Cameron from SC asks,
Hi Bill I have a question regarding recovery of a wounded deer. Last friday I shot a good buck with a rage broadhead. After missing the deer low at 25 yards I was able to get a second shot at 35 yards. Unfortunately in the moment I inadvertently grabbed an arrow without a lighted knock. At the shot the buck seemed to jump forward as he was on alert and my gut was i hit him back through the hind legs but dont know for sure. The deer took off and after looking for 2 hrs for the next 100 yards finding no arrow and no blood I backed out. I went in the next morning and searched the area in about a 500 yard radius and found one spec of blood. After walking the creek in the area I backed out. I checked the camera on Sunday in the area and no sign of the buck. My question is would you continue to search for the buck or see if he shows back up on Camera? If he is alive I want him to stay in the area and dont want to go trashing the whole area to try to find a deer that isnt dead. Im heartbroken about blowing the 25 yard shot and possibly "forcing" a second shot and of course wounding the buck I was watching your episode on recovering the Big 7 so I know you have been there any insight would BE MUCH APPRECIATED Hope your season is going well and you are settling into your new hometown Best Cameron
Bill responds,
Topic: Recovering Deer Hit in Hind Leg:
When you track a wounded buck for more than 300 yards and find very little if any blood and no sign of a bed, there is a very good chance that the hit was not fatal. You still must be thorough, but at this point the odds finding him are really low.
Cameron,
On a hit like that you will either gets lots of blood from a femoral artery hit and find the deer nearby or it is not dead. I am guessing that to find so little blood you made a flesh wound to the buck’s back leg.
Even if you hit it solid in the back leg there would be lots of blood at first and if it was femoral, of course, dead deer in 100 yards. I would call off the search for now. My guess is that you didn’t kill that deer. Good luck. (11/3/21)
