I posted on November 5th about a buck I had neck shot. Boogieman, amongst others were kind enough to give me some real time advice about trailing him which I really appreciated. Thanks guys.
A quick back story. This was my first hunt for the year. I hadn't seen a deer after an hour and a half wait, when I looked up, there he stood at 30 yards behind some tree limbs. This was the first time
when one of the bucks I was after actually showed up within shooting distance. What a rush!
He was calm and was slowly working his way over to a rub. My critical mistake came when I started thinking that I really needed to make a shot since I would probably not get this chance again. The sun
was coming up over the hillside - over my left shoulder. As I went to draw, my vision of the pins was obscured for some reason. I squinted to double down on making sure I was centered in the kill zone and
everything looked good (at least as best as I could tell). WRONG!
The sun's rays were coming in from my left shoulder, through my peep sight, and making things hard to see. I had brought a baseball cap with me, but at the time I was only wearing a beanie. As calm as the buck
was, I should have drawn the bow down, reached into my jacket pocket and gotten that cap on so I could have had a bill to block out the sun. But I paniced, instead of thinking straight.
I thought I saw where the arrow hit, which I later confirmed it had.(in the neck) The arrow was laying on the ground where he had been standing and I knew what the distance to him was because I had ranged
the rub. So much for thinking I could see the pins properly. NOT! It was really discouraging.
The arrow had fat all along it and there was some blood along the shaft especially in the area of the vanes. I thought maybe I had hit him in the brisket because of the fat. The blood was red like a muscle hit.
I waited between 60-90 minutes and walked over to the arrow which I could see from my tree stand because of the lit nock.
He had taken off running, after the hit, but not like a deer who was on a "death sprint". I followed looking for a blood trail in the direction he had run. I found the start of the blood trail about 40 yards from where he had been hit.
It looked like he had stopped and probably turned around to check his back trail before getting off that trail to connect with another heading down in the direction of a big rub and a trail cam I had located near it.
As it turned out, I had photos of him. He was walking quietly and I could see exactly where I had hit him. About halfway between the top and bottom of the neck, slightly forward of the brisket. Really made me sick seeing that image.
It had taken him 2 minutes to walk/run about 125 yards. The blood trail had been consistent, but he wasn't loosing lots of blood and and I didn't think his body cavity would be filling up with blood since I didn't think I had punctured
his diaphram.
Within 50 yards of the trail cam photo, the blood trail slowed to a drip about every 3-5 feet. When I first saw his direction of travel, I thought he was headed up to his core area where he would feel safe. As it turned out, he walked a
little further and bedded down in a spot that he would have easily done so if he was not wounded. I really felt that he was acting like a non-lethal hit deer and the blood loss seemed to indicate that as well. I couldn't find any more blood.
On Sunday the 14th, he showed back up on a trail cam photo in the middle of the night!! I was so relieved and thankful. Again, thanks to everyone for giving me your advice after the shot. Hopefully, I will learn from this hurried mistake
and not repeat it in the future.
Update on a Neck Shot Deer
- The Silence
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- Bonecrusher101
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Re: Update on a Neck Shot Deer
Thanks for update, glad the buck made it.
Be original and Enjoy every step along the adventure.
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Re: Update on a Neck Shot Deer
Yep thanks for letting us learn from it.
“And there came a voice to him, rise Peter; kill and eat”- Acts 10:13
- hunting_dad
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Re: Update on a Neck Shot Deer
Glad to hear that you have pics and know he made it. Always a sickening feeling when you don’t know. Now go get em!
- Ognennyy
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Re: Update on a Neck Shot Deer
Good to hear he survived for another year.
- creepingdeth
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Re: Update on a Neck Shot Deer
A bad shot will happen, good news he survived and good news you can get another crack at him.
Yesterdays common sense is no longer common
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Re: Update on a Neck Shot Deer
glad he made it. I can't wait to hear the next chapter of the saga!
- Boogieman1
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Re: Update on a Neck Shot Deer
Glad all is good. Crap happens out there. You did nothing wrong. I actually intentionally shot one in the neck with a bow once. Was pretty green at the time and bought into the ole you ain’t killing em if your not letting arrows fly nonsense. Sucker pegged me coming out of a thicket head on. I let it fly straight for the throat patch. It didn’t end well. Not sure what I hit and this was b4 trail cams. Have hit a few more in the neck since but by accident. Clipping a branch or some other weird stuff.
I don’t personally believe any of us are starving to death and need to intentionally take such shots with a bow. High odds shots and live to fight another day is the bow hunters mantra.
Kill at all cost who cares is for those trying to profit from our passion. Don’t be that….
I don’t personally believe any of us are starving to death and need to intentionally take such shots with a bow. High odds shots and live to fight another day is the bow hunters mantra.
Kill at all cost who cares is for those trying to profit from our passion. Don’t be that….
Life is hard; It’s even harder if you are stupid.
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- greenhorndave
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Re: Update on a Neck Shot Deer
Boogieman1 wrote:Glad all is good. Crap happens out there. You did nothing wrong. I actually intentionally shot one in the neck with a bow once. Was pretty green at the time and bought into the ole you ain’t killing em if your not letting arrows fly nonsense. Sucker pegged me coming out of a thicket head on. I let it fly straight for the throat patch. It didn’t end well. Not sure what I hit and this was b4 trail cams. Have hit a few more in the neck since but by accident. Clipping a branch or some other weird stuff.
I don’t personally believe any of us are starving to death and need to intentionally take such shots with a bow. High odds shots and live to fight another day is the bow hunters mantra.
Kill at all cost who cares is for those trying to profit from our passion. Don’t be that….
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Sometimes when things get tough, weird or both, you just need to remember this...
https://youtu.be/d4tSE2w53ts
Sometimes when things get tough, weird or both, you just need to remember this...
https://youtu.be/d4tSE2w53ts
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