FUSTRATION, AMAZEMENT, AWE, UNBELIEVABLE, LUCK, SUCCESS, DOUBT, DEPRESSION

FRUSTRATION:  Got dressed to heading out at 6am, pager went off man having chest pains EMS needed help. (I am a Jolly Vollie EMT Firefighter) Got him stabilized pass him off to Boo Boo Buggy crew. Wow can I get back up my tree before light.
AMAZEMENT:  Got back and walking in had one snort and run off. Got seated and saw a silhouette on the horizon,a doe. 2 minutes later the rustling of leaves, and I can see a buck at 40 yards. Too dark to count. He's 20 yards, broadside, and I still can't count. He stops at my mock scrape and takes several sniffs. More rustling, Here comes two doe, big girls too. Okay here's 2 more following, again 2 doe. Getting light now looks to be a 6 point, but he's 40 yards out now and past me. Now I hear some grunting, sounds like a little buck, very high pitched and weak. Here comes a tiny doe running, stops right at the bottom of my ladder. I think her tail tinged the steps. Grunting in 40 yards to my right and he's moving up and down the hill, from side to side about 20 yards. I think he's looking for that little doe.
AWE: I see a tree move, WHAT a tree? the rack of this guy appears before him. He is taking his time but walking my way. WOO HOO. No need to count them they are quite visible. I spin towards him to get ready and pop off the safety. He will be 25 yards broadside after he clear the large locust. Out he steps, red dot where it needs to be, THWAP bolt with muzzy on its way.
UNBELIEVABLE: Up jumps that 1" tree and the bolt goes hard left. The white fletching looked like a tracer round going up thru the brush. ALL the deer jump and move only 20 feet in all different directions and stop. They can not figure out where the shot came from, well except the little girl under the stand. I sat like a rock for 5 minutes, they went back to grazing, except the little girl under me.
LUCK: Well let's try to reset the xbow and load another bolt. The little girl watched me the whole time. When the safety clicked in her tail went up, but stood firm. Big boy is now looking my way too. Sit like a rock for 2 minutes, she starts towards him, and he goes back to eating. Shoulder the Xbow and waited. He spins and starts back to where I sent the first bolt. Goes behind that locust, and stops. He steps out and is quartering away at 30 yards.
SUCCESS: I wait till he puts the left leg forward, put 30 yard dot on the back edge of the rib cage. Bolt on its way, Thump and crack it hits the mark. He heads up hill and as he breaks the neighbors yard(10 acres) he is hobbling. Down out the stand and run to the edge of the treeline only to see a tail leaping the fence at 250 yards.
DOUBT: Okay where did he run too? I see tails in the next field over and running up hill. Binocs up and they are the 2 large doe. Behind them something moves. He goes two running towards the yard I am in. Its the two other doe. Where die he go. 5 minutes go by and then I see him in the same spot the other 4 came from.He's struggling to walk. He's 350 yards out. Binocs up and clearly see the bolt sticking out of his side. Bolt is NOT flopping and is horizontal. The fletchings are mid body and 1/2 way between his front and back legs. Can't tell how much of the shaft is inside him. He turns and heads up hill out of sight. I run the yard to the edge and peek out to see him struggling to walk 50 yards up the hill. Sat down and waited for 20 minutes then started my assent.
DEPRESSION: NO blood trail. Not a drop. searched the woods for 2 hours. jumped 10 more. Went home got my son and zig zagged the woods for 2 hours. NOTHING. Broke for lunch. Went back and searched for 3 more hours. NOTHING.
 
With no blood I can only assume the muzzy never got thru the ribs and cut the lungs. Since the bolt was horizontal I assume it is stuck in a bone around the front leg/shoulder.
 
Thoughts??
Tenpoint TL4 30 yard shot too far??
Anyone have any insights?
Did see 15 turkey, DOZENS of scrapes, and several fresh rubs
 

Sorry to hear that BW,
 your tl4 is 165lb draw and shoots about 260/280fps?  30 yd shot is not too far
you said your arrow was 1/2 way back sounds like you may have gut shot it, maybe hit the ribs?
it may head for water but the arrow is still in the deer it will get infected and possibly  die anyway.
this is my worst nightmare while bow hunting
other wise sounds like you had a pretty exciting day of hunting
Hope you have success finding it. With these temps it won't take long to spoil
I shoot a 175 lbs Horton and practice out to 30yds.

For your reference:
 
 

I too believe that deer is dead. Liver/paunch one lung. In Ohio, a fellow in camp hit one and backed out. They found it the next morning 100 yards from where it wa shot. Still alive after almost 16 hours. One lung.

He was able to put a finsher in it.

that was one heck of a story. after all the highs and lows im sure your going to find him.
 
 

Hit one too far back with a .45 cal round ball years back- NO blood after the hit. 'Quarter to' shot.
    Deer ran up to a small pond bout 3oo yds away. Checked the pond because I believed it may have been a gut shot. He was bed there.
 Jumped him at the pond and he went directly to a small swamp bout another 150 yds out. Finished the job as he stood up at my approach.
 Firmly believe he would have died at the first pond if not pushed. BTW it takes  a LONG time when the hit is too far back, but check the water areas first when going back out.
  Have recovered some for others by simply bringing my Lab out with me the next day- -they can pickup the dead scent in difficult stuff or off ridges very quickly and show a lot of interest- it helps.- Any dog will probably help under the right conditions. Would not suggest a hound thats gonna take off trailing a Bunny or something.
   If worst comes to worst and there is no recovery the Crows will tell you where to recover the rack in a few days. Did that once too- and tagged the rack.
  Unfortunately its sometimes a part of what we do and ya gotta make the most of it or  suck it up and chalk it off to bad experience-
  Hope you find him one way or the other.

Probably the hardest thing to do in the woods is to pack up ad go out for lunch and come back a coupla hours later- Sounds easy-- NOT.

       Thanks for all the thoughts. Not much if any ponds or swamps near by. We do have a swamp about 1 mile up the hollow. Small creek runs the hollow, but only about 1" deep and 12" wide at present.
      I still have the image of the bolt stuck in my head. It was not flopping while he walked, therefore it was lodged in something well. The fletching were horizontal and located in front of his back leg. That puts the broad head in behind the front leg. Waiting, yes was very difficult. Once he walked up from the ravine he had gone 1/4 mile. Then to the top another 1/4. When I saw him last it had been 15 minutes then waited another 20 till I moved up. If there would have been blood in the field I would have waited longer, but no blood I got antsy and had to move.
     Monday is just to far away..........work till then........
I did mobilize the neighbors to watch for him.
              Lucky for me none of them hunt............LOL

i cant find the video i have on shot placement, but i have this buck literally dropped in his tracks my arrow went straight thru

those target pics give you  inacurate shot placement.
 

i agree muskymastr, and i cetainly dont want to armchair quarterback. and I have absolutly zero experiance with a cross bow. your right you have to find what works good for you. personally i shoot mechanicals i have friends that shoot fixed blade and love em too.  I dont want to talk about the bad shots

i found this video I hope it helps somebody, i thought it was pretty good
 
http://video.huntingclub.com/video/Dave-Maas-on-shot-placement
 
 
 

bulldog1

Esox_Hunter

If the shot entered center body mass and hit the opposite shoulder bone, that deer is  probably dead.  You would have got at least one lung and maybe liver. 

I am guessing that you got on the trail too soon and pushed it.  They can run a long way when bumped even with fatal wounds.  

I would be back out there again tomorrow morning to continue the search.  Good luck. 

I agree I dont think it is very wise to rush down out of the tree run to the edge of the field to see where the deer is going . I am not sure they know what happens to them when they are hit . But they sure do not like to see a human running after them . Thinks its best to sit tight , then sneek out of the area and come back later if at all unsure of your hit
+1

just_wanna_fish

i found this video I hope it helps somebody, i thought it was pretty good

http://video.huntingclub.com/video/Dave-Maas-on-shot-placement

Thanks for the post

     Up in the ladder stand by 6am. By 6:10 shadows appearing everywhere. Lost count at 12 as they kept circling and grazing. ALL BALD. Waited for the boys to come out and play but no takers. The girls finally leave at 8:15. Down and out, gotta do the honeydo list.
     Went up to where I saw that hit  buck last and set up at 4:00. 
     4:05 out walks a 5 point. 15 yards broadside. Let him walk out in the field, watched him for 30 minutes. HE moved off. Hope somebody's following him.
     4:40 on a quick walk or a slow trot in runs another buck, straight for me. He came thru some nasty grape vines and was as quiet as a mouse. Did not see him until 40 FEET. As he went behind a tree, shouldered Xbow and turned on the red dots. Bow was pointing at 10:00 and he now was at 2:00. Staring straight at me at 20 yards. He walks into the field and does not stop till out 30 yards and stares me down. He's now at my 4:00. We stare at each other for about 10 minutes (felt like an hour). Oh he's a non typical, looks like 5 on right and 7 on left. The left mass was twice the size of the right. He starts walking away and I roll around the tree I was up against and used it to hide behind. Peek around and he's still there, eating, now out 50 yards. I see no signs of a hit to the side of the one I shot last week.
     Now about 5:00 I here leaves behind me. I turn slowly there walks an 8 point who's rack is no bigger than my hands. He's 20 feet away. The neighbor drives up the lane and he runs off.
     Big boy is just staring now. I give a few grunts. No luck, he's not budging. Give a bleat, no luck just one intimidating stare. He slowly walks up the hill and away. Try a rattle and his tails up and he's gone
     Start to gather my things as darkness is settling in. Peek down hill there strolls a doe 50 yards out and closing. Now out 20 yards, OOPS not a doe looks like a 7 pt.
     Had to be one of my best days afield in a very long time. Twelve doe in the morning, 4 bucks in the evening.
        My age is showing as I remember this is how hunting use to be +35 years ago.
It was not uncommon for me to see 50-75 deer first day of buck season in lower Somerset county, little town of Wellersburg. I remember it was tradition to go spotting Sunday night and count 200-300 deer in the fields south of Glencoe.
      I must have been a god boy, God put on one hack of a show today............