Arrow persistence

[NardoLoopa]

Recently took on a very feisty green wolf.  I baited him.  Notch and arrow and loosed it into his fur.  Got a blood spatter.  No arrow on the ground.

In tracking him, he eventually stalked back into my sights.  So, I loosed another arrow at him.  No blood.  Arrow rolled away next to a rock.  Wolf continued to flee.

Eventually caught up with him, while he was taking a nap.  I expected the first arrow to be lodged in him.  Nope.  So, I butchered him into bags.  Thought maybe the arrow was under him.  Nope.

So, I'm down one precious arrow.  I've looked in the first spot, to see if the arrow skidded away, but I haven't spotted it yet.  Is there a chance that it just vanished for some reason?  (is there maybe a known bug where if the second arrow doesn't plant in the fur, the first arrow might get deleted?).  Can the arrow work its way loose when the wolf was fleeing?  (that would be horrible).

Suggestions?

[Pillock]

I think if you quarter an animal you've killed with an arrow, it vanishes the arrow. I'm not certain about that, but I have a feeling that's the case. (so you have to remove the arrow first, or lose it).

The arrow can be hidden under the carcass, and you can get it back if you harvest normally and then wait for the carcass to de-spawn, I believe.

[s7mar7in]

4 hours ago, Pillock said:

The arrow can be hidden under the carcass

Adding just one more known arrow issue; the arrow that is in the wolf carcass can be invisible and yet easily retrieved by scanning with the "curser dot".
The "Tag" will simply change to say "Simple Arrow" and is easily recovered. Good Luck!

[NardoLoopa]

Thanks for the advices.  I'll need to try those things next-time.

[Simone Else]

look nearby sometimes they roll away

[CGTv]

I've heard but never tested it myself, just like Pillock said, quartering a corpse may result in loosing that arrow.
And like Simone Else  said, they can also roll or riccochet away, don't be surprisd if you find an arrow 20 meters from where the actual landing spot was.

Also, i must test this further, but it seems like an arrow can get dislodged from a running target and drop on the floor.

~CGTv

[NardoLoopa]

Dislodged arrows would be a true sorrow, especially added to rolling away.

Does anyone know if the wolf despawns, is the arrow left behind?

[Doc Gonzo]

2 minutes ago, NardoLoopa said:

Dislodged arrows would be a true sorrow, especially added to rolling away.

Does anyone know if the wolf despawns, is the arrow left behind?

Typically what I will do is drop something near the corpse (usually a piece of tinder) and then come back the next day when the body has despawned.  As others have mentioned, they will travel in the wind (Mystery Lake -- I'm looking at you!) so keep the item you dropped as a landmark while you search.  That said, they can be 'lost', I know I've lost more than my share.  I had a very long game once, +750 days and I recall a few times finding arrows near where I'd lost one weeks or months ago ... 

[s7mar7in]

43 minutes ago, NardoLoopa said:

Does anyone know if the wolf despawns, is the arrow left behind?

Often yes @NardoLoopa, the arrow may be found on the ground days after the animal, (wolf or deer), have been hit and even de-spawns. 
The deer that are easily hunted near a base occasionally may not display the arrow, (invisible arrow sometimes), and many times by entering a shelter to warm-up and then returning to the outside will cause the previously lost arrow to "pop" back into existence, and it will just appear next to the carcass lying in the snow, (where it certainly was not prior to entering the shelter). Good hunting my friend.