Lost deer arrow pics

[clfergus]

Ok, so I posted this past weekend about how I shot at my first deer with a bow on Saturday. Found the arrow on the trail right where the deer was. Appeared to be a pass through since I saw a good amount of blood on both ends on the arrow.

Tracked the deer but made the rookie mistake of not waiting long enough and think I pushed it too far into the thick stuff on the adjacent private property. Found a good blood trail with places of heavy bright red blood, some areas where I lost the trail but picked it back up within 15 feet or so. End of the story is I never found the deer after 4 hours.

Here are some pics of the arrow before I clean it off. Was wondering if anyone could give me an ide aof where I think I might have hit her. I know where I was aiming but I'd like opinions as it was getting dark and I couldn't see as well as I would have liked.

Curious what the white fatty film is mixed in? I smelled the fresh arrow and it didn't smell so I was thinking a gun shot was not likely. Some hair

I also remember a extremely loud thump like if someone smacked you on the back.

 

[Jack Ryan]

Fat, it doesn't mean a thing. There's probably no place on my body where you pass an arrow all the way through and not come out with fat on the arrow.

It's all ancient history now.

Put a sharp broadhead on that arrow and kill something with it. It's the luckiest, most blood thirsty arrow you've probably got.

Keep shooting the rest of them at targets when you get back to the house. If you'd miss a snuff can at a distance at home, in full daylight, on flat ground and it's not moving around at all, then that's too far to shoot at a live animal. Unless ofcourse you don't mind doing all this over again next time.

 

[HICKMAN]

what broadhead?

 

[Jack Ryan]

what broadhead?

What ever is on sale. I like the cut on impact ones so I'll give them a little preference.

 

[clfergus]

I was using a Muzzy MX-4 on this one. Got it on sale at Dicks and had some rewards certs to use.

 

[trophy hunter]

muzzy is a good head i shoot them also, but sounds you hit it too far back, if it didn`t smell,then i think you hit liver...

 

[El Cazador]

muzzy is a good head i shoot them also, but sounds you hit it too far back, if it didn`t smell,then i think you hit liver...

Liver blood is dark. If he saw bright red blood on the ground and on the arrow, and heard a sharp crack or "whack", I'm thinking he hit her high near the spine, and through the muscle across her shoulders. A liver shot is also very fatal, and the deer would have bled out pretty quickly and more than likely been found. Hitting a deer high is pretty normal for someone starting out hunting with a bow. Deer will drop one-third of their standing height to gather themselves to jump away from the sound of the bow. Shooting over a deer, or making a high wound happens to all of us, even elk hunters.

Bright red blood but with no sign of the little chunks of pink tissue and bubbles along the shaft (indicating a lung hit) are usually a muscle hit, and often non-fatal. Especially with a sharp, proven head like a Muzzy. The loud "whack" is in this instance is the arrow glancing off vertebrae or ribs.

Nonetheless, I hope clfergus asked the adjacent landowner for permission to search further, and continue on the bloodtrail until it ran out, then marked that spot and began a grid search to see if the deer could still be found. With a cut femoral (hip or rear leg hit) or renal artery(high back below spine) the doe would have run past the end of the blood trail a bit, then piled up.

Still sounds like a non-fatal muscle cut high on the shoulder to me.

 

[clfergus]

Liver blood is dark. If he saw bright red blood on the ground and on the arrow, and heard a sharp crack or "whack", I'm thinking he hit her high near the spine, and through the muscle across her shoulders. A liver shot is also very fatal, and the deer would have bled out pretty quickly and more than likely been found. Hitting a deer high is pretty normal for someone starting out hunting with a bow. Deer will drop one-third of their standing height to gather themselves to jump away from the sound of the bow. Shooting over a deer, or making a high wound happens to all of us, even elk hunters.

Bright red blood but with no sign of the little chunks of pink tissue and bubbles along the shaft (indicating a lung hit) are usually a muscle hit, and often non-fatal. Especially with a sharp, proven head like a Muzzy. The loud "whack" is in this instance is the arrow glancing off vertebrae or ribs.

Nonetheless, I hope clfergus asked the adjacent landowner for permission to search further, and continue on the bloodtrail until it ran out, then marked that spot and began a grid search to see if the deer could still be found. With a cut femoral (hip or rear leg hit) or renal artery(high back below spine) the doe would have run past the end of the blood trail a bit, then piled up.

Still sounds like a non-fatal muscle cut high on the shoulder to me.

This is exactly what I was thinking. She did crouch a bunch...ore than I anticipated. I did ask the land owner and they said they preferred me not. They don't get along well with the land owner I was hunting on.

 

[HICKMAN]

I was using a Muzzy MX-4 on this one. Got it on sale at Dicks and had some rewards certs to use.

good broadhead, was just wondering what you hit it with.

 

[clfergus]

I learned two important lessons, the first being give it some time before going off after the deer. The second, anticipate the crouch. Of all things I learned before the season that was one I forgot.

 

[HICKMAN]

yeah, jumping the string is hard to anticipate, some do it, some don't

 

[jlm223]

When the land owner denied permission to track on their land you should have contacted DNR they would have helped.

 

[Panama]

When the land owner denied permission to track on their land you should have contacted DNR they would have helped.

The DNR can only "assist" in speaking with the landowner.
They can't force a landowner to allow retrieval.

This is from the DNR web page;

If I shoot a deer and it goes on a neighboring property, can I legally retrieve the deer?
Answer: Unless you have permission from the landowner, preferably written, you may not go onto his/her property to retrieve/track the deer.
What do I do if a landowner does not give me permission to retrieve the deer I shot?
Answer: Contact your local Conservation Officer for assistance in retrieving the deer. He/she can be contacted via the Sheriff's office or the DNR Law Enforcement District for your county. The landowner can still legally refuse to give up the deer.

 

[jlm223]

Must make reasonable effort to retrieve the animal, if DNR talked to land owner would that have helped we will never know.

 

[Sailor]

My brother saw a deer run by him 30 feet into a field Sat am. He said its tongue was hanging out and it looked crazy. I told it had been shot. He looked for a blood trail, Zero.
We found it 200 yrds away this evening behind a neighbors garage. In high out low, all liver. No blood trail. This animal ran at least a 1000 yrds before dropping.

 

[Sailor]

My brother saw a deer run by him 30 feet into a field Sat am. He said its tongue was hanging out and it looked crazy. I told it had been shot. He looked for a blood trail, Zero.
We found it 200 yrds away this evening behind a neighbors garage. In high out low, all liver. No blood trail. This animal ran at least a 1000 yrds before dropping.