# bad shot or bad luck



## Walleye Killa (Sep 15, 2008)

:! a week ago i was saying how i never see any bucks. first deer out is a thick 8point thought i had a good shot but never found any blood. I hit him right in the shoulder for sure.it was a touch high but still should have put him down.Never found him HOPE SOMEONE ELSE HAD A BETTER WEEKEND.


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## Fishpro (Apr 6, 2004)

Walleye Killa said:


> :! a week ago i was saying how i never see any bucks. first deer out is a thick 8point thought i had a good shot but never found any blood. I hit him right in the shoulder for sure.it was a touch high but still should have put him down.Never found him HOPE SOMEONE ELSE HAD A BETTER WEEKEND.


I'd be out there looking for it. If you are confident you got past the shoulder, get back out there and look! Did you find your arrow, or parts of it? Anything on it?


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## littleking (Jun 25, 2005)

how far did it penetrate? did you do concentric circles for a couple hundred yards if possible? try to track thru ruffled leaves?


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## Header (Apr 14, 2004)

A doe I hit 9/27, thought I was low till I found my arrow. No blood, no hair but smelled of entrails. Started looking after 1 hour and found a small blow of blood. She was standing approx. 60deg. to me and I had hit her through the heart and out just behind the ribs. I kept after her with no blood. Found her by a pond, do you have water in the area? they go for it. When I cleaned her out all the blood was in the chest cavity, no bleed out. Go back and look around.


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## ChilliFisherman (Apr 14, 2004)

Saturday night I shot a very nice buck ended up scoring around 150". I did not find blood so I backed out .. wasn't sure on the shot. Found him today 125 yards from where I shot him. I back trailed from where I shot him and he did not bleed one drop .. all of it was internal. If I was you I would get some buddies and start circling the area.

josh


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## One Legged Josh (Jan 27, 2008)

Get back out there and look. Good Luck!


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## Mad-Eye Moody (May 27, 2008)

There is a large zone above the lungs without any major organ. If the arrow did not pass through, there will be little or no blod sign. The top third of the animal, particualrly at the shoulder is full of nothing that will make an easy recovery.

I shot a doe Saturday Morning and hit her in the liver. She bled for 80 yds then stopped for forty and bled the last 20. Go figure that out.....


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## Ctroop (May 4, 2007)

I shot a one and a half year old 6 point at 7:30 Saturday morning. I hit him right behind the shoulder while he was quartering away. I got a good pass through and my arrow was covered in blood. He did not bleed a drop of blood. He ran 50 yards and crashed. There were only two little spots of blood on his fur where the arrow entered and exited. When I field dressed him, his lungs had turned to soup. I was using the cheapest expandable broadheads that I could find. I think they were made by Allen. Any chance you were using these same cheap broadheads?....By the way, the only reason I shot such a young buck was the fact that I only hunt public land that is heavily hunted.


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## M.Magis (Apr 5, 2004)

> There is a large zone above the lungs without any major organ.


False .


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## Carpn (Apr 5, 2004)

M.Magis said:


> False .


Double false...


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## loganlure (Aug 15, 2008)

Carpn said:


> Double false...


I don't hunt, but I do know anatomy... there isn't a spot in the front third of a mammal that isn't vital. It just depends on the speed in which it bleeds to the point of mortality.


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## One Legged Josh (Jan 27, 2008)

loganlure said:


> I don't hunt, but I do know anatomy... there isn't a spot in the front third of a mammal that isn't vital. It just depends on the speed in which it bleeds to the point of mortality.


100% agree If the hit was as described the buck is dead.


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## joerugz (Feb 28, 2007)

I've had the same happen to me with both expandable (spitfires) and fixed (Muzzy). Its just weird....no blood on the ground but chest cavity is filled. Luckily the deer were recovered because we saw the direction they were going and they expired just out of our sight.

Other times, Ive had blood trails you could follow from a hellocopter...go figure.


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## Papascott (Apr 22, 2004)

Walleye Killa said:


> :! a week ago i was saying how i never see any bucks. first deer out is a thick 8point thought i had a good shot but never found any blood. I hit him right in the shoulder for sure.it was a touch high but still should have put him down.Never found him HOPE SOMEONE ELSE HAD A BETTER WEEKEND.



Not sure how long you have been bow hunting but a shoulder shot is not good! Did you find your arrow, it will tell more about a shot than anything.

As for a large area above the lungs with no vitals not unless you hit above the spine. I have never seen a deer hit in the chest area below the spine not die!

As for broadheads, they are the most over rated piece of hunting equipment. You need razor sharp blades that your bow will pattern well, and open if mechanical, brand makes absolutly no differance. I shoot rage but have killed deer with muzzy, rocketheads, eastman expandables from wallmart, thunderheads, spitfires and maybe a few others.


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## swantucky (Dec 21, 2004)

loganlure said:


> I don't hunt, but I do know anatomy... there isn't a spot in the front third of a mammal that isn't vital. It just depends on the speed in which it bleeds to the point of mortality.



I hate to be the stick in the mud but I have to wonder how many deer you or the above posters have killed or tried to kill. There is a small area between the spine and lungs that is a nonfatal hit, at least with a bow. I did not believe it either untill I saw it with my own eyes twice.

The first was a neighbor 12 years ago that in my eyes "supposedly" shot a large doe high in the chest. We tracked sparse blood for maybe 500 yards and lost the trail. I told him he did not hit the deer where he said. A few weeks later we did a gentle push on the property and the doe he had shot came by me. I did not have a safe shot so I looked through my binos very close at what the naked eye told me. There was a softball sized swelled fur patch just below the spine, but above the lungs that had healed over. This was in an urban area where we "knew" what deer was which.

Ten years down the line I shot a doe a bit high that I "knew" was dead. A rainstorm blew in and washed all blood away before we could track. I watched the arrow go through the chest. We looked for that deer for days and never found her. I gave the stand a rest and hunted it agian. Guess what deer I saw 3 different times over 2 weeks?? The deer we now refer to as "holeback". I could clearly see where the arrow passed through on both sides. I never could seal the deal on that deer but I did see her in the spring and you could still see the discolored hair at the wound site. That deer was hit 2" below the spine, right in the chest.

I have killed enough deer and tracked enough deer to never say never till you have seen it all. Hopefully I'll still be learning 20 years from now


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## M.Magis (Apr 5, 2004)

Its not worth arguing about, but no way, no how can one shoot a deer above the lungs and below the spine. Particularly from an elevated position. Its just not possible. Ive heard the claim many times but I have NEVER seen proof. I have seen photos that clearly showed that the arrow went through the backstrap, above the spine. The spine is much lower than most people think. Not to mention, that area is full of arteries carrying blood to the rear of the animal. There are a number of explanations for what can happen when the shot looks good but turns out bad. None of which involve an empty void the a deers body.


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## littleking (Jun 25, 2005)

what about shooting from the grassy knoll?


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## swantucky (Dec 21, 2004)

M.Magis said:


> Its not worth arguing about, but no way, no how can one shoot a deer above the lungs and below the spine. Particularly from an elevated position. Its just not possible. Ive heard the claim many times but I have NEVER seen proof. I have seen photos that clearly showed that the arrow went through the backstrap, above the spine. The spine is much lower than most people think. Not to mention, that area is full of arteries carrying blood to the rear of the animal. There are a number of explanations for what can happen when the shot looks good but turns out bad. None of which involve an empty void the a deers body.


I really don't want to argue either. I should have added both of these deer were shot from the ground. I really wish I would have taken pictures of the second one but I was too busy trying to kill her. I never would have believed it was possible untill I saw it.


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## T-180 (Oct 18, 2005)

Walleye Killa,
A couple questions that may help ; 1) How far away were you & were you in a stand or the ground?? 2) How many pounds are you pulling ??
It is possible to hit a deer, especially a "thick 8 pointer", in the shoulder and not get penetration through the bone with an arrow. 
Find that arrow if at all possible, it holds lots of info.
Good luck & get back out there !!
Tim


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## M.Magis (Apr 5, 2004)

> It is possible to hit a deer, especially a "thick 8 pointer", in the shoulder and not get penetration through the bone with an arrow.


I would agree thats not only possible, but likely. A lot of people have a different definition of shoulder, but to me its the shoulder blade. A terrible shot that Im not afraid to admit Ive made twice. Neither time did I get more than a few inches of penetration, not nearly enough to get into the chest cavity. The only hope is the shock is enough to temporarily paralyze the deer leaving enough time for a follow up shot. That doesnt always happen, but I got lucky. Regardless, it seems like were all wasting our time helping. I dont think the original poster has any interest in even looking for the deer, let alone learning what could have happened and how to prevent it from happening again.


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## Walleye Killa (Sep 15, 2008)

We ended up finding him about 1.5 miles away from the stand. it took us all day but it was worth it!!!


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## Seaturd (Apr 14, 2004)

Walleye Killa said:


> We ended up finding him about 1.5 miles away from the stand. it took us all day but it was worth it!!!



Good job on sticking with the search!


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## M.Magis (Apr 5, 2004)

I must retract what I said. No update typically means no good news/interest. Glad to see I was wrong.


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## One Legged Josh (Jan 27, 2008)

Congrats and post some pics for us.


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## littleking (Jun 25, 2005)

keep in mind the deer recovery list:

http://www.huntohio.net/index.php?t=msg&th=158


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## Walleye Killa (Sep 15, 2008)

Sorry for not getting back it has been a long few days


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## Papascott (Apr 22, 2004)

So where did the shot go bad? Congrats on sticking with it and finding him!


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## Fishstix (Aug 16, 2005)

1.5 miles???? That must have been a shot that went bad. Please fill us in on what went wrong. I am very happy to hear that you stuck with it and found the brute. There are many other individuals who would have given up. Let's see some pics! Congrats!


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