At church this morning a fellow told me he shot a deer yesturday with his bow and couldn't find it. I think back and Ive heard this story a hundred times in my life. I know it happens but I hear this same story every season to be honest I feel sorry for what the deer will go though before it dies. Just my two cents but how many times dose this happen before a guy should hang up his bow ? I have a climber stand and sat in it during the rut but when the deer walked up I always asked myself [ are you good enough to take the shot ] and if there was any question at all I never pulled the bow back.
Usually, from my experience, an arrow shot is either fatal (loss of blood) or the wound will heal. Not always, but usually.
Three years ago I had a deer run off and I could see the arrow going with it.
A neighbor told me this year about a doe deer (am sure it is the same one) that he saw on his trail camera the next year with two fawns. It had an arrow sticking in its head. The following year, he said the arrow was still there and the doe had one fawn. This spring, he said no fawn with that doe, the arrow head was still stuck in the head, but the shaft had broken off.
I guess the excuse "I've got a headache" doesn't work for doe deer, at least for the first two years. ;D
As far as not finding a deer, three times now I've found them but not until after the coyotes found them first. Tracker dogs would be good to have when trailing a wounded deer. Even lethal shots can leave little blood trail but the deer lay dead within 100 yards of the shot. It happens, but good place shots are always important. And then there is brush and an occasional tree that gets in the way and deflects a shot.
Fear of a lost deer from a bad shot is the reason I have never been bow hunting
i bow hunted for 20 yrs, every year you hear stories of stupid shots and lost deer. i never shot beyond 25 yrs and always had "kill" shots. rifle hunting wounds a ton of deer also, more deer end up dying a very ugly death with either bow or rifle wounds. ;)the male testosterone clouds the decison making when white tail bucks are present.
I started bow hunting in 1974, when I was stationed out in South Dakota, I always hunted in the Black Hills when I was there and most year I'd get a deer with the bow!
Got back here to New York and continued bow hunting and got a deer most years, then last year I hung up the bow by giving it to my son!
I don't recall ever losing a deer, so I guess I was one of the lucky ones!
It's a shame, and the guy's that make bad shots with a bow are the same guy's that make bad shots with a rifle. With any weapon a person should set their limitations according to their abilities. I only get to practice enough with a bow anymore that I'm only comfortable out to about 25 or 30 yards. Most guy's make bad shots at 40 and 50 yards. People need to remember that it's a living, breathing creature that you're trying to take down. Hunting is not cruel, unless the hunter doesn't use their head.
Broad heads are fast and humane when they find their mark, a slow death when a little off. Our archery club stressed not talking about "lost" animals, but it happens more than most will admit to. I can't stress the giving it time to die, before taking up the blood trail enough. Nothing worse than jumping a wounded animal and have them run off, nothing better than going over to where you shot, after waiting a half hour and finding them dead 20 yards later. Lots of broad heads are sold "during" archery season, that tells me a lot of shooting going on, some of it keeping the turkey vultures and coyotes happy.
I think hunters are not patient enough after making a shot and bump the deer. I have been hanging out in trees for 30 years. I keep the shot close, hunt with a buddy to aid in recovery, and don't hunt evenings. The rewards have to be experienced to understand the magic.
"Don't hunt evenings" No better advice IMO. I follow that, and I use a rifle. Never "lost" an animal.
I've hunted with a bow since I was 14.
Three years ago I got a crossbow, it's zeroed at 30 yd.
I shoot to 40 to check the drop.
Last year a friend lost a wounded doe, so I went out and got
a blood light.
I like to hunt till last light, so I may need the light myself someday.
How does that blood light work for you? Have seen some reviews, but they are not positive reviews.
I have the Primos Bloodhunter, two power settings.
Low power 50 lumens, battery estimated at 8 hrs.
High power 100 lumens @ 2 hrs.
Sun light kills the reflection can't see much, but better than nothing.
Shade helps.
Dusk works fine on low power.
If you've done any tracking it confirms direction, and blood lose.
A few drops of blood gives a positive trail.
I've hunted big game with a bow all over North America since 1985. I've wounded two animals that I did not recover. Both were only flesh wounds that the deer and mountain lion recovered from. If the shot is not perfect, I don't let an arrow (or bullet) fly.