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Im gonna be sick....lesson learned either way.

I think every one out here has a story like this. I know I have a few. Some ended better than others. Do your best to find him. That's all you can do. Don't get discouraged.
 
Hit him high, shocked the spine, that will drop him but if shocked not severed they get up and go after a minute. Blood will be high, backstrap muscle blood that’s thin and watery. The good news is the deer will likely live. Sucks you lost him though bud. I’ve lost a couple does like that with my bow. It sucks, but you are not alone... and you did the right thing giving him some time before searching, and yes now you know to shoot him again just in case


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Its only been two days but i keep playing it over and over in my head and i cant stop thinking about it. Im going to use it as motivation to become a better hunter though. A big part of me wants to just quit hunting, or at least for the remainder of this season. I know I cant quit i got to keep hunting, scouting, and reading. Sorry for being sappy, just beating myself up, ready to redeem myself this weekend. Im using the picture of the blood from where i shot the buck as my homescreen. It will stay there till i kill a deer, more motivation.

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This will only be a story to the grand kids one day as you sit in front of a wall full of various mounts. Short memory man but dont forget it. Get back out there and make it happen.
 
Everyone loses one sooner or later. I know i have. As long as you try to give it your best shot to find the deer and learn all you can from the experience you are doing ok i think.
It is people that dont put any effort in finding the deer that piss me off,or people that dont feel bad about wounding one.
I had a terrible season two years ago and lost two does during bow and one during gun. That was more than i had lost in my years of hunting combined. I was pretty mad at myself and a lot of it was due to my equipment. The string on my starter bow was worn out which made the broadheads fly funny. I didnt realize that until later. One doe i pushed too early,i think i would have gotten her had i played my cards right.
And i used a new powder on my muzzleloader and got a delayed ignition,which didn't happen when i sighted it in.
So i got my equipment issues fixed and researched after the shot procedures for questionable hits and got two does with the bow last season,even though both were liver and one lung hits. Still not ideal but a much better outcome than the year before.
I shot the new used bow i got last summer a ton and felt very confident,but shooting at a deer is quite different from shooting a target.
Good luck to you for the next time!
 
I feel for you man. It's never easy. The memory makes us strive to do it better the next time, as hunters that's how it works. This too shall pass, and you'll be better for it. That thought doesn't make it suck any less, but I hope it will soften the blows as you beat your self up a little. As others have said your in good company. If you hunt long enough it's bound to happen. I have no doubt you'll get your mind wrapped around this and move on..... bow or gun in hand. Edit: Sorry you didn't get your deer.
 
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Jwiggins762 said:
Well had a dog come out but we didnt stay out long, no luck. I have to work at 5 am. I dont know if im gonna try and get the dog back out tomorrow after i get off work or not. Its just another part of learning, it just sucks and I hope he is still alive somehow. Hope i can get back out next weekend and get after them with these last few weeks left.
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With my limited experience it sounds like you hit him right above the spine and knocked him out. I've done it once during a push and luckily somebody else got a shot off to finish him. When we did an inspection of him, he was barely touched with the first slug. I understand feeling bad, but when you knock down a deer like that, he's either dead or he's barely injured. You only get good at killing deer, by killing deer, keep the faith and learn from it!
 
This happens to many of us when we start out.

As long as the shots are safe, once I put an arrow or bullet in an animal, I continue to follow up with additional shots as I am able.

Let's say, I see that I put an arrow through the center of a deer's lungs. I do not scramble for a second arrow because I know the shot is good, but if they were to stop and gave me time and were standing there then I'd shoot again.

In the moment, I don't consider meat damage or put it as a much more distant priority.
 
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