...shot from a bow?
If you'd asked me this a week ago, I'd have said about as long as he could hold his breath.
Sunday, I started a post 'Arrowed a buck - what's it mean if he won't leave' about my most recent hunt.
Briefly, shot a nice 8 pointer Sunday evening at about 10 yards. Thought shot was good. Buck ended up 90-100 yards away where I could see him. But he just wouldn't die. An hour and a quarter later, he still wasn't dead. Came back the next morning, to find him near where I'd seem him last. Surprised to find that my arrow had hit both lungs - but on the nearside lung, the arrow had hit upper/back corner of lung. Apparently a deer can live for a while with one partially functional lung. Just guessing, but I assume this buck lived around 2 hours after the shot.
Several years ago I shot another good 8 pointer. I remember seeing arrow hit lung area but high. He did a 180 to go back where he came from and I could see blood where the arrow had started to come out. Exit wound was a bit high too, but still in lung area. Found his remains months later about 500 yards away. I was perplexed that he made it that far. But now that I know that a double lung shot doesn't always result in a dead deer in a matter of seconds, it makes a lot more sense.
So, I'm sure a lot of guys have made high lung bow shots on deer.
Just how long can they live after that?
If you'd asked me this a week ago, I'd have said about as long as he could hold his breath.
Sunday, I started a post 'Arrowed a buck - what's it mean if he won't leave' about my most recent hunt.
Briefly, shot a nice 8 pointer Sunday evening at about 10 yards. Thought shot was good. Buck ended up 90-100 yards away where I could see him. But he just wouldn't die. An hour and a quarter later, he still wasn't dead. Came back the next morning, to find him near where I'd seem him last. Surprised to find that my arrow had hit both lungs - but on the nearside lung, the arrow had hit upper/back corner of lung. Apparently a deer can live for a while with one partially functional lung. Just guessing, but I assume this buck lived around 2 hours after the shot.
Several years ago I shot another good 8 pointer. I remember seeing arrow hit lung area but high. He did a 180 to go back where he came from and I could see blood where the arrow had started to come out. Exit wound was a bit high too, but still in lung area. Found his remains months later about 500 yards away. I was perplexed that he made it that far. But now that I know that a double lung shot doesn't always result in a dead deer in a matter of seconds, it makes a lot more sense.
So, I'm sure a lot of guys have made high lung bow shots on deer.
Just how long can they live after that?
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