So, two Thursday's ago I arrowed a big doe on an evening hunt. She came inside of 20 yards, so I neck shot her. Those who know my hunting exploits from on here know I love shooting deer in the neck. She was no exception. To me, I felt after the arrow hit her it was a perfect shot where my 100 grain Montec Broadhead landed. She hauled ass but was stumbling the entire time, and finally crashed what I thought was about 30-35 yards away. I heard her wheezing loudly a few times before total silence. This led me to believe that I cut her esophagus. When I got down to examine the arrow (which passed through easily), I noticed good bright red blood on the fletches, though there was not much blood in the spot where she was when the arrow landed. When I got to the palmetto's edge, it was evident she was bleeding heavily. The blood trail would be easy to stay on. I gave her about 30 minutes before I began my track.
As I first suspected, the blood was everywhere. She was really gushing, so I surmised that I hit an artery. I easily followed heavy blood for about 30 yards and saw a pool of blood at the end of it, but no deer?!? WTF? There was no way. She's got to be right here, I thought to myself. As unlikely as this was, I figured she may have sat, clotted up, and walked. Deer tracking 101 kicks in at that point and I go down to my hands and knees and start making small semi-circles from the last blood pool. I got to about 10 yards out and still didn't find any additional blood. Could I be wrong about my shot? Could I have pushed her when I was coming through the palmettos? Not likely, but she was gone.
I backed out, went to the house; got a green Glo-Stick and a much brighter spot flood; then went back. I hung the Glo-Stick high enough in a tree above the last blood pool so I could easily see the last spot as I started to widen my semi-circles. Each time I went around, I added a few more yards. Hell, I ended up 30-40 yards away from the light stick and still nothing. I even started randomly walking in different directions hoping I would get lucky and spot a trace of blood to at least put me back on the direction she went.
Now I am not one to give up on a deer, but I was now over 2 hours in, it was pitch black dark, and the palmetto forest I was in was thick and over my head. I texted my wife that I can't find her and I may have to give up. I went back to the last pool of blood one last time, got on my hands and knees again, and surveyed the blood trail one last time before I surrendered. I couldn't wrap my head around this. I didn't understand what the hell happened. I know these animals can take tremendous injuries and still get away, but damn!
I crawled back from the last pool of blood one last time before I was going to walk out. Two yards away from the last pool, there it was. A few blood spots that were landing in the wrong direction. WTH? I was stunned, because that didn't make sense! How could she be hauling ass in one direction splattering forward, and here I have a few spots landing backwards? Staying on my hands and knees, I kept back tracking the blood trail and much to my absolute amazement found more blood going back against the initial blood trail. Holy ****, I thought. That magnificent bitch! She backtracked her own trail. Sure enough, 10 yards back up the initial trail, there she lay. About 1 yard from the original trail, dead as a doorknob. Had I not tried this last ditch effort, I would have walked out and passed within 3 feet of her and never saw her!
I was thrilled, but I was also amazed. I had NEVER had a deer backtrack a blood trail! EVER! This was a first of firsts for me, and I have been killing deer in various fashions for decades. And lot's of them too!
So guess what? If it happens once, it can happen again! For those of you that ever lose the blood trail in the future and can't believe it's possible, just for shits and giggles, crawl the last blood spot backwards. You never know! I have added that strange and very unlikely tactic to my deer tracking catalogue!
Oh, and she was delicious!
As I first suspected, the blood was everywhere. She was really gushing, so I surmised that I hit an artery. I easily followed heavy blood for about 30 yards and saw a pool of blood at the end of it, but no deer?!? WTF? There was no way. She's got to be right here, I thought to myself. As unlikely as this was, I figured she may have sat, clotted up, and walked. Deer tracking 101 kicks in at that point and I go down to my hands and knees and start making small semi-circles from the last blood pool. I got to about 10 yards out and still didn't find any additional blood. Could I be wrong about my shot? Could I have pushed her when I was coming through the palmettos? Not likely, but she was gone.
I backed out, went to the house; got a green Glo-Stick and a much brighter spot flood; then went back. I hung the Glo-Stick high enough in a tree above the last blood pool so I could easily see the last spot as I started to widen my semi-circles. Each time I went around, I added a few more yards. Hell, I ended up 30-40 yards away from the light stick and still nothing. I even started randomly walking in different directions hoping I would get lucky and spot a trace of blood to at least put me back on the direction she went.
Now I am not one to give up on a deer, but I was now over 2 hours in, it was pitch black dark, and the palmetto forest I was in was thick and over my head. I texted my wife that I can't find her and I may have to give up. I went back to the last pool of blood one last time, got on my hands and knees again, and surveyed the blood trail one last time before I surrendered. I couldn't wrap my head around this. I didn't understand what the hell happened. I know these animals can take tremendous injuries and still get away, but damn!
I crawled back from the last pool of blood one last time before I was going to walk out. Two yards away from the last pool, there it was. A few blood spots that were landing in the wrong direction. WTH? I was stunned, because that didn't make sense! How could she be hauling ass in one direction splattering forward, and here I have a few spots landing backwards? Staying on my hands and knees, I kept back tracking the blood trail and much to my absolute amazement found more blood going back against the initial blood trail. Holy ****, I thought. That magnificent bitch! She backtracked her own trail. Sure enough, 10 yards back up the initial trail, there she lay. About 1 yard from the original trail, dead as a doorknob. Had I not tried this last ditch effort, I would have walked out and passed within 3 feet of her and never saw her!
I was thrilled, but I was also amazed. I had NEVER had a deer backtrack a blood trail! EVER! This was a first of firsts for me, and I have been killing deer in various fashions for decades. And lot's of them too!
So guess what? If it happens once, it can happen again! For those of you that ever lose the blood trail in the future and can't believe it's possible, just for shits and giggles, crawl the last blood spot backwards. You never know! I have added that strange and very unlikely tactic to my deer tracking catalogue!
Oh, and she was delicious!