[rfreeman]

Out here in Oregon Deer archery has been on since the beginning of the month. Well last night I finaly had a shot at a deer. So I took it. I watched as the arrow went through the ribs. Bam the deer took off. So I sat there and waited as it disapeared into the black berry bushes and brambals. So I went and got my brush buster pants and shirts on and got to work. About five or six hours later I completely lost the blood trail. I spent another two hours looking for any sign. Nothiing. Mean while I could here coyotes picking up on the scent. They were really excited. I finaly decided to call it for the night. This was really frustrating for me as I have never had to leave an animal out in the bush over night. And it was fairly warm out around 68 degrees. Well I got up this morning and picked back up on the traking. Again I was unable to find any more sign of blood. So I took to looking for the birds in the trees. They led me to what was left which was not much. Dog gone coyotes got to it before I could. I tosed all night last night trying to figure out why and what went wrong. These questions will haunt me for a long time. I can only hope it does not go that way again.

 

[dennishoddy]

Man, I'm sorry about losing the deer. Unfortunatly it does happen. I lost one as well a couple of years ago to darkness, and like you, I went back the next day and started walking patterns, and finally found it. It had been too warm during the night, and bloating had already started. The only way I could justify it in my mind, was that at least the coyotes, and other animals would get a nice meal. It wasn't wasted...it just didn't go to me.

 

[Gauge]

That hurts.
I,Lost 1 too and since then gave up bow hunting years back.
It got to me to bad about losing her & I sold all my archery equipment.

Time has passed & I have been thinking about taking up the sport of bow hunting again.
From most of what,I have read & people, I have talked with that bow hunt.
Say you will lose an animal sometime during your hunting adventures.

 

[rfreeman]

I lost sleep last night as well over loosing that deer. Like I said I have never had this happen and it really bothers me. But at least the meat went to the coyotes. I will go back out again with my bow and arrow when the late bowseason hunt opens as bow season closed yesterday. Im staying out of the woods for gun season.

 

[Bird (this time)]

I feel for rfreeman, it does hurt the soul to lose an animal. But it does show that your hunting for the right reasons and have very good ethics when it hurts to lose one. I've lost one on a gun and one on archery. I think the worst one was on a youth hunt with my step son. He put a great shot on a nice buck that had to of gone down. I was going to make him wait the 30 mins to make sure, instead of going straight to the deer. So we went the 50 yrds to the truck and had a candy bar and waited. I was going to teach him how to follow the bood trail, and what a trial the buck left. We followed lung spray to where the deer had bedded down and left a massive pool....but no deer, no tracks no more blood anywhere. I looked for 8 hours and could not find him. I felt crushed for my boy as I don't know if someone else ran in and got the deer or if aliens came down and got that buck, but it just disappeared.

 

[CW]

where in oregon are ya at?

 

[rfreeman]

I was hunting in the foothills of the Cascade Mtn. Range. East of Portland. Absolutely Beutiful country out here.