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Lost buck.

Shot a perfect 10 pt. on Friday evening. I have many pictures of him. I thought the shot was perfect. I thought I would watch him drop within sight. Apparently I was wrong. I thought the shot was right behind the front shoulder, centered in the chest. Very little blood. Found the arrow about 80 yards from where I shot him, with about 4" of the front of arrow broken off. Lost the blood trail after about 400 yds. He was bleeding out both sides. I looked all day yesterday covering several hundred acres. Nothing! Very upset for wounding an animal that I highly respect and love to hunt. Very hard on my confidence. Very depressing.

A mortality wounded deer often seeks out water and dies there.

We need more info. Was he broadside/quartered? What did arrow look like? How did he react when shot? Is there water nearby? Find any bloody beds? I feel for you not a good feeling. I'd be out there today still looking. DON'T GIVE UP. Look for crows. Grid search more. Get help searching or alot of people recommend a deer trailing dog. Keep us posted

I was there 4 years ago. Deer ran into waist to shoulder high grass set aside field. I was sure I saw him run over the rise that was the horizon. Got frost on the grass that nite, then rain. No blood other that at the spot where I shot. Pattern searched for 2 days. Went home (80 miles) to hunt. Couldn't stand it and went back on the same stand to sit for the first few hours of daylite then go look. Well crows told me where he was, only 100 yards from where I shot him. Arrow was still in him. There was a thick tree in line with where he fell and it must have been a second deer that I saw running over the horizon. Yote's got some of him, I called the warden to let him know I was going to tag him and cape him out right there. Figured if someone saw the headless caped out body they might think something illegal happened.

So, think outside the box, rethink all your clues and assumptions and yes crows might be your best friend. Good luck.

Thanks for all the encouragement. The buck came in from right to left and was standing broadside at approximately 17 yds. quartering away slightly. I shoot Muzzy MX4 broadheads. There was blood on about 2/3rds. of the arrow. I've put in three more hours looking. I'll be putting in many more this weekend. Thanks again!

He is hit high in the “hollow” area between the spine and the lungs. The deer will be fine if that is where he is hit. Sometimes the arrow looks perfect in the heat of the moment. Many of us have down the same thing once or twice over the years.

Dbl lung, you may be correct. I'll still be putting in some serious walking time this weekend.

Dbl lung-there is no hollow area between the spine and lungs. It amazes me that there are still hunters that believe in the whole "void" concept.

Have had two of these episodes over the last five years. While we hit the lungs with these shots, there are no large arteries to cause the animal to bleed out quickly. The lungs can seal, as well as the chest wounds and the lungs will reinflate over the next few days. I initially blamed it on Rage expandable, but the shot placement was the problem. Now I always aim exactly for the heart. If I can't hit it, I don't shoot.

What Skookumjt said.

There is no void.

if you think you shot the "void" the shot was probably over the spine which sits much lower in the body than people think.

My best,

Kevin

while there may be no "void" we've all heard or experienced these same stories from hits just a little high. Some say a big buck can get along w/ one lung too. I'm guessing you hit the opposite shoulder or leg since the arrow didin't go through and if its angling away it was a good hit. Get some GOOD help, take your time and grid search starting close

Before digital pictures I shot the same doe a couple of weeks apart. I wish I would have been able to document the kill and non-lethal hit.

On my first shot I had blood coming off of both sides and tracked her for a long time before losing the trail.

My second shot weeks later was a double lung and she went down within sight.

I didn't even know it was the same deer as she looked healthy and didn't seem wounded in any way.

Upon skinning her you could plainly see the broadhead x on the inside of her hide. Her back strap also had my broadhead x right through the middle if it.

Hope everyone stays warm tonight. It's going go be a cold one.

Kevin

Back in 2005, I had a buck jump the string, causing my shot to hit him higher and farther back than my aim point. Complete pass thru, but very little blood coming from both sides. Lost trail after only 100 yards. Next time I checked my trail cameras, I had a picture of him working a mock scrape less than 24 hours after I had wounded him. You could clearly see both entry and exit holes, and it looked like it was below the spine, and above the lungs. 1 year later, I harvested a buck during the gun season, that looked like the buck from the previous year. Upon caping him out, you could clearly see the broad head scars. (if you look in the picture, you can see the scars on the buck, 1 year after I wounded him)

Hopefully your buck will survive to give you another chance to seal the deal.

close up of scar

Lots of so-called "voids" in a deer...places a broadhead can pass nonlethally...but "between the spine and lungs" ain't one of them. Sometime the eye plays tricks and where you think you shot 'em isn't.

Good luck. Been many moons since my last mistake but they will happen. My brother can shoot dimes out to 40yrds yet had a similar story this year. It isnt just a miss its the emotion that comes with it. Sounds like you're doing your best to make a recovery

Watch for crows, good luck. Probably 50 of them were in the trees above my got pile when I went back to look for my arrow the next morning.

Like Skook and Kevin said. Sorry to hear about your bad luck. I had mine this year too.

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