Medium Body, Small Rack 8, Bizarre Twist - Literally
Took the afternoon off and headed to camp for an afternoon sit. My chosen spot was an elevated blind overlooking a meadow with half a dozen apple trees that still have good numbers of apples. There is also a mineral lick i built 10 years ago in the meadow. I have added salt and trace mineral religiously every spring and fall for the last 10 or so years. This is the blind setup:
https://live.staticflickr.com/4514/3...79cc2d35_b.jpg
I was settled in by 3 pm and was texting a buddy off and on about various hunting topics as i did not really expect much activity until later in the sit. Well mid text at 3:30 what i thought was a 6pt walked out and gave me a perfect broadside opportunity at 20 yards. I put the phone down settled the scope on his vitals and the micro sent a bolt his way. There was the classic thwack followed by a jump on his part and he took off running full tilt in a westward direction. I lost sight of him about 20 yards into his run when he reached the edge of the meadow.
I finished my coffee and climbed down about 15 minutes later to inspect the scene. I could find no evidence at all. No bolt, no hair, no blood - i started to get a funny feeling at this point and started replaying the events in my head. I than followed the portion of his run that i saw and no sign of anything. I than searched in a 150 to 200 yard radius from the last sighted location and nothing. I did not go beyond 200 yards as this is the furthest I have ever had a properly double-lunged deer ever go. I reasoned no sense going further as if he is gut shot i do not want to bump him. At this point it was 530 and i decided something is wrong and i need to give the buck some time before i look further. Still not a single hair or drop of blood located at this point.
I went home, had dinner, and than loaded my Walker/Rotty cross into the truck. Not a conventional tracking dog but he has never failed me and the $12 for his annual license is always money well spent. We arrived back at the scene at 8:15 pm in the dark and i set him loose at the spot I last saw the buck and gave him the "get him" command. He took off running with me struggling to keep up. We ended up going 800 yards through thick cedar, swamp, across a creek and up and down a few hills before I heard that familiar baying that says "I got something." I arrived on the scene and sure enough the hound pulled it out again - no way i would have found that deer - never a hair or drop of blood found.
Here is the bizarre literal twist. The arrow entered a little high but in good lung territory but than instead of exiting on the opposite side it somehow turned (hence the twist) and exited on the same side just in front of the hind quarter. I have never seen anything like this before and have no explanation for it. Turns out one lung was hit and he was gut shot. The body showing the entrance in lung territory and the exit low and close to the hind quarter:
https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...f85fe2cd_k.jpg
The full deer with his bizarre little 8pt rack:
https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...17f19308_k.jpg
And the hero of the story in the truck on the ride home:
https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...3dd02254_k.jpg
As an aside during my initial search i found at least half a dozen small scrapes already - kinda surprised me this early.
