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Recovering bow shot whitetails

Good info. If I visually see the deer fall, I begin packing my stuff and getting down for the recovery, unless I'm close to the truck and think I can shoot a second. Most places I hunt, getting one out is enough of a pain.

Just shot a doe from the ground last weekend, and didn't see her fall, but hear her crash about 50yds from where I shot her. Knowing where I was and how long it was going to take to get her out, I gave her 10 mins and found her dead right where I heard her crash.

If I don't see them fall and don't hear them crash, I wait. Depending on where I think my shot was, I may wait awhile before trailing. I usually try to get some help if I think the shot was not great. I have also used my dog to find a couple deer that I don't think I would have found otherwise.

To the original comment about water soothing wounds, I have a different opinion after talking to a vet. Internal bleeding, or external for that matter, will make deer want to hydrate themselves, which is why they head toward water. The vet had a fancier explanation, but I summed it up for myself.
 
Good stuff. I've only ever lost one with the bow. That shot was very high and very back.


The story that follows is a gun hunt it's still a good one to share.

A couple of years ago I winged a moving one with the .308. Waited an hour and started tracking with my Dad whose part Pollock and part blood hound. Good blood but after 3/4 of a mile on a very slow and careful stalk it disappeared like a fart in the wind. We both sat dejected and upset at losing what was probably a 3.5 yr old PA public buck. Even ran into a couple of other hunter's who picked up the track behind us and they lost the track too. Thinking on it for the next 3 days we figured, based on the color and quantity, that I may have hit it high enough that I barely got one lung before pass through. These animals are tough so you'll never have to remind me that shot placement will always be just as important as figuring out where they are.
 
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Sheer bulldog tenacity is one one your best assets. The guys that want to give up on a sparse blood trail after a few minutes need to find another hobby. You not only owe it to the animal you shot but to every other hunter to do everything in your power to recover it. Another pet peave of mine is hunting in coyote and bear country where a shooter wants to let the deer go overnight, knowing full well that the odds are very high that all they'll retrieve is the head. Respect your quarry enough to go to any length to recover it.
 
I usually do 3 things. First I lob a flu flu at the last place I saw the deer. The I take a compass bearing as to his direction. Lastly I make darn sure I am sure as to exactly where the deer was standing at the shot, It's amazing how it looks so different from the ground. Being just a couple feet off the trail is not much difference than being way off the trail.
 
Thanks for posting that John!

Most of the deer I shoot that run any distance at all usually run downhill and find the biggest brushpile or briar patch to go down in.
 
No arguments here. Well said. I learned tracking hit deer as a young child with my Dad and uncles before I was old enough to hunt and so fortunate for all those experiences. I've since taken 99% of my deer with a bow and that is my passion. The past couple years in a few areas I hunt the coyotes have got so bad I have to rethink my whole time strategy when it comes to tracking. 2 years ago I hit a nice doe perfect dubble lung. Ran out of sight in the thick stuff. I immediately started slowly packing up my gear to get on the track because I knew the shot was good and rain was going to start any minute. It was 25 minutes between the time I shot the deer and when I recovered the deer. It went 75 yards and by the time I got there the whole ass end was eaten. Have also seen a coyote activity on the track of a deer I just shot and it had pushed that deer. In certain areas I now don't wait at all if I know the shot was good. I'm a meat hunter so I can't stand losing meat to coyotes.
 
Rico said:
My four legged tracker is Rico. He's an Original Mountain Cur, hot blooded squirrel dog and deer blood trailer extraordinaire. Dog's can take much of the pain out of deer recovery.
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Are your dogs blood trained exclusively or off the interdigital gland?

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As long as I’m doing the shooting, I’ve never really been very surprised by a recovery process, except when I shot deer quartering to me from the ground. Hadn’t realized how effective that shot was for a quick kill. Tracking other hunter shots is where I’ve had questions because I didn’t see the impact, and it seems that the questionable hits are never really how they are described, regardless of weapon.

When I was a young hunter the limits in MI went to unlimited deer tags and I took advantage of it, so you just get used to what a hit requires and the likelihood of recovery, as so many poorly hit deer actually recover. I remember in one of John’s books how many projectiles he’d pull out of a mature deer.

If you’re not recovering an arrow double lung hit deer within a very short ways, you’ve probably got some problems to figure out, sharpness would be a good start. Blood trails are not a result of massive cutting diameters and blade numbers. It all sharpness and placement. Recovery is important, and approaching an age of 50 I’ve had about enough of the “my broadhead“ or even “my sight” excuses. There’s so much great info out there, many of these broadhead manufacturers should be out of business due to getting laughed out of the business. Crossbows aren’t helping recovery as the shots extend out beyond effective range. Nothing surprises me anymore, let alone the lack of knowledge for animal recovery.

Its nice to see a post to help recovery.
 
Question:

I’ve been bow hunting for 3 years now and have taken 2 deer with my bow. Both deer dropped dead right where I shot them at. First was a spine shot doe who was a few yards from my tree that I was 20ish feet up. Follow up shot through the heart and she expired quickly. Second was a buck I shot this past weekend. He dropped stone cold too but it was a double lunger and he was dead in a minute max. I think I may have hit the offside shoulder but didn’t investigate too much since my arrow ended up popping out the other side while dragging. Is there anything else that could’ve caused this second scenario other than hitting that shoulder? I’ve rifle hunted most of my life and only had 1 maybe 2 of those deer drop straight down after the shot, usually they pile up 30 ish yards away. Figured some of you more experienced people had some opinions on what might cause a deer to go straight down other than a spine/ possible shoulder shot.


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jtw0057 said:
Question:

I’ve been bow hunting for 3 years now and have taken 2 deer with my bow. Both deer dropped dead right where I shot them at. First was a spine shot doe who was a few yards from my tree that I was 20ish feet up. Follow up shot through the heart and she expired quickly. Second was a buck I shot this past weekend. He dropped stone cold too but it was a double lunger and he was dead in a minute max. I think I may have hit the offside shoulder but didn’t investigate too much since my arrow ended up popping out the other side while dragging. Is there anything else that could’ve caused this second scenario other than hitting that shoulder? I’ve rifle hunted most of my life and only had 1 maybe 2 of those deer drop straight down after the shot, usually they pile up 30 ish yards away. Figured some of you more experienced people had some opinions on what might cause a deer to go straight down other than a spine/ possible shoulder shot.


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brachial plexus
 
Never spined a deer with a bow. A gun, yes. But never hit one with a bow that didn’t run at least 20-30 and then fall over
 
jtw0057 said:
Question:

I’ve been bow hunting for 3 years now and have taken 2 deer with my bow. Both deer dropped dead right where I shot them at. First was a spine shot doe who was a few yards from my tree that I was 20ish feet up. Follow up shot through the heart and she expired quickly. Second was a buck I shot this past weekend. He dropped stone cold too but it was a double lunger and he was dead in a minute max. I think I may have hit the offside shoulder but didn’t investigate too much since my arrow ended up popping out the other side while dragging. Is there anything else that could’ve caused this second scenario other than hitting that shoulder? I’ve rifle hunted most of my life and only had 1 maybe 2 of those deer drop straight down after the shot, usually they pile up 30 ish yards away. Figured some of you more experienced people had some opinions on what might cause a deer to go straight down other than a spine/ possible shoulder shot.


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I would think most likely you hit the spine on that one too. If they react to the shot hard, they can drop the spine way down between the shoulders. I would venture to say any time you hear someone say they hit no man's land that type deer reaction occurred. They perceive they hit below the spine when in reality the arrow passed over the top of the spine.
 
a901d1601dca2ff82cced6cc18f052df.jpg

This doe was hit in the spine. Entry hole pictured.


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jtw0057 said:
Interesting. So basically high shoulder area? Must’ve been what I hit on the offside.

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That's my guess.

But I have shot several deer with bow and arrow that just kinda fell over with basic double lung arrow placement. I don't know why. Hasn't happened in awhile though.
 
redsquirrel said:
That is a really good example of how the spine dips as it approaches the neck. 6" back and that is in the boiler room.
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Yep it is a combination of that and the fact that when deer react everything is moving down except the feet and legs. Sometimes the eyes see exactly where the arrow went but the reaction and/or results of the shot do not match. In this case I saw the arrow make entry basically on level with the elbow knuckle at the brisket but the arrow did not hit the things you expect to be behind that spot on a deer. Hit a buck about 3" back from where I hit that doe a couple years prior and he was not recovered. 3 days later he showed back up on camera in the same food plot following a doe. I for the life of me could not figure out how it was remotely possible for a deer to have a hole in his side at what 99% of folks would say was a heart shot and not be dead. The only half way conceivable answer I could come up with was that his chest dropped low enough between his shoulders that the arrow actually went through the backstrap above the spine. That doe confirmed and answered that question.
 
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