Crap!!!

[boughnut]

I went out this morn and had a nice 8pt come in to 20 yards was going to let him get closer but he got down wind and looked right up at me.  So I had to take the shot.  He was already on alert and ducked the arrow well almost it went right through the top of his back just under the skin looked like.  the arrow went straight through and when I found it hardly had a trace of blood on it but did have a little.  Found no blood on the ground and watched him run off for 60 yards or so before he hit the thick stuff.  I think he will be just fine.  Any one know much about these types of wounds on deer and how they handle them?  I hope he makes it with no infections.  there is nothing I hate more than wounding a deer and not finding him.  Some input will hopefully ease my mind.  Do wild animals fight of potintial infections well?

[half eye]

For all the years I've bowhunted, and all the deer killed I have had 3 deer that I put down and in the course of skinning, dressing, etc. etc. I found the following:

1. An old bear razorhead stuck in the back of a deers skull (grown over )
2. A muzzy chizel tip burried in behind the shoulder stuck in a rib ( it was completely encased in some sort of white "gristley" stuff
3. In the late arcery season I killed a big doe that had been gun shot in the neck and actually had a healed over hole clean through.

None of them deer even acted funny or anything so I did not know they were wounded till the cleanin.

Having said all that, If your deer is allready on high alert for whatever reason.......dont shoot, either wait for it to calm down or pass all together, it will be back. Bows are slower than an alert deer's senses.
rich

[boughnut]

well duh lol I have shot maybe 20 or so with a bow and many more with rifle.  just never had one get away wounded till now.  I have shot them on alert before and they watch the dang arrow coming to them and never flentch have had them jump the string to and either miss over there back or drop them with a spine shot.  The only one I have ever seen with a wound from being shot was a button buck came in with his mom but opted to shoot the button buck because he was injured and had a infection on his leg from some one shooting him and hitting him low.  broke his leg and looked like a softball was under his skin when he walked you could see his leg buckling there he would have died from that infection it was horible he was sickly looking and did not look like he was going to make it much longer.  I am glad to hear they survive these problems but was worried because of that button buck.  My brother shot a nice buck and when we got it home he had wounds on his face from fighting with another buck that were badly infected and he looked like he was on his last leg to skin and bones and his face looked like a basket ball. horibly infected.  cant imagin what size the buck was that did that to him because he was a 147 inch 8pt.  I worrie about him because of my experiences with infected wounds on deer.  That is nuts that you found all that in in thouse deer pretty neat to.  I though after all was said and done I need to highten my respect for my equipment and the deer and will but I can be hard headed some times and have to learn the hard way but defently lessen well taught and learned here.  I guess I have gotten lucky in the past with them jumping the string. but in any case not this time.  Thanks for the reply and the good info.

[Pat B]

Deer will generally survive a non-lethal would.
 ...but like Rich said...shooting at an alert deer is not ethical and you have a low percentage of making the shot, at least the shot you were planning on. The chances of woulding an alert deer are quite high if you don't miss it all together.  If you have shot that many deer you should know not to shoot at an alert deer...and the number of points on its head shouldn't matter whether you pass on the shot or not. 

[boughnut]

yea I dont shoot does much just bucks I only shoot a doe if I need the meat where I hunt it is like 8pt haven see them all the time and they offer alot more meat than our little 80 to 90 pound does.  hardly ever see anything bigger than an 8 they just dont seem to get many tines around here.  I am glad to hear he will most likly survive  because I feel awful and like a Jack a$$ for even trying at this point after the fact.  I should have let him walk but just got excieted and my brain turned to jello.  it happens to me quiet often hunting I seem to get a bit more excieted than most and at that point logic seems to go out the door but now that I have exprienced the bad side of it I hope to never wound one again.  I think really I should have waited for a closer shot to I dont really like shooting over 15 yards but dang it man I just lose my cool some times.  Hopefully I will see him around later in the season to know he is ok.  He is a local I have seen him in paticular about 10 times in the past month and half, been watching him since he was in velvet a month before season started along with about 15 others.  Saw all of them together on day feeding in full velvet was an awsome sight to see.

[sonny]

he'll be back at some point and you'll know that he survived.
last hunting season I saw the same spike buck several different times throughout the seasons- archery, then
during rifle season. I had him in the rifle scope ten times one afternoon but decided I'd like to see what he looks
like this season....he had better not walk by close enough during archery season this year!!

[boughnut]

yea I hope so sonny I think next time I will let him pass he deserves it at this point.  besides there is a giant 8pt out there some where that I saw in that group of bucks early on and I want him. He is probably pushing 200 pounds.  Lots of meat on him and some nice antlers for making stuff with.  Luckly I get two buck tags and 10 doe tags so I can take my two bucks I get every year and one doe is how I usually do it.  Last year I got 4 bucks though 2 here in my home state of ga one in NC on my cousins land and one in OK on my in laws land.  dont think I will be travling much this year so I better think about a doe or two for the freezer.  I am going to give her a go again as I am down to my last two hams and 2 pounds of ground from last year.  We only kill what we can eat and between my wife me and my son we only need about 4 deer good sized ones 2 turkeys a handful of tree rats and a few bunnies.  I am stocked on all but deer.  so I need to put one on the ground.  might be a doe day tomorrow.

[Pappy]

If you hit him where you think he will be fine,I like Halfeye have killed several
with points in the shoulder/back bone and they were gristle over and seemed no worse for wear,also have found muzzle loader bullets in them. I shot one several years ago  early season and knew I hit it forward in the shoulder,tracked it a couple hundred yards and lost the blood,I killed it in late season and found my broad head and short piece of wood in the shoulder,didn't even know it was the same deer when I shot it. 
   Pappy

[crooketarrow]

  I've shot 2 bucks that's that happened to me. If it's cold infections unlikely. Both my bucks made it. WILL one did I arrowed the one a week later.

[boughnut]

thanks crooket,  I have actually seen him again since this encounter and he looks just fine just missing a patch of hair and could not tell maybe scabed up he was about 60 yards out this time and it was hard to see details but I could pick out the spot no swelling or anything like that.  He looked healthy and was chowing down on some muscadines.