First Shot with a Bow

Hey Everyone,

I took my first shot at a deer Wednesday evening, and unfortunately was not able to recover the animal. It was about a 20yd shot. I heard a really good thwack. The deer jumped straight up in the air and took off. I got out my binoculars and immediately found the arrow. I could see blood and the fletchings so I knew I hit her. I sat in my stand for about ½ hour, then got down and to look at my arrow. I’m not sure if this is typical, but the broadhead (rage 1 ½”) had no blood on it. There was hair and gristle, but no blood. About ½ the way up the shaft there was spotty blood and the last quarter was completely covered in blood. The fletchings were almost completely covered. Is this normal or an indication of a bad shot? At the sight of the shot there was blood and I followed it for about 20yrds. There was blood spanning about three feet across. I headed back to the truck and waited about 1 ½ hours and started tracking. After about 100yds, there were large pools of blood where it looked like she layed down. Then over the next 50yds the blood trail almost completely disappeared. I couldn’t believe it! I’ve never tracked a deer shot with a bow, is this normal? By this time it was fully dark so I decided to call it quits and try again in the morning. The temp got down into the mid 30’s that night so I thought the meat would still be good if she expired sometime in the night. The next morning I was out at first light looking. I found the blood trail again, but it was extremely sparse. A drop here and a drop there. I lost the trail completely after 50yrds, so I just started walking around hoping to find her. No luck! There was so much blood in the first 150yrds, I can’t believe she survived. Hopefully there were some lucky predators who took advantage of the free meal. I guess that’s a part of deer hunting. I’ll be out tomorrow morning again to redeem myself. How many people would take shot with only an hour left of daylight, knowing that you’ll be tracking in the dark?

– Drew

I don’t know a guy that WON’T shoot with an hour left of light Primetime is the last half hour of shooting and the first 1 hour so in the morning. Regarding your shot, sounds like you hit either the lower shoulder or in front of the shoulder at the base of the neck…im not really experienced w/ wounding deer but typically a loud smack is a shoulder hit…

A large % of your evening shots are in the last hour of daylight, tracking deer in the dark is a very common occurence in bowhunting. It sounds to me like it was a gut shot, deer shot in the guts get very sick and will keep laying down until they are bumped,I have seen a deer that was shot in the guts come by me the morning after the neighbor had shot it the evening before. I couldnt get a shot at it but did see where it layed down and took him back there 6 hrs later and recovered it.My advice to you is if you are tracking and come to a bed where the deer layed down back out and give them a good 6 to 8 hrs incase of gut shot or a liver they can live 4 or 5 hrs , if it is evening I would wait until morning and definatley bring your bow back with you I have helped alot of guys look for deer that were gut shot and walked up on them to sick to get up but still alive It sucks but it has to be delt with. I hope you dont ever have to have this problem agin but if you do hopefuly these tips will help you. By the way i commend you for your perrseverince looking for your deer. Good luck

This sounds like the first buck I shot. I knew hit I hit him just behind the last rib after I flinched and he did he same thing with the bleeding. I went back the next morning and found he was walking in and out of a creek, luckily there was snow on the ground. He was alive when my boy and I found him with no bow, just our skinning knife, the rest is another story. Its possible that you hit him in the front shoulder because of the smack the arrow made. Maybe check the creekbed if there is one, they walk those areas after they have been gutshot. The blood settles in the cavities around the vitals and it stays there unless it jumps a fence or something, then it exits the holes, a spot here and there is what mine did. It will eventually go down but it takes alot longer. If it was a shoulder shot it might pull through, I hope you find it.

Welcome to IDO Drew! Sorry to hear that you were unable to recover your deer. If one bow hunts long enough- it’s going to happen and there’s not much you can do about it besides learn from it. Unfortunately, it just happend to you on the very first time. It sounds like you tried your best to find the deer and that’s all you can do.

Question for ya… were you using lighted nocks? If not, this helps you to see the flight of your arrow and where it makes contact with the deer thus knowing how/when you should track it. It’s just another piece of information that sometimes can help. I use Easton Tracers and really like them.

Don’t get down and keep on practicing and hopefully you will get another chance soon!

Welcome to In-Depth Outdoors HumbledByNature!!!

Like was said by the others it happens to the best of us all you can do is learn from it and keep at it!

I have not used lighted nocks, but it sounds like a good idea. I’ll have to check into it. I think my major problem was that I haven’t shot at a 3D target. I found it difficult to focus on a small target area when I was sighting up the deer. I reset myself twice before taking the shot. I think it’s one thing to aim at a circle target where a point of reference is easy to locate vs shooting at a deer which is just a brown mass. Not only that, but I was pretty excited leading up the shot. I was shaking pretty good. From the onset of the season, I told myself I wouldn’t take a long shot because I didn’t feel comfortable with it. I don’t even have a 40yd pin on my sight. I only have a 20 and 30. This is my first year seriously bow hunting, I’m learning as I go along. I’ll get one yet. The season isn’t even half over yet, and the deer are finally starting to move.

When ever I shoot a deer in the evening if I dont see it fall. I will come back the next morning. It is alot easier tracking during the day. Most times they will lay down not to far from were you shot it. Some people say they dont want the coyotes to get, but if you track it in the evening an bumb it its going to leave that much more scent trail for those coyotes. I dont know anyone that lost a deer after 1 night to coyotes.

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I dont know anyone that lost a deer after 1 night to coyotes.

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my buddy shot one and the next morning the whole side was gone even the bones They didn’t try tracking it that afternoon and they still lost it

ive heard of many deer lost in one night to coyotes they are thick around here my buddy tells a good story bout the 1st shot he took at a deer couldnt stop the pin from front shoulder to hind quarter back and forth

One night, try about 1 hour, before a guy could even get out of the stand we lost a doe to yotes and tracking deer in the dark with a bunch of worked up yotes is not fun.

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One night, try about 1 hour, before a guy could even get out of the stand we lost a doe to yotes and tracking deer in the dark with a bunch of worked up yotes is not fun.

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Tell me how that isn’t fun….nothing like hearing them cut loose 50 yds away in the dark

Welcome to In-Depth Outdoors Jake!!!

Welcome to In-Depth Outdoors Jake!

Welcome to IDO Drew and Jake!!

Welcome guys, keep the stories coming… how else do expect me to get through a day at work…

big G

Id have to say 80% of my deer k have taken where inthe last hour to 30 minuets of day light. if you have a good shot at that time take it.

Rob, I have to agree with Jake them yotes are all sorts of fun!! Had that happen more than once. Always wonder if they will try their luck on me.

Drew- I would say like a few guys have most likely gut shot. Most of the deer you shoot with todays bows are going to make a loud whack. Punching through the ribs on both sides has to make a little noise. A pass through a both shoulders is highly unlikely.

Tracking a gut shot deer is always a judgment call for me. Depending on the time, where it’s headed, where I think it was hit. I may stay right on that thing. Most of the time I get a chance to shoot or otherwise finish the job. With the yotes and wolves a deer won’t last overnight around here. For you though doing as they said and back out to start again later is best. In these cases I normally give it an hour. Then If I bump another hour. Bump it again if the area is right wait till morning. This don’t work for everyone, and your tracking skills have to be pretty good. I can honestly say in the last 15 yrs have only not been able to recover 3 deer. Last year a guy hunting with me shot one in the foot. Gave it a go for 2 miles before getting a good look at it with no body shot. 2yrs ago my daughter hit one high that tried to cross a frozen river after a mile. It broke through never to resurface. 7yrs ago I hit a branch gut shooting one in the morning. Let it lay till after lunch. After 1/2 mile found the gut pile.

As for shooting the big brown mass. I tell everyone to focus on the back of the shoulder line. Normally you can see the shoulder blade some and focus on that spot with the pin just behind it. Biggest mistake people make is trying to shoot the whole animal. That’s when things get a little goofy on you.

Keep at it. Good job on sticking with it as long as you did. Finally welcome to IDO!

Steve

Welcome to IDO, another thing I have learned to do when shooting at a deer if you are using a peep is try to teach yourself to keep both eyes open if you can. It takes a little practice and I admit that I close one eye until I have the target in sight then open the other one. The 3D view will help you see more then just brown mass and also your arrow flight and impact a lot better. It is harder with a peep then a shotgun for instance but definitely helps. That raises a question to others, how many guys shoot with both eyes open?

being right handed and left eye dominate i have to close 1 eye sometimes i think i close both of them thou

I shoot bows with both eyes open Although, the first few years was with 1 eye open. Once you learn to keep both eyes open, it is actually pretty easy. You will have a better overall view of what you are looking at, and yes, you can watch your arrow flight all the way to impact much better.