Well, sitting in my treestand yesterday, got back in it at 2:45. Figured I’d sit for a few minutes before trying to call. Did a short series of rattleing along with a few grunts and finished off with a couple tips of the doe can. All of the sudden I hear something to my right, turn and look and see horns! Thinking to myself well that was quick. The deer is coming right towards me, appearing to be coming down the trail straight behind me so I just sit and wait for him to pass me on the left and I will have my perfect quartering away shot. Well he veered off the trail about 10 -15 yards but was still behind me. I get stood up and turned around and if he takes one more step he exposes his vitals just perfect, so I draw. He steps into the lane and quarters away just a smidgen. This is all too perfect (25 yards quartering away!) I take aim right behind his shoulder and touch it off….THWACK! He runs off with my arrow sticking out his side. I wait about 20 mins and get down and go to my buddies stand. We get on the blood trail about 30 mins later (figuring I had a god shot on him). Blood like crazy. There was so much blood you could see it 5 ft in front of you and lots of it. Hey I’m thinking, last time I checked that a very good sign. 400 yards later and still having good blood but running out of light we decided to come back at first light and find him.
So we get out there today and pick up the trail again, very optimistic. We kept saying “I can’t believe he hasn’t run out of blood yet”. This morning we tracked him another 200-300 yards just as he makes a big circle and gets back on a trail that he was already on 
We looked and looked for more sign to no avail 
This is typical swamp grass, scrub brush, creek bottom stuff so he could be right next to you and not even see him. We did a 2 hr visual search and no luck before we called it a stale mate. I already have my venison in the freezer for the year so the meat is not an issue, so I’ve decide that I hope the crows will lead me to him in the next few days and I’d gladly burn my tag on just the rack. The thing that really ticks me off is I put it exactly where I wanted to!!! I think I just got one lung and it went thru to the opposite shoulder, 3-4 inches to the left and he goes 50-100 yards. Either way if I find him or not my bow season is over this year. He wasn’t a monster or any thing (130-140″ 10 pointer), but it just makes me sick. Thanks for the shoulder everyone 
I just thought I’d tell all you guys like “Lip Ripper” that love these stories, but usually with a happier ending! Later Brad
November 5, 2005 at 9:29 pm
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