FL-NC
Member
I decided to try to take a deer yesterday with my crossbow. I have been hunting with it for 3 seasons, and successfully closed the deal on my first last year. I practice frequently with it, and I feel like I "know" my equipment. It is a PSE fang 350 with a truglo red dot sight with the 3 dots, and I use muzzy fixed broadheads. I also have a Bushnell rangefinder with the arc feature, and I confirmed my zero the day prior with a broadhead. I determined that my max effective range with this thing under optimum conditions is 50 yards. Bolts are Barnett headhunters. Anyhow, just before dark, I spotted a nice fat doe enter the field I was watching, and she started moving toward me paralleling the woodline. I had plenty of time, so I selected an ambush point (sandy spot) where I predicted she would stop for the corn, and confirmed the range (26 yards). At this distance, I can easily hit a 4" target repeatedly. The fang was nicely supported on the rest which was padded with pipe insulation. Sure as rain, she stopped at that spot and turned broadside. I got my sight picture and let one fly. It felt, looked, and sounded good- she did the normal "mule kick", fell down, got up, and took off into the woodline, where I heard her crash again almost instantly. A few seconds later, I heard a little more movement, which I believed to be her final kicks, even though I knew it was possible she got back up. Waited 1/2 hour, and climbed down, found the arrow (broadhead blades all bent up) and some nice bright blood. Cautiously moved to the edge of the woodline, finding lots more blood along the way, but when I didn't see or hear anything for the first few feet, I backed out. Went to my friend's house, and got him and his dog, and some powerful flashlights. Once our search started, it has been 1 1/2 hour since the shot. We tracked that deer for several hours,with the blood trail eventually going from huge to an occasional drop, to nothing. He let the dog work off the lead, and the dog eventually just started making a loop around a large thicket. When that dog finds a deer, she will sit on it. We searched every inch of that thicket on our hands and knees. No blood or other sign, and we were also at the edge of his property. No blood along the fenceline either. We eventually had to call it. Last night's temps were in the 60's. In fact, its 68 here now at 8:30 AM (Florida) and that area is full of coyotes, so even if I went back and looked for it now, there won't be anything to get. Assessing everything and how it all went down, I honestly don't think there were any shortcomings in equipment, the preparation, the shot, or the follow-up. Still doesn't make me feel any better about losing a deer- I haven't had this happen since I was a new deer hunter decades ago.