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Post by dwhunting on Oct 2, 2006 21:52:50 GMT -5
Second year in the bowhunting woods and finally connected on a doe. I thought that I put a good shot on her. It felt and looked really good. However I was unable to find her. This is has become one of the worst feelings in my life. I have shot deer with a firearm before and unfortunatley unable to find the game. But connecting on this deer with a bow at hand and unable to retrieve her feels 100 times worse. Has this happen to anybody else out there?
After going over the situation in my head about 1000 times I believe I missed her about 2 inchs from the heart in her front left quarter. It's unfortunate and saddening!
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Post by Woody Williams on Oct 2, 2006 22:13:28 GMT -5
Yes.... I have had it happen and it is not pleasant to say the least.
If you've made every effort to find her then that is all you can do.
But, do not let it get you down to where you don't want to get back out there and hunt again.
There will be much better days ahead..
Good luck..
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Post by jajwrigh on Oct 2, 2006 23:16:54 GMT -5
A hunting buddy of mine shot a buck tonight and the same thing happenned. We looked for a long time and fanned out and covered a huge area with no luck. The blood trail just vanished...This is the second time that he has had a mechanical fail to open up.  |
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Post by indianahick on Oct 2, 2006 23:36:01 GMT -5
The guy that I bow hunt with shot a doe a couple of years ago with a mechinical, after about 100 yards the blood trail just quit totally and until that point it had been pretty sporadic at best. While mechanicals fly like practise points I do not like the way they have a tendancy to fail to open upon impact. I went back to a fixed blade with a 1.25 cut width. After tracking that one and not finding her.
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Post by Decatur on Oct 3, 2006 6:20:41 GMT -5
I don't care for mechanicals either. Sunday night a buddy of mine shot a buck with one. The broadhead, a grim reaper, was bent at a 45 degree angle, and one of the blades never opened. I think he hit a front leg bone or his shoulder, not really sure. He shot him quartering to him, almost always a bad shot. We looked forever. Had specks of blood for probably 150 yards then nothing. Good news is he saw the buck Monday afternoon. He said he looked to be running around ok.
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Post by hunter7x on Oct 3, 2006 6:46:25 GMT -5
Fellas I don't care for mechanicals either, I am Muzzy through and through. BUT....no matter what you use, you've got to hit them where your supposed to. A marginal hit like in the shoulder will result in an unrecovered deer with a lot of broadheads not just mechanicals.
Stay put after the shot, read the arrow if it goes through (Muzzy's go all the way through !) learn from an experienced hunter the art of blood trailing.
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Post by budfields on Oct 3, 2006 7:51:35 GMT -5
Friends..
I took a nice doe Monday morning. She field dressed out at 118 lbs and the shot I had was slightly angling toward me to the left. I place a "fixed blade" 100 grain Rocky Mountain 3-blade Warhead right where the neck and shoulder joins.
The arrow passed through her angling back and at a downward angle taking out a BUNCH OF VITALS!! I heard her crash less than 30 yards from the point of impact.
I guess I am "old school" but I prefer to use the fixed blade broadheads. I NEVER woory about the blades NOT opening. Whatever your choice... keep them sharp and in the "kill-zone."
GOOD HUNTING..
Bud Fields
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Post by huxbux on Oct 3, 2006 8:44:17 GMT -5
I've also had bad experiences with the mechanicals. Only use fixed blades now. Chances are that deer will survive, dwhunting. Hard to get good penetration through a front shoulder, even with the best broadheads. A lot of dense cartilage in there. We all know the feeling of losing one, I'm sure. That's hunting.
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Post by Decatur on Oct 3, 2006 9:32:32 GMT -5
BUT....no matter what you use, you've got to hit them where your supposed to. A marginal hit like in the shoulder will result in an unrecovered deer with a lot of broadheads not just mechanicals. |
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Post by DEERTRACKS on Oct 3, 2006 9:39:39 GMT -5
Second year in the bowhunting woods and finally connected on a doe. I thought that I put a good shot on her. It felt and looked really good. However I was unable to find her. This is has become one of the worst feelings in my life. I have shot deer with a firearm before and unfortunatley unable to find the game. But connecting on this deer with a bow at hand and unable to retrieve her feels 100 times worse. Has this happen to anybody else out there? After going over the situation in my head about 1000 times I believe I missed her about 2 inchs from the heart in her front left quarter. It's unfortunate and saddening! Bummer! Makes for a disgusted, sickning day or two as you replay everything in your mind. I think we have all been in your shoes and feel your pain. Keep your chin up & learn from it. |
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Post by DEERTRACKS on Oct 3, 2006 9:42:59 GMT -5
The guy that I bow hunt with shot a doe a couple of years ago with a mechinical, after about 100 yards the blood trail just quit totally and until that point it had been pretty sporadic at best. While mechanicals fly like practise points I do not like the way they have a tendancy to fail to open upon impact. I went back to a fixed blade with a 1.25 cut width. After tracking that one and not finding her. Old school here! Muzzy fixed 4 blades & finger shooter. Less things to go wrong at the moment of truth. |
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Post by jstalljon on Oct 3, 2006 10:08:49 GMT -5
I lost a deer with a mechanical and I went back to the trusty 3 blade 100 gr. Muzzy's. To be honest, I don't even know why I switched....I guess I just got pulled in to the hype. Granted, at target practice from the ground my groups with the mechanicals were slightly better, but I think a whole can of worms opens up when those blades are forced to open from an elevated position.
I know some swear by the expandable heads, and my hats off to you....I just hope you don't lose a deer like I did when one of the blades fails to open.
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Post by dwhunting on Oct 3, 2006 11:28:56 GMT -5
Thanks for all the encouragement! Maybe next time I will---hit them where your supposed to. A marginal hit like in the shoulder will result in an unrecovered deer with a lot of broadheads not just mechanicals.
Stay put after the shot, read the arrow if it goes through (Muzzy's go all the way through !) learn from an experienced hunter the art of blood trailing. Thanks for the advise.
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Post by lugnutz on Oct 3, 2006 23:04:42 GMT -5
Two years ago i shot a decent buck at Hovey Lake, i hit him high, just under the spine, right above the front shoulders, excellent blood trail, until he headed to a set a side field where i had no luck in finding him. I dreamed of the shot, and the situation for at least week. I completely understand how you must of felt. Lug |
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Post by Sleazy E on Oct 3, 2006 23:26:17 GMT -5
A couple of years ago I shot and got a pass through on a huge 12 point with my bow. It was only 9am so I knew I had plenty of time so I waited an hour before i even climbed down to start looking. My arrow was sticking out of the ground covered in blood and there was a blood trail about a foot wide. I knew he was as good as on my wall. Called up my buddy to bring the truck back and we wnet ont he hunt for him. He went a lot farther than I would ahve thought, we tracked him for hours and kicked him up once. There was all kinds of blood where he had bedded down but when he took off again he was not bleeding anymore. I looked for 3 days for him not hunting just combing the woods and the bedding area trying to find him before the meat was not good and then after it was to late for that for the rack. I never did find him and I was heart broken.... not only did I not recover an animal but I ruined a trophy deer because I had made a mistake.
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Post by Blackstick on Oct 4, 2006 12:10:53 GMT -5
I gave up on bow hunting for four years, once, because of the same situation. Bummer!
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