These Deer are TOUGH!
Contributors to this thread:Whitetail Deer
From: Ace
12-Jul-19
Saw this in a Deer & Deer Hunting post.
Never underestimate the wonders of nature. This viral photo from a few years ago shows an older style arrow and broadhead wedged on the outer edge of a deer's chest cavity, and the rib cage bone grew around it. A very rare, bizarre occurrence, yes, but further testament to responsible shot placement. This shot was steep and almost straight-on.
Ever find a broadhead or an arrow or a bullet in a deer?
From: ELK ELSEWHERE
12-Jul-19
I got a buck a few years ago with two broad heads in it, one with about 8 inches of arrow. The arrow was angled from front thru back strap with head inside a tenderloin. The other head was in brisket. Both different styles. Both fully healed at least a year before. Deer seemed normal in every way and were not discovered until butchering.
From: dirtclod Az.
12-Jul-19
Killed a Javelina with .22s in it's jaw and skull grown over and shotgun pellets still fresh in it's skull.Never any arrows, but I personally know many trees with arrows in them.Lol!
From: longbeard
13-Jul-19
I’ve killed and found both billets and Broadhead. Ironically I shot a nice buck in November of 2015 that I hit low in the front left shoulder. Never found him. In December of 2016 I got a second chance and made good on it. Couldn’t wait to get my Broadhead back from previous year. When I butchered him there was not only no Broadhead but I could barely see a scar in the spot where I hit him previously. Amazing healing powers!
From: Grey Ghost
13-Jul-19
Back in my outfitting days, we had a well-known "TV hunter" make a poor bow shot on one of our biggest bucks. The video clearly showed the arrow hitting near the top of the bucks spine, but not low enough to cut the spinal cord, apparently. We didn't see that buck for almost 2 months until he showed up again during the rut. One of our rifle clients killed him. He still had the fixed-bladed broadhead buried in one of his vertebra, but didn't look any worse for wear.
Another client showed me a skull from a buck he had shot a few yers earlier. It had a broadhead buried right behind the buck's left eye socket. The hunter said the buck showed no visible signs of anything being wrong with him.
Lastly, I once watched a nice mulie buck attempting to breed a doe with his right hind leg freshly shot off at the knee.
Tough animals indeed.
Matt
From: moosenelson
13-Jul-19
Killed a cow moose many years ago that had been previously shot with a shotgun. It was really cold so we hung her with fur on. Came back a few days later to process and most meat was green. Disappointed in sooo many ways.
From: BIG BEAR
13-Jul-19
Hey Matt..... How do you know that deer’s leg was shot off ?? Could it have possibly lost it in a fence ?? Peace.
From: nmwapiti
13-Jul-19
Both elk I killed in 2016 had archery hardware in them. The NM bull had a magnus stinger buried in his shoulder blade from a frontal shot that went wide. The WY bull had 6 inches of arrow in his neck from a tree stand or steep shot that went too far forward. No indications before I butchered them.
From: APauls
15-Jul-19
Similar to longbears I made a bad shot one year in the wind and hit a buck back in the hams. He limped for 4 years until I finally finished him. I was pumped to see the head in the bone, but it was gone. My arrow had broken off at the insert so I thought for sure it was in there. His hoof had curled up and callused as he walked on a part of his leg that was not the hoof. Had an interesting gait and when I heard him walking through the frosty grass I knew it was him before I seen him. Killed him at 7.5 or 8.5 years old and was so pumped.
From: SaltyB
15-Jul-19
I've found a few in them. Had a nice 8 that was killed with the rifle while he was chasing a doe. While butchering we found a 4 blade muzzy and 3" of arrow between his ribs and shoulder blade. He wasn't even limping! My 2010 big nontypical had a rage and the insert stuck in his ear, wedged between his antler and the base of his skull. His ear was hanging a bit but he was trailing his doe with no indication that anything was wrong.
From: SaltyB
15-Jul-19
Here you can see the hole by his right eye where the head is. At the time I thought it was from a buck fight. Not till I caped him did we see the Rage head.
From: MT in MO
15-Jul-19
A buddy killed a cow elk that had 2 broad head blades embedded in its spine. Both overgrown with new bone. They had been in there for awhile. Looked like two different encounters a year or more apart...
From: EmbryOklahoma
15-Jul-19
I have found heads in deer. The one I remember vividly was my first buck off of public land. He had a thunderhead and 4" of an XX75 3-4" directly in front of his tail. Found it as I was skinning him out.
This question would be REALLY interesting posed to deer processors. God only knows the amount of bullets and broadheads they find.
From: keepemsharp
15-Jul-19
Saw one dressed once that had about a 6" hedge stob imbedded in his chest, had growed all around it. Think he must have jumped and ran the stump in when he landed.
From: Shawn
15-Jul-19
I killed an 8 pt. years ago that had been shot in the back of the head and the broadhead lodged in the nasal cavity. The only thing we noticed he was blind in one eye(all whited out) I ran my hand up his nose to wipe away some blood for pictures and something cut my palm. We skull capped him and found the muzzy 4-blade and about 2"s of an aluminium arrow. We figure he walked under someone and got out a bit and the hunter shot high on a quartering away shot. I would say it had been in there at least 2 years. Shawn
