Being patient after the shot....

[Red Rabbit]

Gino,

Great post on aiming. Another thought on aiming low rather than the centerheight of the chest is the benefit if the buck "jumps" the string (why do they call it jumping if the deer actually drops down?). Less chance of hitting too high if the initial aim is lower when the buck drops at the shot to whirl away. I shot completely over a buck when he jumped the string at 20 yards about 20 years ago.

 

RR

[Coues 'n' Sheep]

 

 

Thanks for the props, guys!

 

 

Here is one that I am just now working on as a part of my Rule of Thumb, things....

 

I have come to the conclusion in recent years that a high double lung shot with an arrow is not a quick recovery.... Hits around center of body or just above, are a 3-6 hour wait to insure that the buck has expired.... .....again weather and temps allowing.

[BigBfever]

I just shoot their legs out so they can't run. then I walk up and knife them. saves meat good thread.

[tjhunt2]

This is a good example of what coueswhitetail is all about. Very informative material from experiences that might help others recover their game after the shot. Thanks Gino for starting one of the best positive threads of information from a member in a while. No one here calling themselves experts but just giving good examples of their situations during a hunt that can benefit each of us. As I read these stories and ideas on what to do after the shot I have to admit I agree with you all. This is a ton of excellent information I wished I had when I first got started archery hunting. This thread will definitely help the beginner along with the seasoned bow hunter to refresh his memory as well in most situations after the shot placement. I have harvested over 50 animals with a bow here in az and still have a hard time controlling my thoughts on what to do next. My biggest mistake starting out was not waiting long enough before trailing the animal. I've seen just about everything but I know I can still learn so I'm going to write down some of the advise written here and carry it in my pack so I can read it after I arrow my next big game animal. It just might keep me focussed on what I need to do to recover my animal and be the difference between back strap or p&j sandwiches that night.

 

Thanks for all the great advise.

 

Great Thread!

 

TJ

[bobbyo]

Great posts guys. The spirit and intention are great, but I get real cautious on discussions like this because I hear many gripes and complaints from non bowhunters about finding un-recovered animals out in the field with arrows sticking out of their skeletons. (if there is no arrow evidence then the animal must of been a lion kill right ). If we go on and on about all the hard recovery's or lost animals, I am afraid it will reinforce this myth with our non bowhunting brothers. I think we need to balance the long blood trailing, missing animal storys with some storys of short blood trails and easy recoveries.

 

I would really like to emphasis two points.

 

1. This thread should not be just about bow recovery but animal recovery in general. The same principals and rules of thumb could apply to animals that were gut shot or muscle shot with rifle or muzzy. It is easy to tell when you wound an animal with a bow. You have arrow evidence, you are usually closer, ect. It is easy to think you just missed with a rifle when in fact an animal could be gut shot ect.

 

2. A bow is a very efficient way to kill and recover an animal. You hit the animal in the vitals 9 times out of ten it is a short recovery and a very, very easy blood trail to follow.

 

Bob

[CouesWhitetail]

Good points Bobbyo! I like the idea of balancing the stories with many of the ones where everything went right.

 

Amanda

[GameHauler]

Good points Bobbyo! I like the idea of balancing the stories with many of the ones where everything went right.

 

Amanda

 

Agreed Amanda, here a couple to balance.

 

My first archery bull I shot from a tree stand.

The Bull bolted when hit for about 20 yards then stopped to figure out what just happened.

30 seconds later he fell over dead.

What a thrill that was for my first.

The Bull I shot 2 years ago from a ground blind ran about a 40 yard loop and fell over dead

about 20 yards from where I hit him.

I have had 2 or 3 Javelina go less than 40 yards with one dead on the spot.

I do not think I have had any animal go over a hundred yards.

I guess the secret to a fast recovery starts with shot placement.

 

I do have some input on recovery I will post latter.

 

[tjhunt2]

My shortest recovery ever was a few years ago when I attempted to arrow a 4x4 in the lungs broad side at 20rds and put it in his ear. He was dead before he hit the ground. My Buffalo was shot behind the ear and also was dead before it hit the ground. The deer shot went wrong with good results but the buffalo is where I aimed. I'm not suggesting aiming for the ear by no means. Just thought I would share that with you.

 

TJ

[bobbyo]

Well maybe last nights post jinxed me, but I have a recovery story to tell. I am doing this for education purposes, but I am a little emotional about it still, since it just happened a few hours ago, so please ignore the tears. I apologize for the length ahead of time.

 

Me and my buddy went to one of our favorite spots in a southern desert unit. It is not a secret place and there is always other hunters there especially on weekends. The reason is there is a very large population of carp. You can see over 100 does a day. Bucks are hit and miss. We spot a great buck 100 yards from the truck on our way to our glassing knob. Of coarse the buck has 25 does surrounding him. We back off and work our way 300 yards above him. We re spot him in the next canyon and he has joined another herd of deer. Now there is at least 50 does, one forky and a 3x4 carp with a 28" inside spread. We make a plan and my buddy is going to try to work around from behind the deer and somehow avoid the many does. He goes around and runs into another hunter. My buddy lets him go on the stalk we always defer in this situation and he completedly changes direction and gets to an ambush point with me directing from above (yes bobbyo uses radios ). Even before my buddy was in position the other hunter was spooking deer. Now there was deer running all over the ravine. With my help from above my buddy got with in 45 yards of the buck. he lets the arrow fly. He gives me a fist pump meaning a hit. Sweet. The buck is walking all hunched up. Classic gut shot pose. I start yelling to shoot him again. He doesn't. No shot? He tells me he hit the buck right in front of the back leg. I am looking no blood any where on the bucks body. The buck is falling behind his does. All hunched. He walks 100 yards and beds. on a rise. The other hunter appears and begins going after the buck. My friend see's him and intercepts him telling him he hit the buck. The other hunter claims he missed They have a loud discussion. The buck hears and moves 100 yards away and beds again. They start moving around and more does spook from some where. The buck trots 500 yards and enters a large dry river bed that is choked with mesquite and catclaw, a desert jungle. A different group of hunters was listening to our radio conversation. they want to help us track the deer even though they were hunting this buck for over a week. I was reluctant at first, but agreed when they said they just want to see the buck up close and seemed to genuinely want to help. There was three of them and I nominate them for hunters of the year. They tracked for over 4 hours in scorching sun.

 

My buddy finds his arrow and it is covered in dark blood. no sign of guts. no green goo, no slime, no smell. just blood. This didn't go with the deer's reaction now we think liver shot? We wait, but I am very anxious. I think it might be easier to recover the animal if he was alive considering all the vegetation. My buddy is nervous because he is worried some other hunter might recover the deer. We decide with our new partners to wait 2 hours more about 3 hours after the animal was shot, and then search where I last saw him. I find tracks where i last saw the deer, but no blood. we follow the tracks, very hard due to the rocky terrain. we find where the deer bedded. No puddle of blood just blood soaked clumps of grass. Still no fecal material. Now we see from the tracks that the deer is running. Spooked him out of bed . We find drops of blood next to the tracks. The blood peters out to specks. we move it 500 yards and send scouts ahead to look for the deer. It is getting dark. My buddy scouts ahead. He see's a truck driving on the road with a big deer rack hanging above the bed. We run to the truck. We chase down the truck at a distance camp. My buddies buck! The hunters say that the buck ran towards them and seemed perfectly fine and they shot him in the neck at 109 yards. They shot it about 500 yards from where the blood ended. My buddy's shot hit right where he said it did. In front of the back leg through the body cavity about 3 inches above the belly. No liver there.

 

I can think of so many mistakes I made it could make me cry.I have lots of experience and really have no excuse. Since i was not the shooter and not as emotionally involved I was in charge of the search. If you lasted through the story I would like everyone to comment on the mistakes made and what should of been done. Be as harsh as you like. Hopefully this would be a learning experience for others.

Bob

[tjhunt2]

Bobbyo.....hind sight is 20/20 but you definitely pushed that buck as you already know. The loud conversation with the other hunter didn't help matters any but you were able to see the buck bed for the second time. I would think that he must of hurt if beded down so quickly at 100yrds. At that point I would have told your partner to reassure the other hunter that the buck was definitely shot and had your partner sit still and wait as long as you had contact with the buck beded. However, the buck bolted again and you know he went another 500yrds and into a desert jungle as you call it. That would have been your third sign to back off this buck especially knowing were the arrow hit. You continued and pushed him again from his 3rd bed and sent a scouting party out another 500yrds to look for the deer. It is easy for me to sit hear and Monday morning quarterback but you asked for input so this would benefit someone else in this situation so hear is my final thoughts on this.

 

After the buck entered the deset jungle after the 2nd bedding I would have not worried about another hunter finding him and waited him out even though you were worried about darkness approaching. Just because it's starting to get dark doesn't mean there is a rule that you have to go look for your deer.

 

I would have gone back to the truck at dark and waited till morning. Chances were good you would have found him where you last saw the blood soaked clumps of grass.

 

I'm sorry to hear how it all ended and I don't know if I would have done anything better in your situation at the time, with the way I get excited, but thanks for sharing your story with us here and I hope some others will comment as well. I have been in your shoes and I feel your pain.

 

Your right Bobbyo, it truely can be an educational source for others.

 

TJ

 

 

[June]

New to the site,

 

But have been reading posts for many years. This thread is what make this site stand above the rest. Great info here. keep it up. Thanks

[bobbyo]

TJ,

 

You are right about the third bed. When i saw it empty I had a real sinking feeling I believe it was in an area we would of eventually found. It was 100 yrds into the mesquite tangles and not the real thick stuff. Can a 28 inch wide buck get into the thick stuff? The positive was we had a light blood trail to follow. When he spooked he did leave the jungle and went back into the foothills, desert, cactus terrain. There were other factors that went into my thinking for the decision to be more aggressive and trail early.

 

1. We had no blood only tracks. Very faint. There is a huge population of deer. One group of ten could of walked by the location and washed out our only direction.

2. The river bed was expansive it goes for miles and is 300 yards across. The cat claws are so thick in some areas it is impossible for a human to pass. I felt it could easily find a spot to die where he never would be seen again.

3. My buddy's new best friend ( the other hunter) was riding his ATV up and down the sandy portion of the river bed and my buddy was about ready to blow a gasket.

4. I thought at some point he would get up to look for water and it was every where due to the rain the past two days and see reason 1.

 

Yet excuses aside Tj is probably right. If we just went home then at 12:00 pm and came back the next morning. I might be cleaning a deer now.

Please keep the comments coming there is a lot more mistakes to point out.

Bob

 

 

 

[coueshunter84]

Not to inturrupt the ongoing story, But I have a good one to post..

 

Several years ago while chasing javy's with my bow. I was still hunting a river bottom when a herd crossed about 150 yards in front of me. I snuck in behind them and eventually got up into the middle of the herd about 50 above the river on the bank. When I caught them we were all in the middle of a mature mesquite bosque. I stood next to a big mesquite branch and tried to blend in while picking out the biggest of the herd. Seeing how I was readying for a shot, I was set up in a shooting stance. I had been standing next to this branch for about 2 minutes taking in every pig I was able to see, and still deciding on which one was the biggest, when I felt something touch the inside of my right pant leg.. I slowly looked down to find a javy walking between my legs. how I was able to keep my wits at this point are still up in the air. When he got about 5 feet in front of me I had decided he was large enough to take.. I drew put my line of pins on his spine and released, he dropped in his tracks with an arrow through the spine at 2 paces.. Shortest recovery I have ever had.. I did however wait the required 30 minutes , mostly to calm myself, and let the rest of the herd move out of the area.. Was the most exciting archery hunt I have ever had.

[inline]

Great Post! Coues 'n' Sheep. On a different forum a gentleman posted pictures of an elk and a antelope that he had dissected and had pictures showing the vitals organs in relation to there outward features. I know I have been aiming to far back and to high. Looking back to the two animals that I have hit through the muscle of the front shoulder they have been some of my quickest recovery's.

 

When someone I am hunting with shoots an animal I have a list of questions that I want answered.

 

What position was the animal when you shot, as well as the position on impact?

 

How far was the shot?

 

Where did he run and how lung could you hear him?

 

Could you see the arrow in the animal or an exit hole, or blood flowing from the impact sight?

 

What did the impact sound like?

 

What was the animals body reaction?

 

How did the shot feel?

 

All of these give me an Idea of what we are up against and how long to wait. Time is everything, give them plenty of time! On good hits at least 30-40 minutes. 3-4 hours after a poor hit. If its in the evening I have always waited until the next morning, but if I had inclement weather I would track through the night.

 

We will usually blood trail with only two people on the blood, with only 2 there is less ground disturbance and less noise. If we loose it and can't find it then we bring in the troops and try the blood again. If we still are unable to find him we will then start searching bedding areas and water sources. While your tracking glass everywhere, once while tracking a bull elk I followed blood past this bull 3 times he was with in 40 yards from last blood where I spotted him in his bed 5 hours after the first try through that area.

 

When your done tracking please take down your flagging tape if you used any.

 

Great idea for a thread!

 

[GameHauler]

"When your done tracking please take down your flagging tape if you used any"

 

Or us toilet paper for flagging.