Hit and lost a beauty...

[studioandolina]

Friday about 1 pm I jumped a very nice three point from his clear cut bed, he walked toward me and stopped at 15yards. I was carrying my bow so I drew on him, he stared at me in the open at 15 yards face to face. I held my full draw for at least 5 minutes and had to let it down thinking he would bolt, he still just stared at me as we were both in the open at 15 yards..... 10-15 minutes more and he walked to my right, I drew aimed and hit him a bit high and a bit back. The arrow only penetrated about 3 inches and broke off as he ran away, I found the arrow with a little dark blood and hair only in the open hole. I am assuming I hit a big rib because of the lack of penetration at 15 yards in the total open.... I looked today for 3 hours with out any sign, blood, hair or deer, what a big bummer. I feel really bad and this has put me off bow hunting for the moment.
Any thoughts would be welcome.

[jrebel]

Never in all my years of archery hunting have I ever seen a deer rib stop an arrow (on the entrance side).  or exit for that matter.  My guess is you spined him.  Still would think a spine shot at that range would crump a deer. 

What kind of bow and arrow set up are you using? 

If indeed you spined him, he will like live to see another day.  Some lucky hunter will find a broadhead buried in bone one of these days. 

[studioandolina]

My thoughts too but a spine shot would drop him like a sack of potatoes. I am shooting a Mathews DXT 62lbs, G5 montec broadheads and IBC Hunter 340 arrows. I can not think of anything else in the area but rib or spine? As he ran away the full arrow was sticking out and as I said only 3" including the broadhead were missing.......

[jrebel]

Sounds like you hit him in the backbone (not severing the spinal cord).  No way that set up didn't get through a rib.  the only way a spine shot drops a deer in it's tracks is if you sever the spinal cord.....kinda semantics when refereeing to a spine shot, most likely never hit the spine just the boney portion of the vertebrae. 

[BOWHUNTER45]

  Not one of your best 3 posts  Sounds like it was hit in the butt ...high and a little back could only be a spinal shoot unless your under bowed ...rib bone is not going to stop an arrow ...did it have a broadhead on it 

[GEARHEAD]

are ya sure it only penetrated that far, it may have simply broke and worked its way out as the deer took off....im guessing ya didnt find a blood trail, sometimes that trail isnt that obvious for 20 or more yards after the hit....sometimes.  i lost a cow years ago to an arrow that looked perfectly placed. i suspected poor penetration (shoulder) but will never know....

[Easy-E]

The only thing a bit high and a bit back from the boiler room is rib.

[jrebel]

There is not a deer rib in the state that will stop that arrow......

[h2ofowlr]

High shoulder possibly.  Right in the shoulder blade.

[D-Rock425]

Something doesn't seem right to me .

[jrebel]

 

Something doesn't seem right to me .

 

I am not sure a shoulder at that range would stop that arrow.....We are talking a deer here not an elk.  I have personally seen arrows blow through deer destroying both shoulders and never slowing down. 

RP...Was the deer perfectly broadside or quartering?  If you hit the shoulder as it was quartering hard away I could see it maybe not penetrating, but that would not be back and up.  I am still going with the spine theory....many a deer have been found with arrows in the spine still alive. 

[Easy-E]

High shoulder possibly.  Right in the shoulder blade.

That's My guess too. Maybe shot at an angle?

[Easy-E]

Something doesn't seem right to me .

I just read back through the OP and I agree: something doesn't seem right.

[jason stevens]

I would search for more then three hours and call my buddies and spend the whole next day.

[Bigtine96]

I would search for more then three hours and call my buddies and spend the whole next day.

Exactly that's just lazy and not respectful to the animal, I don't know the dudes story but I would be out there every day until I figured out what happened.