Buck of a lifetime.

[harvey lee]

My son hit his once in a lifetime buck and after 6 hours and 4 guys it was not found.

He hit it in the right front shoulder and 10" of arrow with the broadhead are still in it.We let the deer go for 3 hours and then looked for a few hours late last night.We found alot of dark red blood which I figure was muscle blood.This morning we went back and followed more blood for approx 400 more yards and the blood stopped.We then wondered around checking every spot I could think of including the water hole meadow and the last swamp he may have been heading for.This buck never bedded down all the way we followed him.He saw him walk of 30 yards and stop and almost trip,went another 30 yards and stop and then walked of.I could follow see his steps in the leaves and it looks as he never ran at all.

The really hard part of all this is he said the buck was bigger than the one he has mounted and close to the size of my Boone&Crockett but his had more mass.

His largest buck is 150 and my bigger one is 170+.

I guess it was just not meant to be.

[David Frank]

Sorry to hear about the lost deer! It's always tough to stomach the loss of an animal, especially when it is the one you wait so long and hunt so hard for. At some point, this happens to almost every archery hunter, just not always when it is the buck of a lifetime.

Dave Frank

[Wade Joseph]

I had the same thing happen with a nice doe headed for the freezer and I am sick, I can't even imagine your sons anguish.

[harvey lee]

The really bad deal is this is the first deer he has ever lost and a trophy to boot.

[Scoot]

That stinks- sure is a bummer when it happens. Sorry to hear about that.

[HC Eye Hunter]

Sorry too hear. Are you thinking it was a high hit or in front of the vitals?

[WalleyeWeasel]

Keep an eye in the sky for crows and T. buzzards..they'll find him for ya!!

[harvey lee]

I believe he hit him high and it was only muscle blood.I cannot believe the arrow didnt hit a vital as he was 20 high and the deer was at 15-16 yards.The angle of the arrow should have put the broadhead into the vitals and as the deer walked or ran it should have been doing damage.

[Cooter]

Can you use dogs for deer recovery in ND? I've been in the same situation and lost a buck with a similar shot although I only got about 3" of penetration. Hope you guys can either locate him or spot him later doing fine.

[eagle_3464]

Sorry to hear about the loss of this trophy. It's a sick feeling with any game but more so when a trophy like this. I lost a nice deer many years ago. I probably pushed him to soon but it was beginning to rain and I feared the blood trail would be washed away. I have since learned to take only the best high percentage shots. I had to pass on a heavy 8 Saturday evening. Came directly under my stand (boy did that make the heart pound) but never offered a quartering or broadside shot. He'll be there for another day.

[harvey lee]

It was a high percentage shot,maybe hit just a inch or two high.The ranchers that owns the place and his wife are going again to look for the deer and any birds,eagles,crows,t-buzzards that might be around a specific area.He is also taking his two dogs with.

Just maybe with a ton of luck we could get the rack if the coyotes dont find it first.

This buck traveled for 400-500 yards and never bedded down and we didnt push him.After the deer was hit he took only one easy trail for 150-175 yards and then went straight up a huge hill and then continued on.It makes me wonder how hard it was hit when he could have turned to the right and within a 100 yards hit a big swamp but chose not to.

[eagle_3464]

From my experience, a well hit buck will usually head for the thickest and deepest cover nearby. It's their home and they know every detail about it. Traveling as you say, I too would have to question how well the hit was. What positon was this deer for the shot, quartering to/away, broadside? Arrow may also have deflected from bone in the shoulder.

[harvey lee]

Broadside.My son told me the arrow was in his shoulder as he walked away and it broke on a tree.The broken piece has hair on the end of the shaft and 10 inches are missing and in the deer with the broadhead.

[David Frank]

Hopefully the landowners will have some luck finding some clues for you. I agree with your assumption that if fatally hit, he would have headed for the swamp rather than the uphill path. Hopefully this means that he will survive, but with 10 inches of arrow and broadhead in his front shoulder, you would think he probably sustained some substantial damage.

Good Luck on your search! Keep us posted!

Dave Frank

[eagle_3464]

10" of arrow would seem pretty deep but that all depends on penetration angle, deflection angle, and maybe several inches were still to the outside. Lots of unanswered questions so I hope you find him. If not, hopefully he survives to pass on his trophy traits.

[harvey lee]

With hair on the end of the shaft where it broke I would highly doubt that any part of the arrow shaft was outside the deer.I have to assume this buck will die.I have a friend looking for this buck at this time as we had to come back to Minnesota.While I sit here and type I keep thinking of getting in my truck and heading back to North Dakota to look again.

[harvey lee]

I just talk to the guys that looked for him for 3 hours today.End result was no deer.They looked where the last blood was found and covered the thickest cover with no sign.They stayed untill dark to listen for coyotes and heard none.During the day no critters or birds were in the area eating on it.It does look like this deer will not be found and hopefully it will live.

They are going again tommorrow to check another swamp a couple hundred more yards away and after that,game done.

[fishermn]

Sorry to hear of his loss Harvey. Unfortunately, sometimes even shots we think are perfect just dont quite work out. Keep looking for those birds, especially crows and ravens, they are often the one thing that can help you locate a deer like this. I had a similar situation last year. I'm sure he went into a big swamp, but even after 3 days of hard searching we didnt find him. SImilar situation, probably hit the shoulder blade and didnt fully penetrate through into the vitals would be my only guess.

Good luck and keep us posted!

[David Frank]

I'm in the same boat Harvey, only in my case it is a doe and I'm pretty sure I hit her a little low. Trailed her for about 350 - 375 yards tonight and will be back at last blood at first light in the morning.

[eyepatrol]

Hey Tom. Sorry to hear about your boy's deer. Although it doesn't look promising right now, maybe he'll turn up yet. I know there have been searches going on, and I might not have much to add here except to say that a couple of wounded deer our group has had in the past slug hunting....those deer have run 2 - 4 miles before bedding down and dying. Big bucks are tough buggers and he might have gone a few miles before kicking the can (if he is dead).

Well anyway, good luck to you and your son.

[harvey lee]

Thanks Eric.They are still looking today and when I return I will be looking some more.I would really like to find the rack at least.

Maybe what I need to do is to have a FM get together and have 100 FMers come up and find the deer and I will buy all the barley pop if you find it and give the guy that finds it a 100 dollar finders fee.

[David Frank]

Wow, That would almost pay for gas to get there!!!! Just kidding. Good luck on the continued search. It would be nice to get to the rack before the rodents do.

[harvey lee]

Only 80 bucks for a trip for gas.But,you get all you can drink

[BigWadeS]

depending on where in ND that could definitly work in my favor....

[David Frank]

Name the time and place. Maybe I could incorporate it into a visit to my family in ND. I have relatives in Fargo and in Bismarck.