[VolHunter]

Last friday (the last day of bow season before muzzleloader opened) I finally got a shot on a deer with my new bow. I was in a ladder stand with little to no cover and had 6 does come straight at me. I had to take a shot sitting down and at an odd angle. My string slapped my binoculars (hanging around my neck) and sent my shot high. I saw the arrow pass through above the lungs and below the backbone. The deer hauled butt out of the field. I started glassing my arrow (stuck in the ground at almost a right angle) with my binoculars and I noticed I didn't see any blood on the arrow. It was a pretty raining morning, but I still figured Id see something....

I climbed down after 30 mins and checked my arrow. No blood, sinew, and just a little hair on the arrow. There was a ton of hair on the ground. As odd as it sounds though, the arrow smelled like it had gone through the deer. I fought with myself about tracking the deer and finally decided I needed to go look. Sure enough, I found blood like 30 yards away. Found several good piles of blood but the rain had washed some away. Tracked over 100 yards and the blood trail finally stopped. After circling from the last point of blood, my friend and I gave up.

I was pretty sick about it being that it is only the 2nd deer I have EVER lost. That afternoon, not 30 yards from where we lost the trail we heard a pack of coyotes light up and make all sorts of noise for 30 mins.

Anyone else ever have a weird shot with a bow like that? Can't see why arrow didn't have blood, meat, or something else on it.

 

[flexj]

I have heard about a mysterious open space somewhere between a deer's lungs and spine from other hunters, but I don't really believe it exists. I have studied anatomy quite extensively and to my knowledge this space does not exist. If your arrow went through the deer below the spine it hit lung tissue. Maybe not in the center of the lung where the large blood vessels are located, but it in the periphery of the lung where the capillaries and alveoli make their exchange. This area produces less blood than a lower hit, but if you got blood on the ground then there is blood on your arrow...even if you cannot see it. Spray some peroxide on that arrow and see it it bubbles.

 

[scribe]

It is very possible to have a pass through shot and have little to no blood on the arrow and see the deer fall. Hunt long enough, shoot enough deer, you will see all manner of things.

By rough estimate I have killed around 250 deer with a bow. I have had a ton of weird things happen. Early this season, I shot a doe at 22-yards. The arrow went through and stuck in a log. She took two jumps and stood for a few seconds, then toppled over. Only way I could see blood on the arrow was to wipe it with a white handkerchief. The shot was dead center double lungs and I could see blood pouring out of both sides. Go figure.

However, couple things you said I might comment on. Raining and you waited 30-minutes? Might want to rethink that. Heard coyotes and didn't investigate? Give that some thought.

Good luck and good hunting.