Help! With recovery.

[Blacksmith]

Sorry You Had a Bad experience but dogs are no more perfect than bowhunters. I've seen my dog unravel a track that the hunter couldn't begin to figure out.

 

[CZMark]

I am in agreement with those who said you shocked the spinal cord and temporarily stunned him. Likely the deer will survive to give you another chance at him.

 

[EricS]

I’m 90% sure you will not find this deer. There’s a 5% chance the area around the spine will swell and incapacitate the deer possibly killing it. There’s also the muzzleloader factor. I have had rather unimpressive performance of muzzleloaders on deer. I have found that moving to a 300 grain bullet increases probability of an exit wound. I either want immediately lethal performance or an exit wound. With the 200-250 grain bullets (especially powerbelt) I haven’t found either to be the norm.

 

[Zoa]

I’m 90% sure you will not find this deer. There’s a 5% chance the area around the spine will swell and incapacitate the deer possibly killing it. There’s also the muzzleloader factor. I have had rather unimpressive performance of muzzleloaders on deer. I have found that moving to a 300 grain bullet increases probability of an exit wound. I either want immediately lethal performance or an exit wound. With the 200-250 grain bullets (especially powerbelt) I haven’t found either to be the norm.

I'm shooting .54 patched round ball, not conicals, pushed with 100gr of 3f. I've never not had a pass through, and everything (until now) I've shot with it has either died right there or had a fountain of blood. Tis why this was so confusing. I do think y'all are right about grazing the spine though. I found where the ball hit the ground, no blood there but a couple hairs. Did not find him despite hard searching, I reckon he's alright.

 

[GCTerpfan]

With the 200-250 grain bullets (especially powerbelt) I haven’t found either to be the norm.

It's funny how different people can have such different results. I have shot 5 or 6 deer with 245 grain power belts and have watched all of them fall. If I remember correctly, 4 of them have dropped in their tracks. I will admit that I haven't got an exit hole on any of them but the knock down ability has been impressive.

Edit: thinking more about this, most of these deer have been late season doe on food sources. That may have influenced my results.

 

[kyler1945]

I’ve seen his videos a few times over the years and just watched this one again. Overall they’re great. He’s quite informative, and a great salesman for his products and ideas. However, his lung presentation is inaccurate. Aside from the fact that he’s inflating the lungs while the deer is laying on its side vs standing. He simulates breathing with total lung capacity being filled with every ‘breath’. In humans, a full resting breath (tidal volume + residual volume) averages only a little over 28% of total lung capacity. And at full exhale it averages only 20% of total lung volume. I supposed if you’re deer is walking around holding it’s breath at full inhale, the lungs would be above the backbone. But at rest, or exhale there most certainly is a gap.

There might be a gap. But I highly doubt that even at exhale, you can slip a bullet(with all of its hydrostatic shock and what not) between the top of the half deflated lungs and the aortic, which exits the heart then runs along bottom of spine. Not to mention a pneumothorax, which wouldn’t allow the deer to breathe. If you pass a bullet through there, and it somehow doesn’t pierce the offside skin, it will have expended a tremendous amount of energy, liquefying everything in the chest cavity.

I am sure in some universe it’s possible, but highly highly unlikely.

 

[EricS]

It's funny how different people can have such different results. I have shot 5 or 6 deer with 245 grain power belts and have watched all of them fall. If I remember correctly, 4 of them have dropped in their tracks. I will admit that I haven't got an exit hole on any of them but the knock down ability has been impressive.

Edit: thinking more about this, most of these deer have been late season doe on food sources. That may have influenced my results.

We share the same experience With a lack of exit wounds. I also live in a part of the country where a deer that runs 50 yards without blood can be hard to find.

 

[Art_Vandelay]

Saw one of the latest hunting public videos (Episode 76) and thought of this thread. Zach made what looked like a not so terrible archery shot on a buck. High, but below the spine. They were able to get a lot of footage of the buck after the shot that can provide us with valuable information as hunters. I know the reaction from the shot was different from what you experienced. But it got me wondering, had Zach made that shot with a muzzleloader would he have experienced something similar to you? Regardless, it goes to show that a deer can be hit just below the spine and have plenty of life left to get up run off never to be found, and in Zach’s case, even starting looking for the doe he was tending. Good news is it’s seems that that buck is still out there running around doin deer stuff. So hopefully yours is too and you’ll get to see him next year.

I’d like to see Brian Johnson try to explain that scenario using his magical masterpiece archery target and balloon deer.

 

[cspot]

Saw one of the latest hunting public videos (Episode 76) and thought of this thread. Zach made what looked like a not so terrible archery shot on a buck. High, but below the spine. They were able to get a lot of footage of the buck after the shot that can provide us with valuable information as hunters. I know the reaction from the shot was different from what you experienced. But it got me wondering, had Zach made that shot with a muzzleloader would he have experienced something similar to you? Regardless, it goes to show that a deer can be hit just below the spine and have plenty of life left to get up run off never to be found, and in Zach’s case, even starting looking for the doe he was tending. Good news is it’s seems that that buck is still out there running around doin deer stuff. So hopefully yours is too and you’ll get to see him next year.

I’d like to see Brian Johnson try to explain that scenario using his magical masterpiece archery target and balloon deer.

If you watch the episode that was just dropped tonight there is an update on that buck. I won't spoil it.

 

[Art_Vandelay]

If you watch the episode that was just dropped tonight there is an update on that buck. I won't spoil it.

i saw the description and wondered! I’ll find out in about 20 minutes

 

[tyson12590]

Saw one of the latest hunting public videos (Episode 76) and thought of this thread. Zach made what looked like a not so terrible archery shot on a buck. High, but below the spine. They were able to get a lot of footage of the buck after the shot that can provide us with valuable information as hunters. I know the reaction from the shot was different from what you experienced. But it got me wondering, had Zach made that shot with a muzzleloader would he have experienced something similar to you? Regardless, it goes to show that a deer can be hit just below the spine and have plenty of life left to get up run off never to be found, and in Zach’s case, even starting looking for the doe he was tending. Good news is it’s seems that that buck is still out there running around doin deer stuff. So hopefully yours is too and you’ll get to see him next year.

I’d like to see Brian Johnson try to explain that scenario using his magical masterpiece archery target and balloon deer.

I wasn't there to see Zach's deer but based on the video I would bet money that his hit was actually just above the spine. I know it looks lower but the spine dips lower than people realize. I've never seen a deer actually hit below the spine in the lungs and survive.

 

[Rg176bnc]

I'd bet a pay check Zachs deer was above the spine.