Need Advice, shot placement confusion.

[trampledbyturtles]

Was hoping I'd never have to ask
But I could use your input on what to do next.
Just had my chance at 7 yards.

Confused by the deer's reaction, and blood and hair on arrow.

Not pink and not dark red blood
Just red.

A little bit of fat, and white hairs, which is confusing, cause I shot him off the ground standing.

He ran 40 yards stopped and turned around and looked at me for 10 sec, I knocked an arrow and reached for the range finder. Look up and he is walking away. Put down the RF and try to get my binos up. But the time I'm able to focus he is gone.

Gave it 15min. hit the trail to confirm the route he took, followed good blood for 50 yards and once he crossed the main trail and he took a path towards cover I followed the main trail out to give him some time.

Problem is it's supposed to snow tonight.

Wishing I could give him all night cause I think he is dead.

But the way he acted has me spooked.

Never had a deer look back,
Only hope is he thought something poked him and he was not sure what the heck happened. And given the rut an all jacked up hope it was just a temporary jolt of energy.

My initial reaction was slightly back midlevel, but the white hairs has me thinking the arrow had to of deflected.

Anyone have some sage advice

 

[Peplin Creek]

How was he walking away? I shot a buck, heart high and 10 inches back and it went through the stomach. It took the deer roughly 13-16. Hours before he finally passed. After my initial shot I thought I blew it big time. I was able to see him an hour later and he was walking slow with a hunch.
The fact that he stopped after the shot makes me think it could be something similar. He’s gonna need sometime probably. If it’s stomach 12-16 hours. Normally your first instinct after the shot is right. You think it was back. If it’s liver he’ll probably be dead in 4-8 hours. The white hair is concerning but is it a lot of it or just a couple strands. I’ve seen a buck drilled through the lungs that left white hair on the arrow but can confirm that the shot was never in the white. He just must of had some white hair mixed in the coat.

 

[trampledbyturtles]

Just a few strands.

He got behind some brush and I lost him, could not tell how he walked away once he left the 48 yards mark where he stopped.

Wish I could give him all night plenty cold. Just dont think I wanna risk rolling the dice with the 40% chance of snow.

 

[Peplin Creek]

Yeah snow can mess things up. Ultimately you know how well of shot you put on him. If you think he’s down go get him before the snow. Good luck, hope you get him.

 

[yoderjac]

Not knowing your aim point or deer angle, I'd guess a liver shot from your description. If so, the deer will die. Liver and paunch shot deer will often hunch up after the shot run a very short distance and walk slowly away. If not pushed they will bed down and die but it can take 4 hours plus. Once they lay down, if bumped, they will rarely leave a blood trail from that spot. In a case where I think the liver or paunch is hit, I won't go passed the arrow. A paunch smell on the arrow indicates paunch but you can hit the liver without hitting paunch. I'd back out and wait at lest 4 hour and begin trailing after dark. As I followed the blood trail, I would frequently scan ahead with the light looking for eyes. You can sometimes pick them up before you spook the bedded deer. If so, back out and wait another 4 hours or until morning if possible. The deer will likely be dead where you saw the eyes.

Thanks,

jack

 

[swat1018]

Did the arrow smell, or have a lot of thick or greasy fat on it?

 

[Rubee]

I’d wait overnight and take the chance it doesn’t snow. Don’t push him. If you can’t track him next morning because of snow or rain, follow his last direction and look for a body. He will most likely head for the nearest thick cover and bed or head for water To lay in. Good luck.

 

[Bill]

My guess is liver. And I hate to say this, wait until morning. If he laid down close he will still be there. If you bump him he’s gone forever.

 

[trampledbyturtles]

Deer was broadside at 7 yards on ground level, so a fairly slight angle I would think. Site in with first pin at 20 that's what I used, but in the moment did not compensate, maybe making the shot a bit high?
Guess that's on me for failing to practice sub 10 yards.

I've shot a couple one lung gut and know the rancid smell.

The arrow smelled and looked clean

Just a little fat smear, and covered in blood

Blood trail for the first 75yards was:
Consistent red drops of of blood, not globs but easy to follow drips, Blood started on side only then after 40 yards was blood on both side of the trail. Which I interrupted as the entrance finally filled and started to leak.

Just stuck on the dang white hair and him starring back for a solid 10 sec, although it did feel as of time was frozen.

 

[Bill]

My biggest deer was a liver shot. Shot at 7:00pm stopped and looked back at me from 90 yards when he hit the timber. Waited until 8:00 AM the next morning. He was dead with in 30 yards of the look back and had no rigor mortise

 

[Bill]

Doctors advocate. Was the white hair his?

 

[trampledbyturtles]

^Ha, yes, although I'm sure this is gonna give me a couple.

 

[swat1018]

First deer I ever shot with a bow as a young guy made no reaction whatsoever to the shot. I swore that I 10 ringed her, but nobody believed me. It fed around the corner of standing corn field out of sight. I got down waited a while and when I went and looked, it was dead right around the corner of the corn. It never even raised it's head from eating when I hit her. Kind of meaningless, but I always remember that when I try to judge how the deer "acted" when shot.

 

[Bill]

Wise words of wisdom

time is you’re friend. Even if you don’t like him.

 

[trampledbyturtles]

Will add,

Usually I'm a sure shot.

But when I heard him start busting brush 5min after sundown and could only see the saplings thrashing. Then he made one quick appearance and dissapeared. Hit the ol desperation grunt tube, 5 sec later he pops out at 20 yards and closing to my right way to fast. Realized he was trying to get behind me so I had to stand adjust position and draw. The adrenaline dump was reaching black out stage. So who knows I could of shot him in the foot. Although I hope and do not think that is the case.

 

[trampledbyturtles]

Wise words of wisdom

time is you’re friend. Even if you don’t like him.

Even with the threat of snow whitewashing a fairly consistent blood trail, u would opt to wait till the AM?

 

[Bill]

No. I’d go gung-ho But I’d be wrong. If you killed him you did it close.

 

[weekender21]

The impact difference between 7 and 10 yards isn’t significant, especially if you’re ground level but yes it would be slightly high if anything. Blood looks watery.

In my opinion with that much blood the deer is down in short order or not at all. Sometimes muscle blood looks like that. Is it possible you shot above the spine (backstrap hit)?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[trampledbyturtles]

^can't be certain

But they bumped the snow from
.1in 40% chance at 3am to,
.3 60% at 10 pm. I just arrived back at the field. Gunna need a bit of help on this one I feel.

 

[Mortenson]

What's the radar look like? Only a 40% you say? I'm like Bill and worry always about going in too soon. Liver shot deer can live a long time occasionally. When in doubt, pull out. I shot a nice 3 yr old buck once and he ran 10 yards then turned back my way and licked his lips for 5 min before walking off. Bumped him tracking an hour later. Found him in the next ravine mushroom hunting in spring.