First crossbow deer... couldn't find her.

[Panhandler80]

Well, before yesterday, I had only lost one archery deer out of the eight that I had shot at with my V bow. It was a long shot and she was on the move... I hit her far back and she ran through the woods and I heard her go running through sawgrass and into the bay. No luck on her. I was feeling a bit cocky after a real nice shot I made on a buck the week before. Other than that, I had been 100% on my archery deer.

Well, yesterday afternoon that changed. I was armed with my new Axiom (took some alligators with it this summer, but this would be my first shot on a deer with it) sitting in a tripod nestled into a small oak tree. I like this spot but I don't get to hunt it much because it needs an NE or ENE wind, which we don't see a whole lot of.

I'm situated and the wind was PERFECT. With one hour of legal light left two does come in from my left. Then another one shows up from my right. The one on the right is a very large girl. She comes in and is so very relaxed. All three are actually. She is broadside at a whopping 18 yards and I'm in a 12' tripod. This is a freakin tap in!

Safety off, and I squeezed the trigger. She bolts off to the right and the other two off to the left. Gut reaction was, "that wasn't good." I got down and the arrow is burried up pretty far in the dirt. I pull it out and there's no hair on the Spitfire. The plastic vanes are wet, but no blood. No foul odor... just a gaminess smell... almost sweet smelling. I never heard her crash, either. The stand is right off of the main road in the woods. The road is at least 30 feet wide at this point and it's hard packed (like a rock) clay. From where I shot her to the road is about 30 yards.

No blood at impact area or heading towards the road. Not only this, but I couldn't find any on the road. I had to walk to road in order to get to truck anyway, so I figured I'd look for some sign around impact and on road and then come back with a dog at sun up. It was not super cool up here last night, but I'd risk it.

Anyway, nothing in the woods or on the road, so my hopes were not high. You figure the other side of the road is 40 yards from where I shot her... if she was going to start pumping blood, it would have been happening by the time she got to road. Just sucks.

Oh well. To say that I'm not crazy about the whole crossbow thing would be an understatement. I don't know if she jumped the string, or what happened. The bow is dead on. Maybe I got excited and pulled the shot?? Who knows. I know it's part of it and that it happens to everybody, but it still sucks. Especially when everything was freakin' TEXTBOOK. A total gimme and something went wrong.

Anyway, I went out there this morning and looked and looked, but no sign anywhere and no deer.

I may start shooting my vertical bow again after work today. Confidence in crossbow is pretty darn weak at this point. I only really bought it for alligator anyway.

Sucks, sucks, sucks.

[wabi]

No idea why you missed, but if you are capable of shooting a vert bow and have confidence in it I'd say - stick with the vert bow.

[Panhandler80]

I'm not blaming the X bow.

Just a sorry way to start, that's all.

Grrrr.

[Big58cal]

It happens to us all. All you can do is try your best to make a good shot and recovery. Sometimes things just don't work out the way we would hope.

Just know that with an arrow & broadhead, a non-vital hit is usually not fatal and the deer recovers pretty quick.

[Riflemanz]

Could you see where you hit her? Did you get a whack sound when the arrow hit?We all lose one here and there.

[Panhandler80]

I didn't really see where it hit. Of course I tried to see, but I really wasn't able to make it out.

In the original post I said 18 yards, but she may have been even closer than that. She was very close.

As far as sound... I did not hear that sound that you want to hear. Of course then again, I've never shot one with a X bow. With the vertical bow things are a lot quieter when that arrow hits. I couldn't really make out the sound all that well between the noise of the crossbow recoile and the fact that the arrow was pretty much hitting while bow was still quieting down.

I'll tell you one thing, my VERY FIRST THOUGHT was... You shot low and that didn't sound like a hit. Arrow was burried up pretty thick in the ground. No blood or hair. I think hair can be lost on a Spitfire when you pull it out of ground,though. Arrow just had a gamey odor and wetness.

[sumner4991]

Doesn't sound like you hit her at all. You may have clipped her or a tree branch or something . . .so many variables it hard to tell.

I can tell you this, if you hit her, then you would have heard the sound of the hit. I use an Exomax when hunting and I've always heard that sound of a solid hit. Long range or short range, you will definitely hear the hit.

One thing about the road and blood. In any area that is "open" (after a deer is hit), it will be very hard to find blood. A deer that is hit will run hard in any open area and the time for blood to fall is not good.

[Panhandler80]

I totally believe you on being able to hear the arrow on a good shot regardless of distance. I've just never put a crossbow bolt through a deer, but I agree that I should have heard more of that THWACKrrripthud that any arrow is going to generate when it goes through a critter.

On the road thing... I shot one deer from this stand a few years back that went the exact same direction as this girl last night... I found blood out in that road no problem. Of course he had a solid line of blood from where I shot him all the way to where he bled out about 50 yards away.

Also, open area or not open area, most deer that I've shot with a bow take off like a bat out of hell regardless of whether the area is open or not.

I would LOVE to think that I missed her entirely. I just don't think that's the case because my vanes had some odor on them and they were wet.

[ninepointer]

I pull it out and there's no hair on the Spitfire. The plastic vanes are wet, but no blood. No foul odor... just a gaminess smell... almost sweet smelling.

That's almost exactly how I would have described my arrow several years ago when I know I shot too low (under) a buck. I'm guessing you grazed the ribs/briskett.

[Panhandler80]

I pull it out and there's no hair on the Spitfire. The plastic vanes are wet, but no blood. No foul odor... just a gaminess smell... almost sweet smelling.

That's almost exactly how I would have described my arrow several years ago when I know I shot too low (under) a buck. I'm guessing you grazed the ribs/briskett.

Did you ever find him, or verify that he was still on the hoof?

All day long I've been sitting here trying to figure out what in the heck happened. I keep saying to myself, "Self, if you can't seal the deal on a big calm doe that's broadside at 15 yards with an hour and half of daylight left, then you might need to just hang it up until rifle season opens up."

[sumner4991]

Putting a crossbow arrow through a deer is just like putting a vertical arrow through a deer . . .same sound, same issues, same tracking . . .it's pretty much the same thing.

Crazy things happen, like using the wrong scope aim point(chevron). Hitting a twig or something.

I would go back out and get the next one.

[Panhandler80]

Yeah, I know its the same deal. On a different forum I have been trying to explain that to a X bow hater. I finally gave up and just told him to take a hike.

[OkXbowHunter]

Putting a crossbow arrow through a deer is just like putting a vertical arrow through a deer . . .same sound, same issues, same tracking . . .it's pretty much the same thing.

Crazy things happen, like using the wrong scope aim point(chevron). Hitting a twig or something.

I would go back out and get the next one.

I'd have to agree with Sumner. The sound is the same whether using a vertical or xbow. We want to hear that "THROCKP" sound. The sound can be an important aspect of knowing where you hit a deer. Any other sound and you know something isn't quite right. From your description, I'd say you shot low and got some brisket, but not sure why there was no hair. She could have also peed on it after taking off.

Some of the shots that I've blown on the years have been gimme shots. I start thinking "They're too close to miss" or "This is going to be easy". I guess I loss focus and didn't concentrate on hitting a particular spot. On the flip side, some of the most amazing shots I've made have been "hard" shots. Whether it was threading a needle or a long shot, I pulled them off. Probably because I was laser focused on putting that arrow in an exact spot.

Not saying this is what happened to you, but I know if it looks like an easy shot, I really have to talk to myself and make myself focus before squeezing the trigger!

[georgiaboy]

I know how you feel...put a bad shot on a small buck a couple weeks back.
I hit him right behind the front shoulder but way to high, had a good blood trail but then it stopped. I know all the old cliches " it happens to everybody" and it does...but it still doesn't make you feel any better, i still get upset when i think about it!
I agree with the masses...sounds like a low hit, but you said it was 18yds or maybe closer? If you were using your crosshair's sighted in at 20yds & the deer was at say 15 or so i would have thought your hit would be high.
Hang in there my friend...climb back on and give it another try.
Good Luck!!

[rayman]

Sounds like you hit it in the brisket or front leg. Just a guess. Would have been blood on the arrow if a solid chest hit, or gut smell if a paunch hit. Maybe a high-back hit just below vertebra.

Arrow would be deep in the ground anyway. Can't tell anything from that.

First deer I shot with my new Axiom, sounded like you through a cantalope on the pavement. All others sounded same as V-bow hits.

Don't quit on the Axiom so easily. I will now never go back to V-bows!!!