The curse lives on!!!!

[Kilbo]

I started hunting with a crossbow last year because I just wanted to use a different weapon to harvest a deer so I hung up my compound. After not getting a chance at a deer last year I was hoping this year would be better. Well this morning......ok since it's after midnight i'll say yesterday morning I settled in my stand for a cold morning hunt. At 7:15 I hear a deer walking towards me! Yes it's finally gonna happen! The doe walks behind me so I spin around in my stand and get ready for the shot. I try to bleat to stop her at 20 yards but she trots forward and I didn't get her to stop until my last shooting lane for a shot. I'm not sure if it was the rush to get off the shot or I jerked the trigger in the excitement but the shot didn't feel right and she didn't react like I wanted. Gave her an hour then got down to look for her. I found grayish white hair on the ground and blood but no arrow. Followed a good blood trail for about 50 yards then it went to a drop here and there. Sometimes I'd find puddles of blood then it would go to just drops. Ended up losing blood at around 300 yards from the shot. never found my arrow and circled the woods for the another 3 hours with no luck. SUCKS!!! I hate losing deer. Gonna go back again tomorrow for another look around but doesn't look good. The curse of my crossbow lives on for now. 

[Kilbo]

Blood trail about 30 yards from the shot

[tcook8296]

300 yards is a long way to go. That looks like a good amount of blood. White hair may have me concerned a bit. Usually when you find puddles and the drops , that is where the deer stopped or bedded. It is possible you may have pushed it. Unless I have good steady blood, I usually back out for awhile.

Hopefully you go back in the morning and find it

[smoking gun]

Dead deer pushed not enough time to lay down

[smoking gun]

Is there froth in that blood or food matter the top pic looks like something fatal

[Rusty]

We've all been there, it happens.  It's a lousy feeling but if you hunt long enough you're gonna lose a deer now and then.   

[Bowhunter444]

Call one of the dog trackers on the UBNJ website. If the deer is dead they will find it!!!!

 

Sent from my SM-G900V using Tapatalk

Edited January 7, 2016 by Bowhunter444

[DBuck]

You say the curse lives on,how many deer have you wounded with this thing? 

[rgw]

man if it don't feel right or look right, give that deer min of 4 to 6 hours, this time of year over night. on a perfect hit I give a hour unless I see it go down. most likely you jumped it, it is dead, probably will head for water or a thicket

[Kype]

that sucks. that 30 yard picture of the blood is common. looks like it was walking slow and squirting blood out. once is beds down, deer will lay on the wound and a lot of times almost stop the bleeding completely. once jumped, blood becomes harder and harder to find. good luck 

[Kilbo]

You say the curse lives on,how many deer have you wounded with this thing? 

If you read the post it says I haven't gotten a chance with a deer since using a crossbow. This is the first deer I had a chance with this crossbow. The curse that I speak of is more of a joke that I haven't gotten a deer in NJ in the last 2 years since going to a crossbow. and think that the crossbow is cursed. I'm 44 years old and have been hunting for 29 years. I've killed 98 deer exactly because I keep a journal of every successful hunt. As for pushing the deer and not giving it enough time to expire when I realized she made it more than 50 yards I backed out and came back 5 hours later. Sorry If I wasn't clear when I said I tracked it 300 yards. It was an additional 250 yard track after waiting the 5 hours. Went back again today for another 3 hours checking everywhere I thought it would go when wounded. Blowdowns, gullies, water sources and anywhere else I could think of with no luck. Sucks but like others have said if you hunt long enough it is bound to happen sooner or later. Thanks for all the help and suggestions. Good luck to all for the rest of the season.

[Rusty]

If you read the post it says I haven't gotten a chance with a deer since using a crossbow. This is the first deer I had a chance with this crossbow. The curse that I speak of is more of a joke that I haven't gotten a deer in NJ in the last 2 years since going to a crossbow. and think that the crossbow is cursed. I'm 44 years old and have been hunting for 29 years. I've killed 98 deer exactly because I keep a journal of every successful hunt. As for pushing the deer and not giving it enough time to expire when I realized she made it more than 50 yards I backed out and came back 5 hours later. Sorry If I wasn't clear when I said I tracked it 300 yards. It was an additional 250 yard track after waiting the 5 hours. Went back again today for another 3 hours checking everywhere I thought it would go when wounded. Blowdowns, gullies, water sources and anywhere else I could think of with no luck. Sucks but like others have said if you hunt long enough it is bound to happen sooner or later. Thanks for all the help and suggestions. Good luck to all for the rest of the season.

 

Kilbo, you are not obligated to explain yourself, or have to answer every knucklehead on the internet.