Recovery mission for hit buck

[mod700]

Damn, pic looks like 2 different deer, is that the exit side, or entry? good luck on getting him.
Mike

 

[Badseed]

That wound is the entrance hole and he was ever so slightly quartered to me when I shot so the broadhead had to hit slightly further back than that location which is why I cant believe he is still cruising around. Im thinking they are two different bucks in the photos also. I had seen the original buck in person and on camera before and recognized him from his dark coat. When the buck I shot showed up, I saw the dark coat and most of the antlers which made me assume it was the buck I had seen before. I really try not to focus at the antlers until after the buck is down because it makes it harder to focus on the shot, at least it does for me.


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[MallardSX2]

You never made it in.

 

[Nickofthewoods]

Are these even the same deer?

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I think maybe one of the branches in the background of the second picture makes it look like there is a 4th point on the left side, aside from that possibility it looks like the same buck to me.

 

[Banded_spooney]

I think maybe one of the branches in the background of the second picture makes it look like there is a 4th point on the left side, aside from that possibility it looks like the same buck to me.

knowing he is in a transition zone where major hybridization occurs it looks to me like the injured buck is more blacktail than muley and the second picture appears to be more mule deer than blacktail. The first picture that has the buck and doe together, has a blacktail tail.

 

[treeratslayer24]

You never made it in.

This makes the most sense. No way a shot in that location wouldn’t be fatal. But the shoulder should be fairly soft in that location and only 38 yards? I’d get hit a branch or the tree in front of him ever so slightly to loose momentum, hit bone and just broke. Still remarkable what these animals survive.


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[NB7]

Sorry it turned out that way.
In regards to the 5-7 minute thing, here's a little perspective.
I've arrowed deer with double lung hits, watch them run 25 yards, stop and in 30 or seconds wobble and topple over, as many giuys have before.

But....
I used to hunt a horse farm, and one day arrived to have the owner direct me to an injured buck that had become trapped in a small paddock. Had a leg injury and he couldn't jump back out, maybe did it jumping in. This was 2x4 wire type fence between the posts. She asked me to dispatch him, and as it was bow season I only had my bow with me. So I double lunged him from about 10 yards away with what looked like a perfect shot. He walked to the other side, where he stood for about 15 minutes seemingly unbothered. Then he laid down for about another 15 minutes unfazed. He got up when I walked closer to him, then went and lay down again, for another 15-20 minutes before he finally took the dirt nap. Although I didn't get heart on that shot, it was still a nice low double lung shot. Figuring this deer was pumped full of adrenalin from having found himself in what was an inescapable situation, but still. P
retty good "control" type scenario if you will. Just goes to show that some have different and stronger constitutions than others. Since then I've always given them at least a half hour, even on what look like perfect shots

 

[MallardSX2]

So I double lunged him from about 10 yards away

With the outcome I have to disagree. 100% wholeheartedly.

 

[Banded_spooney]

So I double lunged him from about 10 yards away with what looked like a perfect shot. He walked to the other side, where he stood for about 15 minutes seemingly unbothered. Then he laid down for about another 15 minutes unfazed. He got up when I walked closer to him, then went and lay down again, for another 15-20 minutes before he finally took the dirt nap. Although I didn't get heart on that shot, it was still a nice low double lung shot. Figuring this deer was pumped full of adrenalin from having found himself in what was an inescapable situation, but still. P
retty good "control" type scenario if you will. Just goes to show that some have different and stronger constitutions than others. Since then I've always given them at least a half hour, even on what look like perfect shots

Why didn't you shoot him again?

 

[KHNC]

Why didn't you shoot him again?

It was an experiment for our benefit.

 

[Badseed]

This makes the most sense. No way a shot in that location wouldn’t be fatal. But the shoulder should be fairly soft in that location and only 38 yards? I’d get hit a branch or the tree in front of him ever so slightly to loose momentum, hit bone and just broke. Still remarkable what these animals survive.


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The arrow had to penetrate the buck as evidence by the broken, bloodied arrow shaft. Seeing the hit location makes sense on why the arrow broke the way it did. Being that close to the shoulder blade, the bone could have snapped the back half of the arrow off. I do agree that the buck should be dead but for some reason he is a tough bastard and wont lie down.


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[treeratslayer24]

The arrow had to penetrate the buck as evidence by the broken, bloodied arrow shaft. Seeing the hit location makes sense on why the arrow broke the way it did. Being that close to the shoulder blade, the bone could have snapped the back half of the arrow off. I do agree that the buck should be dead but for some reason he is a tough bastard and wont lie down.


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That’s 100% true. I totally threw out that logic by the fact the deers alive and I can’t get that through my head lol next theory is you hit 1 lung, or somehow managed to slide over the top of them without cutting them. Has the Broadhead been shot before? Possibly slightly dull allowing tissue to slide off of it instead of being cut? Then the arrow hit the opposite shoulder leaving it sticking out. When he ran, the shoulder snapped the arrow. Which means the rest of it is likely still in him, which leads to even more shock that he’s still alive. Let’s hope you’re able to finish him off, maybe with a neck rifle shot so we can see some backwoods biology when you cut into him. This is one of the most interesting things I’ve seen on here.

Deer just never stop amazing me. I saw one get hit on the road the other day. 55mph. Broke the car bumper instantly. The deer never even fell. Caught it’s balance and just kept on running. Remarkable strength.


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[long hunter]

Are these even the same deer?

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Nope

 

[Badseed]

That’s 100% true. I totally threw out that logic by the fact the deers alive and I can’t get that through my head lol next theory is you hit 1 lung, or somehow managed to slide over the top of them without cutting them. Has the Broadhead been shot before? Possibly slightly dull allowing tissue to slide off of it instead of being cut? Then the arrow hit the opposite shoulder leaving it sticking out. When he ran, the shoulder snapped the arrow. Which means the rest of it is likely still in him, which leads to even more shock that he’s still alive. Let’s hope you’re able to finish him off, maybe with a neck rifle shot so we can see some backwoods biology when you cut into him. This is one of the most interesting things I’ve seen on here.

Deer just never stop amazing me. I saw one get hit on the road the other day. 55mph. Broke the car bumper instantly. The deer never even fell. Caught it’s balance and just kept on running. Remarkable strength.


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Crazy, I know! The broadhead was brand new. I have seen numerous times what those ramcat broadheads do inside of a buck and they literally shred the lungs and dice up anything else next to them. If I hadn’t caught this guy on camera I would swear he was dead already. At this point I don’t even care that it wasn’t the big buck I originally thought it was. I am much more curious about the backwoods autopsy if I get a second shot at him.


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[Andrew12gauge]

I’m in the 2 different deer camp


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[CC11]

Another thing to think about is that he could have been on his "out" breath, basically deflating the lungs, making them a smaller target. Where that wound is I'd guess it went right over the lungs and hit opposite shoulder. If the arrow had hit top of a lung it would have filled with blood most likely by now, and even on one lung, I wouldn't think he'd still be alive.

As far as the buck shot inside the fence, a low lung shot doesn't fill the lungs very rapidly with blood, which won't make him suffocate, he probably died because of blood loss or lung failure. Just my two cents.

 

[svivian]

 

[TheGDog]

First thing I noticed was arrow was broke-off. So it didn't dive all the way thru him. Had to have been sticking out while he ran away and a branch snapped it off?

The blood you can see... Hrmm... I dunno pink doesn't JUMP out at me... might have some pink to it, so it's maybe more muscle blood not pinkish lung blood?

Reminds me of first Coyote I shot w .223 Rem. It was a very fast jump shot opportunity. He LITERALLY did a Barrel Roll mid-air, then fell into a clump and just sorta moved back and forth with his head for a bit.

But then son of a B if he didn't then like... maybe 5 secs later... get himself back up to this feet, turned to look at me... then run off!

I blood trailed him like 250yds... up a knoll and down into the ravine behind it. I could see buncha smatterings of blood on the way down into the ravine. But again all dark muscle blood.

Checked under and inside of a Juniper in the draw of the Ravine. Yup... saw .50-cent piece sized puddle. He was there then probably heard me descending down into the ravine and exited.

I could see where he then likely began to climb up out of the Ravine. (Took a while to find that. Only find one tiny drop of blood around that Juniper out side of it) Even stayed around an hour to watch the crows, just to see if they'd change their behaviour to show me where he was hiding. Ya know like them maybe circling over head to check the situation to see if they could catch a free meal. Nothing.

So best I can figure I shot him and it hit the phalanges, the baskside part of his vertebrae in the hump you see around the shoulders. Figure most likely he died later on, in a slow and painful way.

About the only thing you can do in this situation is go full robot mode. And by that I mean your way of searching. When your desperate, go full robot mode. Either search in grids, or radiating outward in wider and wider circles. And sometimes when you're tracking ya gotta kinda think how you'd think if you were them. You're hurt, scared and all you know is you've got to runaway like crazy, so what choices would you make regarding the line you choose thru the terrain. Ya figure you're hurt so you're not going to choose too crazy of a line that would be hard to traverse thru. Think path of least resistance. Then along your search imagine you're getting tired and sleepy from blood loss... where would you go to tuck yourself into and lay down to catch a rest and figure out what you're gonna do next? Most likely under a bush/scrub oak, that kinda thing.

If you don't stay there and persist with the search. Chances are high even if you do find him the next day, he'll be half-eaten by something.

 

[Reburn]

You never made it in.

 

[kpk]

I shot a deer several years ago from a 20 ft. treestand that was a hard quartering away shot. Arrow hit right behind the rear ribs - exactly where I needed to. I felt it was perfect shot. The deer actually ran past a friend that was hunting a stand on the opposite side of the field. He said, "when he ran by I could see at least half your arrow sticking out". I felt sick and made the decision to let him go overnight and we slipped out.

The next morning we came back with my dog expecting to track that deer for a long ways.
We ended up finding him probably 75 yards from where had ran past my friend. Turned out I had hit him exactly where I thought I did, just behind the ribs. The arrow went through and lodged in the offside front leg. So, when he was running and his leg went back - the arrow backed out of him. When his leg came forward again - the whole arrow disappeared up to the fletching.

That shot tore him up and he still made it about 250 yards. It's the farthest I've had one run, but I think the arrow just had everything plugged up.

They're tough animals and can do crazy things on adrenaline when they know they're hurt.