A day of mistakes....

[soup]

I normally don't hunt local until late season because I go up to camp for second week. I decided with the snow I would start work early and leave early to get out for a couple hours. I went to the area I was archery hunting because I know where to expect the deer.

I was coming up a hill that usually has deer on the other side, well I slipped on the snow at the top of the hill and spooked the two nice doe on the other side... That was mistake # 1. Ok no big deal so I kept hunting.

Around 4:30 pm I was hunting my way back to the truck when I came across a nice group of deer. It's at least 4 Doe a Spike and a shooter buck, I couldn't get a good look at the antlers but it was either a very large 6 or a good size 8. I had decided I was not going to shoot any buck locally unless it was a 10 or better because that would pretty much kill my trip to camp so I looked for a good sized doe.

The shooter buck was trying to keep the spike away from the doe, it was actually kind of amusing to watch. The shooter buck finally got the spike to run and in doing so a doe jumped and walked away from the group a little. It was getting pretty dark, I looked at the time, 4:50pm it was dark but still legal shooting time. I was in a kneeling position. I raised the shotgun and got her in the sights but was not happy with the shot so I lowered it. She continued a little further away from the group and I raised the shotgun again. I had what I thought was a nice broadside shot and she was away from the other deer. I pulled the trigger and watched her run around the front of a wood line and back up behind it on the other side.

I had felt myself flinch or something when taking the shot... I started walking toward where I shot her ( I assume this is mistake #2) After a few minutes of looking found blood. This is what I found



I started keeping track of my trail. I followed the blood a ways (this might have been mistake #2). About 20 yards from the initial blood trail I found this



I thought for sure I was going to find her only a few yards away but I was wrong... I was able to continue to follow little drips of blood but not many. She ran up and over a huge berm and continued running for a ways. I followed for another 100 yards and found this



At this point I'm not thinking and concentrating on following a trail which now goes across a creek/pond/canal whatever. (Mistake #3) I follow the blood. If I had been thinking I would have realized that she laid down and I probably kicked her up but that didn't come to realization until later. I pick up the trail again

So now it's almost 7pm and 3/4 mile later I find her bedded down so I wait. By this time I'm not far from a road and some industrial complex. I should have just backed out, got my truck and came back but no... I waited. Something startled her again and she got up and booked it across a corn field and through a bunch of peoples yards.

I went over to where she was bedded down and there was blood but not much at all. I waited a bit and went back to my truck in order to gather my thoughts and find a closer place to park to where she was last.

I went back to the site and followed her tracks... not a drop of blood. the entire way across that corn field I couldn't find one drop.

There was no guts in the blood and the blood was bright red. I assume I hit her in a non vital area considering how fast and far she ran. The more I think about it the more it sucks. I tracked her for 3 hours and almost a mile before she took off across that corn field with no blood trail.

I'm going to try and head back tomorrow when it's daylight and see if I can get permission to check some of these peoples yards to see if there is anything at all.

I really feel shitty for making a bad shot. I feel shitty for kicking her up twice. I feel shitty for not finding the trail again. I feel shitty not knowing where I hit her.... it really does suck. This is the first time anything like this has ever happened to me. I hope it will be the last.

[bogey1]

I really feel shitty for making a bad shot. I feel shitty for kicking her up twice. I feel shitty for not finding the trail again. I feel shitty not knowing where I hit her.... it really does suck. This is the first time anything like this has ever happened to me. I hope it will be the last.

Thats why you're posting. Its bothering you. That happened to me once with a bow. tracked it for six hours, nothing. I hate non clean kill shots. It bothers the living hell out of me. Maybe thats why i dont hunt as much as i used too.
The last two buck i took, took 4rnds each.. Talk about pissed off and upset.

Hopefully it doesnt die and recovers or, it dies quick (and you find it).
Good luck man...

[ReconLdr]

That sucks.... Hope you find the deer.

[A-5]

Did it last year it makes you sick, you really feel like throwing your gun don't you.

[soup]

I can say, there was a lot of cursing when I was walking that corn field...

[bogey1]

you really feel like throwing your gun don't you.

Been there...(rem 870 shotty) I dont like to see animals suffer, Thats what pisses me off.. Some people dont give a rats ass if the thing suffers for hours. My brain isn't wired that way.

[Pector55]

Brother, I know the feeling. I learned my lesson after kicking up my buck twice! I was lucky to find him but lesson learned. When my son shot his deer with the crossbow, I told him that we would spend the next 20 min packing up, then we would take the truck into town to get gas and I would buy him a hot chocolate. On the way back I explained that the reason I did that was not to celebrate early. I wanted that deer to lay down and expire. I'm tired of that sick feeling of not being able to find one.

It's called respect. We are out there to harvest game.. not kill it and call that fun. That's why we get that sick feeling when we can't find one.

Best of luck to you.

[soup]

Snow is all melted, no tracks, no blood, no deer. I guess she got away... still feel really bad about though.

[bogey1]

Snow is all melted, no tracks, no blood, no deer. I guess she got away... still feel really bad about though.

Give it another try. She may have come back to the same spot to bed down and possibly expire. Keep a look out around where you shot her.

[geist262]

I always have a rule that if the deer runs, wait at least 20 minutes for them. That way they run a bit and stop and lay down. Its really hard trying to sit tight, but it seems the best course of action.