Sometimes what we see and what really happened are different. The excitement is so great, and the time is so short that it is often hard to know exactly what happened.

But… If you hit the deer in the shoulder as you say, and you found the arrow in 2 pieces, then the broadhead and arrow likely passed through the deer. If this is true, the deer is dead.

Shoulder hits often do not bleed much. So as David said, search in a grid pattern. Look for water like creeks and look along and in the creeks. Look for thick area’s like briar patches and blown down trees. They get into those too.

Note where the deer was when you shot it, and where you found the arrow. This will give you a general line of travel.

Did the arrow have bright blood on it? Dark blood? Was the entire arrow covered in blood? Or only a little bit? Did the arrow feel greasy? Did the arrow smell like blood, or guts?

When the deer ran away, did it hold its tail high up, or spin the tail? Did it hold it’s head up or down?

No matter what happens, don’t be discouraged. We’ve all been there. Good luck!