I shot a doe yesterday from a 15 foot ladder stand. She was jumpy because of the wind swirling around but I got a shot and made a good hit on her. When I recovered her, I noticed the exit wound was higher on her body than the entrance wound was! I was shooting an Ace Standard broadhead and I didn't hit any bone except ribs so I don't think I got a deflection. Do you think she was in the process of "ducking the arrow" when it hit her? Didn't someone post pictures here in the past about this happening to them too? Has this ever happened to you? :confused: I know I'm getting older but I DO know the difference between the north end of a south bound doe and vice versa. :thumbsup:
Sounds weird but if she was tilted and starting to turn away from you, digging hard, I could see how its feasible. It's amazing how "Wired" deer can be when on edge and how quickly they can move before an arrow gets to them.
The tiniest of brush just before the arrow struck the deer could have deflected the arrow upward. Likewise, the rib(s) themselves may have done it, depending on how the point first touched them. To answer your question, the last two deer I shot from a tree stand had exit holes higher than the entry holes.
Duck-n-roll!! I have seen this several times. It is like when the deer ducks and turns to run at the same time they get themselves in a wierd position just as the arrow gets to them. I think the arrow goes straight through most of the time but the animal is so contorted that the exit hole is higher than the entrance.
If you start to use a video camera on your hunts you will see that almost every deer moves more that it looked like in real time.
Bisch
My one and only deer so far with a Trad. bow had the exit higher then the entrance. I came to the conclusion that Cyclic-Rivers.
Schafer
Yep, I shot a Waterbuck in Africa from a ground blind and the entrance was 3 or 4 inches lower than the exit!
She likely was moving.
Actually shot a buck moving at a good gate from right to left. When I located him I was perplexed that the entrance wound was on the opposite side. (The arrow had not passed thru.)
Yes, I was lucky!
Absolutely!! I've had it happen before...like Bisch said...the old "duck n roll"
Whew! Thanks ya'll for your replies. I thought I might be losing it! :rolleyes:
Just like Friend's story above, a friend of mine many years ago shot at a doe, she spun at the shot. When we recovered, his arrow had entered AND exited on the opposite side from which he had shot at. The arrow entered behind the last rib, and exited in front of the shoulder on the same side!
Another possibility is the arrow struck the side of a rib or even a muscle on entry that deflected it enough to change its direction. I have seen this happen more times than I have seen the arrow exit in a straight line. Same thing as shooting into a bale, you have probably noticed arrows that you knew flew straight, that were sticking in the target at an angle.
Take a look over on the Arkansas thread for a weird shot. Entrance left side exit right side and...also into the back of the deer head :scared:
Stranger things have happened...
A guy I know was walking out of the woods when he noticed a buck walking parallel with him, at about 15 yards. They seen each other at the same time, standing, staring... The guy drew and shot in one motion.
At the release of the arrow, the buck swapped ends and ran to the right...instead of to the left, the direction he was going. The bowhunter's arrow struck a low hanging branch, deflected to the right and appeared to hit the buck in the side of the face. The buck trotted to the wood's edge...some 80 yards away and stood there...with the arrow dangling from its' face. :rolleyes:
Suddenly, the buck sat down like a dog and pitched over backwards. :confused: The guy couldn't believe what had just happened. He ran up to the buck to find out that the deflected arrow had struck the buck just below the jaw bone, sank deep enough to slice the jugular and he bled out while standing there.
It happens...just not to me. :banghead:
Bowhunter57
Had a yote peek under a tree limb. Nailed her in the head. She hit the ground and made some circles in one place then made tracks. I could virtually see BH and fletch running the full length of the yotes body but on the opposite side. Tracked her across 2 farms before catching up to her. While it was gruesome, the shaft had taken out the the rt side of her face from nose bridge, eye socket and side of skull...just missing the brain. The BH then exited and re-entered just under the skin exposing the fletch and the BH.
Those critters are tough and have the will to live.
Hunt enough and the events you encounter will not be believeable to the masses.