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A lost buck and this case a great WT buck.

I was hunting on private property in Nebraska in mid Oct. trying to fill two WT doe tags when the land owner told me that if I saw a buck, "shoot it!" as all of the deer did a lot of crop damage. Two days later hunting off the ground along a narrow cut wheat field along the river, this buck come by prior to sun rise. I grunt, he stops at 21 yards. The arrow hit him slightly high but he makes in across the field, through the high grass along the river and then crosses. There was a slight but discernible blood trail and I could see where he exited the river. I find half of the bloody arrow. Later I got permission to follow from the adjacent landowner but waited two more hours before I took up the blood trial. He left the river bottom and did a very large half circle through the hard woods and pins, and ended up back at the river, some 700 yards upstream. In some cases the blood trail was sparse but track -able. and I follow it for two hours back to the river. He never bedded down which was later a concern. At the river, the grass was very thick and chest high, but I did find a drop here and there and some times more, and then finely at the river's edge a pool of blood. I checked the other side but saw no evidence of him crossing. I check up and down the river but found no evidence of actually which direction he went. Later I went back up stream, crossed the bridge, and came back to the other side. No sign of there he went and since he never bedded down, I might have suspected that he made it to the river bank even before I came back to pick up the trial. And if he did cross, washed off any blood, and then disappeared. I was at a loss and gave up the chase.

So last week I returned to fill my second doe tag and on the third day I hunted the same narrow wheat field along the river. Without success, and around 10 am, I decided to walk the river, still with the memory of that buck and maybe, just maybe, I might find some evidence of how the buck had disappeared. The tall grass was now laying flat after the recent snow storm. Two hundred yards into the search and 100 yards from there I had found and last sign of the buck weeks earlier, I see antlers sticking out of the lower grass right next to the river and on the same side I had last seen any sign of the buck and yea, only 100 yards but down stream. After that last pool of blood, he did not cross the river, but some how, made it back down stream and died in the tall grass. A great 5x5 buck, 20 inch outside spread, and 24 inch main beams. I will do an euro mount and will be reminded of a great animal and that I did my best to find and yea, some closure. My best, Paul

-Mitch

Great deer.

Good luck on the geese!

With certainty comes boredom. Bow hunting rocks! Enjoy your well earned trophy!

As far a "anything about the shot", I thought that maybe the other half of the arrow might be there, but no. I believe it worked its self out along the way. The coyotes did a great job of destroying any evidence. In hindsight, I thought how could I have missed him but I was convinced he kept going the same way as the last blood indicated and what the blood splatter indicated. I even thought maybe he sank in the creek, but no. As Charlie, pointed out, No boredom here. Something always to learn when hunting wild critters. As as indicated here, nothing goes to waste. Thanks for the question. my best, Paul

I wrote a story a few years back, titled, THE FIFTY CENT BUCK. The jest of the story was-- the following day I found the buck but the coyotes beat me to him but they only had eaten half of him before I got there.

You know, half a buck is $.50 cents. :) my best, Paul