"after the shot" question - help!

[Heckler]

Hey guys,

So this morning I headed out to my treestand - after I was settled in, I waited a bit and the hit my can call a couple of times. I waited a bit more, then I hit it again followed by a tending grunt. I was looking towards a scrape I had found about 50 yards to my left, and suddenly movement caught my eye to the right. A buck had just appeared out of the pines, a decent 4x4 nothing spectacular but I had no time to lose. He circled around to my right and stopped just past my mock scrape broadside, and I knew the range was about 30 yards. Last week I took a doe from the same stand although at only 20 yards, and I know my arrow hit quite high. I had not compensated for this on that shot, so I did my best this time and aimed slightly low. I let the arrow go, but to my dismay there was no thump and off he went. Well he had no idea what had just happened, and luckily he didn't take off but kept circling around behind me. I readied another arrow in case he gave me another opportunity, and sure enough he stopped in a good clear lane - I ranged him, 32 yards. I loosed another arrow, and again no thump except for the sound of my arrow burying itself in a large pine tree root. I watched him leave, he wasn't in a hurry but just kind of loping along but didn't look hurt. I was very disappointed with myself, I think I definitely had some buck fever going on.

I waited for quite a while just thinking about what had transpired, and it was starting to get really bright out so I figured I would call it a morning and head home to do some chores and come back out tonight. When I recovered the second arrow, I noticed there was about a handful of white hair on the ground. However my arrow was completely clean, not a speck of blood or fluid of any kind. I walked about 10 yards towards where I saw him leave, and noticed a bit of blood on the ground. I followed this towards some more droplets, and then some more. I thought what on earth, I must have somehow hit him really low but there was absolutely nothing on the arrow itself. The blood droplets persisted for a ways, but the distance between them kept increasing until the last few droplets had about 10 or more yards between them, then nothing. I was a bit worried, but I kept thinking there was no way the arrow could have passed through without getting some blood on it.

I have never had this happen before, I haven't shot a ton of deer with my bow but enough to know what the arrow looks like afterwards. Do you think this deer will be alright? I am really hoping it is a minor flesh wound and that he is not be severely wounded. When I get out there tonight should I keep looking? I am really anxious about this and I really hope I didn't wound him, but I keep thinking with the arrow being totally clean it could not have passed through anything.

Any thoughts? I would really appreciate any insight or advice on this. Thanks all!

[The cooter]

I had almost the same thing happen to me three years ago. As it turns out my shot was high on a pass through and it took me 4.5 hours to track that that buck but I did recover it! Keep tracking looking untill you are comfortable in your mind that the deer will be ok! If it takes a whole day to track and make you comfortable with the idea of that deers health. Hope this helps!

[Heckler]

Thanks cooter - when you had this happen was the arrow clean like that? I am a bit concerned, but I just can't get over how my arrow was absolutely bone dry and clean.

[monstermulie]

did you ever find your first arrow? maybe you hit him the first shot...

[rottie]

If/when a person finds long white hair and little or no blood you may very well have done nothing more than touched him in the brisket area.
The front low area of the brisket has long white hairs,if this is all that was done I would be willing to bet he will be fine

Ian

[Heckler]

Thanks very much everyone. Also, yes I did find the first arrow - I think I forgot to mention that. It was also clean...I can't believe I had the fever that bad, I know my bow is on, I shot it when I got home just to be sure so it was definitely operator error...

[BigRackLover]

Originally Posted by Heckler

When I recovered the second arrow, I noticed there was about a handful of white hair on the ground. However my arrow was completely clean, not a speck of blood or fluid of any kind. .... I must have somehow hit him really low but there was absolutely nothing on the arrow itself. The blood droplets persisted for a ways, but the distance between them kept increasing until the last few droplets had about 10 or more yards between them, then nothing.

A passthrough would have blood on the arrow and fletchings. You just grazed the underneath of the belly, especially since you found white hairs. If your arrow does not have a spec of blood, then its not a mortal hit.

Bubbles in blood drops? - lung was hit
Dark Dark blood? liver was hit

Originally Posted by Heckler

Do you think this deer will be alright?

Yes

Originally Posted by Heckler

I am really hoping it is a minor flesh wound and that he is not be severely wounded.

It sounds like it.

With no blood trail, follow the path of least resistance just to be sure the blood trail does not start again.

Sounds like he's got a stratch ... keep hunting