David Petersen wrote:
Charlie — I’m curious about the arrow wound between her front legs. I’m guessing it’s an exit wound and you shot her at a steep angle down, from a tree? Dave
Thanky, and yes, it was from a tree stand.
Busted.
I’m about 15 feet up and this deer was perhaps 10 yards from the base of the tree. But there’s more to it. My first shot was lethal but high (High rib near the spine and one lung). It “zinged” her enough (to borrow from Darren McFadden) that she went down instantly (only the second time that has happened for me) but continued to struggle. 20 years ago I had a horrible experience of a similarly hit 8-point buck regaining it’s feet and disappearing into a swamp. I searched for three days in waist deep water and never recovered it. That was not going to happen again. (In fact, I sent another 15 years before I again hunted from a treestand). That bad memory and the fact that it was raining and I’m fair but certainly no uber tracker made the decision for a second shot in her the sensible thing. That is the one that exited low between the legs.
I believe the wet limb covers, wet wool puffs, string and fletching made my first shot a bit of a “blooper”. I dressing her out and found massive bleeding, but a high hit with no exit can be an iffy blood trail in the best of conditions. Second shot passed through and buried the broadhead 1-1/2″ in a tree at ground level – and that is the one that passed through the heart. I went back today and dug that out and it will fly again.
