re: How many deer have you lost?

Lost 1st buck I shot as a 10yo. Lost a doe I shot with a bow at 16.

2. First one was a button buck I thought was a doe years ago when I first started bow hunting. He went 100 to 150 yards and died in a guys concrete driveway and I never found any blood and it was my first bow kill. Technically I didn't lose him but the meat was no good because it was hot that night and the home owner asked if we lost a deer we shot the next day around noon. The second and only deer I have never found was a head shot deer and I blew off her bottom jaw with a rifle. Will never take a head shot again after seeing that.

The button buck was killed in Sanford NC on a 200 acre lease and we had a travel corridor next to the railroad tracks and a big draw next to a Guys house on 3 acres. We never thought a deer could jump that draw but it did with an arrow in it.

So who is it that's down voting everybody??

A few years back I was late to my stand one morning and it was daylight as I was walking up to it. There were deer already there so I stooped down to watch them. A medium sized buck stood up about 60-70 yards and I squeezed off a shot that felt good. Crosshairs were on his chest. I walk over to where he was when inshot and there's no blood. I go to where I last saw him......no blood. Looked for hours with no sign. Despite finding no blood I know I hit the deer. The very next day on the very next stand, I shot a different buck. This one farther away. Waited a few minutes and walk over to where he was......no blood again! My stomach turned over and I became super pissed. I went sit back on the stand about an hour with many different emotions running through my mind. I went to the edge of the woods where he was last seen and went looking for him. No sign of blood, tracks, hair or anything. I walk within 40 yards of him and he's laid down still alive, looking at me. A second shot put him out for good.

My brother and I both shot at what we think was the same 4 pt in velvet on the opening day of bow season a few years back. He hit it on the front right should and the arrow broke off. The deer ran my direction and about 45 minutes after he shot it, I put a complete pass through on a 4 pt in velvet. Neither of us ever found a drop of blood (although I found my arrow covered in blood). We searched the small 20 acre patch of woods we were hunting for hours and hours and never found anything. Still baffles me to this day.

This year alone I've had 3 people hunting with me lose what wouldve been the biggest deer they had ever killed, all bow shots. 1 we never found blood on and the other 2 the blood trail dried up in less than 100 yards. And they're all good, ethical hunters who know what they are doing. Just a weird season.

I had something similar a couple years back. Dropped a doe at about 125 yards. A few minutes later she drags herself with her front feet into the brush at edge of the pipeline. I should have shot her when I saw that but in my inexperience I thought she would just be in the grass at the edge. Nope. Found blood from where she laid but it was kind of a muddy area. Never found any blood after that and I think I jumped her while looking. I would assume the wound got plugged with mud and slowed the bleeding down.

Haven't lost any since I trained one of my dogs to blood trail. I don't deer hunt much but got tired of crawling through briars when my dad was shooting them in the arse. He had a bad cataract for a few years.

I'm trying to get my dog on more trails. By no means will he be able to track a deer that isn't dropping blood or 5+ hours old - but on one "test" we did with deer that dropped on the spot, drug the deer 100 yards off into thick brush.

Dog got on the scent and tracked right towards the deer.

Lost one earlier this year on public land. I bow hunted all morning and decided it was time to leave. I put my bow down and start packing my bag (on the ground now) and see something out of the corner of my eye. I look up and there is a doe standing 20 yards away. I try my best to slowly pick my bow up and she darts off, but has a buck right behind her. Shot him with my 40 yard pin at 43 yards so it may have hit a little low if anything. Waited 45 min, then at first I was so turned around I couldn't find the arrow, after 30 min of searching finally found a drop of blood that led me to the arrow, complete pass through. Tracked the SOB for a little over a quarter mile until he ran into the swamp and the blood disappeared. I still feel sick knowing that would have been;

-My first deer on public land
-My first deer with a bow
-My first buck

quote:

---

I've heard too many horror stories about deer being dead for 5 minutes and getting up and running off.

---

My dad dropped a spike on the spot with .270 - we wait 30 minutes or so and climb down from the stand to go drag the deer to the road. The sonofabitch jumps up when we get within 10 yards of it! No sign of blood whatsoever.

Lesson learned, have firearm locked/cocked/loaded as you approach "dead" deer. I guess that is why every TV personality pokes the rear end with the gun barrel before posing for pics.