Need Opinions / Help

[ship of fools]

I went out this morning and within 15 minutes had 2 deer walking towards me .....  wind was in my favor but they knew something was up ... the one in the back was particularly skittish ... kept stomping its feet, starting to walk the other way etc but the front one slowly but surely made it's way into range ... and i had a good shot at 20 yards (bow only area)  .....

I shot, watched them both run off then stop .... and i could watch both of them walking back across in front of me but out 500+ feet and into the woods .....  after about 15 minutes i got down and found my arrow.

It had just a little bit of blood on it ....  on the shaft and a little on the fletching  ....  and a saw a couple of spots on the ground. At that point i marked the blood spot and came home figuring i would wait a few hours.

Any thoughts? ... i know it's really tough based on what i said but is there any chance it was a kill shot?

How long would you guys suggest waiting?

Thanks in advance 

[Raquettedacker]

Its hard to say...   Was the blood all the way up the the shaft and the fletching??   Was the arrow stuck in the ground or just laying on top??...  Did you hear the arrow hit the deer?  Do you have snow on the ground??    I would give it till nine and go looking.....

[SilentStalker]

What did the blood look like? Was it bright red? more clotty/dark looking? You got snow on the ground for easier tracking? What was her reaction after the arrow flew and Was the deer you hit visibly injured when she walked back past you into the woods?
I'd wait at least 3 hours from now and head out late am unless impending rain or weather is coming and/or there are private property issues with neighboring properties. Good Luck. Keep us updated. Nased upon the stories on here, if she's hit hard,. let her die and dont push her at all costs.

I shot a spike with my rifle (i know its a different story with the bow) last year at 9:15am and one lunged him(determined after gutting him). I ended up bumping him two times so I backed out until 12:00. I ended up jumping him three more times after going back in befoere I caught up with and kille dhim at 3pm. Luckily I didnt have any private property issues as he went a long way. They are tough critters.

[ship of fools]

There wasn't much blood on the arrow .....  and it was into the ground a few inches...          i found that and then saw a couple of drops of blood on the ground and figured it made sense to back out ....   

The blood i did see was bright colored ...

She looked like she was walking ok as well .......  i figure i will wait till noonish and see what i can find

[SilentStalker]

I know you live around me (Albany Area), If I wasnt stuck at work I'd come assist in your search. I've always been told bright red is good, but others on here may have more experience than myself.

[ship of fools]

I know you live around me (Albany Area), If I wasnt stuck at work I'd come assist in your search. I've always been told bright red is good, but others on here may have more experience than myself.

Thanks SS ... i appreciate the offer ... and i will make the same standing offer to any other Albany area guys ... plus i work for myself so i am never stuck at work when something important like this calls    ... tracking a deer, icefishing, striper fishing... they all take priority over work....

The guy who works for me loves to hunt and i will take him off the job site if i need help .... let's hope he spends the afternoon in the woods with me 

[FrankM]

I think you are wise to wait till noon and resume your search.  That will still give you 5 good hours of daylight to make a thorough search and give the deer time to lay down and bleed out.  I wish you success.

[stka]

Did the arrow have a fatty looking residue on it? If so, it's usually a leg or grazing shot, I know from doing it a few times.  I would wait a few hours before I started looking. If you have someone to help, I'd get back in the stand and send them to the last spot you saw the deer. If not get in it and mark the spot with 2-3 points, trees, rocks, stumps, something that will get you right on the spot. Good luck.

[upstatehunter]

Hard to say, shot a doe through no mans land 10 or so years ago. Very little blood, was darker than bright lung blood. Wasn't a lot on the arrow as well. She went over a mile, had to shoot her again when we found her laying.
Do you remember seeing the arrow hit? If not, go to the spot you shot. Put the arrow in the ground where it was, and try to determin where it hit by the line of flight. Could help determin where you hit.
Good luck, and if it starts to get late consider a dog.

[dan_lais]

good luck finding it bud.i just went through a tracking process today and it was hell till we found her.the story is in the kill post.

[SilentStalker]

I'm chomping at the bit here SOF!!! I'm hoping you have blood on the hands!!

[ship of fools]

Well my lucky streak is over ....    ......    i went back after about 3.5 hours and found a spot or two near my hit and then followed a weak trail to the first place i saw her stop. There was a decent amount of blood here and i was able to follow the trail all the way until the area i lost sight of the them....   and beyond... they went across a road (in the subdivision) and into another small set of woods within the middle of all the houses. I followed the blood trail another 1,000' or so right to the edge of someone's back yard... and it disappeared.

I went and walked all over the woods behind the houses on the other side of the street hoping to find blood... but never did... so i went back to where i lost the trail and said screw it.. i am just gonna look and if someone confronts me ill explain myself       ......     i looked all over and couldn't find any more blood. 

I play baseball with a deer search guy and tried to reach him but couldn't ... but talked to john from born-to-track.com  ...  who had found a nice 10 pt for my friend and described everything to him ... and his feeling was the shot was not in the vitals, the deer wouldn't die and even if we managed to pick up the trail it wouldn't be a case of following the trail to a dead deer...  and that the deer would live.

Even after that i went back out and walked around all of the surrounding woods hoping to bump her or find some sign but had no luck.

My only thought was to take one last look where i lost the trail ... it is literally at the edge of someone's back yard.. but there is a 50' x 50+- section of cattails that would be easy for a deer to hide in..

Thanks to everyone for the help... wish i had a better story ...   i wasn't too optomistic after looking at the arrow, with just a few drops of blood, but after follwoing the trail it seemed like there was a lot of blood and i was hoping for a different result...     

[upstatehunter]

That's to bad SOF!! It happens though. I had one about 6 years ago that ducked the arrow. Sliced the back on her.
She bled well and then stopped and there was blood everywhere. She must have shook like a dog getting out of the water.
The blood trail left that spot and within 100yds just dried up. You may have done the same by the sounds.