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Main Boards => PowWow => Topic started by: mwosborn on December 12, 2011, 11:11:00 PM
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Decided last week to take a doe if I got a good opportunity. Happened this weekend and I had to share.
Saturday evening
4:00 - nice doe broadside at 15 yards or so. Picked a spot - shot and the arrow hit right were I was looking. She kicked and took off - arrow passed through and fell out of her as she ran off. I thought double lung and no more than 75-100 yards and she would be down - so I decided to sit awhile in the hopes a nice buck would come by.
5:00 - didn't see any more deer and I couldn't take it any longer - had to get down. Looked where she was standing when hit and not blood! Looked at arrow and no blood but did have what looked like stomach material - could not believe it! Decided to back out and come back Sunday morning.
Sunday morning
Started tracking from where I found arrow. No blood. Snow on the ground and she ran into a cornfield so I could track her - she ran out into cornfield about 100 yards and stopped - couple drops of blood. She walked north back to the shelter belt I was hunting and then went west. She began dripping blood pretty good. Went about 200 yards and then bedded. Found 3 beds all within 10-15 yards of one another. Couldn't find blood leaving the area. After another 30 minutes of looking for blood I look up and see her bedded under a cedar tree and she is still very much alive!
I immediately walked away and she stayed bedded. Decided my best chance was to get my bow and try shooting her again. I walked back to my truck and got my bow and the same arrow (and my quiver) I used the night before that I had cleaned up and resharpened. Quietly went back to where she was. As I approached she put her head down like she was hiding. Was able to get to about 17 yards or so and had a clear shot...picked a spot and sent the arrow again. Hit solid and she busted out of her bed and up a slope and out of sight. After a short wait I went up to the bed and there was no blood in the bed. There was blood that blew out the exit wound of the second shot. It was an easy track for 50 yard to where she crashed - she was spraying blood the whole way and was double lunged.
After gutting her and checking out the entry and exit wounds I can't believe that my first shot did not hit lung. The Sat night shot hit her on her right and exited on her left. The Sun morning shot was the opposite. The Sat. night shot was from a stand so it had a higher entry and lower exit.
Below are the pics. Help me figure it out :confused: Sorry for the long post!
Mitch
Sat entry and Sun exit:
(http://i765.photobucket.com/albums/xx294/mosborn1007/deer1211012.jpg)
(http://i765.photobucket.com/albums/xx294/mosborn1007/deer1211022.jpg)
Sat exit (low) Sun entry:
(http://i765.photobucket.com/albums/xx294/mosborn1007/deer1211009.jpg)
(http://i765.photobucket.com/albums/xx294/mosborn1007/deer1211023.jpg)
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WOW. Another education for sure! Great job and decision making in regards the follow-up. So goes for the "perfect" lung shot!! :confused:
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How did you managed to skin it with the arrows in....LOL
Great pictures! good shooting!
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What Broadhead bud ???
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Congrats on the recovery!!
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Stranger things have happened, but not much stranger. Glad you were able to find her. :thumbsup:
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where the organs all normal and where they where they suppose to be? I know a guy that shot a doe once and where the arrow went through should have been lungs but all he got was guts. when he finley found her and opened her up her in sides where all wrong.
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I can't help you, look like 2 good shot!?!?!?
the holes look pretty small, but man I don't know??????
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That's why sometimes when we think we made a perfect shot, we didn't. And that "looks" like you made a perfect shot, but obviously the deer told you differently. :)
Way to stay after her for a successful ending! :thumbsup: :thumbsup:
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learning more everyday
very interesting
what kind of ???
arrow
broadhead
weight of arrow and broadhead
looks like a great set of shots to me
glad you got her
congrats
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Strange for sure would have been happy with either shot.I just don't know what happened there.
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That's incredible! Both shots look as close to perfect as possible. I don't think you'll figure this one out, but maybe that's for the best. It's a great story as it is.
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Yeah what broadhead? Those holes look small.
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Both do look perfect. Maybe the broadhead on Sat. night had dulled from taking it in out of the quiver? Just a thought. You matched the entrence of Sat with the exit from Sunday, so I don't know. But I will say you are consistant
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I'd sign a contract for that first shot on everyone I shoot from here on out. Got me. Glad you found her.
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Originally posted by Crooked Stic:
Yeah what broadhead? Those holes look small.
X2
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Thats pretty amazing to me. Both look like great shots. I would have assumed the first shot would have killed her in short order.
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My first thought is dull broadhead. I had a friend shoot a deer with an arrow he shot and didn't resharpen. Had almost the exact same story line. Good hit, no blood, long recovery, still alive next day. I, too, would like to know more about your setup.
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both look like good hits
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IM with TJ on this one, the first shot looks perfect.
Years ago i shot a 100lb doe with a 7 mag and she ran over 200 yards.
When i took her back to camp to dress her i found that her heart was completly blown to shreds.
A deer has to be one of the most hard core animals to kill.
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my first thought is the first shot is a little forward for lungs and a little high for heart. but with that said, if I made that shot I would be sharpening my knife.
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Amazing!
How many holes in the lungs when u dressed it?
Both shots are double lung all day long in my mind. IF you only got one lung I could see it surviving overnight....if you centered both (like it looks) should have gone down quick no matter how sharp the head.
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I'd say that first shot is nearly 'perfect'...not sure why you didn't get the lungs on that one. Great job on sticking with it and finding your deer though!
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With they way the deer is hanging I think the shots are farther back than they appear but look plenty forward enough to catch lungs.
Maybe the first caught one lung and snuck under the other?
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Originally posted by Bill Carlsen:
My first thought is dull broadhead. I had a friend shoot a deer with an arrow he shot and didn't resharpen. Had almost the exact same story line. Good hit, no blood, long recovery, still alive next day. I, too, would like to know more about your setup.
If the arrow passed completely through the deer, wouldn't it be sharp enough? Seems reasonable to me, but obviously something strange happened here...Maybe a mechanical BH that didn't open? I'm eager to get more details...
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Mwosborn,
Good job of sticking with her and sounds like you used your head in the recovery. Shot looked good to me. Lots of variables in hunting and sometimes we can't figure out why some things happen. Glad you were able to put the tag on her in the end. a couple years ago a friend of mine shot a small doe with a 7mm right where your second arrow hit, It was alive and running 2 hrs later. We backed off and were able to do the same thing you did-crept in and made a short coup de gras.
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Congratulations on recovering your doe! As everyone else has stated, this is a tough one to figure out. Great arrow placement should produce a very dead deer! I'm also curious about the kind of broadhead you were using. With that kind of first shot placement, there should have been more blood. Anyway, deer are amazing animals and we'll never get it totally figured out!
Bernie Bjorklund
NC Iowa/SW Wisconsin
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Ive seen it myself but have absolutely no explanation other than "Thats Nature!" always full of mystery.
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Originally posted by Glunt:
With they way the deer is hanging I think the shots are farther back than they appear but look plenty forward enough to catch lungs.
Maybe the first caught one lung and snuck under the other?
That is what I think. Single high lung hit first shot.
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In an act of tension and the tightening of muscles and diaphram things shift. First shot could be she tensed up and tightened for the jump upon hearing the shot therefore shifting organs. On the second shot, weakened by the first shot and relaxed, things may have been where they should have been. Tense up your own stomach muscles and feel things shift. A full belly of food will tighten up the organs for sure.
Just a theory...
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Good work on sticking with her. Both shots looked good.
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Congrats!
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Thanks for all the replys... here is the setup:
GT 3555 29" (about 300 g) Zwickey Eskilite 135 g
drawing right at 28" 49# RER XLR
broadheads were sharp - both shots were pass through.
Yes - the way she is hanging the holes appear closer to shoulder than actual - shots went between the 7 & 8 ribs counting from the posterior end.
Both lungs were collapsed when I gutted her - I assume from the second shot - but you don't know for sure. The right lung might have been hit by the first shot?
I am thinking maybe just clipped the bottom of the right lung and shot under the left. As mentioned she may have tensed up at the shot and her lungs pulled up and forward who knows?
They never cease to amaze me how tuff of an animal they are.
and tasty too...this is what she looks like now!
(http://i765.photobucket.com/albums/xx294/mosborn1007/steaks002.jpg)
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I have heard that there is a pocket just above the heart and below the lungs you might have found it. Did you see two holes in both lungs? That would tell you if you hit them at all.
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Nice Doe, good shooting!
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A plus for consistant shot placement. Like others have said after that first shot I would be looking forward to a quick recovery. Great follow up work. And the meat on the BBQ looks down right tasty. Congrats.
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:dunno: But she looks good now! Congrats and way to stick it out!
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I friend of mine and I were discussing your hits and others we have made. We started bowhunting together 37 years ago. Although some hits are higher percentage, blood trails and recoveries vary a great deal. Sometimes you make a marginal hit and still have good blood and a quick recovery and other times a great looking hit and trail is tougher and recovery much longer. I shot an antelope doe about 30 years ago that was hit at 12 yds from a tree stand through both lungs. She ran 200 yds and laid down. Still alive an hour later. We were able to slip in an shoot her again, still ran another 150 yds.
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nice follow up...
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I shot a buck several years ago that actually had a partial thickness cut in the heart and somehow did not do very much damage to the lungs. he ran 50 yds and bedded down looking very sick watched him for 1.5 hrs and when he didnt die snuck up on him like your doe. and shot him again. I would have thought the first shot was absolutely perfect. Shot an elk that I thought was horrible far back and high died at full run in 50 yds severed her aorta sometimes there is no telling.
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I would have guessed dull broadheads as well. I have had about 3 of my buddies that have made similar shots this year with dull broadheads and only one of the deer bleed and it wasn't much. All went over 300yds. All were pass throughs as well but they all shoot wheelie bows. Anyway great first shot and great second shot, way to stay with her. BTW that grill shot is my favorite.
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Kpete - I agree sometimes a good hit turns out bad and a bad hit turns out good. Fortunately, good hits are usually lethal.
A couple of guys have mentioned dull broadheads - which got me thinking. I think my broadheads are sharp - I use a kit to sharpen them and they seem very sharp although I would not classify them as "razor blade" shave my beard sharp. They easily slice through paper with little pressure. They feel like they have a sharp edge to the touch.
Anyway - if you get a pass through wasn't the broadhead sharp enough? If it goes through didn't it cut what it went through? Just wondering?
Mitch
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We all tend to aim too far back, thinking the lungs are back there. Stay really tight to the front leg or just above it. Just above it is actually best.
ChuckC
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If the BH goes through it has done it's job what BH were you using?
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Bjorn, Zwickey Eskilite 135 gr were mentioned a couple of posts up.
I would say if the broadhead had a clean pass thru it should be sharpe enough to get the job done.
I have looked at these pics a few times and must say I would be happy with both shots.
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Thinking back a few weeks ago I harvested a 7 pt. My shot looked too far back and too high. It was a very noisy day with a brisk wind so it was impossible to hear after the shot. I waited an hour before heading over to look. According to the blood it was a great shot. He was down with in 40 yards.
After cleaning the deer I saw my Bear Razorhead had entered and clipped both lungs and sliced the diaphram on the close side. Still to this day I do not understand how my arrow got both lungs and the diaphram with a shot so far back.
Only thing I can figure is since he was quartering away heading up a slight incline that his organs were shifted a bit. I chalk it up to being lucky, I guess.
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Hardtimes -
That got me thinking (dangerous) I wonder how much the diaphram moves when the deer is breathing - on an inhale it would move back and on an exhale it would move forward. Don't know how much it moves but could be a couple of inches anyway. Food for thought.
BTW - I'll take lucky any day!
Mitch