Shot a doe at 10yrds this evening. She was perfectly broadside. Thought I made a perfect double lung shot. Heard a dull thud after I released and saw her kick up, then run off 40 yards. Timed the shot at 5:07pm.
Found my arrow with blood, brown stuff, and white and brown hairs on it and on the ground about 5 feet away. No blood found where I shot her. Arrow didn't stink like guts though. Just kind of smelled like deer. And after smelling deer guts the weekend before last after my cousin cut the stomach while gutting a deer the smell was pretty fresh in my mind, so I don't think it was gutshot.
Waited an hour after I shot her to check for her. Went to the spot I last saw her and found bright red blood and some hair. Found three different places with blood but then that was it.
Uncle came out and searched with me for an hour but it was really dark, so we called it. I'm going to go back out early in the morning with my FIL.
Anyway, wanted to get opinions on if I made a good shot or not.
Here's the rest of the story... which may or may not provide some insight.
So this doe came in two fawns, with another mature doe and another set of twins. Two buttons and two doe fawns. I decided that if one of the mama's gave me a shot I was going to make good on it. Well they came in just before 5 o'clock at about 60 yards out. I watched them make there way along a ditch that divides the timber and the AG fields at the property I hunted. I threw a couple of soft grunts at them to get there attention, but they just went on their merry way. Well not 5 minutes later one of the buttons is making his way at me and is going to cross 10 yards in front of me. The other fawns, and the does followed. I waited until the last one, which was the mature one, was in my shooting lane, which was only 10 yards from my tree, then made a pathetic mouth bleat and hit the trigger on the release.
The doe I shot bounded off along with the rest of the deer. Well not but a couple of minutes later all of the deer came right back underneath my tree! Even the other mature doe! They were all scent checking and sniffing around where I shot the other deer, but never spooked. Well while this is happening I was looking over where I last saw the doe I shot and I see a big bodied deer standing about 60-70 yards away behind a tree. This deer didn't move at all and my first thought was "damnit please don't be the doe I shot!" Well I couldn't tell if it was or wasn't and eventually all the deer left. I wasn't out of my stand and packed up until 6:30, and was pretty positive I didn't spook any deer.
Also worth noting this would be my first archery deer. I felt like I may have punched my release pretty badly when making this shot, because I was so nervous and jacked on adrenaline.
All in all a super exciting hunt for me. Crossing my fingers I can find her in the morning.
