The Planets Were Not in Alignment Yesterday ..

[Patocazador]

I was hunting with a crossbow yesterday morning. It was overcast with a slight mist when a 5 point stepped out from thick palmettos at 27 yards. I had a narrow shooting lane and bleated to stop him. He was facing slightly away but turned the front of his body towards me. His heart was blocked by the rotated shoulder so I shot just to the front of his shoulder. I heard a loud "WHACK!" and he took off like a scalded dog. I watched him make a semi-circle to the left until he disappeared after running for about 80 yards. I expected him to drop any second but that was not to be.

I got down and looked for my arrow ... No arrow was found .. no blood was found ... no hair was found. After waiting for 30 minutes, I searched out the area he ran through without finding any blood or arrow. Then I spent 2 hours doing a grid search looking for blood or the deer. I found not trace of him.

While hashing out the circumstances I finally came up with 2 possible scenarios: 1) The arrow hit his humerus or shoulder and lodged there without penetrating or 2) the deer jumped the string and dropped causing the arrow to hit his antler and ricochet off into the thick palmettos. Either might have caused the "whack" sound I heard.

My crossbow is a cheap Barnett that sounds like a .22 when shot so being alerted by the bleat and hearing the bow he could have jumped the string even at 27 yards.

That's my thinking, what's yours?

 

[Armored farmer]

I wont bother speculating on what might have happened, but it is certainly hard to find a deer without a blood trail.
I like my illuminated nocks on my bolts. They give me a better idea of ehat kind of a shot was made.
I just bought a 3-pack.

 

[H&Hhunter]

I've had plenty of those over the years on several different species. Unless you find the critter you'll never know. Had one kind of like that with a rifle on deer this season.

 

[buck460XVR]

I've had plenty of those over the years on several different species. Unless you find the critter you'll never know. Had one kind of like that with a rifle on deer this season.

^^^This. If you did not find the arrow with blood on it, or see the arrow impact the animal, you'll never know what made for the "WHACK" sound. Years ago I had a similar situation trying to thread an arrow between two small trees. The boiler-room of a nice buck was the only thing visible to me between them. Lost the arrow in flight and heard a "WHACK". Deer reared up and crashed off. Few seconds later I thought I heard him go down. Gave him a half an hour and went looking for blood and ended up like you walking the trail he was on several times from where I shot to where I last saw him. Then started the ever widening circles looking for nay clue at all. Was feeling pretty low thinking I had maimed him. Went back to my treestand to look again and make sure I was looking in the right place as sometimes things look a lot different once you hit the ground. Wasn't till i went back up I saw the arrow stuck in one of the trees I was trying to shoot around. That explained the loud "WHACK" and the lack of a bloodtrail. Over the years I have heard folks claim over and over they musta only "clipped one lung" or the broadhead/bullet musta failed. Without a dead animal to examine, it's hard to make any claim as to what happened. Coulda hit the antlers. Coulda been a rock/wood in the ground on the other side of the animal. Like me, you maybe hit a tree or even a clipped a branch which sent the arrow careening off in an unknown direction. Coulda been more of a quartering away shot than you thought and the ribs shoulder absorbed the impact and th arrow is still stuck between meat and skin. Had that happen a coupla times myself, only reason I knew what happened is because the deer was killed later. The complete lack of blood/hair after a very thorough search means odds are, any hit was probably superficial and not at all fatal. Never had a deer "jump the string", even with the old slow long bows/recurves I used as a kid. I have had them "duck" the string. One reason I always aim low for a heart shot when a deer is alert and looking at me. That way they tend to duck into it and I still end up with a double lunger. I never really believed they were actually "ducking" the arrow, just coiling up their legs, getting ready to run, which lowers their body.

 

[Patocazador]

Never had a deer "jump the string", even with the old slow long bows/recurves I used as a kid. I have had them "duck" the string. One reason I always aim low for a heart shot when a deer is alert and looking at me. That way they tend to duck into it and I still end up with a double lunger. I never really believed they were actually "ducking" the arrow, just coiling up their legs, getting ready to run, which lowers their body.

Yes, that's what I consider to be "jumping the string." They hunch down to generate spring in their legs and the arrow goes high in relation to the deer.

 

[WestKentucky]

I started bow hunting at 13. The stand I had was over a gametrail that could have accommodated a semi, and I was in a growth spurt so sights didn’t work because each time I adjusted I outgrew them quickly. I was a lousy shot when I got excited, and on multiple occasions emptied my quiver and climbed down to retrieve arrows. I always felt bad about 1 shot though. The rest were obvious clean misses, but one I thought I scored on. I got down and scoured the woods looking for blood. At lunch dad came to get me and I had him go to the spot where the deer was standing and that confirmed I was in the right spot. About 8 years later, muzzleloader hunting I decided to try out my old spot and when I sat under a cedar I found a muddy old arrow stuck in the ground pointed back towards my old stand. It must have glanced off of a twig.

Clean misses stink, but the uncertainty of an unknown shot are worse. A lost deer with a good blood trail that just stops will haunt you.

 

[Bfh_auto]

I started bow hunting at 13. The stand I had was over a gametrail that could have accommodated a semi, and I was in a growth spurt so sights didn’t work because each time I adjusted I outgrew them quickly. I was a lousy shot when I got excited, and on multiple occasions emptied my quiver and climbed down to retrieve arrows. I always felt bad about 1 shot though. The rest were obvious clean misses, but one I thought I scored on. I got down and scoured the woods looking for blood. At lunch dad came to get me and I had him go to the spot where the deer was standing and that confirmed I was in the right spot. About 8 years later, muzzleloader hunting I decided to try out my old spot and when I sat under a cedar I found a muddy old arrow stuck in the ground pointed back towards my old stand. It must have glanced off of a twig.

Clean misses stink, but the uncertainty of an unknown shot are worse. A lost deer with a good blood trail that just stops will haunt you.

My brother shot a deer with a 58 muzzleloader. Great blood trail for 75 yards with pieces of lung on the ground. It ended 20 yards from a huge cliff. We spent hours scouring each direction and found nothing. He was bummed out for the rest of that deer season even though he tagged out.

 

[FL-NC]

What kind of velocity does that xbow put out? I am new to x bow hunting, and I killed my first this year at about the same distance. I was concerned over string jumping based on the sound of the release, and the gap in time to when I heard impact in the foam target. A more experienced friend convinced me to stand around the corner (safely) of my house but laterally on-line with the target while he launched an arrow at 30 yards. Since the sound travelled a shorter distance to ME than it did to the shooter, the "gap" was perceptibly reduced. My x bow does about 350 FPS. Also, I noticed on the one I shot (again, the only one in my life I have killed with anything besides a bullet) the blood trail wasn't very impressive, in spite of the gaping exit hole, and both lungs penetrated. In my case, we did find the arrow (bloody) and a little blood at the point of impact on the ground. That deer ran about 75 yards into a thicket covered with a floor of pine straw- less than ideal tracking circumstances.

 

[Armored farmer]

My crossbow is a cheap Barnett that sounds like a .22 when shot

My xbow is a comparatively cheap Carbon Express model, but there was a noise dampening kit available for it. I bought and installed it. There is a big difference in the noise.

 

[Armored farmer]

My brother shot a deer with a 58 muzzleloader. Great blood trail for 75 yards with pieces of lung on the ground. It ended 20 yards from a huge cliff. We spent hours scouring each direction and found nothing. He was bummed out for the rest of that deer season even though he tagged out.

I had thr opposite happen to me when hunting a fenceline with my .54 Hawken. A nice buck ran past me about 10yds away. A shot him as he passed me. The buck ran about 60 yards snd stopped to look back. In my rush to reload, i snapped my wooden ramrod. I stood helplessly watching the buck turn and run another 40yds, then collapse.
I could clearly see his hoofprints in the muddy field as i walked out to tag him. Not one drop of blood did i see.
I think he must have been in full stride when the ball passed through him. The holes in his hide must not have aligned with the chest cavity wounds and not allowed passage.
I learned several lessons that day.
One being to mentally mark the last spot you see your quarry after you have made the shot. It is hard to remember to do that, but pretty valuable info sometimes.
Also to use an unbreakable ramrod when hunting!

 

[Bfh_auto]

I had thr opposite happen to me when hunting a fenceline with my .54 Hawken. A nice buck ran past me about 10yds away. A shot him as he passed me. The buck ran about 60 yards snd stopped to look back. In my rush to reload, i snapped my wooden ramrod. I stood helplessly watching the buck turn and run another 40yds, then collapse.
I could clearly see his hoofprints in the muddy field as i walked out to tag him. Not one drop of blood did i see.
I think he must have been in full stride when the ball passed through him. The holes in his hide must not have aligned with the chest cavity wounds and not allowed passage.
I learned several lessons that day.
One being to mentally mark the last spot you see your quarry after you have made the shot. It is hard to remember to do that, but pretty valuable info sometimes.
Also to use an unbreakable ramrod when hunting!

You could have clothes lined him if you had my brother's great plains rifle. No need for a ramrod. It's got a 38" green mountain barrel.

 

[Patocazador]

What kind of velocity does that xbow put out?

I never chronographed it but their advertising says 320 fps.

 

[Patocazador]

My xbow is a comparatively cheap Carbon Express model, but there was a noise dampening kit available for it. I bought and installed it. There is a big difference in the noise.
View attachment 814457

I noticed your broadhead. It is fixed like mine as well as a cut-on-contact. I hoarded a bunch of Hoyt Top-Cuts decades ago when they quit making them. If I run out, I'd like to try what you have in the photo. What are they?

 

[Armored farmer]

I noticed your broadhead. It is fixed like mine as well as a cut-on-contact. I hoarded a bunch of Hoyt Top-Cuts decades ago when they quit making them. If I run out, I'd like to try what you have in the photo. What are they?

If i remember correctly.....
Those are 100gr Allen Beartooth. They are like Montecs, but cheaper.
I like thst style because they are easily sharpened on a Arkansas stone.
#1 son has a Montec that has taken 2 deer, a hog, and a coyote.

 

[buck460XVR]

My brother shot a deer with a 58 muzzleloader. Great blood trail for 75 yards with pieces of lung on the ground. It ended 20 yards from a huge cliff. We spent hours scouring each direction and found nothing.

Unless the deer jumped off the cliff, it sounds like a classic case of the deer backtracking on the blood trail and then jumping off to one side and watching it's backtrack. Without snow sometimes, it's hard to tell when a deer does this as the hoofprints are not obvious. Also hard to tell if the deer is bleeding outta both sides. Only way is by how the blood droplets hit the ground.

 

[Iroquois]

My xbow is a comparatively cheap Carbon Express model, but there was a noise dampening kit available for it. I bought and installed it. There is a big difference in the noise.

I agree with Amored Farmer. I have a Ten Point and I installed the silencer kit with the string and limb dampeners and it reduced the noise by half or more. I think keeping your string waxed is something else that will help keep it a little quieter. YMMV.

 

[Bfh_auto]

Unless the deer jumped off the cliff, it sounds like a classic case of the deer backtracking on the blood trail and then jumping off to one side and watching it's backtrack. Without snow sometimes, it's hard to tell when a deer does this as the hoofprints are not obvious. Also hard to tell if the deer is bleeding outta both sides. Only way is by how the blood droplets hit the ground.

It was made more difficult because I had shot a deer in the same spot that morning. I think it jumped and I don't care to see what happens when something falls that far and lands on rocks.

 

[buck460XVR]

It was made more difficult because I had shot a deer in the same spot that morning. I think it jumped and I don't care to see what happens when something falls that far and lands on rocks.

While it may have been a worthless pile of venison, it still should have been included in your bag, if possible. Over the years I have come across more yearlings than I can count, that were left where they lay because someone put a 30-06 bullet thru both hind quarters. While I too have lost more deer than I care to admit, I always did my best to retrieve them, and have them counted. Even when it means there's no meat worth eating off them. We can't blame the deer because we made a poor shot, nor do we ignore the fact we made a poor shot because "there are plenty more where that came from". I know this is an ethics thing and folks are free to feel differently. I also know many folks out there do not have a clue when it comes to blood trailing a poorly shot deer. I just hope that folks do whatever they can to retrieve that poorly shot deer within their skill level.