Never found my buck

[PigOPs]

I saw where a guy shot one high and a little back and found it alive a couple days later and was able to finish the job... Good thing too, it was a MONSTER... 271" i think... Maybe that'll happen with you...

[dustoffer]

Shot a doe several years ago and gave her 30 minutes. Good shot I thought. First 25 yds blood was spotty, then I got into the cedars and found a SPOT that was 2-3 feet across and about an inch deep. I'm thinking "No way she isn't down" and then 2 hours later and about 250' higher up the ridge and a half-mile farther west, blood peters out. We never found her and never saw any buzzards either.

[tsnksmith]

learn and move on, practice, practice... practice. It happens to a lot of us

[bowsticker]

Two choices:

Keep reliving what happened and it will affect you for a long time.

Brush it off, get back out there and get blood on another arrow.

[Livin'2hunt]

I've lost only one deer with a bow and it was similar. I had a Rage-like blood trail on both sides of the buck. Obviously, heart shot. He ran about 100 yards as expected, turned right and made a small circle back to his blood trail. Blood was everywhere. It was unbelievable. I looked for three days and never found him. That was 25 years ago and I'm still perplexed.

[coker737]

BTDT. There will be a better time. Go Hunting Now

[Briar Friar]

So I'm extremely disappointed in myself. I shot a good buck 2 weekends ago (Sunday morning) and couldn't find it. We looked for hours. I took off work that Monday and went back up and still couldn't find it. I called in a budy of mine that has a tracking dog and still nothing. I was up again this past weekend and still nothing. I know I made a decent shot because there was good blood on the arrow (pass through) and around where I shot him, but the blood went to just spots here and there for the first 100 yards and then gone forever.
It is driving me crazy to think I wounded a deer but also the fact that if he did expire that he was waisted. I know that the coyotes and buzzards had full stomachs if he did die though.
I guess what I'm asking is how do y'all deal with the thought of one getting away like that?

I kept looking...watching buzzards...finally found him. It sucks and is annoying but you did what you could to be a responsible hunter.

My scenario last season was similar. Bloody arrow, awesome blood trail, piles of frothy blood...jumped him the next day and no blood where he was bedded. Found him 2 weeks later with 30 buzzards on my neighbors land. My arrow had caught the edge of my popup and I gut shot him...super stinky arrow and no punctures in the chest cavity were my only clues.

Good luck. Keep on keepin on. Push the reset. Live and learn.

[mpotts]

if you haven't lost an animal you haven't hunted long enough.

[quarterback]

Was it a really low chest cavity shot?? If it's really low in chest cavity or brisket it will bleed like crazy but will dry up in a couple hundred yards and deer will live as long as there is no major infection.
I have seen many get shot in what looks like a low heart shot, stand there and visually see blood streaming out but walk off and eventually stop bleeding but return in a week or two.

This was my first thought from your description. Chances are that buck is alive and will have a nice scar next time you see him. We've all experienced the heartbreak of losing one. All you can do is pull up your big boy britches and get back to practicing and go hunting again. It happens. Do the best you can and get on with life.

[wentwort]

I’ve been there done that as well. Felt like crap about it but knew I did everything I could to recover. It happened happens.

[Native Texan]

Learn from it. Remember how it makes you feel to lose one and do everything you can to see it doesn't happen again. Practice, not just shooting but when and where to shoot. Be obsessive with being sure your equipment is finely tuned and your broadheads are SHAVING SHARP.

I applaud your efforts to find the deer!! Not giving up the search when it seemed hopeless has saved me heartbreak a few times over the years.

[muzzlebrake]

Bow hunt long enough and sooner or later your number is drawn.
Forget about it and move on to the next one.
FYI, it may happen again. Bad things always come in bunches

[CURTIS250]

Guys, I greatly appreciate the help with this. It has defiantly made me feel a lot better just reading the comments.
Kactuskiller and quarterback, the shot might have been a little lower than I would have liked but it seamed to be in the "kill zone" but maybe I was mistaken.
Thanks again for the words of encouragement.

[CURTIS250]

Sell bow equipment and buy shotgun with buckshot.

That's the last resort.

[mikeyb_23]

Ive list a couple of deer before. The best thing to do is get back out there and shoot another one.