I shot a doe this morning with my bow, she was about 40 yards broad side. Just as I squeezed my release she quartered away from me just a little causing me to hit her about 4 inches behind her shoulder. The shot was a little high but I still thought it was a good shot. I waited about an hour to get out of the stand to go look for her. I found hair everywhere but not a single drop of blood. I searched for her almost 4 hours before calling it quits. I plan on going back shortly to look for her again. Anybody have any advice on how to try and find her with no blood trail?

Look for the buzzards flying circles in the sky?

Thought about that I just hate to waste the meat. I'd really like to find her in time to put her in the freezer

Hitting high they usually bleed down into body cavity, when a low hit spills out onto ground. She could have traveled farther with a higher hit.

Did you see a hole in her or is it possible you shaved her back?

it was a solid hit. My arrow was sticking about halfway out of her left side as she was running off. The way she looked when she took off I thought it would be one of those 10 minute tracking jobs

Look for blood higher up, like on trees and bushes... Could you have hit her in "no mans land"?

If you hit high, the arrow is still in her with no lower exit to spill blood she will not have blood on the ground for 50 to 100 yards but she is probably dead. Go back out there and circle.

Any water around? Check there or start from where you hit her and head the direction she ran try to follow tracks,look higher than just the ground,tall grass,brushes for blood.

Bow hunting right now can be tuff because the deer are prolly full of acorns and corn...plugs the holes fast if you get a little far back....look for hawks, egales, kera kera...etc sitting in the top of a tree...they usually find them first... other than that also check all near water holes or creeks...ive found alot of them face down in the water

Also you may call around and see if anyone has any tracking dogs and would take a little $ to help you out

Where you in a stand or on the ground. Both deer I shot this year were quartering away and I hit them high and a little back but exited right behind opposite shoulder because I was in a ladder stand. If you hit high from a ground blind could have hit "no mans land".

I was ground hunting. I'm headed back now to get in a few more hours of searching before dark

I agree, good luck

If you saw where she ran into the brush or past the nearest tree, look there. She's bound to have knocked the arrow out eventually, and you should find blood after that.

Oh boy, this is going to take some persistence but you can find this deer. Bill W is right on. You will start finding blood where that arrow pulls out. The hair you found should be brown and sounds like you punched the top of one lung. Where did you exit...did you punch the scapula? An injured deer will leave a dirty track, not neatly pressed like others on the trail. I would follow her tracks from the last time I saw her until I find that arrow. The blood will be drops turning to small splashes, probably no arterial spray but you may find blood on dense vegetation from shoulder height down as she passes through. As she slows the blood will be closer to her track. Mark your back trail and stay oriented. Not uncommon to spend two hours to trail only 50 yards. When you absolutely positively run out of trail, your last resort is an expanding circles from your last mark. This totally visual so you will need to move slow close to ground level. Good luck take your time, lots of it!

Well I went back this afternoon and wouldn't you know it as soon as I got out of the truck it started pouring rain. I went ahead and walked to the last tracks that I had seen earlier that morning and started again there. I followed them about 500 yards from where I had shot her and still nothing. Walked to the creek and followed it a couple hundred yards one way and then back the other with no success so I went back to the last tracks and walked circles until I ran out of daylight and had to go back to the truck. This is the first deer I have ever shot and not been able to find and it just makes me sick to my stomach. I'm planning on going back again tomorrow to look again. Do y'all think that it's worth trying to find her or will the meat already be spoiled? It's been high 50's to low 60's all day

I think the meat would be spoiled.

I agree, sorry to hear you lost one

Or coyotes will find it before you.

It happens sometimes. The same thing happened to my axis buck this year. Shot it with a 308, no blood at initial point of impact, no pin head size drops, no blood on branches, nothing.

As I was standing in one spot waiting on help, I turned slightly to the left and there it was. Guess what, no blood where it lay. Found it by sheer luck.

Well I appreciate all the input but I never did find her. Went back again this a.m and couldn't find anything.

Not even the arrow?

Spent three hours this morning and didn't find any blood or the arrow. Didn't even see any buzzards circling anywhere

Maybe you hit the void and she'll live on