The reason for the limping buck was obvious. Note that passwords are case-sensitive. Copyright © 2021 Outdoor Life. Friend of mine shot a deer the other night that we could not find. I spoke with another guy who had a similiar hit already this fall and said the story was almost the same and they never found the deer and actually seen the deer 2 days later. All rights reserved. I'd say you made a good enough hit. It seems to me that 6" of penetration is not great, but may be enough to kill that deer. I followed tracks, and turned over leaves. That is why the high-shoulder shot has always been a recommended aiming target among gun-hunters. There was blood about another 3 inches up the arrow. A powerful shot on the high shoulder vibrates the chest cavity and the other shoulder blade as well. Broadhead just crossed the one lung at the sharply angled position but sufficiently fatal for the animals. To eliminate the high hit caused by string jumping, you need to aim as much as 6 inches low on a 30-yard shot (the brisket line) when the deer is alert. I took a lot of time cutting him up and looking over the carcase. So folks, there you have it, where to shoot a deer with a bow. Usually shots ranged from 200 to 300 yards. If you deliver the shot accurately to the right angle, it destroys the animal’s spine causing severe damage to its central nervous system. I didn't get much penetration, and found only 4 drops of blood. No pass througjh. If executed properly a high shoulder shot can kill a deer instantly. This doesn't mean that all the comments above should be discarded as they are the right thing to do as a hunter. He said he watched the deer run through the open grass arera in front of him then into a stand of pines. I would really give your hunting property a good shearch and if there is water nearby look there. I shot and hit a real nice tall and wide 6 pt this past weekend. When I went back out all we could find was a few small drops of blood. Even animals that are mortally hit often instinctively run after the shot, as do wounded animals that can go for miles if pushed. Neck shots regularly require a follow-up shot or a throat slit to finish things up. We gave the deer about 2hrs before starting the track. This shot will penetrate through both lungs, and the animal will run for 35-125 yards (until all the oxygen in its brain expires) and pile up dead in seconds. One way to avoid making a high hit is to move your bow up from under the deer as you position the pin for the shot. Deer hunting with bows is a favorite recreational activity. Also, a neck shot often paralyzes a whitetail without killing it, causing extended suffering. This shot angle occurs when a deer slightly faces the bowhunter but is not head-on. Elk have an enormous vitals area, located just behind their front shoulder, that affords a hunter an excellent opportunity for a quick, ethical kill. Bow hunting can, however, exhibit very high wounding rates. Go to a hardware store and buy you some marking flags (those ones utility companies use to mark wires) and place a flag EVERY spot there is blood. Another hunter had shot from a tree stand, and the replaceable-blade broadhead had hit high. Find/Follow tracks. She is currently shooting 40#, 26" arrows, appx 350grain arrows with 100 grain two blade magnus stinger broadheads. The success of … The resultant shock paralyzes the deer nervous system grounding it on the spot. Don't ever try to shoot the deer with … Then if I was 100% sure that buck wasn't on MY property,,, whoever owns land in the direction that blood is pointing would get a VERY NICE and RESPECTFUL phone call from me, BEGGING to come and search around to find a downed buck. Deer Hunter Club Site Issue Forum (Help Desk). In this video, Justin Richins, of R&K Hunting Company, illustrates the dangers of attempting the high-shoulder shot by pointing out what he calls the "no zone" on an elk. Now, was it a lethal hit... maybe not right away, but I guarantee you if you backed out like you said you did, he ran no more than 300yds and then layed down somewhere and bled out. Probably the best kill shot for deer is the high shoulder shot. Could not find any more blood. Check your draw length. I really havent had that experience, but my uncle was shooting a rage 2 blade and shot it in the shoulder, we got that deer on the trail camera the next week, had a hole in the shoulder so there could be a possibility of it being alive. Although many bowhunters like to aim for the heart, aiming low and up against the shoulder/leg can set you up for heartbreak if you hit square on the shoulder joint and don’t get adequate penetration. The following errors occurred with your submission. A little deer anatomy and shot placement lesson can go a long way. He shot it far forward, quartering away and about 8″ penetration. This immediate reaction is often followed by a hard run of 20 to 30 yards, but time is against a deer shot in the heart. Chances are with a high shoulder it's too short and you are compensating for this by moving your shoulder. REMEMBER, deer blend in to the surroundings EXCELLENTLY! Without the luxury of knowing whether an animal is dead, bowhunters must make judgment calls. Use the crossbow cocking device to reload it and wait for the perfect time and position. If the angle is extremely slight, an ethical shot is possible. Consequently, shooting around this area causes the deer to drop down without a second thought. I am shooting a matthews Drenlin set at about 63-64 lb draw weight. If I were you I would go back there and search all day long until I found blood spots. Hit a deer in the head with an arrow, and the odds are overwhelmingly high that it will escape with a severe wound. If that isn't the case you'll have to adjust your shot cycle. I did not however check a pond that is close by. If you see any bubbles at all you can be fairly sure it is down. Some shot locations result in a Second deer, the shot went through the very top front of … Could you not follow the tracks?? But as a word of warning, some hunters complain that the shoulder shot damages more meat. The vital area in the neck is very narrow. A lung shot with a bow is often as effective as a heart shot. However, as the angle becomes more severe, the vital area grows measurably smaller, leaving only the deer’s brisket, shoulder and rear exposed. It was about a 31 yd shot. And even if they did, a deer’s brain is a tiny target. You will instantly know by the crack, but also by the buck’s reaction. For the best viewing experience please update your browser to, Outfitters, Hunts, Guide Service and Leases. Based on those findings, and assuming spine hits resulted from shoulder-aimed shots going awry or high, the researchers concluded the shoulder-blade shot is the hands-down most lethal shot for gun-hunters. Deer have blood with a high coagulation rate which means they can have a major wound that bleeds but clots 10 times faster than human blood These are all important things to know before anyone could possibly speculate what happened..To say the Deer will or won't die is a TOTAL guess without additional information. To adjust to a quartering angle, most bowhunters “aim for the exit”. Do you guys think the deer will survive that kind of hit? Unfortunately, we saw the buck the next night feeding out in a corn field then walked right in front of my truck. SO keep combing your property and flag the heck out of it. You may see the deer slow, become tipsy and finally crash. If you are using a smaller caliber such as .25-caliber rifles or smaller, I recommend a shot directly behind the front shoulder, one-third of the way up from the bottom of the deer’s belly line. I shot up some of the back straps. X Head Shot. Not the best shot. Did the arrow hit high in the shoulder or low? This was the first time using the Rage and I made a poor hit however, if I had bee using the Muzzy MX3 like I have been for several years then I would have found my buck. First deer the round hit high enough to get the spin. We walked the property out with no sign of the deer. In order to be able to post messages on the Deer Hunting Forums forums, you must first register. Yet some people still advocate for the "high-shoulder" shot. I found my arrow and about 3 1/2 inches of the arrow was broke off in the deer. To achieve the best results a deer hunting rifle such or hunting gun is recommended to a bow. Was not trying for it but was amazed how he dropped in his tracks. something like, Raise bow, fingers, draw, drop shoulder, anchor etc. “The broadside shoulder shot essentially gave results similar to what most hunters … This shot will kill the deer effectively, but it will not be as quick and sudden as the shoulder shot. I gave the deer over 5 hrs before I went to look for him. I will go out and check that pond soon after I get permission. The number expands to over 50% among novices. I found my arrow and about 3 1/2 inches of the arrow was broke off in the deer. Have you had any experience with seeing deer shot in the shoulder area? Vertically, his shot he said was good. The buck went about 200 yards, but I found him in about a hour after the shot. When the buck presented a high quality shot, I drew and shot, killing it. He said he shot at the deer broadside and hit him high in the shoulder. A good shot at this part disable the deer front limbs immobilizing it so it does not run away. It was about a 31 yd shot. I shot and hit a real nice tall and wide 6 pt this past weekend. I just hope the deer survived. It is also encouraged by conservationists to regulate deer populations. “If you watch a deer shot this way in a slow-motion video, the whole body flexes when the … Get another shot in the deer … Then after you absolutely cannot find anymore... step back and look at the direction the blood is going (by looking at the flags). I went out and followed where I knew he had ran. Both where shot with high shoulder shots using a 10mm Auto in a Revolver. Outdoor Life may receive financial compensation for products purchased through this site. Seasoned deer hunters know that a bullet that’s shot through the scapula damages the brachial plexus, which is part of the central nervous system, and renders the animal almost instantaneously immobile. A deer shot through the heart can usually be visually confirmed by the way it jumps wildly and kicks its back upon the broadhead’s impact. I am almost 100% sure I hit the deer too far forward and in the shoulder. My fear is you didn't get enough penetration and will not locate the buck. A high jump and kick followed by a high-speed run usually indicate a shot in the vitals. Just aim for the middle of the lung area. It will give you an idea of where the deer was hit. Aim too high, and you risk missing the deer altogether. Shot two does this morning. How to Call More Coyotes into Shotgun Range, The Ultimate DIY Guide to Making Wild Game Jerky and Snack Sticks, After Being Barred from the Family Deer Camp, Beginner’s Luck with a 215-Inch Iowa Buck, Are Today’s New Hunting Shotguns Really Worth the Price? The first two important things to determine is what part of the body the deer was shot in and how it ran off. Yet some people still advocate for the "high-shoulder" shot. I will go out and check that pond soon after I get permission. Remember those and you’ve one half your battle. ( 2 blade). Please enter a valid email address for yourself. I combed the property really good, no luck. When taking a broadside shot, it is generally best to aim about five inches behind the deer’s shoulder and about halfway up the deer’s body. I would really give your hunting property a good shearch and if there is water nearby look there. I combed the property really good, no luck. In other words, visualize where you need the arrow to exit to execute a double-lung shot, then anticipate an aiming point on the near side of the deer that allows for you to hit your desired exit. Here is a brachial plexus shot I got on my deer durning bow season. I agree w/ Tator I think it is a dead deer also. Many products featured on this site were editorially chosen. 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Also remember to never take a shot at a deer … In this video, Justin Richins, of R&K Hunting Company, illustrates the dangers of attempting the high-shoulder shot by pointing out what he calls the "no zone" on an elk. Opinions differ, as some say the shoulder meat loss can be as little as two pounds or as much as fifteen. Could not find any more blood. Coming up from below will usually result in a good hit even if you rush the shot. This is an archer’s worst nightmare, but an all too common occurrence while bow hunting, it’s the shoulder shot. His first choice was a double-shoulder shot, with a.308 round slamming through the body and into the far shoulder blade on one side. He will run off with his front low, leaning to the side of impact. I went out and followed where I knew he had ran. Honestly, I think you have a dead deer somewhere. Hit too low, and you injure the deer with little chance of recovery. Deer present a large target when the angle is slight to moderate. I passed an earlier shot on him bc it was a questionable shot to later hit him too far forward. My favorite cut o the deer. Deer hit in the scapula traveled an average of just 3 yards and generally didn’t leave the hunter’s sight. There are obviously several places you can shoot a deer to kill it, but if you’re interested in a quick, humane kill with a minimal or nonexistent tracking job, and a loss of minimal amount of meat, then read on for a super easy method for ideal shot placement. The deer that runs off and stands hunched up is likely shot low in the stomach or guts. Some things you’ll want to remember are obviously the angles, and where the vitals are on the animal. I am shooting a matthews Drenlin set at about 63-64 lb draw weight. B ow and arrows do not produce the massive trauma and shock that high-powered rifles do, so bowhunters rarely see deer drop dead. I shot the deer in mid-October and I eventually killed the deer at the end of December in rifle season. However, a lung-shot attempt that hits too far back may only pierce the liver, which can result in a much slower death and more difficult to track animal. Please enter a password for your user account. I just hope the deer survived. In 15 years of bowhunting i have not shot a deer in the shoulder (knock on wood); in two years of bowhunting my fiancee has shot two deer in the shoulder (both mature deer). Did you get any bubbles in the blood you did find? The deer came in without even the slightest limp. Good luck and hopefully you will locate him. I had a rage mechincal broadhead. She fell right in her tracks due to the spin hit but required a follow up shot to kill her. I am almost 100% sure I hit the deer too far forward and in the shoulder. On a quartering away shot, the off-side shoulder is often the intended exit. It is a more favorable aim on deer shot and mostly preferred for bow hunting. We do our best and sometimes things just happen differently than we had hoped. I used the high shoulder shot on the last couple bucks I shot with my rifle. Not knowing this information can result in premature searches and the pushing of wounded deer. A well-placed lung shot will cause the deer to suffocate to death. A Bonnier Corporation Company. he said he could see the arrow sticking out as the deer ran away. Thanks for all of the responses. Thanks for all of the responses. You can expect to find the deer within 100 yards. My bad experience last year was with using a Rage and had the same shoulder hit. I shot my buck also last year in the shoulder. Reproduction in whole or in part without permission is prohibited. Most bows simply do not have the energy to reliably penetrate the skull. It missed the spine, and caught the buck high in the shoulder but near the spine, and the buck couldn't get to it. The deer’s high shoulder is located in close proximity to the spine which anchors the nervous system. 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Wounded deer very narrow why the high-shoulder shot has always been a recommended aiming target gun-hunters! Deer altogether hunt long enough a lost animal will happen, it the! Is extremely slight, an ethical shot is possible off and stands hunched up is likely low! Think the deer at the end of December in rifle season first register should... Just crossed the one lung at the end of December in rifle season a hunter not... But as a word of warning, some hunters complain that the shoulder?.