Tracking deer with no blood

[The Angler]

Anyone here ever kill a deer that didn’t leave a blood trail?
I’m tore up at the moment. Grunted in a monster buck and thought I had a good shot on him (aimed mid body behind shoulder slightly quartering away); if I’m being honest, maybe a little high.
Arrow passed through, but very little blood on arrow and nothing on the ground.
Need some advice. High lung? Backstrap? Dead deer? I’m at a loss

Thanks

 

[JBoomhauer]

Looks fatty. Id say it is gone.

 

[OREGUN]

Oh it’s dead. Just a month from now and nowhere near where you shot it.

 

[The Angler]

Hairs I pulled off the arrow if it helps any

 

[Namekagon]

Wait till morning, then go back in and start searching in the heaviest cover in the direction he was heading where he might’ve bedded like a swamp or something. If he’s mortally wounded and you didn’t push him, He’ll probably go down into the thickest shit around and bed down and hopefully bleed out. I did this exact process with a doe that was hit through the shoulder blade and didn’t bleed. Found her dead bedded in a swamp about 75 yards from where I shot her. Only problem is coyotes had eaten the whole damn thing!

 

[wvfarrier]

Looks like you either scraped along the back or hit along the brisket. Be hard ti find even with a tracking dog if there is not blood

 

[Namekagon]

When you go back in, look for crows, vultures, eagles, etc.

 

[Aftermath]

I had a similar experience many years ago. I looked around a bit but decided to back out and go back to camp. The next day I went out again. I marked the spot I knew I hit with a piece of orange tape, went to the last place I knew for sure I saw it and marked that the same. I took a heading and moved in real, real, real slow. I was using my binoculars looking at EVERYTHING before I took the next step. There was a HUGE fly that came by and for whatever reason, I watched that fly. The insect would fly about 15 feet and land on something. Repeat. That big ass fly led me to the doe, dead as she could be only about 20 yards from where I last saw it. I've used this knowledge a couple of other times.
For sure be looking for bird activity.

 

[jolofree]

Search the area with a good thermal tonight

 

[hafejd30]

If it’s open area and legal you can try a thermal drone if you have someone around you with one

Otherwise many guys in our area use tracking dogs. A couple in the area. Those dogs will find a deer a mile away with next to nothing for blood in a mild rain. A very good option especially for a monster Buck

 

[davsco]

take a dog. i arrowed a nice buck in my yard a while back at last light. lost the blood trail. brought out my golden retriever (never hunted, just a pet) and he found him a couple hundred yards away dead in a creek bed. he had doubled back from his initial direction.

 

[TACC]

Keep us posted on updates.

 

[The Angler]

I had a similar experience many years ago. I looked around a bit but decided to back out and go back to camp. The next day I went out again. I marked the spot I knew I hit with a piece of orange tape, went to the last place I knew for sure I saw it and marked that the same. I took a heading and moved in real, real, real slow. I was using my binoculars looking at EVERYTHING before I took the next step. There was a HUGE fly that came by and for whatever reason, I watched that fly. The insect would fly about 15 feet and land on something. Repeat. That big ass fly led me to the doe, dead as she could be only about 20 yards from where I last saw it. I've used this knowledge a couple of other times.
For sure be looking for bird activity.

Interesting. Noted

 

[The Angler]

I called the tracker. He looked over the arrow and said I may have hit back strap due to the black tipped hairs. He said “save your money” seemed honest, and being Christmas time, I don’t really want to be blowing too much money on myself ($300).
I’ve read stories on the inter webs that people have had similar experiences with no blood on good shots… going to go searching again later this morning.

Thanks again

 

[OREGUN]

I called the tracker. He looked over the arrow and said I may have hit back strap due to the black tipped hairs. He said “save your money” seemed honest, and being Christmas time, I don’t really want to be blowing too much money on myself ($300).
I’ve read stories on the inter webs that people have had similar experiences with no blood on good shots… going to go searching again later this morning.

Thanks again

That’s kind of a defeatist attitude for a “tracker”, isn’t it? Good luck out there.

 

[SupressYourself]

Were you shooting from a tree stand, or on the same level as the deer? How far was the shot?
There's not a ton of space between the top of the lungs and the spine on whitetailed deer, meaning if you shot too high to completely miss lungs, you'd about have to hit the spine. Clearly you didn't hit the spine. You may have clipped the top of the lungs, in which case, that deer is dead. Just about any large breed dog, regardless of training could be helpful.

 

[The Angler]

Were you shooting from a tree stand, or on the same level as the deer? How far was the shot?
There's not a ton of space between the top of the lungs and the spine on whitetailed deer, meaning if you shot too high to completely miss lungs, you'd about have to hit the spine. Clearly you didn't hit the spine. You may have clipped the top of the lungs, in which case, that deer is dead. Just about any large breed dog, regardless of training could be helpful.

18-20’ up a tree. A 20 yard chip shot.
Gap shot for my 20yd shot , and may have favored the 25 yard pin in the heat of the moment…maybe.
Aimed mid body behind the shoulder.
Slightly quartering away.
Heard the schwack.
Deer just kind of trotted. Not really a full blown sprint. Kind of looked hurt. Tail tucked.
No blood.
Went 10 yards into the woods into a spiderweb upon spider web of trails

 

[The Angler]

That’s kind of a defeatist attitude for a “tracker”, isn’t it? Good luck out there.

Thank you.

 

[The Angler]

if I made the shot I thought I did, I’d expect to at least find more blood on the arrow. I just don’t know.

 

[MOUNTIC]

Good luck out there. With almost no blood on that arrow I am going to say that deer is long gone, unfortunately. Part of bow hunting and been through it a few times. Hard to call it on a search, but with the way that arrow looks it's going to be tough one.

 

[MOUNTIC]

if I made the shot I thought I did, I’d expect to at least find more blood on the arrow. I just don’t know.

If you were anywhere in the vitals, even a single lung or liver, that arrow would look much different.

 

[SupressYourself]

if I made the shot I thought I did, I’d expect to at least find more blood on the arrow. I just don’t know.

I would expect more blood as well. The arrow looks more like a low brisket shot.
Unfortunately, in the heat of the moment, our brains don't always work right. On more than one occasion, I've found my animals with arrows or holes not exactly where I expected.

 

[hlee]

I had an arrow that looked about like that from a buck I shot a couple of years ago. I was absolutely sick. Then, a few weeks later I got this on my game camera. Not my best work, but deer are know to "jump the string." I don't know that he made it through the season, but he didn't seem much worse for the wear in this video.

I have a video somewhere, taken from my bow blind the next year, of a buck eerily similar to this one, with a white patch of hair right about where the injury is on this buck. Found it, and though the screen capture is grainy, you can see the few pixels of white hair above the shoulder blade.

Are they the same deer? I like to think so.

 

[JBoomhauer]

I had an arrow that looked about like that from a buck I shot a couple of years ago. I was absolutely sick. Then, a few weeks later I got this on my game camera. Not my best work, but deer are know to "jump the string." I don't know that he made it through the season, but he didn't seem much worse for the wear in this video.

View attachment 8273592

I have a video somewhere, taken from my bow blind the next year, of a buck eerily similar to this one, with a white patch of hair right about where the injury is on this buck. Found it, and though the screen capture is grainy, you can see the few pixels of white hair above the shoulder blade.

View attachment 8273597

Are they the same deer? I like to think so.

Here is one that a friend shot. It absorbed a .308 and was walking around a couple weeks later.

 

[Superjet]

Here is one that a friend shot. It absorbed a .308 and was walking around a couple weeks later.

View attachment 8273601

Holy Shit!

-OP, you did the right thing by backing out. The only advise I can offer is to look by the nearest water. They always seem to go towards water after they're hit in my experience.

I made a less than ideal hit on a doe the other night (little high, little back), good dark red blood on arrow, but very little on the ground. Felt sick, but persistent tracking and a bit of luck we found her about 150 yards from the shot near the swamp on the property. Best of luck to you, anyone that archery hunts long enough will go through this.

 

[Cat pitch]

Deer can run a long ways with no blood showing Or blood you can’t see very well especially at night. Or you missed. Good idea to search in the morning.

 

[Rerun7]

Several years ago I had a similar experience. Thought I made a decent shot but the arrow looked like yours. Very little blood and had fat on it. Deer barely bled for about 30ft then nothing.

Searched for 2 days and found nothing. Finally resigned that I got him in the brisket and it probably wasn’t a fatal shot.

Had a buddy 2yrs ago shoot low and hit one in the brisket with a muzzle loader. Tracked it for a LONG ways and never found it. 2 weeks later he jumped a deer and shot it. It was the same deer. He was getting along just fine and the wound was healing up.

 

[DeathBeforeDismount]

Here is one that a friend shot. It absorbed a .308 and was walking around a couple weeks later.

View attachment 8273601

That's not a deer man
..that's a zombie

 

[zeroz]

Here is one that a friend shot. It absorbed a .308 and was walking around a couple weeks later.

View attachment 8273601

That is crazy!. Especially since it looks like a young little deer; short face. How is that thing alive??!!

OP, that arrow doesnt scream vitals at all. If you thought you shot a little high and he "jumped the string" (actually squatted to load muscles) at all you could have easily just back strapped him. The solid thwack you heard could have been meat and maybe chipped or broke a spinal process which is not a killing shot. Hopefully you'll get another chance at that buck for some closure. Its a shitty reality of bowhunting, but a reality none the less. As far as the tracker not wanting to take the track, he probably did you a favor. Those dudes, assuming he's experienced, see a lot of arrows and have the success data logged to draw conclusions.

 

[Dead Eye Dick]

Tracked many a deer.

first, look for hoof prints. When shot, the deer will dig in and head out to the boonies. Go in that direction looking for broken trigs, mussed branches and the possible trace of blood as well as deep hoof tracks. Wounded deer are not discrete, they are on the move and disturbing the brush is unimportant. Important! Mark each bit of evidence with highway marking tape.

If that fails, go back to the shot, head into the woods in a semi circle direction, when half a circle is completed, turn and make a slightly larger semi circle, repeat until the deer is found or it’s obvious that its a lost cause. however, do not give up until your semi circles are at least several hundred yards deep.

As in wounded deer surviving, shot a cull buck in 2016. When we skinniness him out we found a double 0 buckshot in his upper shoulder. No indication he had ever been shot until we found the buckshot.

 

[stello1001]

I was in a High fenced 15,000 acre ranch down in south texas hunting in a managed deer program. We had to eliminate buck with shitty genetics. The buck I shot was not very young and was only an 8 pointer. He was big and thick though.

I had him broadside as he was walking left trying to go into the vegetation, there was a thick fog that morning. As soon as my crosshair was where I wanted it, I sent it. Immediately we could hear the loud thump and knew I hit it. My uncle was with me and he instantly congratulated me on having connected. But the buck ran into the brush so normal, not tumbling or anything.

After a half hour, we go check it out. We walk to where he stood for the shot and there is nothing. We walk up and down the sendero ans absolutely nothing. This has gone for a while now and I'm starting to feel heavy disappointment thinking I made a bad shot.

Eventually, I go back more less to where I think I shot it and get down low. Looking really hard, I see what appears to be like hair. Do you have any idea how difficult it is to see only a few strands of hair on the ground in the dirt with grass, shrubs, weeds? But I saw it though.

I yell at my uncle about it and we both go into the brush from there. We both split a bit to cover more ground and roughly 80 yards inside the brush, I yell at him again to let him know I finally see blood. He was literally just now seeing it for himself as well where he was. They weren't little blood drops. This buck was literally leaving huge puddles. From there it became easy to track down and roughly another 100 yards more into the brush, the blood trail les us to him. It was definitely very fun dragging him out the entire way.

If you are sure you made a hit and confident in your skills and abilities to connect, it's possible he just didn't bleed right away.

 

[zeroz]

I was in a High fenced 15,000 acre ranch down in south texas hunting in a managed deer program. We had to eliminate buck with shitty genetics. The buck I shot was not very young and was only an 8 pointer. He was big and thick though.

I had him broadside as he was walking left trying to go into the vegetation, there was a thick fog that morning. As soon as my crosshair was where I wanted it, I sent it. Immediately we could hear the loud thump and knew I hit it. My uncle was with me and he instantly congratulated me on having connected. But the buck ran into the brush so normal, not tumbling or anything.

After a half hour, we go check it out. We walk to where he stood for the shot and there is nothing. We walk up and down the sendero ans absolutely nothing. This has gone for a while now and I'm starting to feel heavy disappointment thinking I made a bad shot.

Eventually, I go back more less to where I think I shot it and get down low. Looking really hard, I see what appears to be like hair. Do you have any idea how difficult it is to see only a few strands of hair on the ground in the dirt with grass, shrubs, weeds? But I saw it though.

I yell at my uncle about it and we both go into the brush from there. We both split a bit to cover more ground and roughly 80 yards inside the brush, I yell at him again to let him know I finally see blood. He was literally just now seeing it for himself as well where he was. They weren't little blood drops. This buck was literally leaving huge puddles. From there it became easy to track down and roughly another 100 yards more into the brush, the blood trail les us to him. It was definitely very fun dragging him out the entire way.

If you are sure you made a hit and confident in your skills and abilities to connect, it's possible he just didn't bleed right away.

View attachment 8280772View attachment 8280773View attachment 8280774View attachment 8280775View attachment 8280776View attachment 8280784

Its definitely not uncommon to have to travel a ways to find blood with arrow shot animals, especially those hit high. What is uncommon, maybe unheard of, is to have an arrow that went through vitals that doesnt have revealing blood on it. The arrow will typically tell the story of the hit. Bubbles, lungs. Dark blood, liver. Green shit and the arrow stinks, guts. Little to no blood and fat, hit to a mostly non vascular area.

 

[Ezana4CE]

Anyone here ever kill a deer that didn’t leave a blood trail?
I’m tore up at the moment. Grunted in a monster buck and thought I had a good shot on him (aimed mid body behind shoulder slightly quartering away); if I’m being honest, maybe a little high.
Arrow passed through, but very little blood on arrow and nothing on the ground.
Need some advice. High lung? Backstrap? Dead deer? I’m at a loss

Thanks

@The Angler Yes, I have. I shot one broadside high shoulder with an air rifle. I aimed a few inches lower than my POI. After the shot I was careful to watch the direction they ran until I couldn't see them any more. After I think was about 20 mins I walked to the area where the deer stood when I shot it and didn't see a drop of blood. After thoroughly investigating the area in which it was hit, I proceeded in the direction that they ran. I went out about 80 yards and came to a fence. I remember thinking "there's no way she made it this far after that shot and jumped a fence." I then turned around and walked to my left (I believe) about 10 yards and walked slowly looking (rotating my head) from shoulder to shoulder sweeping the area. It was a basic grid search. I'd say she ran about 55-70 yards give or take before she crashed. Below is how I found here. The entry wound is on her left side and as you can see there is no blood.

Here's the exit wound by the ruffled fur on the shoulder.

Here's the entry wound beneath the hide.

I had a double-lung passthrough. I didn't see any blood on the ground that came from her mouth or nose either. I've communicated with other air gunners who have experienced shot deer with little to no blood trail. The blood pooled in the thoracic cavity of this deer. A grid search worked for me to find the carcass in good time. It probably took about 20 minutes to find her in the woods. As with squirrels, seeing the white belly was most helpful.