Top_Heavy's World

The mist was giving way to full blown rain as we circled and circled. There was no more blood, there was no deer to find, the tracks we found mingled with 1000's of others and I was pulled from the job. We drove home, the mood was much more somber. The following day was spent, 2 men in the pouring raing, looking for a possible carcass. The deer is still unfound.

"I have a scenario for you, I want your opinion..." the phone call started.
I knew by my nickname, used by only one person, who I was listening to. This very experienced hunter has had a dry run lately, the last few years have been hard on him. Lost wounded elk, lost wounded deer, missed opportunities, missed shots. He had so much pressure on himself to "preform" that he was in a frenzy.
"I stopped this buck and I shot him perfect... I aimed for the heart and I watched the arrow hit him perfect. I gave him a few minutes, walked over to where he was standing and found blood everywhere. I slowly followed the blood and a few yards farther on I bumped a big buck. I heard him crashing through the brush so I knocked an arrow. He came clear and stood at 50 yards. I started to draw and he snorted and took off... what do you think?"
I have to admit, I was unable to think anything by this time. I was listening to a man who has harvested many P&Y trophies talk like a first year novice... "Start at the shot; How far? 30 yards. What angle? Broadside. Standing or walking? I stopped him, he was walking and I grunted to stop him." (I don't stop deer over 15 yards, they are too alert.) "Where did the arrow hit? In the pocket perfect. Obviously not, he ran off! What angle? Broadside. What did the arrow look like? I never found it, but it doesn't matter, I heart shot him. What did his tail do when you shot him and again when he snorted you? He trotted off with his tail up and then after he snorted he really ran off with his tail up."
I put my brain in overdrive... Up tail means- miss, or low and not good, or 1 lung and not instantly overwhelming to the buck. I was betting on low, below and behind the heart but above the brisquit. This kills the buck, bleeds like crazy and tapers off, and can take a day or 2.
"It is going to rain in the morning, so you better get out there early..." He was in the field with help at daybreak. No buck found on day 1. Day 2 was spent rewalking the area and 75 yards from where they had left off, the buck was found. The buck is a monster bodied, well racked, mature whitetail. Because the deer was recoverd we get to see what really happened and evaluate it.
The entrance hole was back, perhaps 6" infront of the near side back leg (not a heart shot) and the exit was a few inches back from a heart shot had the deer been broadside. This means that guts, liver, stomach, diaphram, and barely 1 lung were hit. HOW DID THIS HAPPEN AND THE HUNTER NOT SEE IT?

The only 2 mature bucks I have missed were both under 30 yards, stopped and looked right at me and dodged the arrow. Both were over 140" gross and both would have been mounts in my trophy room if I had just shot them walking at the best opportunity. I do not stop deer at over simple simple simple range- perhaps 15 yards! They stop them on the videos all of the time, but you don't see how many of them are gut shot or hit back on the body! If you try to stop a deer, be drawn, pin centered and ready to shoot. As soon as the deer stops you must be settled on the center of the kill zone and release. Most of the time a buck will load up (flex all of his muscles to be ready to spring away once danger is identified) does are often more relaxed, but we are in the rut now and chasing mature deer, and they die hard! A buck that is loaded might look like a statue, but he is able to drop or turn far enough for the arrow to miss before it gets there, even at speeds over 300fps! This buck was stopped at 30 yards! The hunter later admits he sort of saw the buck look over his shoulder but most of the action was blocked by his peep sight!

Sorry, we will keep going next time
I will fast forward to