Took my 11 year old hunting Sat morning and a buck we've seen a lot on camera came into the feeder about 7:30am. This would have been my son's 3rd buck taken with a crossbow so I feel confident with him shooting, as he practices a good amount of time and the buck was at 20 yards, crossbow on tripod sticks. Buck was slightly quartering towards us if anything, grazing when my son took the shot. Waited 20 minutes to find the bolt and look for blood. I couldn't find one drop of blood, but the bolt did stink when I inspected it. I pulled up a pic of a deer, and my son said he aimed for the shoulder, but maybe a little behind which I am guessing was a gut shot. We backed out after a short distance search and left. I went back about 3:30pm and searched for hours with no luck. We mainly have thick cedars, so not a ton of leaves or branches to find blood on. I found one drop of blood on the arrow fletching and that was it. I went out again Sunday during the day and still nothing. As expected my son was pretty upset with the fact he didn't make a clean shot, and unfortunately, we have not seen that deer on camera since then like we have the other regular does and bucks.

I've never experienced losing a deer like others have, and it's deft a bad experience. Hopefully we can find him after the season, maybe clue us in on where he went and how I missed him.

Sounds like a liver shot.

Liver shot is fatal but depending on how much liver he got he could take awhile to die, awhile being several hours.

Typically they will go back to their bedding area And lay down. If y’all didn’t push him, he may have died in his bed. Same thing with a gut shot deer.

Thanks Txtrophy, as I am not 100% sure the difference between a gut shot and liver shot when inspecting the bolt. I'd be surprised if my son shot that far back to only hit gut, but I know things happen too when you get excited and shoot.

Sucketh

My guess is it could've been a gut shot so deer will go to water after a gut shot. I would go look around to the closest water hole. You still will not see blood but buzzards will show you the way.

If the bolt stunk and had only one drop of blood on it, that is most likely a clean gut shot. It is possible the entering shot hit a rib and deflected backwards to go thru more guts, but a vitals shot will not make a bolt stink, nor will a liver shot. Liver is very vascular, will leave blood, but can have a slower death depending on what vessels it hit thru the liver. But liver shots do bleed.

Gut shots will leave very little blood as the entrails will plug the hole and the animal will die, but slower. On occassion a gut shot can hit an artery and bleed heavily, but most of the time it is not that.

Have your boy shoot a doe or three this season and get his confidence back. At 11, this can be a rocky time, and he needs a win. Give him a win,

I would suggest he not take any type angling towards him shot. Way too much bone up there to risk what a deflection can do, along with less chance of both lungs. Partial angle away I think is great, as well as broadside. Have him wait for the close side leg to go forward and slip it in behind. Easier path to the vitals with that leg bone out of the way. Not so important with a quality rifle round but an arrow needs all the help it can get for penetrating into the vitals.
Buzzards can really be a big help to find him.

Quartering to is not a good shot in archery. Very risky.

I have had one that I hit and was even leaving a good blood trail. I waited about 20-30 min and started trailing. I trialed about 150 yds and jumped the deer. I backed out and went to camp. Gave it about another 2 hrs and went back with a buddy. We found the deer in one of the most thick underbrush and cedar tree overhang that was almost completely hidden. We were about 5-8ft from it when we found the deer. Look in the thickest stuff around the area and you might find it.

You hunt enough and it happens. Part of it.

The best solution I've found for finding deer in the thick stuff is a thermal. We used one last Friday evening to find a dead doe in knee high broomweeds. There were several people looking and they had all walked right past her in the dark. A couple of minutes with the thermal and problem solved.

Eh, not a fan of this.

A quartering-to shot in archery is not a high yield shot. This is a prime example of a bad shot decision. Wait till it quarters away. If it doesn't turn broadside or quarrying away, then hold on the shot. It is far better to let a deer walk for another day then press the shot and lose the deer and confidence in the shooter. I know what happens to an adult who loses a deer, I can only imagine what it does to a 11 yo boy. Not trying to put anything on the OP son, but 11yo boys are almost all universally fragile both emotionally and intellectually, and immature. Learn from the mistake and do better next time, hopefully quick. Getting back on the saddle quickly will negate some of the doubts and fears this kid is already forming.

Sounds good, but at my time civilian thermals were not available. I usually do semi circle sweeps until I find any sign and continue to trail.