roowood

Update: I went back on Wednesday and covered a 4-600 yard radius area from the place I found my arrow -- nothing! I think I am going to have to get a tracking dog for next year. I hope I never need him, but atleast I'll have him if I do. Any sugestions from anyone on a good breed?

Jake

Kaos

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Update: I went back on Wednesday and covered a 4-600 yard radius area from the place I found my arrow -- nothing! I think I am going to have to get a tracking dog for next year. I hope I never need him, but atleast I'll have him if I do. Any sugestions from anyone on a good breed?

Jake
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In the small dog catagory I would say a Jack Russell Terrier, if you want a medium size dog I would suggest a Belgian Malinois.

davidmil

From the description it sounds like the deer should have dropped within 100 yards. It sound like you hit the offside shoulder. However, that can't be the case unless we're not getting a true picture. You say behind the shoulder. Were you high or low or dead center. Really, your set up should have driven that arrow clean through. A rib wouldn't have slowed it down. The offside shoulder might stop and exit... but by then the damage was done. That deer should be close by if you hit where and what you thought you saw.... which isn't always the case in bowhunting. What we think we saw isn't always so...... but in this case it sounds right. Even if the thing didn't open the deer would be dead withing a couple hundred yards.

Barile

roowood
Out of curiousity, was the buck directly broadside or at somewhat of an angle? I used Steelhead 125's last year. I shot a beautiful 8 pt (hanging on my wall)at about 12 yds. He was standing broadside but slightly to my left. When the arrow hit (directly behind the shoulder) I heard the loudest sound I have ever heard. My dad was 200yds away and heard it! As the buck turned and ran I could see my fletching sticking out. I tracked the deer for 200yds before I found any blood. While he was running through the pine trees he scraped a tree and broke the arrow (about 4 inches) off. I found him piled up 30 yds from that spot. It turned out the sound I heard was a rib. Now get this. When the broadhead hit the rib it caused the arrow to turn almost 90 degrees and stick in the front of his back leg. I guess the blade on the steelhead couldn't break the rib so it caused it to deflect. I am shooting a Martin Cougar @ 70#. Needless to say I am shooting Muzzy's this year.

Big Buck Brannigan

Muzzys are hard to beat. I hit a 250lb+ deer directly in the heavy front leg bone. It hit so hard that one blade broke off but the rest held together for full penetration. The deer went 60 yds.

It does sound like you hit a rib. The shot was probably fatal but a large deer only shot through one lung and no major arteries can go for miles.

I've seen deer back-track their own trail before and even circle back to almost the same spot where they were shot. It might be a little late now but next time you have a blood trail that vanishes, mark the trail then back track the trail ten feet or so off of either side.

basserman

Sorry to hear you haven't found the &quot;big one&quot; yet. At the risk of irritating a few, do not use the mechanical broadheads. They have a history of poor penetration and altered flight on the pass thru. Muzzys are the way to go. I&quot;ve put Muzzys thru both shoulders.

GForce

Too bad as to how things turned-out for you. I'm goning back to Thunderheads due to the following results:

I took a big doe on 10-5, &lt;20 yards, broadside. Shooting Rocket Sidewinder-LT's the arrow hit perfect for a double-lung shot only never exited. The hardened point stuck half way through the opposite rib. She turned and I could see about 8 inches of arrow that I immediately knew would be broken off. After 45 minutes, went to the place she was standing, found the fletched end of the arrow 10 feet from where she started her run. Found her 40 yards away. NO blood until the last 10 yards.

Yesterday morning one of my hunting buddies shot a small button buck using Gametracker mechanicals. The entry was dead center of the vitals except that when the blades opened up, the arrows flight went straight UP. Broadhead exited just on the right-hand side of the spine.

I have used various mechanical for some time and had a number of successful kills, but I am concerned with the ability for a sure pass-through shot. Thunderheads never let me down before, think I'll go back.



GForce

Shoot often - Hunt always

RICHIE3

Wow!! That's a bad luck deal you have going here.

Is it, in any way possible, for someone who was not supposed to be there, could have taken the deer??

Did you or any of your hunting buddies see anything out of the ordinary, like drag marks, unfamiliar vehicles, or at any time before the hunt find &quot;unknown user&quot; treestands in the area???

Also, check(be extremely careful) any wash outs, large potholes, or try looking towards the nearest water in the area.

Good luck!! Let us all know how it turns out.

roowood

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roowood
Out of curiousity, was the buck directly broadside or at somewhat of an angle? I used Steelhead 125's last year. I shot a beautiful 8 pt (hanging on my wall)at about 12 yds. He was standing broadside but slightly to my left. When the arrow hit (directly behind the shoulder) I heard the loudest sound I have ever heard. My dad was 200yds away and heard it! As the buck turned and ran I could see my fletching sticking out. I tracked the deer for 200yds before I found any blood. While he was running through the pine trees he scraped a tree and broke the arrow (about 4 inches) off. I found him piled up 30 yds from that spot. It turned out the sound I heard was a rib. Now get this. When the broadhead hit the rib it caused the arrow to turn almost 90 degrees and stick in the front of his back leg. I guess the blade on the steelhead couldn't break the rib so it caused it to deflect. I am shooting a Martin Cougar @ 70#. Needless to say I am shooting Muzzy's this year.
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He was standing broadside maybe angled away very slightly. I hit him about dead center vertically and I think the arrow would have hit the inside of the opposite shoulder the way it would be travelling. I wonder if it didn't take some weird turn the way yours did. I think I am going to switch to fixed blades too. Oh well, I wish I could have learned this lesson on a doe. I wlked another 12-15 miles last Wednesday in cluding every ditch and creek in the area. My hunting buddy went back yesterday I think, just to hunt, but maybe he found something.

Jake

Liver and Onions

Quite a few post right now about losing deer. For anyone interested in training a deer recovery dog check out www.deersearch.org From my experience a beagle is easy to train. The website could be a big help to you if you don't know where to start.