[Bigeclipse]

I shot and killed a buck this past weekend. Here is the kicker, no vitals were hit. I will try my best to describe the wound as my father skinned/gutted the deer before I got home to really investigate the hit or take pictures. The deer was relatively broadside maybe just a touch quartered towards. I shot at 40 yards and watched everything unfold. The deer took a step at the shot...the leg facing me was back right where I was aiming at the deer's bottom third near his heart. the deer ran 40 yards crashed literally next to my stand and died. I got out of my stand and followed the blood trail and there was good blood. Get to the deer and see my arrow sticking out (No pass through). Upon inspection the arrow hit the shoulder joint, deflected into the chest just behind the brisket and went in about 5 inches. I figured what happened was the arrow must have caught his heart (it was nowhere near the lungs). Anyways, my father came in with the quad and picked the deer up and said he would start skinning it out at home. I walked out after I got my wife. By the time we got home it was about 45 minutes later. Father already had the deer completely gutted/skinned and was in the process of quartering it. I checked every single part of the heart, lungs, arteries that I could and there was no sign of trauma. I looked inside the chest and it looked like the arrow went in right at the brisket part of the chest and then upwards and nicked one of the vertebrae. Only thing I can think of is since there was so much blood coming out of the deer's mouth on the blood, I must have severed his esophagus and a artery? I am really baffled by this and wish I could have investigated more before my father cut the deer up. I am glad I did not wound the deer. Just crazy and thought id share.

 

[turkeygirl]

If it nicked the spine, it probably caught the large artery that runs along the spine from the heart...or caught the carotid artery. Hit a big artery, that deer will bleed out quick.

 

[snoman4]

You hit the major artery, Aorta, that runs just under spine it sounds like. Also by perforating the chest you caused a Pneumothorax which deflates the lungs too.

 

[bowtech2006]

Yep artery it sounds like

 

[Bigeclipse]

You hit the major artery, Aorta, that runs just under spine it sounds like. Also by perforating the chest you caused a Pneumothorax which deflates the lungs too.

yeah that is what I was thinking. There was a lot of blood. If you saw the blood trail you would have sworn I caught the heart. I was shocked the heart was perfect...not a scratch. Must have been an artery. I'm just glad I didn't end up wounding the deer.

 

[adam_p]

I have a buddy who shot one in the leg and killed it. Took 23 hours to find it and rigamortis hadn't set in yet so the deer lived a while. Pushing him for a while that night and the next day probably help make him bleed out.

 

[z7hunter11]

Years back a guy in our "gun camp" shot at one from his hip he said. Typical gun hunter haha but nevertheless that deer died 20 yards away and we never found an entry or exit hole? Craziest thing I've ever seen. One of those talking points we all bring up when we're around one another. Life's about memories!

 

[hookedonbow]

Years back a guy in our "gun camp" shot at one from his hip he said. Typical gun hunter haha but nevertheless that deer died 20 yards away and we never found an entry or exit hole? Craziest thing I've ever seen. One of those talking points we all bring up when we're around one another. Life's about memories!

It was a mercy kill. The deer died out of mercy for the hunter, seeing how bad the hunter was.lol

 

[hunterhewi]

Years back a guy in our "gun camp" shot at one from his hip he said. Typical gun hunter haha but nevertheless that deer died 20 yards away and we never found an entry or exit hole? Craziest thing I've ever seen. One of those talking points we all bring up when we're around one another. Life's about memories!

My uncle did the exact same thing 4-5 years ago with his .243 deer fell in his tracks absolutely no entrance or exit.

 

[hookedonbow]

My uncle did the exact same thing 4-5 years ago with his .243 deer fell in his tracks absolutely no entrance or exit.

Seriously , think about it. Is that even possible?

 

[hunterhewi]

We skin our deer down to the base of the skull. You can call me what you wish, a liar i am not. My brother and I were. Oth there when he shot.

 

[iceman14]

I "shot" a doe a few years back with my rifle. Dropped like a ton of bricks. Same thing, never found an entrance, exit, or any sign of being shot. No idea what happened.
I shoot a 300 RUM, there should be sign somewhere.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Roo223]

Seriously , think about it. Is that even possible?

Heart attack maybe. Scared to death.

Sent from my USCC-C6721 using Tapatalk

 

[Roo223]

I want to see pics of the deer. Love to see them deer.

Sent from my USCC-C6721 using Tapatalk

 

[Number17]

Upon inspection the arrow hit the shoulder joint, deflected into the chest just behind the brisket and went in about 5 inches. I figured what happened was the arrow must have caught his heart (it was nowhere near the lungs). .

The heart is completely engulfed between the lungs. It's impossible to hit the heart without hitting the lungs.

 

[Hunterrich]

pics of the deer would be great.

 

[Wenty]

Seriously , think about it. Is that even possible?

I'd say it is. While pheasant hunting last week my cuz and I were talking about a buck their crew got a some years ago. Deer drive. Shots...deer dropped. There was no bullet that hit that deer. They figured it had a heart attack of sorts.

Then a few years ago in our camp...little cousin shoots at a button. Deer runs off...no blood. Figured he missed but decided to make a sweep...didn't get 60 yds in and there it lay. One tiny hole by the wiener! Lol. No exit. We figure he shot real low...bullet hit ground...shrapnel hit his we we. Even after gutting and skinning we couldn't find any thing they looked remotely kill worthy. Just that tiny hole.

 

[Bigeclipse]

The heart is completely engulfed between the lungs. It's impossible to hit the heart without hitting the lungs.

you would have to see the entrance. I wish I took a picture, the arrow was literally going in from under the deer and straight upwards into the spine. I figured it might have nicked the heart and went inbetween the lungs. hard to describe. What I think happened was it just barely went in th chest after hitting the leg (like maybe an inch) he tripped when he ran due to his broke leg and fell on the arrow which drove in further but instead upwards.

 

[WoodsmanRyan]

My dad shot one with a shotgun and it fell immediately into the ditch it was headed towards. When field dressing it, no organs were hit. No entry or exit. We thought he scared it to death. Finally when we started to look at the antlers, we saw a hole in the back of the head behind an ear. We figure since it was on the move at the time it started going down into the ditch just as he lined up on the chest and pulled the trigger.

Bigeclipse, sounds like you hit an artery. I've heard of people hitting deer in the hind and severing the femoral artery and having the deer drop within sight. Glad to hear you'll be having some venison steaks tonight!

 

[hookedonbow]

We skin our deer down to the base of the skull. You can call me what you wish, a liar i am not. My brother and I were. Oth there when he shot.

Not calling you a liar buddy, but just hard to fathom that a deer dies just by a bullet whizzing by it.