Does it walk off slowly or bolt outa there?
Seems like all the animals I've ever shot bolted. Hogs might be the exception....a lot of them just waddle off.
Deer and African game lit out like their hair was on fire.
My experiences include my wheel days.
Only deer I killed w/ a bow was a compound. Arrow deflected off of a rib and hit the spine. He dropped so quick, I wasn't sure what had happened.
Think ? If I shot you with an arrow wouldnt you bolt off...LOL I have seen them stay still and slow walk after a gun shot,not an arrow
I've only killed two with a bow. One gut shot and one 8 second death run. The gut shot was straight meat and stomach so all she did was hop 40 yards and bed down. The short death run was a shot I pulled forward and it quartered through the shoulder and into the heart. She ran very hard which I would attest to the amount of shock that was delivered from getting hit through a shoulder at very close range. My dad taught me that as long as you hit mostly meat and not much bone like a straight double lung shot with a sharp broadhead deer may just trot a few yards and look around.
These are just my observations and things I've been taught. I'm interested in hearing from the more experienced bow hunters out there.
All the deer I have killed with my bows have died running or ran about 50 yards stopped and fell over dead. This includes heart, double lung, liver, and gut shots. I have only heard of one instance where a deer slowly walked off after being shot with an arrow and that was from a crossbow.
From what I've read, most if not all deer heart-shot (gun or bow) will run like crazy. One in particular I remember, I hit head-on with a .30-06. He tore up the ground running in about a 30 yard circle,dead on his feet, and fell practicly in the spot I had hit him.
One deer I shot ran twenty yards then stopped, stayed in place for about ten seconds then dropped.
I have only had 2-3 out of a whole bunch over the years walk off slowly. One actually walked about 30 yards and started feeding then fell over. That shot went between both ribs.
I had a few drop in their tracks back when I thought I had to climb 20'.
Rob
Almost every one I've shot have bolted. I've had a few bound off then stop and look back but that is rare for me. Don't ever remember one that just walked off and never ran at all.
All have bolted, but sometimes not very far. I've seen quite a few go only 30 yards or so, look around, and fall over.
Every deer that I've shot ran like they were scolded except for a few spine shots were the deer was directly below me.
I shot a rutting buck that just flinched a little, then when back to grunting and walking. He even stopped and nibbled on some brush. Double lunged him, he walked about 50 yards and tipped over.
The last 3 Deer I've shot all reacted differently. The first I liver shot as it was walking pretty fast. It made one jump and then slowly walked 30 yards and bedded down. Recovered 2 hrs. later after jumping it up while trying to get another arrow in it. Shot with a Magnus 2 blade.
Next one made a 40 yard mad dash and literally went head over heals twice. It was shot with thru the tip of the shoulder then into the heart with a Snuffer.
Last Buck was working a scrape line. I grunted him to about 7 yards and put a 2 blade Magnus thru both lungs. Went between ribs on both sides somehow. He made 2 big jumps then stopped looked around then tried to work another scrape. He started coughing then started walking away. He went about 50 yards total.
I think it mostly depends on the placement of the shot and what organs or bones are struck as to how they react.
bretto
I shot a doe once that started scratching at her chest leisurely with her hind leg then just kind of walked a few yards and crumpled. By the time it occurred to me to nock another arrow, she was down. Only deer I've shot from a tree.
Almost all have run about 50 yards and piled up.
I had a bad hit on a small buck once that bedded down at about 60 yards and I sat there and watched him just before sunset. His head never went down and I got about 35 yards from him and took the shot and missed and he bolted. I was up all night tracking him, but I got him about 3/4 mile away.
I've had them act all kinda ways..lope with tail up, stop and start twitching tail and looking around. Wide open with tail tucked..just fall over with paralyzing spine hits, etc. Never had one just walk off that I can remember.
I double lunged a doe ten or so years ago. The Zwickey Eskimo zipped right thru her. She buck jumped at the shot and then stood there licking at the blood coming out of her nose. She turned, walked away and piled up after about 40 yards. It seems that heart shot deer always take off running in my experiance. I believe if you hit bone with the loud whack sound they are going to run.
Ross
They usually bolt, had one run into a tree and drop right there once after a heart shot.
This is my experiance also. Never had one run into a tree however. I bet that was a sight.
Ross
QuoteOriginally posted by wooddamon1:
They usually bolt, had one run into a tree and drop right there once after a heart shot.
The buck in my avatar was heart shot. It spun ran down hill about 30 yards out of sight and dead centered a tree. Was an awful sound but I knew he was down.
Rob
The only deer I've shot hopped up in the air and took 3 slow bounds, then stopped and stood still. I had a complete pass-through; he took a few steps, laid down, and that was it.
Shot a big doe once that was vacuming up acorns, double lunged she ran 10 15 yards and went back to eating acorns. Rear end started swaying and she fell right there. Most I've shot do a death run of 50 or so yards.
The strangest one Ive shot was a small buck that jumped in front of a doe that I was shooting at right after I released. I hit him in the lungs, he sprinted hard for 50 yards or so, hit a tree and both antlers flew off! It was in December so about ready to shed I guess. Use an antlerless tag on him!
Had them do anything from dropping on the spot,running off or walking away and bedding down. It all depends on shot placement.
the buck in my avatar i shot last year he was with another buck his size and several does.. i think there was 4 or 5 does with them. they were all around my stand eating acorns. i shot the buck and he did one big mule kick and just stood there.the other deer just stood there too. they all started back eating. the buck got wobbly after a minute or two. he fel over and the other deer just looked at him and kept eating..... seems like with that many deer at least one of them would of gotten spooked but they didnt... thats the only time this has happend to me
oh yeah and the arrow was hangin out the other side the whole time
I have had them run and I have had them kick, look around, and go back to eating.
I believe if there is little noise to spook them, and you do not hit any major bones to cause a big impact, they are not in pain. .
Something happened, they know not what though.
ChuckC
Seems to me it depends at least in part where you hit them. A gut shot will hunch up and walk or trot off, run a little ways and then lay down. The ones I've heart shot have run like crazy. I've slipped one between the lungs on a few occassions and they have done some of both; run a short distance and pinwheel or just run and not stop till they dropped.
I don't remember shooting a pig that did not leave in a hurry, but I have not killed nearly as many of them.
I've had all sorts of reactions, too. The last doe I shot was a broadside double lung. At the shot, she made one big leap and just stood there. After a few seconds, she started to walk off and simply fell over. I shot her from about 16 steps, and she never got more than 30 yards from me. Field dressing revealed my arrow had slipped between the ribs on both sides.
If I look back, I think that every time I've hit a bone, or if the arrow stayed in, the deer took off. The ones I've shot that just stood there, the broadhead slipped between the ribs and completely passed through.
I ahve had most of them run like a scalded dog, had a small buck jump, lick the entry, kept eating acrons, fell over dead. I had a doe get shot, liver hit, walk away 60 yards, bed down, put head down ... she was done.
Bob.
I've killed well over 100 with the bow and 1 with the gun. All act a little differently. The gun killed one dropped without making a move. I've had deer run over 600 yards with a double lung shot like they came out of a cannon, Had them run a short distance and crash into trees, walk away slowly(usually gut shot), had them bolt 20 yards and stop and look back and even had a few never even lift there head from what they were eating and just tip over a few seconds later. Most of the double lung shot deer I have watched only lived about 12 seconds.........what they did in that 12 seconds varied a lot. I think at all depends on how relaxed the deer is and where the shot is.
"I think at all depends on how relaxed the deer is and where the shot is."
I agree skipmaster. I have had similar experiences. Two seemingly 'identical' shots on two different deer will likely yield different results.
I shot a doe some years back that barely flinched at the shot, stood there a few seconds, then casually turned around and walked back the way she came in. I thought I had missed. About 15 minutes later, as I was starting to pack my gear up to come down, I heard a huge crashing sound. I turned around and watched her roll down the hill, where she had walked up, and she died in sight. "I knew I hit her". It was an 8 yard shot from about 25' up, and I only clipped one lung.
Can't remember a deer not bolting after the shot other than spined.
I've hit two deer in the spine over the years which dropped (of course I missed my spot). Of all the other deer I've had only one react as if it wasn't hit by just taking a quick jump then walking 10 yards and toppling.
The others hit the road very quickly, sometimes with little regard for brush and small trees in their path. I have seen the vast majority of my bow-killed deer fall in less than 70 yards. The last 3 recurve-killed deer have died in less than 55 yards from my tree stand. Subtract the 16-21 yard shot distance and these deer went just a bit over 30 yards before cashing it in.
I have only one time had a deer stay still after I shot it. It was a very windy day and it reluctantly came into a clearing to feed.After I shot it looked back then walked a few steps and then fell over. It had no idea what just happened and seemed to be confused as to what to do.
I've had them react pretty much every way that has been discussed so far. A deer running with his tail tucked is a good sign but a deer running with his tail straight up does not always mean a bad hit. The deer that I have shot that just walked off were always gut shot. Thankfully that one has not happened to me in a number of years.
had one bound three times then die and fall over. the rest take off like a rocket
Well, sounds about like what I expected. Every now and again I hear about a deer that wnet back to eating and fell over dead a few seconds later....gota love that tracking job.
Never had that happen. Seems they all die on the run between 75-150 yds as long as I do my part.
All of mine ran like their was no tomorrow...except the ones I spined(they dropped like a sack of potatoes).
All the above! . . .
I do think if you shoot when they are slowly walking (my favorite shot!), most do not react with the harsh bolt reaction. I do think the 2 blade head may have some affect on this as well.
I never stop a deer to shoot! In fact, I would rather they start to walk slowly before I draw. I have never really observed a deer that was relaxed and slowly walking "jump the string." And I have had a lot of deer just walk off, jump a bit then walk off, or bolt then stop to look back as they walk off.
My 2C
Dan
Ive shot my share of deer over the years with a bow, and every one reacted the same way . . . . ran like they were on fire.
Most of mine tuck tail and drop low to the ground, but occasionally I will get one that just takes a few bounds then slowly walks off. It seems a pass through that doesn't hit anything hard(bone) can cause the no run thing. The buck in my avatar picture did that. Bounded a couple times then walked off like nothing had happened.
Most of mine tuck tail and drop low to the ground, but occasionally I will get one that just takes a few bounds then slowly walks off. It seems a pass through that doesn't hit anything hard(bone) can cause the no run thing. The buck in my avatar picture did that. Bounded a couple times then walked off like nothing had happened.