# story for educational purposes



## Chunky (Oct 15, 2006)

I posted a pic of daughter a couple of days ago with a doe she shot. I thought I would post up the story just in case it might help some newer bowhunters out.

I went to pick up my daughter just after dark. She said she had taken a shot, but thought she missed low...but the shot "felt" good.

Lesson one, go look for the arrow.....find it covered in blood from tip to tip. Dark red, a coupld of white hairs, no green or gut smell. So we have a hit.

Question daughter again about the shot, get as much info as possible. She say she did not see the arrow hit, but it seemed good but if anything low.

Lesson two, keep asking questions...okay then why did you think it was a miss and what did the deer look like after the shot.

The deer went about 30 yards and then just stood still for ten or twelve minutes until it was to dark to see it anymore. It did not "act" hurt, it did not fall in the first couple of minutes.

So, I decide that we should look a little for a blood trail, slowly, cautiously. We find about 5 or 6 spots as big as coins, all about 8 or 10 ft apart.

While doing this, we hear a deer move off in the rocks from about 20 yards in front of us. It was in a thick cedar thicket and moved away in the dark, in the thick stuff, never got a look at it.

Now, I am assuming probably a liver shot, probabaly a dead deer, but if we push it, we may never find it. I think the odds are that the deer moving off was her deer. The other thing I think is that her shot was really high, regardless of what she thinks and the blood is all internal.

I decide to mark the spot, 30 yards from the point of impact, and come back in the A.M. Temps that night are in the 40's, and I figure I have until 10 or 11 before we would loose the meat.

I decline an offer from my buddies to go out and search that night. Not wanting to push a marginal hit.

We start the search as soon as we have good light. No more blood is found, NONE. 

Now, I think maybe it was just a muscle shot and the deer is not really hurt badly.

Lesson,,,,,don't give up and exhaust all the possiblilities.

We do a search up the think suff where we heard the deer move off the night before for over an hour, and find nothing. 

I widen the search area and go another hour, still nothing.

I go back and check for blood any where from the last spot. Nada.

Now I think about the area of the search. There is a power line clearing, a small strip of brush, then a road and a fence 50 yards behond the thick area that I have been covering. I have gone up the power line twice.

I decide to walk through the 10 yard strip of brush, as it is the only place with in 200 yards I have not looked. I have really decided that the deer is still alive, but this will make me feel like I did everything I could.

I find the deer, in that small strip, on a striaght line from the point of impact down the blood spots. It traveled about 80 to 90 yards. It had been dead all night, and a predator (fox?) had eaten some of the hind quarters, but at least we found it and had closure. I cut away the bad part and saved the rest.

The shot was good but perhaps a touch back, I think liver, one lung.

Anyway, all's well that ends well. 

I dont' know if you guys would have done it differently or not.


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## devil1824 (Sep 4, 2010)

Good detailed story Chunky. I finally got my first buck this year and it was with my bow. I thought I made a good shot but it ran about 30yds and stopped for a minute and then ran out of sight. I waited about 5 min and went to look at the arrow. It was a clean pass through and covered in blood. I followed the blood trail to where he stopped and the trail ended. I decided to back to camp and get me a cup of coffee and relax for a atleast a hour. Good thing I waited I was so excited to finally be shooting at a buck I shot him quarting to me and got some guts. We found him dead about 100yds from where I shot him but if I would have pressured him I could have pushed him off the property and never found him.


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## Bucksnort (Jun 29, 2004)

Great post. I always fear if we leave a deer all night that the varmits are gonna have a feast but you gotta play it smart and you did. Thanks for posting.


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## OrangeS30 (Jun 21, 2009)

Glad you never gave up and kept looking!


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## capt4fish (Dec 4, 2004)

How lucky are you to have a daughter that bow hunts! Count your blessings.....again.


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## Chunky (Oct 15, 2006)

Thanks guys, I am lucky enough to have two awesome bowhunting daughters, and while it is a blessing....it didn't happen by accident. I put in a lot of work, and patience through the years...and have good hunting buddies now...as long as there is not a party or a boy getting in the way. 

She did several things right,

Watching the deer as long as possible and knowing exactly which way it went.

Not getting out of her blind and pushing the deer before I got there.

Not complaining or giving up on the long search the next day.

Shot at a deer that was within her range and at a good angle.

Oh, and helping me skin and quarter as well.


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## saltylady (Jun 30, 2010)

*congrats to your daughter on her deer an to you for being an involved father an teaching both girls the right way to bow hunt *
*if ya like dogs i suggest ya get a redbone coonhound they are wonderful pets great watchdogs an can find your deer in no time at all with very little training my hubby has never lost a deer since we got our first redbone she guards our place sleeps on the couch an knows when he is going hunting an is ready to go trail an knows exactly whats goin on first time he put her on blood she pulled him thru thickets till he had to let her go deer jumped up ran about 10 yards an fellover dead*


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## redduck (Jul 26, 2006)

congratulation to you both. I wish everyone would spend that much time looking for deer they have shot at. Too many times I hear hunters say "I must of missed". When you start listening to details you wonder if they really missed or they simply did not put in the time to look. Especially when they sight in rifle and everything is dead on. When my son was around 16 he came to may stand to get me and said he killed a deer (little six point). It was about 120 yards from stand and straight through the lungs. As we were loading the deer he said I shot at another deer but I missed. I asked where the deer was standing. The spot was 20 yards closer to his stand. I knew my son was a good shot and told him he must not have looked carefully. We found where the deer had been standing and slowly started following deep tracks where the deer landed. No blood for about 25 yards in the brush then only a few specks. 20 more yards and we found a little 4 point. It taught him a lot and now he will search for an hour or more without sign before he gives up.


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## spurgersalty (Jun 29, 2010)

No doubt good story with even better moral. Have had to searcha for many a deer for friends.(mostly "Bad" Shots) and they were. never recovered any except for BIL's animal 5 yrs ago.

chunky, you got a good girl! I my self am ultra hyper, and can barely sit still long enough to shoot one much less wait for one to die. For this reason, I practice relentlessly.

Watched every deer(16) i think fall with my bow. Lost one.(that story was posted in anti bowhunting thread:biggrin:As far as you and I were concened) 

Good instruction and especially technique Chunky!


Congrats to your girl for having a Jam-Up Teacher.


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## mywifeshusband (Nov 19, 2006)

*Great tread*

Good for the smoke pole hunters to, for teaching kids and newbies. Thanks all for sharing cause it helps me to. Beau


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