Bowhunting Failure

[Snowshoe Acres]

In 2016 our family purchased 134 acres for hunting. We have had some great rifle hunting even though we have not had time to plant food plots. This last week I was out hunting with my crossbow. Tuesday, I shot a nice buck. Rolled it over at 20 yards. After a couple minutes he got up, I watched expecting him to fall over dead, but he walked away into the woods, no trace of blood. I searched for hours and hours, finally determined I must have hit it in the shoulder. Yesterday, same stand, I shot another buck at 10 yards. I was VERY careful to hit him in the power house. He ran 20 yards and stopped on the edge of the field. Blood was flowing from both sides (the arrow was in the ground, went through him). My wife and I searched for 6 hours and never found him, we tracked him to the edge of a brook, that was the last sign. I am quitting bow hunting. This is the 4th time this has happened to me in the past 3 years. I want a humane kill, and that doesn't seem possible with a crossbow. I would love to hear if I am doing something wrong or if others have had this experience.

 

[Bill]

How long after the shot did you start tracking the deer?

 

[Snowshoe Acres]

I very purposely waited an hour before I left the stand in both cases. Started tracking two hours after on both.

 

[Bill]

2 hours seems fine on the second one the way describe it. Time is always your friend.

The first shot sounds like you hit it in no mans land just under the spine. Shock put him down and he got back up.

Shot placement is really the key to it. I’m thinking maybe you hit 1 lung on the second deer. It’s hard, but I always try to remember to aim with my exit hole in mind.

 

[Catscratch]

I've found them as far as 50yds after blood stopped flowing. Did you check in the brook well, both upstream and downstream?

I agree with the above post stating to aim at the exit hole. One thing I think many new bowhunters do in the excitement of the shot is to aim center of mass, which puts the shot too far back and often too high. If you give it another shot try to focus on right behind the shoulder.

Sent from my SM-N960U using Tapatalk

 

[35-acre]

2 hours seems fine on the second one the way describe it. Time is always your friend.

The first shot sounds like you hit it in no mans land just under the spine. Shock put him down and he got back up.

Shot placement is really the key to it. I’m thinking maybe you hit 1 lung on the second deer. It’s hard, but I always try to remember to aim with my exit hole in mind.

Yeah. I agree here too. That deer is probably fine. Sore but will most likely heal up.

As stated, aim closer to straight up the leg.

 

[buckdeer1]

A crossbow will kill deer and with a scope very easy to hit where you are aiming.Theres lots of things I don't know about you and your equipment. What is your tracking experience?I have seen hunters that couldn't find a dead deer on a golf course green. What type of broadhead?Are dogs legal in your state? To be a proficient tracker you will want to be able to read more sign than just look for blood on the leaves in fact if it's not an easy track and find deer quick most of the sign will be up on trees and brush or just following tracks.Knowing where you hit also tells you if an hour is enough.Learn more about tracking or get an experienced tracker to help and you will be recovering deer.

 

[Natty Bumppo]

The crossbow isn't the problem, it's your shot placement. Is this from an elevated stand or a ground blind? Do you practice from an elevated blind? Do you practice from all distances?

If the first deer was shoulder shot I think you would have heard a distinctive "thwack" and IMHO he would have run off immediately. If he literally laid there for a few minutes and then got up...well, I've never seen that before...but I suppose maybe a high shot. Personally I do not believe there is a no-man land's below the spine...below the spine is all lungs. Maybe a shot above the spine?
Second deer I'm guessing was all brisket. You aimed low. No idea about your scope, practice habits, or what you have your bow sighted in for, but if you don't routinely train for those shots they can be problematic. I hit a deer like that a few years ago in the snow and the amount of blood he spilled was shocking. Two holes. Tracked him for a few miles the next morning. Blood eventually reduced down to a drop every 10 yards or so. Never found him, but 2 weeks later he was on my trail cams with a healed over wound.

 

[Snowshoe Acres]

Thanks for the comments and questions, exactly what I was hoping for to figure this out. Buckdeer1, you bring up good points and let me provide more info. I have been hunting with rifle for 40 years. Don’t have to track very often. Have spent a lot of time in the woods over the years. Never bow hunted until I turned 60 three years ago and got a crossbow. My intent was to have my deer before the season so I could hang out with my grandsons at deer camp. I don’t like the prospect of shooting a deer and not finding it. I tracked the second deer very carefully and did go 20-30 yards without a sign. Because I know the trails and where they run, I followed his tracks and picked it up again at the bottom of the hill by the brook. The picture with the orange tape is the last spot I found blood. I went back to the barn and got my waders and waded the brook in both directions, tried to find a spot where he came out. Broke down the area on the other side into sections and carefully searched for any sign. I will include some pictures, the one from the trail cam is maybe 10 seconds after I shot, i was in the stand in the background. Natty Bumppo, I mark with orange tape the distances, so I know exactly what I am shooting for distance. The second one was literally 10 yards, went back to the barn, paced off 10 yards and nailed the bullseye. I called a tracker to see if I could have a dog come look, never returned my call. I also went back to the shop where I purchased the crossbow and confirmed that I have the right broadhead and that everything from a gear point of view is correct. Here is my logic - I don’t hunt pheasants (we have lots) because I don’t have a dog. I don’t want to shoot birds and not find them. Is that what bow hunting requires? I don’t want to shoot deer and not find them. And if you look at the pictures, the grass along the brook is thick and a great place for a buck to disappear in. I want to quit bow hunting, but wanted to get some other opinions before I make a final decision. Really appreciate the input from everyone.

 

[bjseiler]

It is ok to feel bad. Clearly you do. It is also ok to get back on the horse and try again. Animals (and humans) can be amazingly tough. I live in Chicago. I'd say for every 10 people that are shot maybe 1-2 die.

People who have never lost a deer hunting with a bow are either very lucky or have not hunted long enough. Buck up (pun intended) and get back out there.

 

[hillrunner]

It's shot placement. An arrow well placed gives a very quick kill. Have you practiced with the broadheads on or only using practice tips? Broadheads can change your point of impact significantly.

 

[Bowsnbucks]

Snowshoe Acres -

I've bow hunted most of my life. I can tell you that a razor cut on a deer heals up pretty cleanly. It's surprising how tough deer are - much tougher than we give them credit for.

I've hit deer with a bow and had almost no blood after 20 to 30 yards. I was on my hands and knees looking for pin-specks, and ended up following disturbed leaves. (but my shot placement was off). I found the buck after about 4 hours of crawling around, looking for up-turned leaves and double-checking myself for every "clue" I found. He didn't go that far, - about 250 yards - and was dead as a stone when I saw his white belly down a slope. The bleeding had been internal. He was like water balloon of red paint. I've tracked hit deer in the big woods of Maine with a buddy who hit the deer with a 7mm mag. Blood EVERYWHERE - but that buck took us for a 1 1/2 mile hike before we found him. Amazing animals !!

If you tried everything you could think of, put the effort & time in, and after that still didn't find him - I'd bet he's healing up. Broadhead cuts heal cleanly if not in the vitals. If he dropped and then got up again after a short bit, he's probably going to heal.

I always try to hit the lungs right behind the front shoulder. They're the biggest lethal area, and thus a bigger target. Even a liver hit will kill a deer, but that's more of a wait-it-out / don't rush the tracking type of hit. If I suspected I had a liver hit, I'd back off for several hours before taking the track to give the deer time to weaken and lie down. Many times your arrow or bolt will give a clue as to where you hit the deer - if you can recover the arrow. Bright, foamy blood is usually a lung hit, and very dark blood can signal a liver hit. If you find hair - and you're familiar with the types of hair on a deer - that can tip you off as to the area you hit.

My advice? Keep practicing with your crossbow and get comfortable with it. If you hunt out of elevated stands like Natty Bumpo said, practice out of elevated stands then too. Almost every deer I've taken with a bow didn't go very far - but the shots were mostly lung shots. They usually dropped within 40 yards, and the blood trail was sprayed all over.

I like your idea of getting your deer in archery season so you can focus on your grandsons at camp. GREAT memories for them !!

 

[Snowshoe Acres]

It's shot placement. An arrow well placed gives a very quick kill. Have you practiced with the broadheads on or only using practice tips? Broadheads can change your point of impact significantly.

I practice with the exact same broached setup that I use for hunting. Lots of practice.

 

[Bassattackr]

Bummed to hear your experiences. I wouldn't worry about the first deer at all, he's walking around fine somewhere.

Years ago when I first started bowhunting, I lost my first deer ever (doe) with a high and too far back shot. I was super bummed as well at the time but I lived and learned. Stay with it, I hope it becomes a rewarding experience.

 

[PatinPA]

I shot a buck in the snow one year with an expandable and watched him fall over less than 100 yds from me. There was not one drop of blood between where I shot until he fell down. It was all internal. That was the last buck I shot with an expandable broadhead also. I recently switched over to a heavier arrow and cut on contact broadhead set up. I stumbled across the Ranch Fairy on youtube and he preaches a heavy forward of center arrow setup with a razor sharp broadhead. He was a former medical technician of some sort and does a good job of explaining why you want your broadheads to be razor sharp. He also partners with Dr. Ed Ashby who explains the physics behind a high FOC arrow.

 

[Troubles Trees]

I always try to remember to aim with my exit hole in mind.

Solid advice that not enough people practice!

I want to quit bow hunting

Stick with it bud, it always sucks to wound a deer and not find it, I have lost lots of sleep over just this. All I can picture in my head is coyotes chasing a blood trail and it bothers me very much but it is because I care for the animal and it is my responsibility. BUT this is why we call it hunting and not killing my friend.

It doesn't sound like either deer is likely dead to me but I am not there with you and the 2nd one has potential given the obvious pass through on the blood trail. You have to have faith that you did everything you could to recover the deer and really that is all you can do. The best tracker is a dog but they aren't always available. I had a Lab that did great following a trail I made in my yard just from blood left in the bag from venison steaks. He died before I could ever test him in the woods. I did some reading into blood trackers and there is hope, blood is a unique smell in the woods so it is very different than trying to train a dog to (for example) track a rabbit. Hunting dogs have to determine a specific animal and follow only it when it crosses other rabbits and other animals and stick to one track. But blood and other scents that wounded critters leave are there for a very long time and are distinguishable from every other thing in the woods. Worse case scenario you wont find your deer and stink up the area for a week or so but even a dog that doesn't track blood might just find your dead deer.

Keep your chin up bud, I applaud your efforts in the follow up and certainly understand your frustrations with it. I have lost a few and it sucks!

 

[Mortenson]

I've found them as far as 50yds after blood stopped flowing. Did you check in the brook well, both upstream and downstream?

I agree with the above post stating to aim at the exit hole. One thing I think many new bowhunters do in the excitement of the shot is to aim center of mass, which puts the shot too far back and often too high. If you give it another shot try to focus on right behind the shoulder.

Sent from my SM-N960U using Tapatalk

I agree with Catscratch. I think a lot of guys (using guns too) aim at spot #1 and end up being off by a few inches and hit spot #2. Then they track after giving somewhere between 1-120 minutes and never find the deer. They're aiming too far back whether they know it or not.

 

[Bill]

The American Indian survived with the bow and arrow. “And broadheads made of stone.” So our modern equipment is very efficient for the task at hand.

My vote is you take this info and go burn a doe tag or two. Not that loosing a doe is any easier but let’s face it, it is.
Practice makes perfect. When gun hunting shooting for the boiler room is practical. When bow hunting picking a “spot” is necessary. You’re not the first hunter to experience this. If you were, bow hunters wouldn’t know terms like “aim small, hit big” right off the top of our heads.

 

[SwampCat]

With decent shot placement, I typically have a better bloodtrail with a bow than with a rifle. I use 2”, or slightly larger, expandable broadheads and some of the blood trails have been amazing. It sounds to me like you hit high with the first shot, clipped a bone on a vertebrae, shocked him for a few seconds, and he got up and left - and will be fine. I dont know where the second shot hit, but obviously it wasnt in the best spot. These modern crossbows are powerful and have no problem getting enough penetration with large diameter expandable broadheads. If I was using a fixed blade, I would try using an expandable on the next one.

 

[Bassattackr]

The American Indian survived with the bow and arrow. “And broadheads made of stone.” So our modern equipment is very efficient for the task at hand.

My vote is you take this info and go burn a doe tag or two. Not that loosing a doe is any easier but let’s face it, it is.
Practice makes perfect. When gun hunting shooting for the boiler room is practical. When bow hunting picking a “spot” is necessary. You’re not the first hunter to experience this. If you were, bow hunters wouldn’t know terms like “aim small, hit big” right off the top of our heads.

Bill - Here all along I thought it was “Aim small, miss small” like Mel Gibson taught us in the Patriot???