Wounded a deer.

[Kevin B.]

I sat up a ground blind (made from cutting lower beech tree limbs and arranging in a semi-cirle with my back against a tree. The set up and strategy was perfect. Around 6pm Central Time, a doe peeks out from the stand of small jack-pines and surveys the small powerline clearing. Seeing that all is safe, she comes completely out and stands broadside from me at what I figured was around 20 yards. (turns out that it was 19 yards). I have my bow raised and send an arrow with an expandable 2-blade Rage into the boiler-room.
The deer IMMEDIATELY drops and begins thrashing about. "ALRIGHT!!!!!"....I thought and the adrenaline started pumping with a fury. But it was also pumping in the deers system. I heard her go still. She was almost visible as I could see legs flailing in the air while she was on her back. I wait 30 minutes and slip out of the woods for my friend who owns a 4 wheeler. He volunteers to go back and help me bring her back. I am ecstatic and proud to show my first deer of the year.
Whispering, I show my friend where the impact occurred and where my blind was. He was impressed and my EGO shot up with each congratulatory word. Long story short: We never found her. Hunted until 10 pm!!!!!!!!!!!! The blood gave out in about 20 yards. The blood was red with no bubbles or pink froth. I must have hit her high and temporarily paralyzed her.
Nothing.....and I mean NOTHING...demoralizes me worse than wounding a deer. I cannot stand to think of the creature out there suffering. I prayed for a roving band of coyotes to track her and take her out simply to eliminate the suffering. The deers potential suffering far outweighs my poor-ole wounded EGO. It made me start thinking about WHY I hunt. For a major EGO-boost? Or for meat?
Nostalgia and the pure aesthetics of the sport are main contributors because my father (now deceased) and me had our best times together while bow-hunting.....with old Bear recurves, then compounds, and now....I use a cross-bow. I checked the zero on my bow WITH the practice Rage expandable and it was perfect! I hope that this doesn't set the tone of my entire season. It certainly has caused my enthusiasm to wane. Heck...I didn't even get up and go this morning and the weather was PERFECT! There are absolutely NO ACORNS on the lease where I hunt. I have yet to find even any Red Oak acorns.....much less...any White Oak acorns. This is going to be "one of them" seasons. Unless I adopt a new strategy and find the deer.
I apologize for sounding so negative today (of all days). Just bummed out right now. This too....shall pass.
Note: I have yet to see any circling buzzards and this happened on Friday evening.
The only consolation that I can give myself is remembering when this happened before (2 years ago?) and I posted a similar self-pitiful thread and SCN responded that "there is absolutely NO WASTE in nature." Those words from him keep echoing in my head and I am thankful to him for correcting my perspective.
Anyway.....good hunting to all!!!!! Kevin

 

[ADR]

Kinda sounds high shoulder/spine. Many deer have survived that shot

 

[MMHunter]

Survive a spine shot?

 

[KENBOB10]

Survive a spine shot?

If he hit it in the spine he certainly wouldn't be looking for it. It would have bounced when it hit the ground.

 

[ADR]

I guess I mistyped. It is possible to hit vertebrae without hitting the spinal cord. And yes it would cause a temporary paralysis. I have dug two broadheads out of thoracic vertebra while butchering. One was shot by a friend that did the same action you described only to be killed during juvy.

 

[benellivol]

I guess I mistyped. It is possible to hit vertebrae without hitting the spinal cord. And yes it would cause a temporary paralysis. I have dug two broadheads out of thoracic vertebra while butchering. One was shot by a friend that did the same action you described only to be killed during juvy.

I killed a doe two years ago that had a full arrow running the length of her spine. I'm assuming she was quartering away, someone took the shot and it hit high and just ran down tight to her spine. It was a big scarred up spot.

I field dressed her and went to cut the backstraps and there it was.

They're amazing animals

 

[Timber Ghost]

I hate it but it happens, happened to my Buddy 2 days in a row. Both arrows thru and thru, 1 hit too far back for sure but we thought we would get her anyway. The other was a steep downward angle, no blood at all except on the arrow. We hunted for hrs with no luck.

 

[BallisticV]

I had a really bad shot this last weekend that was too far back! I was really scared that I would not find her! I gave her a couple hours then started the track. I was pleased to find she only make is 120 yards.. It appears she dies quickly. That is true that nothing in Nature is a waste.

 

[Kevin B.]

Thanks for the replies guys. One time, during Muzzleloading season, I shot a buck too high (between front shoulder and spine....like I did the doe the other day I suspect). I was hunting with Daddy (he was a MD). I explained to him that the deer dropped and began flailing about (and grunting!!) and finally it got up and ran off leaving no blood trail. Daddy whooped out one of his medical terms and called it "Spinal Shock". It temporarily paralyzes the animal.....as someone in this thread already suggested. I think that this is what happened. Plus....I have yet to see buzzards circling and I go check every day. Anyway, thanks guys, for your feedback.

 

[hitek7]

My dad double lunged one Sunday morning and there were 3 drops of blood at point of impact and blood on the arrow. We looked and looked for blood to find none. He got to second guessing his shot and that maybe he just cut her belly. He said "I could swear I heard a crash but I guess not". I finally just took off walking in the line I thought the deer would go and found her about 200 yds away. The only blood was where she was laying dead. I looked and where the shot was and if I was shooting at her, I would not change the placement.

 

[WRbowhunter]

Hit a doe in the back one time and dropped her like a ton of bricks. She then bounced around a bit and could not move her back legs at all. she then stopped and had this "what now look" was trying to find a clear shot at her but to much stuff in the way so I figure I better climb down and go finish it. As soon as I lowered my bow the deer started bouncing around again and it must have dislodged the arrow or something and she stood up like nothing happend and walked away. Guess we both just must have pinched a nerve and the deer just did some self adjustments and corrected the issue and moved on.

 

[Boone 58]

What adr said. I know that feeling, and I hate it too. Still, deer are the most resilient of all animals I have ever witnessed to survive superficial wounds as well as leg wounds. Good luck!

 

[barkscaler]

I shot one years ago with a muzzle loader and she dropped instantly and started thrashing.A minute later she stopped moving.All of a sudden a big eight ran out,and my uncle shot him.We waited thirty minutes or so,and walked right by my deer to go trail his.She never moved and her eyes were open"obviously dead".The shot was broadside,square in the shoulder.We tracked his,gutted it,and was dragging it out when we noticed my deer was gone.We followed lung blood for 300 yds. and never found that deer.She had laid there motionless for over an hour.Never seen any buzzards or anything.It baffles me to this day.

 

[botta]

I shot one Saturday morning Quartering away pretty hard and on release it turned- went thru the shoulder. Bled pretty good for 80 yrds, then clotted up. Deer went up the mountain jumping over blow downs. Figure it will live- flesh wound.
Spined a 8pt on Sunday morning- dropped it and had to finish it off. Horrible feeling. We practice all year and deer do funny, albeit predictable things...

 

[Winchester]

Yep sounds like a stinger that she got over, likely just a flesh wound shes dealing with now. It happens.

 

[TheRealSpurhunter]

Had one as been described by several already with a black powder my daughter shot last year, never seen a deer thrash around and scream like this then after a while jump up and run off. Trailed for hundreds of yards, then it stopped bleeding.

SHot a small buck Sunday with crossbow, broadside, bloody arrow, blood trail for a few hundred yards, it never stopped and trail disappeared.

I will say this with 100% certainty, if you have never lost a deer, gun, bow, muzzleloader, you haven't shot enough of them. It happens, and those that cant stand the though, need to stop hunting.