Need a shoulder to cry on

[pinalhunter]

Let me first say that I am writing this threw my tears and disgust with myself. Tuesday at noon I blew an arrow all the way threw a two point at 44 yrds. down hill. The shot looked good to me. I waited 30 min. then went and checked the spot where he had been standing. No blood , Followed track for about 40 yrds. Found my arrow covered from tip to tip with dark red blood. So I think o no liver shot. Soon as I found the arrow I found blood. Good blood that was easy to follow. I really took my time trying not to bump that buck. Found five different spots where he stood and blood puddles the size of my hand. Buck going down hill but this is towards the road. Truck comes down the road stops, now remember I am concentrated on my deer and not the truck well the blood trail crosses the road and to my dismay goes up a steep hill. Did the truck scare the deer? Blood goes up for fifty yards then starts coming back down. Buck stops again, hand size puddle then all of a sudden nothing. Three hours on blood trail, another three griding, back the next morning at first light with help griding. I'm so bummed. A couple years ago I played out the same scene and the buck only went fifty yards and piled up. Did I miss the liver? Man these deer are tough.

[Will K]

I did the same thing in 36B two years ago but my blood trail stopped at a gut pile.

[200"mulie]

Did the truck stop at all? that might be the answer. If they stopped and saw the buck crash, maybe they picked em up?

[Willyhunts2]

I was thinking same thing as 200 hundred mulie. Wonder if the truck stopped as the buck crossed the road and they saw it fall, got out and brought it back to truck. If not there will probably be birds circling in the air soon.

[kazpilot25]

Truck got it. I'm with you guys. That was actually my first thought.

[pinalhunter]

That was my worst fear as well. They did stop their windows were down and I heard them say something about a deer. Don't think they ever saw me and at that point I didn't know the deer had crossed the road. Did find tire tracks though where they pulled off. Guess I just don't want to think that people are that unethical of course I cant prove that thats what happened

[bobbyo]

I think space aliens are as likely as the truck. Sorry for your situation. If I were you and the area was glassable I would climb the biggest knob and glass for a morning.I also have had friends glass up dead deer. Dark blood could be a muscle shot and the deer may still be alive. The proverbial liver shot is a concept that gets too much attention and is a hunting myth in my opinion. It is nearly impossible to only hit a liver on a coues deer or mule for that matter. A liver shot will usually include lungs or guts because to hit a liver you would have to hit a very narrow strip only and the deer would have to be a perfect 90 degrees broadside. Yet I have read the same "dark red blood equals liver" in the blood trailing guides also.

 

Gridding around water source is another idea if area is unglassable. I would give it another try with a set amount of time for looking, so you can have peace of mind, that you did all you could.

 

Again sorry, been there. It sucks.

Bob

 

[azstroops]

Sorry to hear that. The same thing happened to me a couple years ago except it was 2 quads, I couldn't see them but they turn the quads off and 3 minutes later they took off. Blood trail ended with a big puddle and nothing else.

[Coach]

First off, I am truly sorry about how this happened, and I can relate. I had a similar situation, from a tracking perspective, to yours. I had a mile long stalk on a bedded deer, when I got there I couldn't find him but when I stood up, so did he, but across a wash at about 55 yards. I had decent wind gusts, and was trying to time my shot, but the wind pushed my arrow forward. It was a hit but in front of the shoulder. I had good blood at the point of impact and for a long way up the hill with puddles wherever he stopped to rest. Eventually the blood spatters went from red to orange and finally petered out. The last spot I found was where a hoof had scraped a rock going uphill.

 

One of the guys I was with, the guy who drove me there, HAD to be back to town by a certain time, so we had to call off the search - he was still a few hours late getting back home, and I felt bad about that - almost as bad about losing the first buck I ever hit with a bow.

 

You'll probably never know if they guys in the truck found him, or if he changed directions.

 

If the guys in the truck did pick him up, it wasn't necessarily that they were being unethical. Realistically, if a seasoned, ethical hunter came across a wounded buck on his last leg, they would most likely finish him. It would be hard for them to assume that the hunter who shot the buck is as dilegent as you were. Most likely, they'd see a deer that was about to go to waste, and in their mind they might have been doing the "right thing".

 

However, if they did take it, you'd think there would be a gut pile to confirm that's where he ended up. If they were just trying to be good "stewards", I wouldn't think they'd just toss it in the truck and drive off to gut it somewhere else.

 

I'm sure this isn't any help. Just about anything could have happened. If I had to bet, I'd say the guys in the truck didn't pick him up. My best guess is that the buck stopped bleeding externally and had enough strength to keep moving and he's still there somewhere - most likely dead now.

[pinalhunter]

Thanks for the feed back guys all and all it has been a great hunt, taking my boys out tomorrow a.m. maybe the crows will be circling and maybe my boys will shoot better than their old man

Brian

[Coach]

Don't beat yourself up. You had a great hunt. You worked hard and got a good shot, you took it. You worked your tail off to follow up.

 

Really, what more can you do? Focus on your kids' hunts, re-live your hunt and figure out how to incorporate your experience into their learning.

 

Every hunter has to face adversity, and it comes in all kinds of forms. I believe "true" hunters are those that have faced adversity over and over and over again. Weather, lost animals, mechanical fails (vehicles, optics, guns, bows, rifles, scopes), family issues, monetary issues.

 

Those I truly respect are the ones that remain calm in whatever storm comes their way, and they fall back on family and friends above all else.

[BML]

I have a similar story that may help a little. I shot the buck in my avatar at 42 yards. He was quartering hard to me. A lot harder than I thought. I settled the pin behind is front leg and let it go. I hit exactly where I was aiming but it was so far back from the hard angle it missed the lungs. It passed through him with a distinct hollow pop sound. I immediately knew I blew it with the shot placement so it was several hours before I even started to look for him.

 

I followed blood, chunks and tracks due west from the first blood for hours. He would do all sorts of things but still headed west. Searched for hours and nothing. My brother was helping me and just for the heck of it he went back to the first spot and went east. He found my buck less than 200 yards away dead as dead could be.

 

My point is that they just do unpredictable stuff when they are mortally wounded. He's probably still there somewhere very close. Hope you find him.

[200"mulie]

It to bad you didnt get a licence plate number....game and fish would of been my first call.

 

Well orry to hear..good luck with your kids.