Will he expire???

Well last night I shot a nice 8 pointer in the shoulder (not good) and seem him take off on 3 legs and the aarow popped out in the field before he hit the woods. Only 4 inches of my aarow went into the deer. Left him lay over night and bummped him this morning about 10:00 a.m. he got up and walked very very slow with a gimp. I have blood the whole time. The blood is a very light red. What do you think this deer is going to do? Im hoping he lays down and expires today/tonight and I find him tomorrow morning.

he might survive if he got up 12-14 hours later…I’d nock another arrow and stick him again while he is gimpin around. good luck

From where I first put my aarow into him to where I bumped him this morning was about 100 yards. So im hoping he doesnt go far and I had the bow along today but he got up about 60 yards away in the brush today. If anything I hope he makes it until gun hunting and somebody can take him.

I did a similar one with a doe last night, but I think I hit high on it. Descent blood, but it started going up hill so we left it for today. I couldn’t get off work, so my dad is following up today. If he is moving tomorrow, I’d say your chances of recovery are very small. Hopefully you can do a stalk on him and and

If it was me….

I would get some buddies (bowhunters) together and stay on him now. You do not want the blood to coagulate at this point in time. It’s been over 18 hours and you may have to put another arrow in him. You track the blood very, very quietly with an arrow knocked looking for him lying down up ahead while positioning your buddies at different locations where you think he’s heading. Please note that in WI – party hunting is not legal with a bow so whoever makes the killing shot, is the hunter who should tag it.

Good luck and let us know the outcome.

That exact scenario happened to me on the first buck I ever shot. I actually kicked him up on day 2 after giving up and he was in really bad shape. He will die by getting sick or in my case by coyotes getting him. Unfortunately, I was to young and not experienced enough at the time to get him when he was still alive. I ended up finding him on day 10 or so dead and partly eaten. I think he was alive when the coyotes found him because he had a lot of damage to the nose and neck. He probably traveled 1/2 mile or so in that time. I would start tracking him with a few people at the ready as he should have slowed even more by now.

Good luck.

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he might survive if he got up 12-14 hours later…I’d nock another arrow and stick him again while he is gimpin around. good luck

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Ditto! Great advise.

Never bumped him up today. I think last night some time he went a ways relized it was too thick and doubled back on me and no luck

I hit a deer a little far back in ND a few years ago on November 2nd, that I knew was a marginal hit. We let him lay over night despite the blizzard snow coming down. The next morning we jumped him out of a slough we thought he would head for. We ended up actually tracking him over 7.5 miles in the fresh snow and put the second arrow into him just shy of 24 hours later(5 sections South & 2 sections to the East). He was hurting and not full speed but always kept the wind at his back. We got a few chances very close to him numerous times in the thick stuff, but could not get a shot off. Sometimes we got to less then 20 yards away. A few times he jumped in a creek for 100-200 yard stints trying to lose us. Thank god for the fresh snow. He double and triple backed a few times did circles, you name it. I drew back on 3 different bucks that day thinking it could be him. We (Paul and I) never gave up on that buck, he would bed down and we would catch up, I hit liver and gut on my original shot. Coming to the end of the day and knowing he would follow a certain bottom around. With Pauls knowledge of the area and knowing the land, he made the call to cut out of that horse shoe like bottom and intercept him on the other side. He came in looking back behind him at 20 yards broad side, the wind swirled as the buck picked us up, but was too tired to move so he sat there and the 7.5 mile plus, 9 hour chess match was over as the 2nd arrow was true. No food, no drink the entire time chasing this guy down. The sun set before we could even take a pic and it got cold. It gets worse, we had 7.5 miles back to the truck. My legs started to not function about 1.5 miles left. The worse part is, it was not the buck I thought it was. It was the 4×4 not the 5×5. Oh well that is hunting. A hunt I will never forget.

Paul won’t let me.

His horns sit above my Dads Chair at my parents house.

Moral of the Story: Don’t give up, you owe it to that animal to put a second arrow in him at all costs to put him out of his misery.

I know he has doubled back and done plenty of circles. The only problem with where I hunt as soon as he jumps the fence to head next door (neighbors land) and you call the neighbor they say STAY OFF I have people paying good money to hunt here and your not welcome. Sad to say this but this is the world we live in. Or maybe its just that here in Buffalo county

Then in my mind you have done everything you can in your power to recover that buck. The only thing I might ask the neighbor is after the season if you can come look on his stuff or if anyone in his party recovers the animal to give you a call.

Sorry to hear it boone!

Still kind of bites first deer I have ever lost. Ok I know what your thinking but Im only 24 so havent had that many deer under my belt yet. But you go out to make the best shot you can to harvest the animal in a fast and ethical way and then you make a bad shot.

Boone, if you hunt long enough it will happen. Sadly enough, it is not a matter of if, but when. If it hasn’t yet, it will. Sorry to hear it, as it always stinks.

Hopefully the deer makes it and is fine. If not, hope some one takes him during bow or gun. As long as you learn or take something from it, you’ll be ok. Not that you did anything wrong, but hopefully you can gain experience from it.

I thought it was legal to enter land to recover your game as long as you do not take a firearm/bow. Is this not the case or is that only in MN?

Actually yes, in MN you can enter private land without a firearm or bow to retrieve a wounded animal… but if you are asked to leave, you have to. This does happen and then your best bet is to call a warden and see if they can get permission for you to go on. Technically the owner does not have to let you on the land. I have seen this happen… even with the warden escorting, they would not allow them in.