No blood no arrow
- Thread starter Rick9889
- Start date
Buckly
Well-Known Member
It's possible you just grazed it and your arrow went into the ground at an angle that it's completely under ground. This used to happen when I shot at targets sometimes and they are almost impossible to find. You could take a metal detector and scan the area of the hit and down range you might be able to find it.
Turkey Creek
Well-Known Member
You may have missed completely and the deer was just reacting to the sound of your shot. You can always do a bit more searching for the deer or a blood trail.
VenisonThursday
New Member
Was there any hair? Some indication that a hit was made? Did you hear the arrow hit the animal? When the deer ran, was it's tail straight up, flagging, or was it down, or at "half mast"? Typically, when running after being hit, a deer will not flag, but keep the tail down. This is in general, as we all know there are no guarantees on what a deer will do.
It's always a good idea to do a wider search, and after doing so, if there is no hair, no blood, you didn't hear some type of hit, then you may have to chalk it up to a miss. If there's any indication otherwise, get some buddies and start walking the thick stuff!
It's always a good idea to do a wider search, and after doing so, if there is no hair, no blood, you didn't hear some type of hit, then you may have to chalk it up to a miss. If there's any indication otherwise, get some buddies and start walking the thick stuff!
Fish
Well-Known Member
Assuming you followed the trail as far as you saw the deer. Dont assume the deer is not mortally wounded.
Do you have any feel for the shot?
Was the deer alert and walking? Any indication there?
Hair will tell a story.
Did you take up the trail and search? Did you back out?
Do you have any feel for the shot?
Was the deer alert and walking? Any indication there?
Hair will tell a story.
Did you take up the trail and search? Did you back out?
CTM1
Active Member
You did not convey what angle the deer was at when you shot, but perhaps you got a gut shot or a gut shot angling up into
the chest cavity but no pass through so no blood trail from an exit wound, and no trail on the entry because the guts.
Recent show on the idiot box showed a hunter shooting a nice buck with a rifle. Well he found a little hair, but no blood, but to his credit he kept after it and found blood some 100 yards away which led to him finding his deer. The kicker was this was in the snow.
the chest cavity but no pass through so no blood trail from an exit wound, and no trail on the entry because the guts.
Recent show on the idiot box showed a hunter shooting a nice buck with a rifle. Well he found a little hair, but no blood, but to his credit he kept after it and found blood some 100 yards away which led to him finding his deer. The kicker was this was in the snow.
Alfonso Smith
New Member
Start grid searching! 
Tap
Well-Known Member
Tips for the future...
These may or may not apply to you, but some others may find it useful.
Get rid of the camo arrows and dull fletching. At the very minimum, a white nock, and white crest wrap with bright fletching. I use the stuff that's reflective. It reflects a flashlight beam very well. Seeing the arrow during flight or after the hit (or miss) is hugely important. It's amazing how well a bright arrow crest wrap and fletching can be seen when a hit deer runs through the brush with the arrow sticking out. IMO, camo arrows are the stupidest thing ever marketed to bowhunters. I'd outlaw them.
Lighted nocks are a great tool.
It sounds obvious, but make sure you are indeed looking where the deer was standing when you shot. It's really easy to climb down and then misjudge where you think the deer was. Take a compass reading from the stand before and after you climb down. The ground often looks much different than when in the tree.
Another thing...When the deer runs off, don't be high fiving or the like. (That's one of the main reasons I quit watching hunting shows on TV).
Immediately after the shot, cup your ears with your hands and listen intently for at least 5 minutes and pay attention! You may hear the deer or other clues (blue jays, water splashing, even another hunter that saw your deer go down, etc). Cupping your ears really helps amplify sounds. It really does help you hear slight sounds that you wouldn't have heard without cupping.
In the case of the OP's shot... not seeing a hit, no arrow, no blood, no hair...I'd quietly back out, wait at least 8 hours (in case of a gut hit) and come back and search the creeks and other water. Check out heavy cover, and do a grid search. I'll bet that you missed but you still have to make a reasonable effort to find the deer.
And there could be blood that you didn't see. Luminol is great for a last resort when visual blood trailing isn't getting it done.
These may or may not apply to you, but some others may find it useful.
Get rid of the camo arrows and dull fletching. At the very minimum, a white nock, and white crest wrap with bright fletching. I use the stuff that's reflective. It reflects a flashlight beam very well. Seeing the arrow during flight or after the hit (or miss) is hugely important. It's amazing how well a bright arrow crest wrap and fletching can be seen when a hit deer runs through the brush with the arrow sticking out. IMO, camo arrows are the stupidest thing ever marketed to bowhunters. I'd outlaw them.
Lighted nocks are a great tool.
It sounds obvious, but make sure you are indeed looking where the deer was standing when you shot. It's really easy to climb down and then misjudge where you think the deer was. Take a compass reading from the stand before and after you climb down. The ground often looks much different than when in the tree.
Another thing...When the deer runs off, don't be high fiving or the like. (That's one of the main reasons I quit watching hunting shows on TV).
Immediately after the shot, cup your ears with your hands and listen intently for at least 5 minutes and pay attention! You may hear the deer or other clues (blue jays, water splashing, even another hunter that saw your deer go down, etc). Cupping your ears really helps amplify sounds. It really does help you hear slight sounds that you wouldn't have heard without cupping.
In the case of the OP's shot... not seeing a hit, no arrow, no blood, no hair...I'd quietly back out, wait at least 8 hours (in case of a gut hit) and come back and search the creeks and other water. Check out heavy cover, and do a grid search. I'll bet that you missed but you still have to make a reasonable effort to find the deer.
And there could be blood that you didn't see. Luminol is great for a last resort when visual blood trailing isn't getting it done.
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