Bunk Deal..lost deer!!!!!!!!!

[Guest forkhorn]

I'm new to the forum but I am a long time reader and just wanted to share this story..

Last Saturaday I finally managed a quatering away shot (bow) at a nice eight or better (I have learn't not to focus on the rack , but it doesn't always work)? When I released my arrow I knew I blew it as it pentrated the shoulder just up from it's rib cage and arm pit, but 3 inch's to high and 1 inch to low to spine him. I started my recovery the next morning and retreived my arrow 50 yards away. 7 inches of arrow was missing and it looked liked I got at least 12 inches in him. He left a good blood trail after the arrow fell out for 70 yards (at least 500 ml of blood) with a frothing bright red joint hit. The blood trail stopped and I tried tracking him for the next 48 hrs but couldn't make heads or tails of the blood trail. The last couple of days I have spent watching birds and following fox tracks. NOT the way to end the season....

[Guest Grouseman]

to bad you didn't get him sounds like you did everything right....contrary to what most people believe there is NO "no mans" land on an animal( the supposed dead air between the spine and lungs).. its either you hit the lungs( which you did judging by where you described your POI and the red frothy blood) or spine him or hit above the spine like I did on our archery moose this yr....

picture a deers cavity like a sealed ziplock bag with no air in it... no matter how hard you try to pull both sides away from each other, the edges will cling to each other creating almost a vacume.. that is exatcly whats going on inside a deers cavity.. every thing clings to the edge with no dead air space

so essentially there is no way you can shoot over the lungs but under the spine

this picture will better describe what I'm trying to say

sorry to hear about not getting him but if you ask anybody who has hunted much, they will say it happens to all of us...and to those who havn't had it happen.. well get ready cause it will

[Guest forkhorn]

Thanks Grouseman, for the Info

But I wish I found him (I Hope he's still going to live another seasons). I eventually tagged out on a curious 6 point that hasn't been around since the spring that was extremely aggressive after I shot that other buck!! (9 days later (seven recovery days)) He gave me a broadside shot at twenty-yards. That I felt 110% before and after the shot. I was absolutely sure (if the gods were on my side) that he was going down because he did the classic tail between the legs and walked off. I found him exactly at twenty yards bedded down. I ended up with a double lung shot and caught a bit of liver on the exist (quartering away).

[Guest Grouseman]

Good Job.... congrats on the buck.....and kudos for doing it in the late season to....

[Guest Beamer]

to bad you didn't get him sounds like you did everything right....contrary to what most people believe there is NO "no mans" land on an animal( the supposed dead air between the spine and lungs).. its either you hit the lungs( which you did judging by where you described your POI and the red frothy blood) or spine him or hit above the spine like I did on our archery moose this yr....

picture a deers cavity like a sealed ziplock bag with no air in it... no matter how hard you try to pull both sides away from each other, the edges will cling to each other creating almost a vacume.. that is exatcly whats going on inside a deers cavity.. every thing clings to the edge with no dead air space

so essentially there is no way you can shoot over the lungs but under the spine

this picture will better describe what I'm trying to say

sorry to hear about not getting him but if you ask anybody who has hunted much, they will say it happens to all of us...and to those who havn't had it happen.. well get ready cause it will

Great information Grouseman, yes we do hear about the fabled above the lungs and under the spine. I've had several experiences in the past with deer shot high in the ribs, both ended successfully but made me change my thoughts on shots high in the ribs. Both were mature bucks shot at close range (under 25 yards) both were hit high in the ribs and through the lungs.The bad part both lived longer than I would have believed and required a lot of effort to track and retrieve. One thing that does help is being higher in your stand and having the deer in closer to increase the shot angle through the chest from high entering to low exiting.

Beamer