i need some help quick////

[jbtazgrabber]

help... i shot about a 80 # doe tonight at 35 yds. i hit her in the front shoulder....but i think it was a little low but....it sounded good and i seen her WALK away slowly i only got to see her about 10 yds....my arrow was still in her ...i dont think it went in far enough to exit....no blood ....but it was almost all the way it looked like??? the grass is tall my question is how far will this deer go????it was perfectly sideways whene i shot...at the moment I saw the arrow in her shoulder, she started to wobble sideways, but went down the hill out of my sight.

[Graybeard]

There is absolutely no way to answer your question of how far she will go. My very first bow killed deer was a buck shot just about as you mention. The arrow only penetrated one lung. He went 250-300 yards down into a wicked hollow. I found him there by following the blood trail which was sparse. He was still alive but unable to regain his feet. I finished him off and had a wicked drag out.

Since it is so late tonight and cold over much of the country I'm gonna assume it's cold enough where you are to leave the deer over night and it still be eatable tomorrow. Let's hope so.

Go back tomorrow. Take help if you can. A tracking dog is even better. The deer is likely dead now or will be in the morning. If you've not disturbed it and jumped it from it's bed it likely will still be where it first laid down. That might be as close as 100-200 yards or it could be 1/4 mile or more. Take it slow and easy. Mark all blood sign you find to allow you to go back to it or to see the path the deer took.

Good luck.

[Daveinthebush]

GB is correct.  Many people that hit deer late in the evening return the next morning to retrieve them and the meat is fine.  

As GB stated: mark your trail, toilet paper works well if it is not raining.  Usually the deer will take a straight path of least resistance on a main trail.  If not on a main trail, then follow each trail that you find carefully.  Remember to take your time and glance back once in a while.  Often the deer looses control of the back feet first and as it goes down, tends to be looking back at where it came.  You can often see the white throat or belly looking back whereas the gray back may blend in.  

Patience, patience, patience.  If you don't immetiately find the animal you can only start making arcs from the last point of sign, gradually spreading out in a bigger arc until you hit some sign.  You just may not find any blood either.  A shoulder shot from a weak bow may close up with the large amount of muscle tissue in the shoulder.  It may bleed inside but the trail will be very weak - not like a heat or lung shot at all.

I want to hear tomorrow that you found the deer.  Or, I would like to. Lots of things go on after dark too.  Loose dogs or coyotes may jump the weakened animal and drive it farther away.  

But keep looking.  We all have an obligation to the animal to do everything we can to to retrieve it.  

Best of luck!

[jbtazgrabber]

Aliens must have taken it.  My better half and I had searched 1/4 mile radius.  The grass is hip high, very few trees and looked everywhere.  Found no blood, no deer, no tracks.  Dogs are not allowed in Oklahoma, but I sure wish that would change.  We looked for approximately 4 hours and found nothing.  Every little tree and little brush thicket I searched thoroughly.  I walked over a 1/4 mile straight in line and in the way the deer walked off, and never found anything.  Usually the deer will make a straight line or find a small thicket, this one didn't.  Where ever the deer has gone, my arrow is there too.  Yes, I have found many deer the next day, sure hoping that I would find this one, but to no avail, I had not.  Thanks for all the information.  The next one I wont hit the blade, I will hit behind it, like a usually do.

[Graybeard]

Watch for buzzards in the area. You might find it that way. At least you'll know where it went. The only deer I ever shot with a .243 was found that way. I've just not been able to make myself shoot another with it. I can't even be sure if it was totally my fault the deer was not recovered. I know where I think the bullet went but since I didn't recover it I can only assume it really went there. According to the report of the guys that found it the deer must have made close to 1/2 mile. The bullet should have hit both lungs. At worst front of liver and at least one lung. Should have exited but apparently didn't as not a drop of blood was ever found and I know where it stood when hit and searched there and all along the route it took.

[Daveinthebush]

I hit one in the shoulder once and it survived the winter.  Deer can take a lot.

Then again, he just might be feeding the beetles, nice and varmist for some time.  That is called the food chain and it happens.  Sorry to hear ya did not recover the deer.

Better luck next time.