I shot a deer this morning, it was a Dow she was about 26 yards away. I was hunting from a climber about 20 foot up in a tree and I hit her a little bit high. About 4 inches below the spine. Shot her with a rage hypodermic, didn’t pass through completely but went all the way to the fletching. Took ab 40 yards for blood to start. When she took if she was struggling to stay on her feet. Ran over 250yrds before blood just stopped ?
4 inches below the spine, or 4 inches below the very top of the back? There's a fair amount of meat between the top of the back and the spine:
high lung, one lung.. a double lung deer doesn't run 250 yds. I would say she will likely die but I don't know about finding her. How long did you wait?
Sounds like you hit backstrap above the ribs and stunned her spine, temporarily making it difficult to walk. If you had shot her through the lungs, she would have been dead in less the 200 yards. That deer will probably be fine. Or, if you hit below the spine, probably one lung, but from the color of that blood, I am thinking backstrap is more likely. Did you find any pinkish blood with bubbles in it.
I waited about 2 hours, I didn’t see any bedding areas where she had layed down while I was tracking her so I dont think I pushed her.
I have made that shot once.. there was blood, but the deer actually went back to eating like nothing happened.. Backstrap hit.. he likely survived
Id agree with Vabowman. Dead deer. But lesson learned here is if you see that hit and the arrow doesnt pass through, there isnt gonna be a ton of blood to track and you are gonna need to wait 2 to 4 hrs. Most of those single lung hit deer will bed down within 150 yds and die if yoh leave them be.
What did you do when you couldnt find any more blood? And in your opinion, was there a decent amount of blood lost during the entire track?
I agree that deer if hit where you claim, at that distance and broadside, if buried to the fletchings (assuming at least a 26-29 inch arrow length) you'd have punched both lungs. Others have touched on all that, depending on your set up I think the most troubling thing to me would be at 20 yards not blowing through her. A massive wide cutting mechanical IMO isn't worth it if it doesn't make that second hole. Two holes bleed better than one period. Again depending on your set up I'd encourage going to a hybrid (if you must have expandables) or consider fixed. If my set up doesn't blow through a deer at 20 yards I'd instantly rethink my set up personally. Even I'm pulling 50 pounds and only a 27 inch DL, I'm going fixed heads and somewhat heavy arrow and ensuring I get that second hole.
Pushing my last post aside for now...did you have blood like in the picture the whole time? From the tracks in relation to the blood, did you actually have an exit hole you think? Ever recover the arrow along the way?
you may get lucky and find the deer...I shot a doe back when I was hunting with a recurve.. the shot looked great. But I never found her and I am positive it was a one lung high hit.. buzzards showed up a few days later and she was 400 yds from where I shot her
Yes most of the way I had blood like that, yes there was an exit hole, I could see arrow sticking way out other side, never recovered arrow
