I shot a nine pointer at 30 yards broadside but the arrow hit a little far forward but angled toward the back of the deer. After waiting for four hours we tracked the deer with no luck despite finding some blood and other sign. We tracked for two days. Four days later the badly limping buck showed up on a neighbors game camera. We found the fletching and about 10 inches of arrow, meaning there is roughly 21 inches of arrow plus the Montec broad head inside the deer. My question is what will happen to the arrow shaft assuming the deer lives?
21 inches of arrow and a broadhead I don't know how he will live. I think eventually he will succumb to it whether it be infection or the lethalness of a bad shot. There's a chance that the rest of the arrow exited and was not found due to no brightly covered fletches or arrow wrap to look for and the fletched end broke off and worked it's way out later. That would be the best case scenario and he could live from that. Hope that made sense
This describes a quartering to shot, not a good choice at all. I also think that deer will eventually die, but they can surprise the heck out of you sometimes.
It all depends on where the deer was hit, and what kind of internal damage there is, whether or not it will die. I can tell you, that I shot a buck a number of years ago that had about 9" of arrow, and the broadhead in him, with no hole in the hide. The hole had healed up, so it was obviously from a prior year, and the arrow was completely surrounded in a sack like tissue. I'd say it was about 2"-3" inches around. Deer are amazing animals, and you wouldn't believe they could live with an arrow in them, but I've seen it myself, so it is possible. Again, it all depends, what kind of internal injury there is, and whether or not it heals or gets infected.
