Time to punch my Kansas buck tag!! (Hard work and a little luck pays off "RECOVERED")

[gobblegrunter]

Amazing story! A great example for us all to never give up!

[Bonebuster]

He was certainly in a weakened state of being.

With mild weather conditions and ample food and water why would he be moving around in daylight?

My guess is the coyotes had gotten on him, and were pushing him. I have watched with my own eyes as a team of coyotes chased HEALTHY adult deer, (on two seperate occaisions) and without my intervention I am convinced the deer would have been killed. A wounded deer has no chance.

I hope you can make peace with yourself soon.
I have been there.  

[JDinPA]

I agree that is the same deer from the pics.

I don't understand how long that buck lived based on that shot picture of his hide. If a lung is punctured it will fill up with blood and any animal will sufficate. I don't think you hit a lung.

I'm glad you found him, I wouldn't have been able to sleep either.

I've lost a deer a few hunting seasons ago, and I didn't hunt the rest of the early season. The best medicine is to get yourself and that bow back in the woods and harvest a doe. That's what I did for my ailment, and it helps a bit.

[Shaun]

Very interesting tale. One lung hits are unpredictable, sometimes they even fully recover. You did great to work so hard and find that deer. Tip of the hat to a well followed shot.

[Rod Bear]

K. S. One of the best threads I have ever read. Been their and done that. Not real happy but time heals. Good luck to future hunts. Rod

[Tom]

An honorable man and one tough buck.Glad you found him-fitting end to the story.

[jhg]

Originally posted by K.S.TRAPPER:
... I know some of you thought I was to sentimental and maybe a little soft...

 ...As soon as I punched that tag I knew the rest of my season would be devoted to that buck and only that buck....

Tracy

Sentimental? Soft?  I think if more thought like you, did what you did there would be fewer lost animals and fewer wounded ones. We have all heard justifications going the other way. Nice to have such a fine example of commitment for the younger archers to look up to and strive for.

Joshua

[Jack Denbow]

Great story Tracy. This just goes to show how tough they can be. You hear people say if you stick it in the boiler room they ain't going far, ha, that is not always the case. There are not too many hunters that have your persistence. Good job.
Jack

[TimRadke]

8 inches up and tucked behind the shoulder?  That had to a be lung... and probably under the lung on the far side.  A one-lung animal can go a looong way...

My hats off to you!  I trailed one just under 4 miles once a buddy of mine hit before we were able to put our hands on him after another arrow.  Leg hit.

We need more of you in the woods!

[Owlgrowler]

Tracy, I've been pondering this a lot,(now I'm losing sleep over it,ha), and I think everyone is probably coming to the same conclusions, I think with the low hit he bled "out", not "in", his chest cavity didn't fill-up and drown him,(if that is what happens), he probably didn't have a lot of pain, just weakness. If this happened where there were no predators, he probably would have recovered. In hindsight, what would you have done differently?

[karrow]

wow ks trapper. you are a true hunter, and i personaly thank you for respecting the game as well as the sport of hunting. keep at em.  

[flungonin]

I love to hear about a hunter that is persistant and continues to persue the game he shot. You were persistant in trying to find and then when he was found you went the extra step and pieced together what happen. You hit the one deer thats in the 10% or less catagory that didn't go down when others would. My hats off to you, you are what the sticker on my truck is all about, "Bowhunters Make the Difference". Its nice to have a 100% record, but if not it's the 110% that you gave trying to recover him.

[katman]

ks trapper, A hardy congrats. You make a hunter proud. My respect for the tenacity of the whitetail has also grown.

[Wary Buck]

KSTrapper...great determination.  My own experience with this shot is not good either.  There was a recent article in one of the bowhunting magazines which basically told hunters to move their aiming point a little further back and then stated it was good for several inches in all directions.  I remember my gut reaction to that article was, not in my experience, but I don't have time to dwell on stuff when the season's rolling.

Maybe 15-20 years ago I hit one similarly to you, although it was a pretty sharp downward angle.  Figured it was a down-and-outer, waited 30 min., got on the trail, jumped it, and later trailed it 600+ yards and never found it.  It was killed two weeks later in rifle season, with no obvious wound to tip the hunter off.  (The buck was a one-of-a-kind rack; no doubt it was the same buck).  

A couple winters ago I hit one very similar (behind the heart, below the upward arching lungs).  This doe ran off hard-hit and acted like she was going down any second as she topped a little mini-ridge 40 yards away.  I waited just a few minutes and thought I'd take care of this before dark, and got on the trail and I'll be darned if she wasn't standing on the other side of that ridge in real distress.  Me pushing her probably caused her to stress out that one lung she had left but it was 15-20 min. after the shot.  She ran about 30 yards and laid down and died.

Then this year, I wounded and lost a buck hit low and behind the heart (very low, though, maybe only a few inches above the bottom line of the deer).  Quite a bit of blood whenever he stopped, but eventually petered out and despite LOTS of searching, no animal.  He showed up on trail camera after this event but it was inconclusive as the photo didn't show the hit area.  

And also this year, my second buck was hit much the same but as it turned out, about halfway up the body line.  Good blood, but despite waiting 90 min. and then stalking the trail, 100+ yards into a fair trail, no buck.  I backed out, came back 3-4 hours later, and after a very difficult 100-150 more yards, found the buck.  Liver, part of one lung maybe (I was in a hurry).  I'm sure if I'd pushed him at all early, I'd never found him as there was not a great deal of blood the last 1/2 of the trail.

I'm just not liking that low and back shot at all.  Again, congrats KSTrapper on your determination and I'm glad you found the deer.  And remember that the little critters need to eat too.

[macksdad]

1st class move punchin your tag

[Izzy]

Glad you found him.Did he get his rack busted up after he was wounded or before.

[jfelkins]

Great story and thanks for the courage to share it.

[Over&Under]

Not sure how I missed this thread, but it was a great read, and as said very bittersweet ending.  Glad you found him finally and way to stick with it!

[Guru]

Iz, Check out the pix on page one...

[katie]

Glad you had an honest man to lead you to your buck.  I had the same thing 2 years back.  I felt it was a great shot.  Great blood trail.  When I found him he jumped up.  Trailed him the next day with the same result.  Then he was gone.  I punched my tag as well and kept on him.  Spent months looking for my buck just to learn come Spring that a neighbor had found him and took him.  Yes, he knew it was my buck, but he fell on the neighbor's property.  Now I see the head everyday while I drive my kids to school.  It is drying out on his dog house.  Sick!
I spent many, many hours questioning my shot, set-up, ability, etc.  And if you are like me, you get a lot of advice.  That is what is great about Tradgang.  You can learn soooo much.  Most TGers are awesome and encouraging.  Others, not so much!  What it comes down to is that some things just happen.  We do our best to be as great and ethical of a hunter as possible.  It is obvious that you are that kind of man.  
I am glad that you recovered your buck.  I know this hunt will stay with you forever.  You did the best that you could do and your buck could not ask for more than that!  Props for finishing the hunt.
Katie