Broadhead severed intestines?
Contributors to this thread:Whitetail Deer
From: Hman0217
13-Dec-20
I took a shot right around dusk today and the deer hunched up and ran off. By the time I went to look for her, it was pretty dark in the woods. For 20 minutes, I couldn't see any blood trail and then I see intestines. About a handful, with what was still fresh blood. The intestines weren't hot but it had been 20 minutes and they weren't totally cold either. Obviously it sucks that I might have paunch shot her and now have to wait til morning to go search, hoping the coyotes don't get there first. But is that even possible? This was a mechanical 2-inch 3-blade broadhead so it has ample cutting surface. But could it have severed the intestines in a way that caused some of them to fall out? Or did something else coincidentally get killed down there shortly before I took the shot? Definitely have predators around here.
From: Teeton
13-Dec-20
Guessing they came out and got caught on something. Offen this will happen when there is a cut around the intestine area of the body.
From: Habitat for Wildlife
13-Dec-20
What Teton said.
From: ryanrc
13-Dec-20
Yes possible to slice belly open and have some get pulled out. Don't push the deer and it shouldn't be far. If a deer hunches up, do not go after it for a minimum 4 hours. Any sooner and you might push it far enough away to not find. Many would say 4 hours isn't long enough either. With a gut shot they don't want to walk anywhere and will lay down. But they can cover some ground if you spook them and leave little to no blood in the process. Sometimes they might leave a bed to seek water if thirsty and die in it.
From: Bou'bound
13-Dec-20
Might have ?
From: sbschindler
13-Dec-20
you will most likely find the deer in the morning, a little tip,, do the gutless method so you do not contaminate any meat,
From: sbschindler
13-Dec-20
you will most likely find the deer in the morning, a little tip,, when feild dressing the deer do the gutless method so you do not contaminate any meat,
From: Hman0217
13-Dec-20
Ok thanks will update in the AM. Surprised to hear you say THREE HOURS billy2trucks. I only say that because I see plastered everywhere 8 hours and 12 hours. I had a gut shot once before and went after it 7 hours later, looking around every water source within a half mile and never found it. Come to find out someone on social media posted a pic of a deer with an arrow in it on the side of the highway, about a mile from where I shot it. So I'm inclined to take my chances and wait the 12 hours.
From: Hman0217
13-Dec-20
Ok thanks will update in the AM. Surprised to hear you say THREE HOURS billy2trucks. I only say that because I see plastered everywhere 8 hours and 12 hours. I had a gut shot once before and went after it 7 hours later, looking around every water source within a half mile and never found it. Come to find out someone on social media posted a pic of a deer with an arrow in it on the side of the highway, about a mile from where I shot it. So I'm inclined to take my chances and wait the 12 hours.
From: kakiatkids
13-Dec-20
Ditto on the wait time. Lat season I made a bad shot at the largest buck I had ever seen in the woods...all gut. I could see the hole as we ran past me. I knew he wasn't going to make it and also knew he was not in the mood to go far... Anyway I waited in the tree about 3 hours then slipped out of the tree, leaving my bow and pack. I didn't even look for the arrow. Just slipped out as quiet as I could and came back 4 hours later. He died in his bed in sight of my tree stand...maybe 30 yards. If I rushed it, even to look for the arrow there is no telling where he might have gone.
From: 4nolz@work
13-Dec-20
I shot this deer with a 1 7/8" silver flame she lost this in the food plot (no snags) and died 5 yards outside the plot.Too hot in Florida bow season to wait.
From: APauls
13-Dec-20
I had a fit hit this year and he lost guts out the side and it was super cold like -10. Gave it 4 hours and jumped him. Came up on him 16 hours later couldn’t move but still alive. I’d wait the night. Fresh snow was the only reason I found him
From: grizzly
14-Dec-20
Got what I thought was a good hit. He only went 5 yds and layed down. I figured he would expire within 30 mins. Nope. He kept getting up and moving 5-10 yds a move. 23 hrs later i recovered him. Coyotes found him first in his last bed and probably finished him. I had to have got one lung as well. They are tough. Coyotes got a third, I got two thirds and was lucky to get that. They will usually go to water.
From: btnbuck
14-Dec-20
To answer your question, yes, the intestines are all coiled up in the abdomen. The best thing to do is sneak out and come back later. I've found that the less distance they travel after hit that way, the less chance of coyotes finding the trail. If a coyote cuts the trail the deer walked out on then they're on it in no time.
From: Hman0217
14-Dec-20
Found him. Took two hours but, at 16 hours from the time of the shot, he was still not coyote fodder. He sure was a mess down there but I can't imagine he lasted that long. Didn't even make it to water.. thx for the backup .
From: orionsbrother
14-Dec-20
Glad you got him!
From: Kurt
14-Dec-20
First, congrats on recovering hm!
Was he really stiff? Can tell you a bit about the timing of when he'd died.
From: LINK
14-Dec-20
I gut shot a buck last year at 7 am. Waited until 3pm and bumped him out of his bed. He ran another 500 yards and that time the coyotes found him before I did. 3 hours might be enough time....
From: Franklin
14-Dec-20
I am going to make an observation here. You stated you took a shot at dusk and went to find her....then made a gut shot and recovered HIM.
Might want to give this whole situation some deep thought and access the situation truthfully.
From: Hman0217
14-Dec-20
Edited: double post
From: Hman0217
14-Dec-20
Franklin you are correct. It was a button buck. I didn't realize that last night and, as far as truthfulness goes, I confess I made an error in judgement with the light fading on me. Not my proudest kill on multiple fronts and I appreciate your challenge.
Kurt, his limbs were stiff but his torso was soft. His guts were literally hanging out his body and so I can't imagine he lasted more than a couple hours but I welcome other opinions.
From: altitude sick
14-Dec-20
Don’t beat yourself up. It’s easy to misjudge a button buck traveling with a doe fawn in the north in December. They are haired up and fat. If by them selves with no mature animal next to them you have to look at the length of the head and the squared brisket from the side view.
Also the fawns are actually the best to remove from the herd without impact to that herd. . Unless your trying to manage the herd in other ways. Like reducing numbers. Or get rid of cagey old does.
From: Lost Arra
14-Dec-20
I'm amazed you folks can leave a deer 4+ hours and still have anything but a hide. Last month my buddy shot a doe where we both hunt. He saw her go down within 30 yards. Before he could lower his bow a coyote came out of the woods and was on her. He had to hustle down and run it off.
From: Teeton
14-Dec-20
Hman0217, can you give us a little info on your recovery. Like how far it made it, how far to it's first bed, how may beds, where the shot hit, pass thru, what got hit, how good your blood trail was and anything? It helps us all learn.. Glad you found it and thanks for posting... Ed
From: Franklin
14-Dec-20
We have all gone through these type situations in our bowhunting careers. You will find the difference between the really great bowhunters....of which I don`t consider myself as....is they reflect upon hunts, situations and seasons, then develop from them.
It wasn`t about a button buck vs doe issue...if you get my drift...peace.
From: Hman0217
14-Dec-20
Hi Teeton
As the crow flies, it was probably 75-100 yards from the shot. It was a pass through, though I've yet to find the arrow. It hit back and low. I'd say the very bottom of the abdomen - maybe the bottom inch - because I couldn't even determine an entry and exit hole.
It didn't make it to its bed and I can't tell you how much bedding except to say the closest bedding i know of was within 20-30 yards of where it lie down.
I don't wanna post the picture because its so darn messy and great fodder for the anti crowd. But if you PM me ill gladly share it.
From: Hman0217
14-Dec-20
I forgot to mention the blood trail. Nothing for the first 20-30 yards, Besides the immediate spot i found the intestines. Then it was pretty strong. Also, every 15 yards or so, there was a big area of blood, and connecting them were just a string of drops. It looks like it ran and stopped, ran and stopped, again and again, until it ran no more
From: Buffalo1
14-Dec-20
Congrats on the recovery. Sounds like you learned some lessons from this experience. No need to beat yourself up or for others to do likewise.
From: Habitat
14-Dec-20
I am sure sometime a gut shot deer went to water but in 40 years of tracking I haven't found one in water that wasn't trying to cross a river or creek and died.Biggest hint is to not push whether it's liver or guts if you don't watch him fall give a couple hours if you know liver or gut give 12 if you can.I have not lost a liver or gut shot deer that I have been asked to track since following these rules
From: APauls
14-Dec-20
Honestly, these are some of my favourite threads on Bowsite. Real life analysis on what happened especially when it goes wrong. So for one, thanks for sharing the experience! It sounds like, and I think you did everything right. Another case where shooting a big mechanical probably helped make a recovery on that deer. A big cutting swatch is a major help on gut hits.
We have to be super careful about letting the thought of coyotes impact trailing. I had my first bad gut hit this year. I also had a deer like Lost Arra says where I shot it, and it ran 60 and died basically in sight. Before I got there, coyotes on it. Weeks later, i shoot a buck in the guts. Thoughts of coyotes so I went in 4 hours later. Jumped him. Thanks to fresh snow I was still able to get on the trail and follow tracks the next morning and then find blood along the trail in the snow. After I bumped him that buck went 300 yards to the first bush line and bed up. After I bumped him he went nearly 600 yards in poor trailing conditions if it weren’t for the snow. 16 hours later still alive, untouched by coyotes. Got lucky. But fear of coyotes without snow would have made me lose that deer. Guaranteed. We have to track the deer making the best decisions we can based on the knowledge of the hit and what the arrow tells us. Now in my case I was lucky to have that fresh snow as an ace in the hole and low deer density as far as other tracks to get messed up on.
Threads like this give us so much valuable information to anyone reading and no doubt results in more recovered animals for the readers. Thanks again
From: Wild Bill
14-Dec-20
Ditto, APauls.
I liked the story and congratulations on the recovery.
From: altitude sick
14-Dec-20
It took Cojones to post that story. And others are correct. Hearing Other people’s example of what went right and what went wrong Expedites the learning curve instead of us all having to make the same mistakes.
From: Hman0217
14-Dec-20
Thanks Guys I appreciate the supportive and encouraging spirit here. I passively lurked on this forum for awhile and then posted for the first time once I had this happen. I'm really glad I did and happy that others found/may find the story useful. Cheers
From: Shuteye
14-Dec-20
Congrats on your deer. One good thing about expandable broadheads you will normally recover a gut shot deer. Where I live I have to blood trail pretty quickly due to foxes at night and buzzards in the day time. You wouldn't believe what foxes can do to a deer over night. I shot a nice doe back some time ago and walked to my house, about 200 yards away. I went to get my Gator to haul the deer out. I wasn't gone ten minutes and buzzards were already working on the deer's rear end. BTW, I will be cooking a deer heart and the meat off the neck in my crock pot in the morning.
From: hawkeye in PA
15-Dec-20
Congratulations on the recovery and for posting. Some really good input and experience. I've arrowed quite a few PA deer and used to be one of those guys that got called for tracking. I won't say the down hill, water thing is a myth but it sure cost us a few deer until we figured out it was at best a 50/50 option. One in particular that was hit "right behind the shoulder" (blood didn't support this but the archer did) was actually shot behind the ear. What a long recovery during what was a beginning of a snow storm. In hindsight it did every thing it could do to lose us, instead of going "some place". Shot in the morning and recovered at dusk only because of having snow. Other wise it would have been a non fatal hit IMO.
From: Charlie Rehor
15-Dec-20
25 years ago Pat and I were tracking a buck our friend Earle had shot that am. We followed the blood and track to a small creek but could not find his track or blood on the other side of the creek. After a while Pat walked down stream and after 30 yards found a drop of blood on a log across the creek. We found the deer 60 yards further.
The buck walked down the stream to get us off the scent. This tactic would work if a predator was only using their nose. I absolutely love tracking but hate losing. I agree with others in this instance with a three blade, two inch cut in the guts. They die quicker than with a fixed head.
From: Shuteye
15-Dec-20
I once shot a nice buck in the pouring rain. I went to the house and got my beagle. I put him on the trail and he took right off on the trail. We came to a deep stream that was only about ten feet wide. My beagle dove in the water and couldn't find the trail on the other side. I started walking down the stream and saw an antler and there was my dead deer hung up on a log. It was a double lung shot and he only went about 75 yards. My Neighbor used to borrow my beagle when they shot a deer as it was getting dark. He had a perfect score finding them. That is probably illegal now but it worked great for us back in 50's. I don't have a beagle any more.
