spine shot question
Whitetail Deer
I have shot a few deer in my life, recovered some, not recovered some. Every time a deer has ducked the arrow and I have hit spine, they drop like a sac of potatoes. Last evening however that was about to change. 27 yds, shot (big big buck) I had to stop deer with mouth noise. Took time, aimed arrow flew, hit him in the spine he took 5 steps back and bolted with my tracer nock and arrow riding along. I have only seen one video where a deer had an arrow coming out of his spine walking around. One drop of blood. I followed possible route of travel for a mile/grid searched, went back in dark to look for blinking arrow, nothing. I know 100% it was spine. Anyone else ever had this and did the deer make it? I hope he does.
"I know 100% it was spine."
No disrespect, but no, you don't. Most likely, just above the spine. Even if it did hit the spinal column, a vertebrae could have stopped the arrow without injuring the spinal cord. Or 100 other things could have happened. Without a necropsy, you'll never know.
Your right Ziek, I know it hit spine or vertebrae and I have like anybody concluded I did not severe the chord or this post would not be up. I should have written, I know 100% it hit spinal column. Now, do you have any experience with this? Thnaks
like he said, the bigger and older the buck the harder the spine is to break, been there before.
Glad the ethic police aren`t out yet telling you you should have practised more because you are a terrible shot. Sorry to hear about the bad hit.
Don`t think there`s too much to say though. If you didn`t get any penetration, and the deer ran off fine, he`s basically OK until it depends how the arrow breaks off (usually fine) and then he just runs the chances of infection. If he survives that, he`s good. You just gotta wait and see. Better yet, shoot him again before infection could even get a chance at him!!
Good Luck!
It sounds like you want some assurance that the deer will be OK. That just isn't possible with what you described. The spine is lower in the body the farther forward you go than many people realize. If the hit was above the spine, the outlook is better than if the BH is buried in the spine.
I once saw a buchk killed in rifle season that had a broadhead lodged into its spine that was old at least one year before the way it looked someone had taken a strait down shot on him though
If you break the back or sever the spinal "cord" the deer will fall. If the broadhead impacts the vertebra it may become imbedded in the bone and it will not put him down. I have also seen deer shot in gun season that have broadheads in the vertebra as kscurhunter has.
good luck to all the dog
Thanks guys for the responses. My thoughts too. As for the ethics police, I shoot 50 arrows almost every day so practice is not the problem although I am going to strictly practice on a 3D target to train my self on shot placement instead of my block target. I think that should help a lot. I will solely hunt him until 31 Jan. I have 3 cams runnning continuously. I hope he is doing well.
I have had a similar experience as yours...although I found the arrow about 300 yards later. never found the buck...and none of the neighbors did either so I assume he lived(you know what happens when you assume). also, 2 years ago I shot a nice buck during rifle season, and when I was cutting out the backstraps the knife hit something-found about 10 inches of a carbon arrow through the vertebrae above the spinal cord. the entry and exit wounds were completely healed over without a scar. hope this helps...
craig
MD...I did this exact thing last year. Had a big, old, gnarly buck come by at 15 yards. He didn't have the biggest rack but he was an old bruiser. I decided to shoot him and had to stop him with a grunt. Well he pegged me and he dropped like a stone when I let the arrow go. I hit him squarely in the spinal column. I shoot a 475 gr arrow and it sounded like someone hit a 2x4 with a bat when I hit him. He bolted out of there with my arrow sticking out of him and he ended up knocking it out running through some cattails. Now this stand is one where I have good visibility for 1/2 mile or more in all directions and I watched this buck for close to an hour. He was fine after seemingly being stunned for 10-15 minutes. I had him on the trail camera a week later and my wife Nichole ended up shooting this same buck with the rifle during gun season for her first buck. I had spined a couple deer before and they had all dropped in their tracks, I was shocked it didn't happen to this one. Interesting to hear others have the same experience as me.
I shot a bear on a Tuesday and hit high with poor penetration. No blood trail, no sign of anything after a grid search. Ended up killing him on Friday. He looked and acted normal and it wasn't until after I recovered him that we realized it was the same bear. The broadhead was lodged above the spinal cord in a vertebrae and the wound was healing.
...am I the only guy that flat-out misses bucks, or are they really all just "jumping," "dropping," "took a step" "turned himself inside out so it was a gut shot instead of a double lung" right when everyone else is releasing an arrow.
Once did a story on a guy that spined a buck,...and he told me he was aiming for the spine on the 37-yard shot.
Ethics police be danged,...it's possible to shoot 200 arrows a day, and be able to put four arrows inside each other from 30 yards. (OK, that's not possible) and still end up with poor hits.
Hope your deer's OK...
I had a freind spine a deer that ran off. Deer died but ran atleast 60 yds. I shot a bedded buck 2 years ago thats spine was in half. He dragged himself atleast 15 yards after i shot him. To get where he was bedded he would have had to run hundreds of yards as no others hunt my corner of the property. Deer follow mo rules.
Writer....I've missed plenty and not afraid to admit it when I do. Sometimes we make poor choices shooting at ultra alert animals as well as in my case above. If I had it to do over again I would have aimed 3" lower and double lunged him with the downward angle. In the heat of the moment it didn't register that he would react that violently at the shot. However he did, and a bad hit was the result. Fortunately he lived, for a few weeks anyway, and I learned an important lesson about shooting an alert deer at any range. My situation was a poor decision. Bad hits are a result of either a bad shot or a bad decision, sometimes it's both. All we can do is practice and learn from our mistakes.
I reckon your deer is just fine. I find it interesting that most people stop deer with a mouth noise. I never stop them as it alerts the deer giving them a better chance to react. Just my 2 cents.
If you hit him in the spine he wouldn't go far if at all,as you said a sack of potatoes. you may have just rocked him so that it appeared to be a spine shot.
In 19 years as a bowhunting outfitter, I have had more experience with bad shots than I like to admit. I am not doubting for one minute that you saw what you think you saw,BUT I can't tell you the number of times clients of mine have told me exactly where they hit the animal, only to find after recovery they did not. Even if you hit an animal where you think you did, you don't ALWAYS get the same result. I know there are alot of hunters that will tell you if you hit a buck in a certain place you will always get a certain outcome. With hundreds of tracking jobs, yes hundreds under my belt, I can tell you this is not the case. Just try to put the last one behind you and don't let your last shot effect your next shot. Sadly , misses and wounded animals are sometimes a part of bowhunting
In 19 years as a bowhunting outfitter, I have had more experience with bad shots than I like to admit. I am not doubting for one minute that you saw what you think you saw,BUT I can't tell you the number of times clients of mine have told me exactly where they hit the animal, only to find after recovery they did not. Even if you hit an animal where you think you did, you don't ALWAYS get the same result. I know there are alot of hunters that will tell you if you hit a buck in a certain place you will always get a certain outcome. With hundreds of tracking jobs, yes hundreds under my belt, I can tell you this is not the case. Just try to put the last one behind you and don't let your last shot effect your next shot. Sadly , misses and wounded animals are sometimes a part of bowhunting
Thanks guys for your responses and stories. I will be out tomorrow to see if I can get another crack at him. Trail cams are on too. Training to aim lower. I bought that archers choice target to help condition myself. Its a good target BTW.
Many years ago, I spined a deer. (Definitely not where I intended to hit). The deer dropped to the ground and kicked around, but had his head up and was chipper. He slid down the hill into the brush and I didn't have a clear shot to finish him off. I thought "OK I'll let him die a little before I finish him off." (He still had no idea I was there and I didn't want him thrashing and me loosing my final arrow if I missed). After 10-15 minutes, he did a little more struggling and he gets to his feet! (BTW I cannot shoot with my jaw dropped!). He wiggled his rear and started walking away. He never offered my a shot opportunity and I tracked him for over 300 yards. (No blood, jsut tracks in skiff snow) and I lost trail. I was able to see wound and know where hit was. (I could see my arrow in him until it fell out with thrashing)
No doubt I stunned him and he was temporarily paralyzed. But spinal cord was not severed. (I was shooting 60+ lbs and 2315 arrows)
Lesson learned. Fast forward a few years and hit a doe in the spine. Armed with a plenty of arrows (So I thought), I began shooting with the intent for a quick death. (Keep in mind, she is partially obscured by brush and not at the best angle)
#1 Arrow- Hit a branch, miss.
#2 Arrow- Hit another branch as I try and pentrate brush. Miss.
#3 Arrow (Last one in my quiver). She is laying perpendicular but with back facing me. I shoot. Spined again! Even though the arows were 90 deg from each other, the broadheads were virtually touching within her vertebrea. (I saved this vertabrea with the broadheads permemently stuck)
3D deer don't move. Real animals are not foam and they are not in favor of dying so they sometimes do things to aid their cause, by sometimes moving before the arrow arrives!
Unfortunately I have 2 'spine' shots on my record. The 1st was a 2 1/2 year old buck and my arrow severed the spinal column and also severed the artery that runs down the spine. My arrow broke at the insert and my snuffer broadhead was completely lodged in the vertebra. He bled out in moments, before I could get another arrow into him. We had to work at that broadhead with a pair of pliers to get it out.
Number 2 was an older 150 class buck. I aimed for 25 when he was at 17 yards. Straight up buck fever. At impact I heard a loud SMACK. At first I thought I hit a tree or something, but the deer bounded off the direction from whence he came with my arrow perfectly centered though his back. Fletch on one side and broadhead out the other. With my setup I have had complete pass through on bear, antelope, deer, etc, some shoulder blades.
Looking at anatomy diagrams my best guess is that I hit the dorsal ridge of the spine and it was thick enough to stop the arrow. We found 2 small spots of blood but no arrow. I had this deer on camera before season, and after this nothing - until the next year. He was back, sans arrow, but a definite scar and a new drop tine.
If you don't sever the column the deer will most likely recover.
~Troy
great input. Checking cams/hunting tomorrow and hoping.
