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Deer reactions after the shot

hickslawns

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Just throwing something out there which might help someone some day. Maybe we should limit this to bows although I am not sure there will be a difference.

It seems like if there is a group of deer, or even just a couple, the non-target deer often bound away with their tails flagging. Seems like hit deer reactions vary though. Tonight I had a shot at a doe at 30yds. I was in the woods and it was getting dark. I could see my pins and make an ethical shot, but it was too dark to follow the arrow. I have never been great at following the arrow anyway unless using lumenocks. This doe tucked tail and took off like a freight train. In my experience, this is a good thing. However, in this case, it doesn't seem to be. My buddy watched her exit the woods and continue her 100mph dash until she disappeared several hundred yards from him (probably farther). We both looked for the arrow and blood for over an hour. The point she exited the woods was probably close to 100yds from where she was when I shot at her. We scoured the woods exit area pretty darn good as well as the area she was standing when I shot her (or at her). Never found the arrow or blood.

That said, I am thinking it was a clean miss and I just didn't find the arrow in the leaves. However, it has me wondering. Generally on a missed deer they seem to jump, bound away with their tail flagging, then maybe stop 50-75yds away to see what is going on or maybe just slow down to a trot then to a walk. I just don't get it. This deer reacted like a heart shot deer. Hard to believe I watched her 100yds and my buddy watched her several hundred more and she never slowed down. If she was hit, it is pretty hard to believe we couldn't find any blood anywhere. Just weird.
 

CJD3

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I hate when that happens.
(not knowing. at least w/ the arrow you would know)
 

jagermeister

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What did it sound like at the shot, Phil? If you hit her, you should have heard it. Cracking ribs are almost unmistakable... and a gut-shot would sound like your arrow going through a down pillow. I think she was hit based on your description of her reaction. Deer don't usually tuck their tail and run for the next county when they've been missed...

Could have been a high hit... above the lungs or just one lung. Blood is hard to find on a really high hit, especially when they run balls out like that.
 

hickslawns

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What did it sound like at the shot, Phil? If you hit her, you should have heard it. Cracking ribs are almost unmistakable... and a gut-shot would sound like your arrow going through a down pillow. I think she was hit based on your description of her reaction. Deer don't usually tuck their tail and run for the next county when they've been missed...

Could have been a high hit... above the lungs or just one lung. Blood is hard to find on a really high hit, especially when they run balls out like that.


These are my two thoughts. My buddy is hunting in there this morning. He already shot one coyote trailing a doe. He was going to do some more looking in the daylight. He swears she was not hit when she ran out of the woods into his field of vision yet she was not bounding away. She was "2' off the ground and 100mph" in his words. Hard to believe she would have gone that far without slowing down or wobbling though. Sure wish we could have found the arrow.
 

jagermeister

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These are my two thoughts. My buddy is hunting in there this morning. He already shot one coyote trailing a doe. He was going to do some more looking in the daylight. He swears she was not hit when she ran out of the woods into his field of vision yet she was not bounding away. She was "2' off the ground and 100mph" in his words. Hard to believe she would have gone that far without slowing down or wobbling though. Sure wish we could have found the arrow.

No luck searching for the arrow with the help of Hank either? Dang. Maybe it's still in her...
 

hickslawns

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I don't know Jim. We were not going to take Hank in there the night before or morning of gun season opener. Way too many trespassers and even those with permission we did not want to push deer to them. My buddy saw 2 does in the same location this morning. He thought they looked about the same size but no way to verify it was the same two deer. This is a tough call. Sadly, I do not own the property so I do not make the rules. He doesn't want anyone else in there today looking. Not even me and we are good friends. I hate not knowing but it isn't my playground to make the rules on.
 

jagermeister

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Yea that sucks, Phil. Just a strange occurence, by the sounds of it. The deer had to be hit... If it was a miss, it wouldn't have ran like that... and, unless you hit a limb, you'd have no trouble finding your arrow.
 

hickslawns

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Yea that sucks, Phil. Just a strange occurence, by the sounds of it. The deer had to be hit... If it was a miss, it wouldn't have ran like that... and, unless you hit a limb, you'd have no trouble finding your arrow.

And hitting a limb "could" sound similar to a rib cracking if you hit it right. I don't know. When gun season is over I am going to slide back in and look for my arrow. It is also possible I hit a limb and grazed the deer causing it to go berserk in it's exit. He did go back thru in the daylight to look for the doe/blood/arrow with no luck today.