep 25, 2019 4:15 am

It’s unfortunate, but “a lesson lived, is a lesson learned” many of us have been there! Best of luck the rest of the season bud.
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Re: First bow kill. I feel horrible.

Unread postby Razorhead » Wed Sep 25, 2019 4:31 am

It sure has happened to most of us. Keep your head up and take this very valuable experience and put it to work for you. A couple of things to keep in mind after looking back on your experience. Seems like you were pretty sure that you had a solid gut hit. Quietly try to recover your arrow if it was a pass through to confirm the suspected gut hit and mark the spot of the hit. Next step would be to very quietly sneak right back out of there much the same way that you snuck in. Gut hit deer will generally bed down fairly quickly if not pushed, often within 100 yards or so of the spot they were hit. They like to head toward water or thick cover. If jumped even one time your chances of recovery diminish quickly. I wish you the best as your bowhunting continues to develop with many new experiences. Get ‘em down and keep ‘em down!
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Re: First bow kill. I feel horrible.

Unread postby oldrank » Wed Sep 25, 2019 5:03 am

Is there a reason you are not looking today? She probably laid down soon after you bumped her.
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Re: First bow kill. I feel horrible.

Unread postby buttonbuck » Wed Sep 25, 2019 5:32 am

oldrank wrote:Is there a reason you are not looking today? She probably laid down soon after you bumped her.


Workin.
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Re: First bow kill. I feel horrible.

Unread postby Rich M » Wed Sep 25, 2019 5:33 am

Sorry you gotta go thru this. but you will never forget now. Gut shots suck but they happen.

Couple years back a buddy shoots a 175-pound class 8 pt - deer goes about 50 yards and beds in thick stuff - buddy had snuck out when he couldn't find blood. Hour later we go in and bump him - that's when we found out it was gut shot... a third guy watched it run by.

Of course it is the last day of the hunt and we need to leave. 2 hours later, following dried blood and pieces of gut - about 1/2 mile in we find an area with 20-30+ bloody beds where he laid down and got up, laid down and got up. Squatting there trying to figure out where he went in this "field of bloody beds" and suddenly there is a deer standing about 25 yards out. Shoot him, dead deer, drag him out.
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Re: First bow kill. I feel horrible.

Unread postby Bigburner » Wed Sep 25, 2019 5:55 am

There are plenty of people around here that have lost sleep under the same circumstances present company included. Don't get discouraged by it. Its part of hunting and a journey without obstacles isn't a journey worth taking.
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