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NEED HELP NO BLOOD NO ARROW

New to posting on the forum but have been reading every post over the last two years. Second year hunting and had my first real opportunity at a buck, big bodied 6 pointer this morning. The buck walked up from behind my tree giving me an opportunity at legal light from about 10 yards broadside, didn't release the arrow as it was too dark to line him up with my pins, he walked away but I was able to grunt and get him to circle around the tree and he gave me another shot 10 yards broadside but still too dark, he walked away and I grunted again and got him to circle around the tree third time. This time I had enough light released the arrow as the buck was broadside at 15 yards. Couldn't follow the arrow in the low light but heard a loud pop sound like the arrow struck the body, simultaneously the buck bolted away and I could hear him go at least 75-100 yards in a sprint. Waited two hours before getting down from tree, figured I'd be patient and hunt the remainder of the morning. Unfortunately less than 30 minutes after the shot, a man was walking his dog in the direction the deer was heading, if that deer was bedded down he would have jumped it. When i got down from my tree two hours later, no blood, no arrow. I searched on my hands and knees but came up empty. I could follow his path for about 30 yards before it was lost among a maze of deer paths. The last sign was 30 yards away, clump of gray course hair with dark gray tips, looked clean cut. Searched for 5 hours with no luck. While searching a 300-400 yards away from the tree I did see a deer sprinting down the path away from me and back towards my tree but couldn't make out if it was a Buck or a doe, let alone the Buck i was after.

Based on the sound and the deer reaction I am convinced I hit the deer but no blood and no arrow to inspect. Feel terrible but hoping the wound was not fatal. I plan on hunting the same spot tomorrow morning and then searching both swamps in the area he was heading.

Hoping he is not lethally wounded but will do my part and crawl through the swamps. It may be me overreacting but tossed out the mechanical and put on some fixed broadheads.

Could it be a lethal shot if their is no blood? My hunch is the hair came off his back but the arrow had a hollow sound when it hit. Could the mechanicals not have opened? Will I mess up future opportunity if go into the swamps they are bedding in?

Possible head hit tree branch and deflected?

If you heard a loud wack you hit him, don’t give up if you shot him back his guts could clog the hole before the blood got out. I’m no pro by far but I shot one last week that went threw heart lungs and out the back side. Hardly any blood trail. Piled up not far away but the exit hole was blocked by intestines on backside so hardly any blood, what type of broad head were you shooting , mechanical or fixed. The only other thin is a shoulder shot that did not penetrate. If the ground was soft there is a good chance the arrow buried itself , I’ve had that happen more than once in swampy areas. Good luck and keep on it if he’s dead I’m sure you’ll find him, if you don’t don’t make yourself sick, just give it your best attempt to locate from the noise you described I’m sure you hit him don’t give up best of luck.

Well first off, def dont dump the broadheads if you dont even know where u hit t deer. No blood means nothing as far as lethal or not lethal. Sounds like the arrow is in him and that can clog the hole(s). I would def check any water. Get another set or two of eyes if you can and do some grid searching. Good luck

Sounds like it could be a high shoulder shot. If you penetrated through bone he will die. Blood pooled up in chest cavity and not enough to leak out of the hole. Keep looking and good luck! If you post where you are I'm sure some guys would be willing to help. I'm way up north I Nh now or else I would lend a hand...

What zone?

High entrance hole with no exit would explain lack of blood and no arrow. Most important thing to do after hitting a deer is to pinpoint exactly where the deer was at the shot and exactly the last place you seen him run, do this by picking out a tree to use as a reference such as the deer ran 5 feet to the left of that tree..now study everything around that tree cause when you get down from your stand everything will look different and you have to be able to find your reference points.

Which zone are you in? If near me, i would be happy to help you search in the AM. There won't be any blood left after this rain, so it will be a pure grid search.

this is my Humble opinion...a pop sound or dull thump sounds like gut shot...though sprinting away for 100 yards isn't usually the behavior of gut shot... a gut shot is always 100% lethal.... at 15 yards I am baffled why u didn't get pass through or a crack sound hitting bone....i bet the arrow is there....either at impact or within 40 yards of his sprint....good luck....post your location...u have a bunch of folks here that would help...dont worry about burning your spot looking for your deer....its a non issue....good luck....share more details as u begin your search...

Thank you guys, at the very least it has motivated me to look hard tomorrow. I was hunting in Zone 11. I would hate to waste other peoples time but I would hate it more to not accept help and have a deer spoil. The tree is on a friend's private land but the deer ran towards a public no hunting area that consists of a small forested area, two swamps ( one large and one small) and a cranberry bog. my friends one stipulation for hunting on his property is to not bring any attention to myself, that went out the window when I sppoked a few of the housewives walking their dogs down the paths.

Plan is to hunt the early morning and start searching around 9:30.

Thank you guys, at the very least it has motivated me to look hard tomorrow. I was hunting in Zone 11. I would hate to waste other peoples time but I would hate it more to not accept help and have a deer spoil. The tree is on a friend's private land but the deer ran towards a public no hunting area that consists of a small forested area, two swamps ( one large and one small) and a cranberry bog. my friends one stipulation for hunting on his property is to not bring any attention to myself, that went out the window when I sppoked a few of the housewives walking their dogs down the paths.

Plan is to hunt the early morning and start searching around 9:30.

Buckhungry - good luck in the continued search.

With so little info other than potential sound, and the deer running a good ways before losing sight... It's a tough call. My experience and what I've read/heard is that deer hit in organs above the diaphragm (heart/lungs) or muscles, run a good long ways prior to stopping or die on the run quick, no attempt to bed - most of the time (nothing is "all" the time). If you hit below the diaphragm (liver, GI) the deer wont run far, and it will bed pretty quick. Spine hits being hitting the deck immediately.

Given your deer ran hard, it makes me think over the spine which is cartilage, muscle and a bit of bone which often stops arrows... Or high lung. I'd think looking hard around last sight would be huge. Was it GC above who noted really burning the exit path and last sighting into your mind? That point is awesome.

I'm in Z11 SC I offer to help Tomorriw afternoon too if needed, but due to your permission situation you may be at work on it by yourself. A good tip a buddy of mine got me in the habit of from when I first started out was I carry a ziplock bag in my back pack with a dozen close pins painted a flourescent color + has reflective tape on each side. Two are pink or orange and 10 are yellow. If I don't see a deer drop within site immediately I take the two pink ... 1 - mark site of arrow impact, clip close pin to a low overhanging branch over site or arrow if a pass through. Then 2 - mark the second at last spot you last saw deer. You can see the reflective tape at night with light if needed. Use the other yellow for marking bloodtrail spots later. But now if you have to go back next day and no blood you at least have impact and last sighting. Sometimes trailing looks scattered if you loose blood trail. Once marked from the start with these pins at least you can go stand back at point of arrow impact and if lucky see the path of travel to give you an idea where to look next. Good luck, holler if you can use help there.

Buckhungry sounds like you are SOuth Z11 you mentioned cranberry bogs. Don't know if there are any on the north part of Z11. You have plenty of help here from guys in Z11. We are willing to help if you want it, but the whole don't bring attention to the area is puzzling to me. Also don't be worried about ruining your spot. You have more responsibility to find the deer you wounded than ruining your chances at shooting another deer. If you don't want to bring unknown people in there I understand, but you must have friends that can help.

Find the arrow,fletchings or anything at the point of impact. Look for the hoof marks of the deer when you shot it and do a perimeter search of 20 yds around it looking for your arrow. The arrow will tell you more than just guessing what you hit in an obvious low light situation. It didn't just disappear might be hard to find but something has to be there. I think there should be some remnants of the arrow. If you found gray hair I am thinking it is white hair from a brisket or low rib cage shot. A gut shot I don't think will make a "pop" sound unless you caught the last of the diaphragm. Then that should get some liver. good luck and if you need help all you have to do is ask I am sure that you might be close to someone here and they could give you some input.

Iv'e been reading about a few deer being lost here on the site and iv'e lost them myself. But with todays technology why aren't we all shooting lighted knocks. I know its closing the barn door after the horse gets out but lighted knocks give you so much info. iv'e been using them for quite a long time now possibly since they first came out. They are also fantastic for filming you see exactly where you hit and the viewers can too. With modern bows shooting 300fps you can never see the arrow in flight. I can't stress enough how big a difference they make.

Hitting a branch does quite neatly explain deer running off, no blood and no arrow. But do give a search a real good effort, you owe the deer at least that much. Hopefully there isn't a deer with an arrow sticking out of its head running around Plymouth or wherever you're hunting. Good luck!

Definitely check trees in the suspected impact area. Had a similar thing happen to me. Sounded exactly like a sure hit on a deer except it was a sapling, not flesh.

I hope ypu find the deer. From my experience a loud pop, kind of sounds like a ballon popping is a gut shot. Which means dead deer somewhere. Very hard to track. Usually not alot of blood. Is it possibly your arrow is buried in the ground at the point of impact? Or is it possible he wasnt broadside and he was quartering away more than previously thought? It sounds like low light shot so hard to tell what really happened. Arrow could have went into the body cavity after possible gut shot. Deer tend to drag there legs when shot farther back than we like. Also you will be looking for black or green material vs blood. I hope my rambling helps. Get some friends to go out this morninf at first light. I would not hunt this morning, i would be looking for the deer. Gut shot deer will not last long after the rain. Also the will usually bed fairly quickly and head towards water. Bacteria spreads faster in rain. Goodluck. Hope you find him.

Good luck finding him . But next time wait A little longer so you can see were the arrow hit I know its tough when you have a buck in front of you but after years of hunting its better to let them walk then not find them . Been there dine that GOOD LUCK

I'm with drslyr on the lighted nock thing. So much info to be gained from using them, especially in low light conditions.

Heres what it looks like with a lighted nock. Go to the 13:30 mark.https://vimeo.com/200087485

hate to say it... same damn thing happened to me today. 25-30 yd shot. deer looked hit 2 bounds then gone. not a lot of crashing. was a loud crack, not as sharp though. thought about deflection,none. no arrow,no blood. have a thought where he might have gone.me and the wife looked for 2 hrs+ now just recalling body motion. really suprised no arrow,no blood on point of impact? there is water very close,and i think thats where he went. never happened to me before. where is my arrow w/no blood at the shot???

Stuck high in the shoulder is my guess but tough for anyone to say for sure...

sounds like a definite "immobilizer" right? he would bed soon you think? well, be out in the a.m. hope im right on location.

would the high shoulder account for no blood moons,in your opinion?

Yes very minimal blood on high shoulder. Blood pooling up inside chest cavity and what little blood is leaking out of hole is probably getting absorbed in his fur. You probably only got one lung if that's the case, so he can live a good while. Definitely check in the am. Good luck in pulling g for you

thanks moons. im hoping he bedded down soon after.

I'm in zone 11 lkvl area I would b happy to help u look,been hunting whitetails for 48 yrs now very few I haven't found.let me know if you want some help

thank you woodchuck. hate to have you drive for nothing though! if not busy in the a.m. pm me. thanks brother.

A lot guys looking for blood this week. I find the best place to start on a questionable shot is with hair. Might be no blood, but there is ALWAYS hair if you hit the deer

How'd u make out bigsev?

wondering if somehow missed. no hair either. just the sound that got me. going with metal detector, even though im skeptical.

Bummer bigsev... The whole "zero" blood thing is really a brain screw. FRUSTRATING. Hope you find it, though have to say... the "deflected miss" end seems likely here.

The worst part is not knowing. It's hard to improve when you really don't know what went wrong.

hey guys. im so happy to say it was a deflected miss! just got back,went w/metal detector, (glad i own one!) and found my arrow! i feel so much better,and learned from all the comments. hair,sound of deflection, must have fish tailed and maybe slapped him in the ass! ha.ha.

I love missing!! All the action without the drag.

And you still have a big bodied 6 pointer chasing chics... Lol. No harm no foul, Go getum

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