Saw one of the most bizarre things with a deer this morning. Shot a doe between 20 and 25yrds. She scattered with the rest , ran about 20 yrds and stopped and looked around. I was like you gotta be kidding me - I knew i hit that deer and if I didnt something went terribly wrong. I then looked at her and saw a high hit between spine and center lung. I waited to se what she was going to do. She ends up wlking back to thefeeder and licks the wound and eats corn. I saw the arrow sticking in the ground. She turns broadside and i see an exit wound (should have been lower than what it was though. I could see blood dripping - very slowly but her behavior was unchanged.. At about the time I am ready to take another shot she walks over to treeline and lays down - like they do when they are resting. I figured ok - I gotta do a hell mary because I dont know that she will make it. I launch a 40yrd shot and connect but the shot was not great. She runs in the woods. I am absolutely sick. I wait about 30 minutes to see if i can find the arrow from second shot - no dice so I thing excellent. The connect sounded good.. But then my optimism crashes - gut shot. Find about 3 spots of blood and matter and then nothing. Searched for over an hour and half by sight due to lack of any trail or tracks. I gt ready to wave the white towel and on my last search I found her. Probably 50 yrds from where she was laying during second shot. I ende up hitting upper lung on the first shot and may have hit artery or something on second (maybe). All I know is quite a bit of blood in cavity, she gurgled when moving her and blood coming out of mouth. I guess she lunged out soon after the second shot got her up. No clue - was racing the raising temp and had to get her to processor so couldnt investigate further.

Was cleaning arrows when i got home and found a cut in vane of the first shot> cut went from back to front which leads me to believe I cut it yetserady doing final practice and dint catch it. This will probably explain the high shot. As far as low exit angle - i am extremely high in the air so the angle may be too steep (if that is possible or had a deflecltion off a bone. Using slick trick mags. Eikther way going to to do some shooting before next weekend to get confidence and faith back in my shooting so I have no mental blocks.

Outcome was great but path there was not one I wish to relive. Like the low double lung pass thrus better

Have yall ever seen a deer react like this (regarding the first shot)? I just couldnt believe it.

Buddy of mine shot a doe some years back, double lung, she ran off with the rest of them for about 100 yards, they all stopped and started feeding again, she was feeding like nothing was wrong, all the sudden she got shakey and hit the dirt.

There's a doe out at my place that has a perfect "X" right over her lungs where she got hit by an arrow. I know the guy that shot her and he said it looked like an absolutely perfect shot (scar verifies his story).

Have no idea how this deer is alive, but I won't shoot her now. She's really obvious even if you cant see the scar because she has a huge notch out of her ear. S

Life pass in my book.

It was the darndest think I had ever seen - they are some resilient creatures. I only have been now huning 2 years but had never seen or heard of this behavior. I mean if you would have shown this video of her after she ahd been shot and photoshopped the wound - noone would dream she had been shot (fatal wound at that).

I now know through feedback fromn thsi forum and others that this situation I went through this morning is not uncommon. Hindsight I should have just let her lay there and she would have passed but I thought I had hit that "nothig space" and didnt want her to suffer so that is why I took the second shot. She just laid down normally. wasnt woozy or stumbling - very crazy. It also reminded me to keep my rear in the stand after every shot cause it may take a while.

Just blessed that i found her - God answered my many requests for assistance this morning

Stop beating yourself up. You found her, and she obviously wasn't in pain because she wouldn't have been feeding.

Happy ending, regardless.

Your story reminds me of a video I saw where the arrow went right through the deer's jugular. He's standing there spraying blood like a fire hydrant, and he's not even aware he's been hit.

I seen an Elk on tv get stuck double lung ran about 25 yards stood there for a few minutes like nothing had happened took one step and fell over

I had one lay down a few seconds after I shot. She laid there 30 minutes but was alive. It was weird to say the least. I dont think she would have gone anywhere but I put one in her neck to seal the deal

It happens I shot a doe just what you said between lung an spine look for her for a hour whit no blood to trail so I give up went to the same stand the next day an there was a good buck chasing her you could see where it went in an exited and yes i did shoot the buck

Not a weird story about a wounded deer, but i have dropped a doe under a feeder and the other deer at the feeder looked at her and then went back to eating. They never left til I walked up on them. That was a 120 yard shot from a 7MM .08.....couldn't believe the other deer didn't even run, just watched her fall over dead and kept on eating.

Amen Brother

I shot a snarred hog in the head 3 times point blank with a 45 and twice in the lungs, the damn thing kept charging me, finaly broke out the rifle and put a 243 in its head to end it.