Recovering Deer hit too far back

[Tim]

Deer that are hit too far back can be a nightmare to recover!  I agree but also disagree, as long as you follow these "mandatory rules" every single time.

There are articles written every day on deer recovery and the dos and do nots.  I want to talk about one area of the deers body that has kept us all up at night one time or another.  The stomach shot deer.  Please, trust me on this and I promise your recovery rate will improve immensely.  

Anytime we hit or even think we hit too far back the first thing we need to do is chill out.  Getting mad at ourselves accomplishes nothing at this point.  We need to sit down and quietly replay the shot over in our mind asking these important questions:

1.  Where do we think the arrow went in and went out?
2.  What sound did the hit make?
3.  How did the deer react?
4.  Where was the last place you saw or heard the deer?
5.  SIT Still!   Do not make a sound!

Don't always trust your eyes.  More often than not our point of impact and exit are not where we think.  Using a white wrap and feathers really does help.  Often times we expect our arrow to hit where we were aiming (almost willing it there in our mind) unfortunately this is not always the case.

What the hit sounded like is huge!  Deer hit back sound hollow or like you shot a pumpkin.  Anytime you hear this sound, assume you shot too far back!  Every time!!!

Deer that are hit back most often hunch on the shot and run off a short distance and stop to look back.  When they stop they usually hunch again.  Some immediately lie down.  Lung shot deer don't lie down!  They panic and fight the feeling of passing out.  Don't think that since your deer laid down it died!!!

Remembering the exact spot you saw your deer is an enormous help in the recovery process.  Gut shot deer don't travel far.....if you do your part.

So what is our part.   If it's an evening hunt you must sit still until it's dark.   Dark enough that if the deer is still watching their back trail they don't see you.  If you know for sure you hit back slip down quietly and get out of there.  Don't even look for your arrow.  If the deer went north, you exit south.  Keep your flashlight beam small and on the ground, don't break any sticks.  If it's a morning hunt you need to stay put.

How long to wait?   I've found 4 hours to be perfect.  After four hours you can usually find your deer very close to where you left them. If they are still alive, most often they can't get up.  If they moved off, they usually will be found within 50 yards.

The worse thing you can do is pursue the deer after the shot.  Any sound or any hint the deer has that something them following it will end poorly.   The key is patience.  You made a bad shot, don't follow up the shot with bad decisions!

[Tater]

Great information here....patience....patience....patience

[xtrema312]

Good stuff.  I have only done it once, but the deer didn't go more than 50 yd. and was there the next day. You have to stay away from them and give them plenty of time.  I have tried to help find deer that were hit back and jumped too soon by the hunter. Never found any of them. They were long gone off the property with no trail to follow.

[fishone]

Tim, excellent advice. A stomach hit deer is a dead deer. It will lay down shortly after being hit. It will have hardly any blood trail. You need to sneak out and go back at least 8 hours or later to look for the deer. If you start tracking shortly after the shot you are not going to find it. I know it is hard to wait sometimes!

[JMG]

Sound advice Tim  

[Trumpkin the Dwarf]

Well written! Short and to the point, my kind of advice.

[Ryan Rothhaar]

Tim, I agree with most of what you said - I prefer to wait a little longer, though - 8 hours is better, but weather and coyote population needs to be taken into account.

The one part I disagree with is this:

"If it's an evening hunt you must sit still until it's dark. Dark enough that if the deer is still watching their back trail they don't see you."

Deer CAN see in the dark. They often won't react the same in the dark, they seem to feel safer - we've come up on bedded deer in the dark when tracking with the dog several times and they don't react nearly as skittish as in the daylight - but they CAN see.  This may be a minor point, but we run into guys all the time that think that because they can't see in the dark that deer can't either - and make mistakes because of it.

On lots of tracks for stomach or gut shot deer (both with the dog and without, both on our own deer and lots of tracks for others) we've NEVER lost a paunch shot deer that was treated as you stated - allowed to lay at least several hours before following up and not pressured.

When the hunter decides they need to "check things out" - even if that is just looking for first blood 20 yards from the shot site - the chances for recovery are cut in half.  ALL THE TIME we find beds 100-150 yards from the shot site where the deer got up and sneaked out ahead of hunters that track too soon.  If we recover these deer it is typically 600-800 yards further away.  If the hunter would have waited the deer would be in the area of the first wound beds in the morning.

R

[ChuckC]

Yup.   we taught that way in classes, if you don't SEE it go down or HEAR it go down, be still and quiet.  A deer hit too far back generally has a pass through or no huge trauma (bone contact) and will normally run away for 20-80 yards and stop in an available cover, turn and watch for something to follow.

If nothing follows, the deer likely will bed right there.  If you quietly leave your stand, after sitting for a time (do not follow), and leave the area, that very well may be where you will find the critter later.

Immediately after it runs, watch it, get sight landmarks, but also take a compass reading from your tree, not just E, W, but degrees.  That can come in very handy later, especially if you come back out after dark.

Give the animal plenty of time to expire, then come back out and find it.

Lots of strategies are out there for the best way to trail such a shot.  Another discussion

ChuckC

[Big Ed]

Good info little buddy!!

[Tim]

Thanks Ryan, I love to hear from others who track a lot of deer. Fortunately I live in an area that offers unlimited doe tags and it seems like a couple times each week I'm following up on someone's shot deer.  I've found you can learn something from each one.  Tracking dogs are not legal in PA, hopefully that will change in time.

I'm glad you mention the time frame, "Fishone" also feels comfortable with the 8 hour waiting time.  I agree 100%, waiting longer is always better than not long enough.  In our area we have lots of foxes and a few coyotes. Coming back the next morning will result in half eaten deer 50% of the time.  Jon aka snakebit40 sent me a photo of a doe he shot last week that was ripped into pretty bad by a coyote 20 minutes after the shot.  That's rare but it happens.

With that said, after 4 hours I will sneak in quietly.  If I see eyes we back out and come back later.  I usually trail by myself or with one person.  3 or more is a crowd and I like to be as quiet as possible.  

A great topic of discussion and I welcome everyone's thoughts!    

[Altiman94]

This is great info.  Unfortunately a poor shot will happen at some point in the lifetime of all bow hunters.  I'm going to bookmark this thread.

[woodchucker]

Good Advice, Tim!!! THANK YOU!!!!!

Usualy in practice, and especialy this year, I have had a problem hitting "high" and sometimes wide!!!  :(  

This year I have been making a serious effort to pick my "spot" right behind the elbow. Hopefully, odds are... If I hit high, I'm safe, Low is a clean miss... The 3pt I shot yesterday was right through the left front leg,through the chest sliceing the heart,and cutting the right leg on the way out. Right on the money!!! I couldn't have asked for a better shot.

However..... At first, I was sure I had missed!!! The shot looked low, under his chest & behind his front leg. Or, was it in front of his leg???

The eye is decieving... and our memory "recall" isn't always "clear".....

Thanks Again, Tim!!!!!

[damascusdave]

Digital cameras give us another option for locating the line the animal left on...memory can play tricks on us that pictures help us sort out

DDave

Great advice!

Bisch

[Bowwild]

That part about thinking you hit where you didn't, happened to me late December, 1994 in Missouri.

I shot a deer of the year on a very cold, snow covered, PM hunt about 200 yards behind my house. I could have swore I hit that deer in the lung area. I waited my normal 30 minutes, got down, found arrow, blood, and followed the trail.

I found the deer in short order, less than 100 yards. The deer was shot through and through the hind quarters! I looked around and thought "who shot this deer?" I wondered where "my" deer was. Well, I was the only one hunting this private spot and this was the deer I shot. I realize t his could have turned out MUCH worse!

I know what happened to that shot and that was the last deer I ever shot at right-handed. Been a lefty ever since.

Thank goodness this is the only deer I've hit that far back in four+ decades of bow hunting but a shocker too me.

[ddauler]

Excellent advice Tim.

[rlc1959]

I hit a Big Bull a little low and back this Fall in New Mexico. Looked like just behind the last rib but angled forward. Arrow went in to the feathers. I left the Bull go 4 hours but they were calling for afternoon showers so I went back in just after noon. Found blood for about 100 yards then found the complete arrow. It had gone all the way through. Blood then lost ??? Bull had just walked away after the hit. Head down. He had been fighting with another bull and I had just walked up on them. 25 yards broadside. Just blew the shot. Back to tracking, it did rain in the afternoon and it appeared the bull joined back up with his cows . All sign lost. Spent next 2 days checking every drainage with a mile of the spot I hit him. NOTHING ?? Buddies went back in looking for birds 2 weeks later but found nothing. VERY SAD HUNTER.

Randy Chamberlin

[Gen273]

Great info here, thanks for posting guys!

I have learned the hard way through the years, that "when in doubt, back out" is the rule that must be followed. I also will reintegrate what has
already been said; just back out, do not look for your arrow or anything, just back out and wait.

[A.S.]

Great tip Tim, thanks for taking the time to post it.

[Jerry Russell]

Obviously, being in the guide business we do a lot of tracking of wounded deer, bear and hogs. I think this information is right on but
I do agree with the 8 hour rule when it is possible. Where legal, every single hunter should have the names and phone numbers of 2-3 tracking dog owners. Here is a website that has registered and certified blood dogs listed by state. These dogs will often find wounded deer that travel over one half mile without any visible sign. These certified dogs are tested on blood trails over 24 hours old so don't worry about waiting the required 8 hours.
If your state does not have this resource, get a dog- any dog and they are often much better than not having one at all.

     http://www.unitedbloodtrackers.org/find-a-tracker/      
The use of a dog, howerever, does not remove the 8 hour rule discussed here.

I am a huge advocate of string trackers. On gut shot deer they will often tell you what the deer is doing well after it has left your view. When you leave the tree, leave the string tracker on the ground with a small loop. This will tell you if the deer has moved since you left. When tracking, watch the line as you sneak in. If it moves, back out immediately.

Thanks for posting this information Tim. In the excitement of the moment, many new hunters will "take that little peek" along the blood trail thereby significantly hurting a chance at recovery of a paunch shot deer.

Good stuff, thanks.

Jerry