Shot a Doe - Chance of Recovery Thoughts...

[Badgers80]

I'm preemptively putting this in the "successful hunts" section as I'm trying to channel good luck. I'm hoping if others can share their input on the chance of recovery if they've had a similar story. Hopefully, I'll have a positive update in the am.

I went hunting tonight and shot a mature doe with my crossbow. Nice clean shot I thought. About 20 yards and broadside if not slightly quartering away (I shot her right side). I shot and saw her left leg partially give out as I believed my arrow shot through her lung(s) and took out her leg. She stumbled out of scene, and I thought she would be down in the brush close by. I waited 30 mins, started tracking, and bumped her not 40 yards away. I held off an hour and tried again but ended up bumping her again. It didn't sound like she went far both times which leads me to believe she was hit hard. But, I backed off after that. Blood was bright red which I would think be a good sign, albeit the trail was not very heavy. I'm planning on starting tracking again at 5am tomorrow.

Some pics below of the arrow which seems like decent penetration, blood initially in the grass, and close to when I called it quits on the dirt pic.

Idk, I hate that I wasn't able to recover the deer tonight. I called it quits at about 9:30 or so. All the other deer I've shot died within 15 minutes fortunately.

 

[bueller]

She's either laying dead in a bed within 50 yards of the last known location or the wound clotted up and she is gone. Hope I'm wrong but I don't think the odds are in your favor on this one.

 

[Badgers80]

Kind of what I was thinking too.

Well, I tracked her this am. Very little blood so you're right on it clotting up. Wish I could watch a video of the shot again. Signs are pointing to me to a shoulder shot.

Ended up bumping her not far (maybe 70 yards) from where I saw her last. She's in 19 acres of corn and can evade me so long as long as she's in there. Might have to do a mini drive in the corn to get a shot in some openings. She doesn't move far every time.

 

[b116757]

Shot must of been way to far forward and didn’t get into the lung cavity I’m thinking maybe I’m wrong but seems unlikely she would still be going like this if it had made it into the boiler.

 

[Ben.MN/WI]

Can you slowly still hunt row by row in the corn field? I once made a bad shot on a buck and went row by row until I found him bedded and put another arrow in him. I think that's a higher % option than a drive, but perhaps you could position a stander on an exit route in case you bump the deer again.

 

[hunts_with_stick]

Sounds like maybe you even missed the body, shot low and leg only? Unless you were in a treestand I don't know how a leg would have buckled? Anyway, good luck!

 

[Badgers80]

Can you slowly still hunt row by row in the corn field? I once made a bad shot on a buck and went row by row until I found him bedded and put another arrow in him. I think that's a higher % option than a drive, but perhaps you could position a stander on an exit route in case you bump the deer again.

I'm just wary on that since she still has legs on her. I bumped her yesterday in the corn and she would't stick around until I got there. Seems it's the same today. If I had a couple of standers, I'd like that a bit more. I need more hunting buddies This sucks. Hoping for the best for tonight.

 

[Badgers80]

Sounds like maybe you even missed the body, shot low and leg only? Unless you were in a treestand I don't know how a leg would have buckled? Anyway, good luck!

Remembering the shot, I had my arrow sticking out of the right side of her body, so that's gotta be shoulder. I think the arrow hit her opposite shoulder and she couldn't move that left leg cause of it. I'm confident it wasn't a leg entrance shot.

Thanks for the luck! Need it

 

[Turkey Creek]

Its always rough when you put an arrow in one and can't find the deer after, at least it should be, if its not then you probably shouldn't be hunting. My money is on a muscle, meat hit only.

 

[Tree Spud]

Bright red blood with no bubbles, not a lung shot. Blood not dark so not a vital organ hit. Usually a double lung shot will spray blood out in an extended pattern.

Most likely a forward or high shot into shoulder and leg broke arrow when she jumped and ran.

 

[Badgers80]

Bright red blood with no bubbles, not a lung shot. Blood not dark so not a vital organ hit. Usually a double lung shot will spray blood out in an extended pattern.

Most likely a forward or high shot into shoulder and leg broke arrow when she jumped and ran.

Thanks for the insight. High into shoulder is what I’m pretty sure it is now.

Went out this afternoon and after closing I was walking along the edge of the corn very close to where we bumped her and she ran to this morning. I came around the corner and saw a deer one step out of the corn and slink back into the field. I’m sure that’s her with the non sporadic movement after being spooked. She spent the day in about two acres of the corn. Working on the plan for tomorrow with my dad.

 

[b116757]

If you do recover her be prepared for the meat to be near unusable. Several years ago I had a similar drawn out recovery of a wounded small buck and the meat was so pumped full of adrenalin or something that it was near unusable it tasted horrible. I ended up tossing it because we couldn’t eat it. I remember my buddies dad growing up making a comment something to that effect that a wounded deer like that tasted bad. This was the first time I had first hand experience with what he was talking about he was correct. I spine hit the buck and didn’t have a knife on me so I walked back to the house to get the tractor and a knife when me and the boys got back maybe 30 minutes latter the deer was gone we tracked him until midnight circling each blood spot looking for the next drop until we finally gave up for the night. The next morning I took off work and resumed tracking him he had drug himself on his front legs only over a 120 yards and even threw a old barbed wire fence just onto my neighbors property he lay just on the other side of the fence when I found him. I jumped the fence cut his throat and went and got the tractor anyway his meat was unbelievable bad tasting.

 

[Badgers80]

If you do recover her be prepared for the meat to be near unusable. Several years ago I had a similar drawn out recovery of a wounded small buck and the meat was so pumped full of adrenalin or something that it was near unusable it tasted horrible. I ended up tossing it because we couldn’t eat it. I remember my buddies dad growing up making a comment something to that effect that a wounded deer like that tasted bad. This was the first time I had first hand experience with what he was talking about he was correct. I spine hit the buck and didn’t have a knife on me so I walked back to the house to get the tractor and a knife when me and the boys got back maybe 30 minutes latter the deer was gone we tracked him until midnight circling each blood spot looking for the next drop until we finally gave up for the night. The next morning I took off work and resumed tracking him he had drug himself on his front legs only over a 120 yards and even threw a old barbed wire fence just onto my neighbors property he lay just on the other side of the fence when I found him. I jumped the fence cut his throat and went and got the tractor anyway his meat was unbelievable bad tasting.

I was wondering about that. Will I be able to tell by looking at the deer if the meat is going to be unusable? We usually use a processor, but I don't want to spend the $ if the meat is going to be horrible.

 

[b116757]

I couldn’t really tell until we fried up the tenderloins at processing time we self process and it’s our custom/tradition to fry the tenderloins while processing the meat. Looking back growing up it’s quite possible the reason our family had started that tradition was for this very reason idk. That clued us into the fact that the meat was horrid flavored. I had only shot that dinky buck with a deformed rack on one side to put a little meat in the freezer because I do enjoy venison and will take something to eat every couple years if we don’t connect with a nice buck in the interum so it was more or less a total loss runt buck and no meat to eat

 

[Badgers80]

Gotcha, good idea. I was hoping for a nice doe early on and then I could focus on bucks. Hopefully we'll get her tonight.

 

[Badgers80]

Well I’ve been getting a lot of coyote pics on my trail cam recently by the corn so I knew what that meant about my deer Tried to get some frustration and revenge out on them with some coyote hunting tonight with no luck.

But I still hadn’t seen the doe yet, so I whip out my largest flashlight and start going through the corn afterward. I get to one spot that I knew would be promising and start flashing through. I suddenly hear growling just ahead of me. Oof. A little unsettling to hear that seemingly 20 ft away. I’m going back tomorrow before work just so I can actually lay eyes on the deer (or whatever is left). She was a hog of a mature doe so it’s a shame. About the worst situation that could’ve came from shooting a deer. Ugh.

 

[b116757]

Well I’ve been getting a lot of coyote pics on my trail cam recently by the corn so I knew what that meant about my deer Tried to get some frustration and revenge out on them with some coyote hunting tonight with no luck.

But I still hadn’t seen the doe yet, so I whip out my largest flashlight and start going through the corn afterward. I get to one spot that I knew would be promising and start flashing through. I suddenly hear growling just ahead of me. Oof. A little unsettling to hear that seemingly 20 ft away. I’m going back tomorrow before work just so I can actually lay eyes on the deer (or whatever is left). She was a hog of a mature doe so it’s a shame. About the worst situation that could’ve came from shooting a deer. Ugh.

We have all had it happen it’s the pits when it goes that way.

 

[bueller]

Well I’ve been getting a lot of coyote pics on my trail cam recently by the corn so I knew what that meant about my deer Tried to get some frustration and revenge out on them with some coyote hunting tonight with no luck.

But I still hadn’t seen the doe yet, so I whip out my largest flashlight and start going through the corn afterward. I get to one spot that I knew would be promising and start flashing through. I suddenly hear growling just ahead of me. Oof. A little unsettling to hear that seemingly 20 ft away. I’m going back tomorrow before work just so I can actually lay eyes on the deer (or whatever is left). She was a hog of a mature doe so it’s a shame. About the worst situation that could’ve came from shooting a deer. Ugh.

You may never know. The yotes could be a coincidence and the deer you hit could be just fine. Expect to feel a bit of "trigger shyness" in the near future. It's time to get back on the stand and wait for a chip shot to get you back on the board.

 

[Badgers80]

The yotes very well could be. Went back this morning to look and couldn't find her. You're right - time to trudge on. Temp being a little cooler the past few days makes me want to be back on stand!