Great Start to a Confusing Morning

[CoachBGriff]

I'll start off by saying things ended the way they should, but this arrow was just an exciting beginning to a crazy/confusing morning.

Let me explain...

[ChuckC]

please do !

ChuckC

[CoachBGriff]

As a general rule I try to avoid shooting yearlings; I'm not against it - I just try to give them a chance.

However, this button buck had three strikes against him this morning:

1) He got too close for the 3rd time!
2) I had extra time this morning to find, field-dress, and deliver a deer (I share the harvest once a year).
3) I hadn't killed a deer with my recurve yet because I missed twice last year (needed to get that monkey off my back).

So I made what felt like a great shot: 10 yards, perfectly broadside, relaxed animal.

[CoachBGriff]

After the shot, I watched the deer run about 50 yards, and then I was pretty sure I saw him fall.  "Great" I thought.  "It's early, it's cool out, and the deer are moving.  I'll hunt a few more minutes just to make sure I don't push that guy (though I was pretty sure he was finished).

 

[CoachBGriff]

Deer two came on through and got a pass, and I finally crawled down to take up the trail.  

A blood-soaked arrow led to this blood-trail.

 

[Mudd]

 

God bless,Mudd

[CoachBGriff]

Unfortunately, after about thirty yards with my nose to the leaves, I heard the crash of a deer.

I looked up just in time to see a deer trotting away.  And worse, when I looked 10 yards ahead to see where the sound had begun I found this:

   

[CoachBGriff]

Here's the confusing part; This frothy, pink blood was all over.  I couldn't figure out how in the world this deer was getting up and running after laying in puddles like this for 40 minutes.

To add even more confusion to the mix, another 10 yards down the trail I found a leaf with bowel fluids on it.  I didn't understand how I could have blood like the above pic and gut fluid!        

Thought the deer I shot had made it further than this bed I found, but things often look different once you're on the ground.  So I backed out.  I marked the tree I had last seen the spooked deer standing next to, and I backed out.

[CoachBGriff]

A couple of hours later my wife and I returned.  We headed to last blood and began following.  

Again, there was great blood that followed right along a trail.  And this trail looked to be heading right to the tree I had marked for the deer off in the distance.  Suddenly though, after a great puddle of blood, we had nothing!  We walked the trail on up to the marked tree and found nothing.

I was dumbfounded, so I went back to last blood and started looking more closely.  I then realized a splatter that led down the hill, off the trail.

[CoachBGriff]

I followed blood downhill for about 20 feet and ran into this!

 

It turns out, the deer I bumped was deer number two that came through.  My deer was dead exactly where I thought I had seen it fall!

The arrow went in only about three inches back from perfect, and it came out right where you want - low and tight!  Autopsy revealed one lung cut, liver passed-through, and apparently I clipped a bowel somewhere.  

The only thought I have is his head was downhill when I shot, so his intestines must have been pressed right up against his diaphragm.

Overall, I was thrilled to harvest my second trad-deer... and my first buck with trad-gear!

[ron w]

 Good follow up, Nice one!!

[CoachBGriff]

Thanks.  He had been dead the whole time.  Luckily it was cool out, so he should still be some pretty good eating!

[jcar315]

   

[tracker1]

Good job

[Gen273]

Sometimes blood trails are very confusing. I am partially color blind, so I have often had difficulty. But persistence often pays off.
Congrats on a great deer! You also did a good job sticking with the trail.

[Possum Head]

Congrats glad you found him.

[Kopper1013]

Great!!! Glad it worked out

[Cyclic-Rivers]

Congrats Coach!        

[kat]

Good follow up and recovery.  

[glass76]

Congrats.