Got (and lost) my first buck today...

Post by **Ironcat** » Sat Sep 29, 2012 2:34 pm

I got my first archery shot at a public buck today.
He jumped last second so it ended up I gut shot him and he ran into the marsh.

Never found him but 8 hours later we are still searching and hanging out in that area now waiting for buzzards to help with the location.

Post by **trouttouter** » Sat Sep 29, 2012 2:42 pm

Sure hope you find him.

Post by **Ironcat** » Sat Sep 29, 2012 2:55 pm

Me too. He wasn't a trophy by any standard but I hate leaving a wounded animal.

Post by **TerribleTed** » Sat Sep 29, 2012 5:02 pm

Gut shoot could be miles away.

Post by **nachogrande** » Sat Sep 29, 2012 5:21 pm

it could of happened the same way with a gun, but applaud your ethics of looking for it so long and hard even though in this heat you have a much smaller window to recover it and it still be edible. at least youre not one of those that wouldn't bother to look and gut shoot another.

Post by **Ironcat** » Sat Sep 29, 2012 5:40 pm

Miles away???
Dammit, I always thought they went straight to water to hide and recoup?

I'm hoping as sun sets it will come out of marsh (assuming its still there and if its able) and try to go back to safety beyond me and I'll get another shot.

Post by **Iluv2hunt** » Sat Sep 29, 2012 6:19 pm

A gut shot deer will usually run till it gets tired and lay down and die, eventually. Searching for it may bump him and cause him to run. That's when a good dog is handy. A hog will run till he runs out of gas. My experience anyway

Post by **nachogrande** » Sat Sep 29, 2012 7:37 pm

I didn't know that deer knew first aid until one day I came across a pretty heavy blood trail and followed it cuz I thought the deer surely couldn't have gone far. it headed to a stream and leaned against a big rock covered in ice that acted like a cold compress and slowed the bleeding considerably. he must have been there for some time. after he left the blood trail disapeared and I never found it or the person that shot it until we spotted it from the truck app 4 hours later and miles from the stream. we should have done the humane thing and put it down on the spot, but the warden said not to.

Post by **Deadeye** » Sat Sep 29, 2012 8:36 pm

Deer are amazing creatures. Arrowed Gut Shot deer if left alone will usually go a safe distance and lay down and die. If you push it or go looking to soon they will and can go quite a distance.

My first arrowed buck I had down to the tree he came out into the alfalfa field by and what time. Watched him several nights from a distance. Was waiting in my stand at the right time and he came out as planned. Stopped 25 yrds broadside. I put an arrow through him and into the ground. I watched him run down the field and enter the woods again. I was about 14-15 and had shot some deer with guns but only two does with my bow and my cousins helped with them. I didn't know to wait and climbed down out of the tree and walked to where I saw him enter the woods, only to hear him take off running. I walked on down to find two blood spots where he was standing, one coming from each side. Back at that time the only broadheads we had were those you resharpened and it was tough to get them real sharp.

Even so if I would of waited at least 30 minutes I believe he would of been laying dead right there. As it was when he took off running there was just a spot of blood here and there. We looked for 2-3 hrs that night and I went back the next day by myself and looked for several more hrs. Never found him. Tough lesson to learn, but one that I have never forgot. Last buck I shot with a bow (evening hunt) I realised that he was hit to far back and decided to back out and look again the next morning. Found him laying about 350 yrds from where I shot him.

Post by **Skunk Ape** » Sun Sep 30, 2012 5:35 am

Gut shot deer need to be left alone for at least 4 hrs before tracking or you will just keep pushing them further away.

Post by **TerribleTed** » Sun Sep 30, 2012 12:25 pm

Well if it was with other deer it will try to stay with. Now i have killed deer with x scars in there hide I also seen them with broad heads healed up inside.

I tracked a doe for a officer about mile the blood trail dropped to about a drop ever 10 feet found multiple spots were it stopped and probably liked it wounds. I seen them do that lay up and lick it clean. i think it was a bad shoot or as some say a meat shoot no vitals. It will be around the next year not all die. Yes i sure some live because we seen a doe that was shoot in archery in gun. We watcher her throughout the gun season 4 of us saw her. She was gut shot not by one of use but some who hunts there - his norm it appears (again this year) he doesn't wait for the right shoot.

I hunted a long time and allot.

Post by **Iluv2hunt** » Sun Sep 30, 2012 12:41 pm

I screwed up a shot on a doe opening morning of bow, about 6-7 years ago. I punched the trigger on the release and sent the arrow thru "no mans land" up high above the shoulder. Arrow was slightly pink. No blood for 200 yards at all. Then specks for 1/2 mile till it hit a creek. I looked till after lunch time and gave up

Fast forward to opening day of gun. Sitting in the same tree here she comes with the same two other deer. She had a nice bald spot on each side as a reminder. She also seemed good and healthy

I also shot a hog(right before dark) about 4 years ago with a 7mm at about 350 yards. I thought I had missed, but got down and looked anyway. The road looked like you had dumped a bucket of blood out. The blood trail was like you sprayed a trail with a sprayer. I followed it all the way to a swamp and the blood trail got weaker and weaker. Finally got all the way down to specks when I got to the swamp. I said screw it, I am by myself, in a titi thicket, and in bear country. Decided to leave him for buzzard and bear food. A month later, he shows up on game camera. Ended up having multiple pics of him on camera for a period of several months before he disappeared for good. He had a big fester on both sides with rotten flesh and gang green. but was feeding under a feeder with other hogs

Post by **treefarmer** » Sun Sep 30, 2012 12:58 pm

Just to reinforce what is being said about deer surviving both arrow and bullet wounds, my father-in-law has processed game for over 50 years and they have found all sorts of arrow heads and bullets imbedded in bone, healed up with no apparent lasting effects on the deer or hog. It's sad to loose one but something will eat him, coyotes, buzzards, etc... Treefarmer

Post by **Deadeye** » Mon Oct 01, 2012 7:38 am

My first deer ever was a small doe shot during Pa's gun season. My brother later that week told me that when Dad was processing it he found a huge fester from an arrowhead buried deep in the meat. Dad said it looked so bad that he was afraid to use the meat. Dad didn't want to tell me because he thought I would feel bad, but my brother thought I would want to know. I'm glad he told me.

I have had relatives clean deer and find all kinds of things in them and healed over. One found a huge stick driven up through one's belly and running through it's guts. Must have fell on a stick pointing up at some point. There was no sign of it being there, the hide was completly healed over, no telling how long it had been there.

Post by **doghunter** » Mon Oct 01, 2012 10:34 am

Iluv2hunt wrote:I screwed up a shot on a doe opening morning of bow, about 6-7 years ago. I punched the trigger on the release and sent the arrow thru "no mans land" up high above the shoulder. Arrow was slightly pink. No blood for 200 yards at all. Then specks for 1/2 mile till it hit a creek. I looked till after lunch time and gave up

Fast forward to opening day of gun. Sitting in the same tree here she comes with the same two other deer. She had a nice bald spot on each side as a reminder. She also seemed good and healthy

I also shot a hog(right before dark) about 4 years ago with a 7mm at about 350 yards. I thought I had missed, but got down and looked anyway. The road looked like you had dumped a bucket of blood out. The blood trail was like you sprayed a trail with a sprayer. I followed it all the way to a swamp and the blood trail got weaker and weaker. Finally got all the way down to specks when I got to the swamp. I said screw it, I am by myself, in a titi thicket, and in bear country. Decided to leave him for buzzard and bear food. A month later, he shows up on game camera. Ended up having multiple pics of him on camera for a period of several months before he disappeared for good. He had a big fester on both sides with rotten flesh and gang green. but was feeding under a feeder with other hogs

I have a similar story also. My bro shot a 5pt in the 'no mans land' area and we trailed it for around 100 yds and the blood stopped- no recovery. We found his arrow and he was missing a fletching on the pass through. A few weeks later during BP season my dad kills it in a nearby stand and notices my bro's fletching barely inside the skin and a healed up wound when he hit him. He was fully healthy and was chasing a doe all over the place when my dad killed him.

We also kill a few deer that have numerous deformaties from wounds that you would never know about until you killed them. I've seen 3 legged deer run as fast as normal deer, deer with a dozen or so buckshot lodged in them, A deer with half a jaw, etc.

A deer is one tough azz creature!

I pushed the biggest buck I have ever shot with a bow for well over 3/4 of a mile way (before I knew better) when I first started hunting. Straight through the guts at 30yds.

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