Wish Me Luck!

[Pappy]

Sorry about that,like Greg said ,it happens. I don't get an exit hole lots of the times and it dose make things tough.Sounds like she shouldn't have went far.If it is real thick it makes it tough.Most
times I just start making circles and will come up on them out 100 yards or so if I can't find blood.
Hit there she should have bedded within that distance. Good luck on finding her today.
   Pappy

[cowboy]

Too bad about yer doe Ryan. Sounds like a good hunt nonetheless though. Two more days and i'm there.

[Sidewinder]

Ryano,
      I was reading an article that Ed Ashby sent me today that he wrote a few years back under the pen name " Derilict Old Bowhunter". He was talking about tracking wounded game. In the article he spoke at length about wounded animals when they are finished fleeing and looking to bed will use a button hook maneuver that will that will circle them back a little in the direction of their back trail  into an area of thick brush with their back to the wind using their nose for that approach and their eyes watching in front of them. You might consider that. If you want the article I can email you.  I found it to be very good. Although have'nt gotten to use it yet I can see how I might.   Go get another one buddy you can do it. Danny

[Little John]

Sorry Ryan it is tough to loose one, I have lost a couple and it dosen't feel good. Stone tipped arrows are cool to make and shoot but I do not personally think they could be expected to penetrate as well as a well designed steel broadhead. I will probably hunt with stone someday but will know that I am handicapping my self. Dont feel too bad, the other predaters have to eat also and it sounds like there is no deer shortages in your area. Now go and get one of those big bucks.      Kenneth

[Ryano]

Thanks for the encouragement guys. Its not the first time I've lost one, I know it happens but it doesn't make you feel any better about it when it does happen. I think I'm going to give the stone points one more shot and hope for the best.  I think the outcome could have been the same with or without stone points, so like I said I'll give it one more try if I can get a shot at a doe again here soon.

Pappy, tried that. With the dog as well. Still nothing turned up. 

Danny, thanks for the info. Trust me, I've been down this road before. I seem to get a call every time one of my Buddy's hits one and needs help tracking it, so I have quite a bit of experience tracking wounded game, but that sounds like some good advise.

Kenneth, I actually got really good penetration. It was a 32" arrow and it was buried up to within a few inches of my fletchings.   I know what your saying though. 

[mullet]

   That's tough Ryan. That's why I started shooting heavier bows for hogs. It seemed if I didn't get a two hole shot, the quartering away, one hole shot closed up and the blood just filled the cavity. The lowering away shot into the Brisket has a lot of fat and closes behind the arrow. Leaving a Piss poor blood trail. Stone points will actually open up some Big , nasty, holes.

  I really am starting to think that hunting with legal size stone points in bows in the 50-55# range is not that consistantly effective. I think Billy was on the right track with his article with penetration with small points and what I consider light weight bows. And making, Shot Placement  on the money.

 Hope you find the deer and good luck. Wish I could see that many in one day.

[ballista]

ouch, that sucks, I shot one lasy year, the carbon arrow broke in two, and we couldnt find it..... but at least you can say you did it traditional! my god, i cant wait until I csn say i nailed a deer, with a bow i made! im pretty new to deer hunting, but it sounds like you're at the candy shop, 15 deer is crazy, im lucky to see that many in the season.(cant bait in illinois, im not sure if anyone here baits, the only thing you can bait is rats ) good luck though man, i asked whitewoodhunter the same question, what arrow material are you using? When i do go out, I'm planning on using tradepoints, then steppuing up (or down ) to the more primitive obsidian tips. for now, i got squirrel slayers (steel field tips) good luck though, it sounds like you have alot more chances at mr. buck  -jimmy

[Ryano]

Eddie, I hear ya. I'm going to try it one more time before I give up and go back to a steel point. 15 deer in one day here isn't the norm either. I'm hunting a good funnel area, and just got lucky because almost every deer in that piece of woods decided to come through it that morning.(everyone except the good buck) 

ballista, No baiting here either, just hunting a good funnel area in thick cover. My arrow was made of river Cain tipped with obsidian. Here is a picture.

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[hawkbow]

sorry for your lost prey brother....  have spent days searching in vain for lost deer.... keep trying with the stone points... they have worked for twenty thousand years... should still be just as deadly... look forward to pictures of your harvest... HAWK

[ballista]

 those are some slick arrows, ryano! yeah, its pretty tough, my closest shot all year was like 30 yards away, but aside from that, they were all out of bow range. im not yet traditional deer hunting, but i can hit squirrels at 15 yard range with a selfbow, pretty consistantly.   i think by late this year, for sure next year, ill go out with a selfbow-i dunno though. howard hill wrote a book, theres alot of info on stone points in there.the seminoles swore by the stuff, they also hunted in packs but tracking a one lung shot deer-sucks. we had the blood lights, and it was still pretty hard! good luck though- jimmy