Chuck Adams says there is a "Void" and forget 30 min rule if it's almost dark

Ive seen deer hit above the spine survive.

My brothers 200" buck from a few years ago was shot 2 years before by a family friend, dropped in his tracks, laid on the ground motionless for a few minutes, got back up, and ran off. Only to obviously turn up n trail camera the next year and then my brother killed him the year after that. He had scar tissue all over his body, including in the shoulder and above the spine on the back. He was a tough ol'*brute, as are most deer.

Deer can certainly live with a nicked or high-punctured SINGLE lung, as long as the blood clots in time it will seal off the hole and heal. Most of the time if you get a double lung the deer not only suffocates because it has duel pneumothoraxes, but it is also suffering from a hemothorax (lungs filling up with fluid ie. blood) because of how vascular the lungs are and the large cutting surfaces of today's broadheads.

 

Lungs are not attached to the wall, T.

 

I have no issue with Chuck Adams as he is obviously one of the most accomplished bow hunters of all time. I found it comical that he would go into detail in an article how you can have a non lethal bad shot below the spine and above the lungs.

I threw him, the magazine and Hoyt under the bus due to a featured little column called "Hoyt's hunting tips" where they basically said to wait for 30 minutes even after a perfect double lung shot...unless it is almost dark...in that case go ahead and look for your deer.

I would think Hoyt would be reviewing what they are sponsoring when such a stupid statement is put into print under their heading.
Not making a federal case out of it, but we have enough inexperienced and moronic behaving bow hunters without one of the most successful hunters of all time to encourage them to be even more stupid.

Just because you think you made a good shot doesn't necessarily mean you did. Don't be afraid of the dark. Wait a few more minutes... It will be okay....I promise.

 

To be clear. I think Chuck is one of the most accomplished bow hunters ever. But, I find his photos silly. Not a big deal. I just find humor in the way he poses. He kills BIG animals and then intentionally tries to make them look even bigger. Doesn't mean I hate the guy. Doesn't mean I think he is evil or that he is a tool. I'm certainly not jealous. It's just peculiar to me. That's all. I don't agree with some of what he says, but again, big deal. I don't follow him or any of the "celebrity" hunters. Quite honestly, there are a lot of guys here that could have the same accomplishments if they were given access to the same ground and had all the money and time they needed to make hunting a full-time profession. It's not magic. But, it does take skills and dedication. I for one, would not even consider it. I am ready to get back home after a week or 10 days of hunting somewhere. Hunting for me is an escape to be enjoyed in leisure. I would never want to have pressure to produce results in the field. The fun would be gone.

I hope this clears a few things up so that some of you can stop making very poor assumptions and putting words in my mouth. It makes you look as silly as Chuck in a mule deer photo.

 

While not technically if you watch a video on the parietal and visceral pleura you will understand what I was getting at and how if you puncture the pleural linings the lung collapses. The lungs at no time shrivel up below the spine during normal breathing to allow an empty space for an arrow to pass through below the spine.

 

I agree with everything you just said. I find most sponsored hunters humorous (don't use the term professional loosely although it probably does apply to chuck). There is one thing though that many over look when it comes to him, his super slam success wasn't due to being rich and having access to the best lands available for hunting. He was a regular dude who levied second mortgages and a marriage to pull it off many being DIY public land type hunts. His easy hunting on private ranches came later in life after his initial accomplishment. I wouldn't be interested in doing what he did either because of the detriment to his other aspects of life when he first pursued it... But it's still a hell of a feat.

 

Agreed, and I get that....I am betting an exhaled lung is a bit smaller than a fully inhaled lung....sometimes this game is a game of millimeters... I believe they can live on a high single lung hit if it clots fast enough...

 

I hit the "void." "THE VOID" is an old Indian word for....POOR SHOOTING.

 

I really do not care about a void thing. Seriously, either the deer dies or it doesn't. Either I find it or I don't.

As for blood trailing. Each situation is different. But this quote by Chuck is not really that grounbreaking..." The standard rule of thumb for a double lung or heart hit is 30 minutes. But you should follow sooner if you actually see your animal collapse, if it's raining or snowing hard enough to wipe out blood, or if it is nearly too dark to see."

If you hit double lung or heart your deer is going to die quick, so the above quote it not controversial at all. If he said trail a liver shot deer after 20 minutes because it is getting dark, then he would be wrong....but he didn't.

 

Agreed. The "void" is so high up the back it's hard to imagine feeling good about that shot. The void is a backstrap shot lol... I suppose adrenaline can cloud how you saw things unfold maybe.

 

The most recent cover had him posing with a velvet muley, arms extended to the max.

 

^^
What he said!

 

I guess my thought on the void is that it's not truly a "void", just a high 1-lung shot. I've personally trailed deer that I hit 1 lung on.

I didn't think my shot was that bad either, especially as he turned the other way to run and I could see the exit wound- it looked really good- blood running down his side and dripping all over as he ran. Then he stopped and started walking off. I backed out and found him to be alive and bedded down 16 hours later.

He didn't make it to the 17th hour .

 

JZ is right. The spine actually drops a good amount - not going straight along the deers top back. I would say this "void" is over the spine.

As for waiting to track...in my opinion wait as long as you can if the weather is ok - if you are unsure of your arrow placement.

 

I am usually texting and calling as well, and I always go by the "if it's dead it isn't going anywhere, so why rush" method. You will do more harm than good by rushing if you aren't 100% sure.

 

The real culprit of "void" shots IMO is usually the result of shooting too far back. As far as tracking immediately if it is raining. A jumped deer is not likely going to be found in the rain... but he will lie down, usually within 100 yards if you back out. As far as his photography skills, he used to teach a college class on the subject. I personally don't like for a deer to look tiny because of a bad camera angle. I guess I'm guilty of sitting behind the deer so the deer is the subject... not me.