Messed up an arrow!

[WESTBROOK]

C'mon man, I gotta work monday!

 

[stocker56]

   

[Iowabowhunter]

[Iron Man2]

I second...I have an appointment at 12Noon at a bean field! Its opening day for Doves!!! Have to practice my instinctive shooting with another weapon. Once I have lunch in the cooler, the flu-flu arrows should be flying next!

Confident, eh!

JL
 

[Kc kreger]

Got to love it when a plan comes together!

 

K.C.  <><

[TimRadke]

I was focusing so much on the push-pull, that I momentarily lost concentration on the single hair I intended to split on her chest, and before I could narrow my focus down once again, the arrow was away.  I silently cursed myself out as I watched the yellow fletching disappear high and back from my intended entry point, and the deer spun and ran back deeper into the woods.  I still thought the hit was good, as the arrow should have angled down and caught the back of both lungs.  I took a deep breath and continued to watch the other deer around my stand for the next 30 minutes, before I climbed down and found my arrow covered in blood about 5 feet behind where the deer had stood only a half hour before.

When we first began trailing the deer nearly 2 hours later, I was concerned as we could find no blood at the point of impact, nor did we find any on the trail the deer had run.  Over an hour later, we finally found perhaps the equivalent of two thimbles-full of blood 100 yards away from the stand.  It was immediately apparent that the hit wasn't as good as I thought.  We immediately backed out, and after a few phone calls to change my next-day plans, my father-in-law and I spent the night in order to search for her the next morning.


Don't worry... I won't make you guys wait until morning.  Gotta go stir the chili.

[trad_bowhunter1965]

I just hate it when mess up an arrow like that. Alright on with the story please  

[Jack Ripper]

Thats cold right there.    maybe that will warm his cold heart. lol

[TimRadke]

First light found us back in the woods at the only blood we found the night before, on a well-used trail that carved through the edge of the hill just below the lip of a high ridge, with a thick valley to our right and high ground to our left.  We continued another 100 yards on this trail, and were still unable to find any more blood.  After returning to last blood multiple times, and still unable to find any more clues, we knew we should be looking for a dead deer rather than sign from a wounded one.  My Father-in-law headed down into the valley, figuring if the deer was wounded badly, downhill would be easier for it to travel.  Knowing there was a well-used bedding area at the end of the ridge, I decided to stay on the higher trail in hopes that this deer went back to her bedding area to lay down.

Well over 150 yards from the point of the last blood, I slowly and quietly moved through the bedding area when I spotted a bedded deer 40 yards ahead of me in a blowdown from this summer's storms.  I couldn't tell which way it was facing, so I ever so slowly moved closer with my nerves escalating with each step.  I finally managed to get within 20 yards, and learned that it is actually quite easy to stalk within bow range of a dead deer.  I had found her nearly 200 yards from the last blood smack dab in the middle of the bedding area, proving that knowing your hunting land thoroughly can be as important after the shot as it is before.



Upon closer inspection, it was immediately apparent that she had been quartering towards me at the shot, as the arrow entered a little high but farther back than where I had thought it did, and the exit wound was yet even further back, exiting well behind the diaphragm, which explained the lack of a good blood trail.



While I'm not terribly proud of the shot angle, perseverance and knowing my hunting property resulted in the recover of my first deer with my recurve.  And in only 9 more years, "Kaylee's Autumn" will be hanging beside me while we wait for another bear to wander through.


Thanks for reading along!  I've been waiting to do one of these stories for quite a while!

[Dmaxshawn]

Congrats

[Mudd]

[Cyclic-Rivers]

Way to stick it out and not give up. I know too many people who would have gave up and think she would live.

         

Congrats on your deer.

[Big Ed]

Well done!!

[Jason Kendall]

[vintage-bears]

Congratulations!

[rastaman]

Great job on tracking your deer!  Way to go sir!      

[KentuckyTJ]

Good work!

[frassettor]

Nice job! I liked how you presented her in the last photo, very tasteful    

Way to stick with it and find her!

Congrats!

Bisch

[buckeye_hunter]

Great job!