Deer down!!! First deer!!!

[Broken Arrow]

Way to stick with it....well earned!

[deltaops]

Things go through your mind so fast when you have the deer in your sights. Things happen and in some cases, some just give up and move on to another target. The story is great and you kept with it. Do not beat yourself up about this. You did the right thing and kept on her until you found her.

Sometimes no matter how hard one tries, you just can't find the kill.

This is one of my biggest fears while hunting, shooting a deer and not being able to find it.

[hntrspud]

Outstanding recovery story!! There are too many times that people give up on finding the animal. Good for you to stick with it!

[steeliedrew]

Thanks everybody.  I think my story also speaks to the toughness of these animals.  Once the adrenaline kicks in they can go quite the distance!

[sneakyjake]

Congratulations. I want to keep this positive but add an article about gut shot deer.
http://www.bowsite.com/BOWSITE/features/articles/deer/gutshot/

If we did a poll on here with the thousands of deer shot, my friends included, I'm sure the odds are stacked at losing an animal after you bump it from tracking it too early.   Even the act of going up 50 yards to look for blood can cause a gut shot animal to get up, never to be seen again.  If the deer ran a hundred yards from the shot, bedded, and spotted you moving in through the trees too take a peek, it could bump without you ever seeing it.  Now you don't even have a direction of travel with a weak blood trail. 

Like I said, take this in a positive way, some of us have shot a lot of deer with a bow and have similar experiences.  Not my opinion, just every article I have ever read backed up by years of recovering animals.  Sometimes you have to make judgement call, but you have to be willing to accept what your results most likely be.

Enjoy the steaks

[steeliedrew]

I'll make sure and read that today.  Thanks for posting that sneakyjake.

[h20hunter]

Congratulations. I want to keep this positive but add an article about gut shot deer.
http://www.bowsite.com/BOWSITE/features/articles/deer/gutshot/

If we did a poll on here with the thousands of deer shot, my friends included, I'm sure the odds are stacked at losing an animal after you bump it from tracking it too early.   Even the act of going up 50 yards to look for blood can cause a gut shot animal to get up, never to be seen again.  If the deer ran a hundred yards from the shot, bedded, and spotted you moving in through the trees too take a peek, it could bump without you ever seeing it.  Now you don't even have a direction of travel with a weak blood trail. 

Like I said, take this in a positive way, some of us have shot a lot of deer with a bow and have similar experiences.  Not my opinion, just every article I have ever read backed up by years of recovering animals.  Sometimes you have to make judgement call, but you have to be willing to accept what your results most likely be.

Enjoy the steaks

Good advice, good link with video and nice refresher....been there and done that.....it is tough for sure.

Congrats as well, way to get it done.