Post by BT on Sept 28, 2008 14:31:29 GMT -5
O.K.....I see that he hasn't written anything and I just now got a voice message from him, so I guess I'll spill some of it.
Spiker called a 1/2 hour after dark and told me that they found blood 100 yards into the woods and there was so little that it took them an hour to follow it 20 yards
Doe girls account of her own shot recently is right on the mark as to what Spiker described and what I myself witnessed last year.
Spiker got a visual confirmation of the hit which was 1/3 down from the deers back and tight over the crease....which is perfect from an elevated position.
64# K.E. and 1/2 the arrow out.
The spitfire alerted him to the fact that it did indeed open.
My belief is that the shot penetrated into the leg on the exit side which is what would have stopped it from exiting.
The way he described the arrow flagging in a short/hard manner....I am very sure of this.
I am also very sure that a deer running at 40 MPH can cover 600 yards before expiring
SO....the deer was stone dead IMO and further confirmation of this is due to the fact that both Spiker and his hunting buddy heard the crash load and clear....one huge crash followed by five more that were less intense in nature....like a deer struggling to regain its footing.
Anyway....
So, Boomer the dog and I make the 140 mile ride north and arrive at the shot location....one hour after the rain starts
What a crap situation this was
The grass was wet and there wasn't enough air movement to make a match flame move
So.....I work Boomer in a grid for over 2 hours over a area 100 wide and perhaps 300 yards deep into the woods, in the direction of the deers retreat.
1 1/2 into it, Boomer finds cut hair...brown with a light gray perhaps 2 1/2" in from the outward tip.
Definitely in the better area according to the color chart.
But....with the air as dead as dirt, Boomer had no chance to catch the smell of the downed deer and to be honest, I cant believe he found that hair
(Great dog he is)
But....after 2 hours in the rain and cold (cold for such a little dog) Boomer became resistant and was then unwilling to do any more than go back to the car.
No matter....I had a 3 hour drive to get back home and I had a 6AM appointment to attend at a customers home, so I couldn't have stayed any longer than I did without real reason to believe that we could have done better.
Did he make the best shot he could have?.....absolutely.
Did he get the deer?.....no he did not
Spiker called a 1/2 hour after dark and told me that they found blood 100 yards into the woods and there was so little that it took them an hour to follow it 20 yards
Doe girls account of her own shot recently is right on the mark as to what Spiker described and what I myself witnessed last year.
Spiker got a visual confirmation of the hit which was 1/3 down from the deers back and tight over the crease....which is perfect from an elevated position.
64# K.E. and 1/2 the arrow out.
The spitfire alerted him to the fact that it did indeed open.
My belief is that the shot penetrated into the leg on the exit side which is what would have stopped it from exiting.
The way he described the arrow flagging in a short/hard manner....I am very sure of this.
I am also very sure that a deer running at 40 MPH can cover 600 yards before expiring
SO....the deer was stone dead IMO and further confirmation of this is due to the fact that both Spiker and his hunting buddy heard the crash load and clear....one huge crash followed by five more that were less intense in nature....like a deer struggling to regain its footing.
Anyway....
So, Boomer the dog and I make the 140 mile ride north and arrive at the shot location....one hour after the rain starts
What a crap situation this was
The grass was wet and there wasn't enough air movement to make a match flame move
So.....I work Boomer in a grid for over 2 hours over a area 100 wide and perhaps 300 yards deep into the woods, in the direction of the deers retreat.
1 1/2 into it, Boomer finds cut hair...brown with a light gray perhaps 2 1/2" in from the outward tip.
Definitely in the better area according to the color chart.
But....with the air as dead as dirt, Boomer had no chance to catch the smell of the downed deer and to be honest, I cant believe he found that hair
(Great dog he is)
But....after 2 hours in the rain and cold (cold for such a little dog) Boomer became resistant and was then unwilling to do any more than go back to the car.
No matter....I had a 3 hour drive to get back home and I had a 6AM appointment to attend at a customers home, so I couldn't have stayed any longer than I did without real reason to believe that we could have done better.
Did he make the best shot he could have?.....absolutely.
Did he get the deer?.....no he did not
Accepting that you will occasionally lose and animal despite a good hit is extremely frustrating, indeed. Only way to avoid is to take a .375 H&H into the woods with ya and pin both shoulders. We are avid bowhunters for a much different reason (everyone on here knows exactly what I am talking about). And, if you bowhunt long enough, it is going to happen to all of us.
Just get back out there and put it behind ya. 
