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Recovery Distance

I've been watching the hunting shows lately and it seems that the deer sure do run a long way after a good hit. I was thinking of the last 20 or so deer I shot last night and other than a single lung hit and one through the guts all the rest went down in a very short distance. I would say average is less than 50yds. They have been shot with Rocket expandables, ThunderHeads, Muzzys and Rage so it doesn't seem to be the broadhead. This year I shot two deer (one with a crossbow for full discloser but they kill the same) and one went 40yds and the other one went 25 or 30 yds before falling over. I see on TV a guy shooting a deer right through the lungs and the thing runs 200yds to a fence and then jumps the fence???

What is your average recovery distance on shots through the lungs and/or heart?

Typically it depends on if the deer has you busted prior to the hit. Not busted?Inside 100 yards. Busted? double lungs have gone up to 200 yards. Adrenaline carries. Self filming kills usually means getting busted, string jump,adrenaline and longer blood trails.

My brother shot a nice buck through the back of its lungs last year, dropped in his tracks, literally with blood only under the animal where it lay. My now brother in-law shot a doe fawn last year 2nd weekend of rifle season. We tracked it a little over 150 yards with just specs of blood and I was getting worried for him. When we found her the bottom of her heart had been blown off, and the entire thing was hanging out of the exit wound. This little deer ran a lot longer than I would have ever imagined with out a pump station and with it hanging out of its body for that matter. He now goes by Chief Hanging Heart.

You never can tell, the same exact shot and wound on one animal may put it down instantly and on the next they can make it 500 yards. I think it depends a lot on whether the animal was alert at the time of the shot as well. My theory is that extra second for the adrenalin to kick in is like NOS is a rice burner.

Last year, 11 point bowkill, shot distance, 3 yards almost straight down, recovery distance, 0 yds. He jumped, landed, and tumbled backwards right into the base of my ladder stand. No spine shot, right lung and heart. He never moved once he hit the ladder stand. Three yrs ago, 8 point bowkill, shot distance, ten yds, heart shot. He ran out to 30 yds and stood there. I shot him again in the heart at 30 yds. He ran another 75 yds before he summersaulted over a log. He probably would have tipped over at 30 if I would have just waited, but the shot was there and I wanted to make sure. 5 yrs ago, doe bowkill, shot distance, ten yds, recovery distance, 175yds. Double lung shot. I completely agree that wether a deer is alert or not greatly effects distance traveled after a shot. In the examples I gave, the first two deer had no idea I was there, in the third example, she had me pegged and was on high alert.

Good topic. I was sitting in my stand last weekend thinking the same thing. If I had to pick the best hit scenario on the buck of a lifetime, what would it be? (excluding a spine shot) I use 100gr Steelforce fixed blades and the last 4 deer I doubled-lunged were complete pass-through and recovered within 50 yards. I don't think the buck I shot last year even knew he was hit. I shot him at 17 yds and he only trotted about 20 yds, stood around flicking his tail, took one more step and tipped over.

The last 1-1/2 year old buck I shot was a liver hit just before legal shoot light ended. I walked just to the spot of the shot, found no blood so I waited until morning to pursue the trail. On my exit from the woods, I clearly walked within earshot and plain sight of where I found the deer that went about 80 yds from point of impact. The year before that shot a 2-1/2 year old buck in the morning that traveled 150-175 yards with a double lung verified during autopsy.

Good situation and shot 70 yards or less. Typicaly how far they go in 2-4 seconds. Decent shot with deer hyped up on adrenaline several hundred yards. They run far enough to feel they can slow down, then drop in a minute or so. Bad shot, only one of which was mine. I have followed diminishing sign 1/2 mile or so before nothing more could be seen. One long non-productive blood trail is enough to convince a moral hunter that "can" and "should" are two different words when it comes to shooting.

I would say 90% of my close to 30 bow kills have dropped within 75 yards. However last season, I double lunged a doe, and she ran over 200 yards, and was half way across a beaver pond when she died. I was totally amazed she went so far, as both lungs clearly had been punctured.

But I have hardly ever shot at a tense deer. I've been very lucky to get shots and calm, unalert deer.

I have either seen or been able to hear all my Lung/Heart hit deer go down. I would guess that none of them travled more than 75 yards.

Wouldn`t it make a difference if the deer just exhaled or just inhaled a breath the instance the arrow hits as to how long/far a deer could function. Thats always been my feelings on one going 40-50 yds. to one going 150-200yds with the same hit. But I also do realize that the distance covered has a lot to do with was the deer really spooked as you shot.

Please keep this post going as I`m curious as to other`s thoughts.

Shot a few deer, tracked on a lot more when i was a member of the United Blood Trackers. I can really say for certain that every deer is different. Single lung shots can go for days without dropping. I've seen gut shot deer live over 24 hours, but not move more than a hundred yards from where they were shot. I think the two biggest factors are the state of the animal prior to shot and if the animal was dead when you started tracking it. Seen a lot of deer get pushed too soon. If you have gone 75-100 yards without finding a wound bed, best to back out and wait.

Great advice. Lethal hit is lethal hit. Meaning he dies quickly. You can learn more from the impact site and in the first 100 yards to know if you head out, and come back in x amount of hours......Weather dependant of course.

Whitetail, muley, elk, moose, bighorn, caribou all dead inside 100 yards for me when shot thru both lungs. Bears have all been half that distance or less, they seem to give up the ghost pretty easily compared to others.

I also believe there is a world of difference between the stamina of a year and half old 140lb.deer and a 3 or 4 year old 210lb deer. Seen many times how much tougher a bigger buck is than a younger smaller bodied deer on poorer shots that were both recovered and not.

Most good hits drop inside a 100 yards for me but i have seen deer go wayyy further than that on successful recoveries. Tracked some a mile before finding them. Bedded down multiple times etc.

I've been blessed with a wide variety of Biggame bowhunts. Elk, Caribou, Black Bear, Whitetail, Mule deer, Antelope, many Hogs & more. I don't think I've had any Double lung go over 50 yds except Elk & they went down around 100. Bears never over 30. I kept a log for nearly 30 years & until I lost it in a move & nearly 100 animals average shot about 20 yds & average recovery under 30.. I shoot a heavy arrow hunting & most times blow through & onto the ground with a 3 blade fixed.

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