How often has anything like this happend to you?

[houndogger]

I would say it was really common with crossbow hunting. You can't really say you are bowhunting until you pull it back under your own steam consintrate on your spot and let go. That is bowhunting in my mind. I agree with Barky on the practice and 3d shoots. Not only does it give you 50 or so shots a day but you can talk with seasoned bowhunters on when to take shot or not. If a deer is looking at ya it will jump the string even on a crossbow, making a well placed shot not.


Good luck Dave

[Kirby]

Well brotherjack, I have taken 6 deer, and 3 bears with a bow, never lost one, and never lost one that my dad has hit. I would say its a fluke what happened. Just pick the shots, and it should go down fast. I've never had an animal go more than 80 yards.

Kirby

[greybark]

Its happened to me with both bow(1983) and rifle (2002) the bow was from 6 yds downward angle double lunger from a tree stand. Rifle 125 yds .270 win 130 gr. trailed both until the blood ran out , found where they had laid down and left a great big sopping puddle but never recovered either deer. Its truly a lousy empty feeling. Sorry I dont have any answers for you Its just part of hunting.

BD

Hey BwanaDave , At 6yds you would have to be quite high in your stand to get a double lung hit . I harvested a WT deer at a similar distance from a tree stand did get a double lung hit (recovered Deer). Later on factoring everything in on the shot angle I figured that to enable a double lunge hit I had to place my arrow in a kill zone 14in long by 2in . Even though i was succesfull in that shot the small lethal zone , I would pass a similar shot now .
As a point of interest this is the hardest shot there is for a Traditional Bowhunter .

REMEMBER -- Keep Your Fingertab On --

[Tuffcity]

My vote goes for the high single lung shot. And no, I haven't heard of it being a "common" problem. If it becomes a "common" problem for an individual (and I'm generalizing, not finger pointing here) then it's time to re-evaluate your knowledge of anatomy and angles.

A friend of mine had a hit like that and we tracked his buck for 4 hours until the sign dried up, I went home and grabbed the dog and we had that deer in about 30 minutes, quite a ways farther than you'd expect a lethal hit deer would have travelled.

RC

[greybark]

Many years ago when BowBender Magazine (Canadian publication)was around I read a heartbreaking story of a Compound bowhunter who buried his arrow in a Moose from a high angled treestand and not being able to recover the animal. The hunter in this case was very remorsful and detailed his story so others would learn of this poor choise of shot angle . I know of a Traditioal bowhunter who had a similiar experience with a bull elk and have read of other cases . To me it appears that it is more common then we think and we should avoid such shot angles all together .


REMEMBER -- Keep Your Fingertab On --

[tmarschall]

Don't be discouraged, it definitely sounds like a fluke to me. Of course the body size of our deer is much smaller down here, but I have experienced 3 deer hit that I did not recover. Two of those three deer I shot later in the rifle season after they had almost completely healed. Another time I hit a small buck in what I thought was a non-lethal area, (kidney area from above) only to find it dead 40 yds from where it was hit. Keep after it... the success you will have some day is very rewarding and will make up for the bad experiences!!!

[brotherjack]

Don't be discouraged, it definitely sounds like a fluke to me. Of course the body size of our deer is much smaller down here, but I have experienced 3 deer hit that I did not recover. Two of those three deer I shot later in the rifle season after they had almost completely healed. Another time I hit a small buck in what I thought was a non-lethal area, (kidney area from above) only to find it dead 40 yds from where it was hit. Keep after it... the success you will have some day is very rewarding and will make up for the bad experiences!!!

Yeah, speaking of that success - I ended up with a nice 3x3 whitetail for bow season after all - about 40 yards from where I put the arrow clean through him.

[redlegdrake]

You cant put any stock in having one run on you. I have shot two in my life with a bow that never took even one step. But 40 yards is about norman in my opinion. If you didnt get a full pass trough then your odds arent as good. Such as from a quartering away shot. Its a poor kill shot for all but the best archers and most of them wont even take it if given that as the only shot option. Quarting to and straight side shot are the only shots that are reliable. I lost the first one I hitmyself. You just have to practice your shot and make sure you put the arrow in the kill zone. Sorry you have had such bad luck but dont give up yet.

[Seabass]

I know this is a the bowhunting part of the forum BJ, But I gotta say it.. Use a gun!!!! In particular, a big bore 45/70. Makes blood trails Hellen Keller could follow. Not that the deer go anywhere!!!

Cheers

Seabass

[ch valley hunter]

It isn't common. I hit a deer last year at 40 yards and it only walked 50 yards before laying down. I was using 100gr mechanical broadheads.