2011 Archery Log

[slimngrizzly]

we have probably 30% of the corn in by me, its going fast! Hope to start seeing more deer then myself!

[Musky hunter 82]

Need help guys I was out hunting this morning with my wife, looking to fill her tag, and had a buck come by at 15 yards broadside, I put the pin right behind his shoulder and touched off a shot it looked good, he lunged forward at the hit and took off with his tail down. I waited 15-20 mins. before looking for blood and my arrow. Right at impact I find a couple of white hairs and nice red blood but no arrow. I walked back to my car and then went back in to find my arrow (maybe 45 mins after the shot). I find it 10 yards down the trail, with blood the whole way, I'm thinking good I got him, I tracked him for another 75 yards to a point where he stopped, and there is blood all over on both sides and maybe 2 feet off the ground on some branches. At this point I can't find anymore blood so I start circling the area and pick up a couple little drops, here and there, enough to track him another 50-60 yards only to jump him. This is a good 1 1/2 hours after the shot, I decied to back out and let him lay down, he looked hurt bad when we jumped him, and he had his tail down the entire time, and was hunched up a little. Do you think that I shot low and hit his brisket? There was no indication of a gut shot when I smelled the arrow, or in any of the blood.

I'm going to head back out around 3:00pm to look again, just makes we sick to think that I wounded one that I might not find.

Here's a picker of my arrow.

[Stratosman]

Probably a liver shot...judging by your description of the events. The blood doesn't look like liver blood but hard to tell. The good news is a liver shot deer will always dies..as will a gutshot deer. It just takes time. 3:00 is the earliest I'd go back, assuming you shot him at 8:00 that's 7 hours... but a good 3-4 hours of daylight left to find him. Good thing you backed out when you jumped him, that was smart. A low briskit shot that buck probably wouldn't have bedded within 150 yards..but ya never know...

good luck and hope you find him.. get a couple buddies to help. Makes a difference.

[goblueM]

to me tail down and lunging forward says liver or close to it. Especially given how he bedded down. You should wait at least 6 hours, prob more since you jumped him. I'd say 8 to be really sure. I had a deer get away from me because we went in (liver shot btw) 6 hours after the shot and jumped him, he ran a mile and never found him, despite a great original blood trail and 3 separate bed-downs

[mnhunter79]

Had a fun morning, slow to start off. 830 a doe and fawn coming my way feeding on leaves about 12 yards from me, took a pic of the doe as they finally wandered off. 945 a spike and a 4 pointer go running past at 50 yds together. 10 am a lone doe comes running thru exactly where the 2 bucks ran except she was goin the other way. 1005 the 2 bucks come trotting / walking 15 yds from me mouths open and panting, chasin that doe im guessing. so all in all it was a good morning, seeing 5 deer and 2 bucks chasing that doe around. waiting for mr. big to start cruisin for doe's. gonna try for a doe tonight in the city hunt for some freezer meat.

[james_walleye]

Someone correct me if I'm wrong, but Ive always been told liver was fatal immediately. I liver shot my buck last year and he went 70 yards and piled up. Nothing was said about the shot being to far back. I wonder if 1 lung is a possibility?? Hit low on the near side lung but under the far side.

[perchking]

I dont think a Liver shot is anything like a lung shot. I shot a 3.5 year old 8pt 2 years ago in the liver , tracked him for over a mile. Backed out went back the next morning and I found him but he was still alive couldn't get up and I dispatched him in his bed. . I felt bad for that deer, but glad I stayed on him.

[Musky hunter 82]

Well I'm back and good news I found him dead only 20 yards from when we jumped him the second/last time. I ended up hitting the very back of the close side lung and the liver. He did a half moon around where I shot him, and my guess is that he went close to 300-400 yards total. When I found him he had been dead for a couple hours since he was already stiff. This was by far the hardest tracking job I've had on a deer, losts of hands and knees looking for the next drop of blood. Backing out definately helped in this situation.

[goblueM]

glad you found him! you made the right call

sat in my evening stand tonight and saw a lone gobbler at 75 yards, a coyote soon after, and then had a spike with 10 inch tines come mill around in front of me for about 5 minutes. I went all last year without seeing a buck, then saw 2 today, which was nice.

[goblueM]

Someone correct me if I'm wrong, but Ive always been told liver was fatal immediately.

nope liver can often take a long while to die... best to back out on them

[perchking]

Great news on the tracking job. Way to stay after him.

Any pics?

[Musky hunter 82]

I have this picture of him in velvet, he's not a big racked buck, but I didn't care it's meat in the freezer and only my 4 deer with a bow.

I'll post some other pictures of him tomorrow, he has a very dark face, a black line down his nose and then it Y's up by his eyes, cool markings

[Rippinlip]

Nice job on the tracking and recovery of the deer.

I had a great time today on the stand, nothing seen this morning for deer, but Raccoons, Turkeys and alot of tree rats.

This evening I was able to watch a young 8 pointer walk by at extremely close range, I passed.

I set my Buck standard this year at outside the ears and I am really trying to stick with it.

[delmuts]

Great job on the tracking!

Yes a liver hit and or one lung can cover alot of ground, and with just a liver hit they take quite a while to die.

[james_walleye]

Well I learned something. I thought liver was always a quick kill. Like I said the 8 I shot last year went 70 yards n piled up and I walked right up to him.

[Stratosman]

That is either an extreme fluke or you hit something along with the liver. Interesting.. The normal reaction from a liver hit deer is to hunch over and trot away, often times bedding within a 100 yards. Rule of thumb I believe is wait 8 hours for a liver hit....

Unfortunately I have some personal experiences with liver hits...but have recovered every one of them.

[Pooh]

heres my story....I've been out about a dozen times this year and seen very few deer and starting to get discouraged. well last night I wanted a new view, so a new chunk of state land I went. Well I got set up around 430 and everything was perfect wind directly in my face and starting to cloud up and at 530 it started to cool down. At 630 I could hear a doe bleating in the woods so I bleated back. She was no where near going to come out on one of the trails I was set up on but got directly upwind of me and walked right at me. There was 5 deer total (her 3 fawns and a smaller doe) and she was in the lead, and by far the biggest. For a second I thought she was going to ruin it as she got to 5 yards facing me and looked right up at me. Turned 90* took 3 steps and got behind a big oak and paused. I drew, 3 more steps put her at 8 yards quarting away. the hit was high and back. Arrow went throught the backstrap and exited the otherside about 2/3 of the way down the ribs. I didnt think I hit lungs, but ended up catching the back of the lungs and front of the liver. I saw more deer last night than I have every night combined this fall. Now to do it again.

[MUSKY18]

Went out for a quick sit last night. Setup on the edge of a picked corn field, back into the oak woods about 50 yards. Wind was great for this spot as it was at my back blowing all my scent out onto the field, as the deer bed behind me. Managed to see one doe while in the stand, out of range. On the way home I saw a bunch of deer out in picked corn fields. One corner of the field had 8 deer standing out in it eating. Going back to look for more tonight if this wind dies down just a bit.

[james_walleye]

That is either an extreme fluke or you hit something along with the liver. Interesting.. The normal reaction from a liver hit deer is to hunch over and trot away, often times bedding within a 100 yards. Rule of thumb I believe is wait 8 hours for a liver hit....

Unfortunately I have some personal experiences with liver hits...but have recovered every one of them.

No it was liver. My buddy grabbed the liver while gutting it to confirm what was hit and there were the perfect broadhead marks. I'll have to call my one friend who has shot dozens of deer who has told me a liver shot deer will be dead quickly within 100 yards.

[goblueM]

james, anybody (except apparently your buddy) will tell you a liver shot deer will often (if not usually) take 4-8 hours to die, and you should back up and wait before tracking

[Bear55]

A lot to do with liver shots depents on the angle of the shot. Someimte if you hit one lung and a liver they don't last very long. Other times you hit the liver and back through the guts it is going to take a while.

[Archerysniper]

Congrats on your deer Pooh.

[james_walleye]

james, anybody (except apparently your buddy) will tell you a liver shot deer will often (if not usually) take 4-8 hours to die, and you should back up and wait before tracking

Yeah, hence the reason I said I was going to call him and ask him where his info has come from......

[Musky hunter 82]

Thank all of you guys for the encouragement, here's a picture of him, Like I said before he's not a big buck but when it's only the 4th one with a bow I'm happy.

[goblueM]

for me, any deer with the bow is a good deer! congrats!

[mnhunter79]

Well, I hunted the city hunt saterday from 430 til 530. Seen 8 deer total,and passed on a button buck. 525 a doe and fawn came at 12 yards, double lung shot on doe, went 20 yds and tipped over. Put my bow in the holder and turned around and another doe and fawn were comin my way 40 yds out, knocked another arrow , and at 18 yds let the arrow fly. Heart shot, she went 60 yds and fell. What an experience, 2 adult does in 5 minutes. (keep in mind each hunter can shoot 5 deer in the city hunt) I would post pics but the pics are of the 2 deer on a tarp in my garage.

[certified jumbo]

Well I learned something. I thought liver was always a quick kill. Like I said the 8 I shot last year went 70 yards n piled up and I walked right up to him.

every deer and every shot can have a different result. i shot a buck 2 weeks ago, center punched the body, arrow went through the middle of liver. it made it 20 yds, lived only a few seconds after arrow hit.

never the less, congrat musky. any deer is a good deer, and that one will be a great eater!!!

[mnhunter79]

just seen the other deer pic on the tarp so ill post mine. mods can delete if they feel its too bad of pic.

[mabr]

Congrats on what looks like 2 perfect shots.

Sat a stand tonight for the first time in almost 2 weeks. Man im glad the heat is gone. Had a doe and fawn come by at 6pm winded me at 30 yards and left the area. Hour later a spike takes same trail but never smelled me at all until he was 10 yards from me and must have smelled where i walked in. then he quietly re traced his trail. Wind sure had them spooky tonight but a good nite to be out again. Getting ready for a 3 week all out trophy quest starting this up coming weekend.

[gopher_nation]

mnhunter79, are you in St. Cloud or is that south central?

Regardless of location, great shots on both. Congrats!