Analyze this hit...

[BowGuy84]

Here is a doe I shot in Indiana the first of November. Shot was close (15ish yards), from a 15 foot high ladder stand. I hate ladder stands but situations dictated I hunt it this particular evening.

What did I hit, how far did she go?

Entrance:

Exit:

 

[Hoss]

I will guess the ventricles of the heart and the back half of both lungs with possible a cut in the diaphragm.

 

[TNDeerGuy]

Great shot placement...you drilled the backside of the heart and got slightly back of the middle portion of the lungs. As far as distance, who knows�I've them seen stand there and look around for about 10 seconds while gushing blood like a fountain until they flop over like a toppled building and I've seen them run dead on their feet for 100+ yards with the same hit.......my guess would be she ran 30 yards.

 

[BowGuy84]

My thoughts too...and partially correct.

The back of the heart had a slice in it. There was a small slice on the bottom (not back) of a lung. There was gut material on the arrow. And the stomach was sliced upon gutting her.

The trail was bright oxygen rich blood without bubbles, constant, and sufficient.

The deer ran about 150 yards, walked another 50 before getting out of sight and bedding down shortly after. She was still alive 25 minutes later when I got to her. A second arrow put her down for good.

When I shot her I thought I would watch her fall and was miffed after watching her run/walk off and disappear from sight.

Maybe if I had given her my customary "30 min before trailing unless I see them fall" time I'd have found her stone dead...maybe not. Lots of mitigating circumstances on this hunt.

Anyways, just peculiar I thought. All is well that ends with backstraps in the freezer.

 

[DntBrnDPig]

I shot a tiny doe at Fort Campbell a few years ago and she ran about 90 yards. When I field dressed her the heart had a HUGE hole in it.

Deer are amazing.

 

[Hoss]

2"-3" farther to the front on the entrance, 1"-2" inches toward the front on the exit, would have put you above the leg on the entrance and in the center of the lungs.
Bow Guy I keep trying to make the point with my anatomy charts that on a broadside deer the top of the crease is ALMOST too far back. Shoot for above the leg. This will give you more room for error.
If you aim for the top of ther crease and hit it, that is a lethal shot. But, if you drift back, you end up with a liver shot or worse.

Aim directly above the leg. No bones to bet in the way. Plenty of room for those things that happen that we can't control, and a center lung shot is almost always a shorter blood trail. Often times you will get a piece of the heart and almost always you get the aorta. The heart continues to beat and the deer bleeds out in a matter of seconds, not minutes.

 

[BowGuy84]

Typically I hit higher than that. Usually stand height is higher, and most deer react some.

I believe what you saying hoss. The buck t-bone and Waddell both shot last year in Mexico was hit very similar to this and went 2000 yards.