Question

[J-dog]

Heart hit, heart with a large laceration. What is the furthest y'all have had to track such an animal?

From my vast experience (sarcasm) but when I got the main pump or the arteries above they just didn't make much distance, 50 yards maybe? 65 - and that was long ones -

[fnshtr]

Heart shot... probably 80  yards for the longest run. Not much tracking needed as he was pumping himself empty.

I shot a young buck one year that had its closest front leg extended... put one right through his heart and he made one bound and landed on his nose. That was the shortest.

A loooooooooong time ago, back when I shot a wheel bow I shot a doe one afternoon. The doe, along with 5 or 6 other deer were standing in a clearing and I was in a tree just on the edge of the clearing. I knew I made a great shot, but watched in dismay as all the deer (including the one I shot) ran 125yds across the field and jumped a fence. I started to worry that maybe I did not hit where I thought I had.

The blood trail was phenomenal. When I got to the fence they jumped I could see my deer laying dead 25yds in the woods.

When I gutted her, there was a perfect 4-blade hole all the way through the biggest part of the heart!

I was amazed that this deer made it 150yds with that shot!

Bisch

[Diamond Paul]

Every deer I've heart shot reacted the same:  tore out like a hornet's nest was on it and ran flat out till it dropped, generally at least 100 yards, the farthest being 200 yards.

[beendare]

I've never seen one go more than 70 yds...but had a crazy one this year. My buddy shot one low tight to the front leg with his compound and a 2" mech Bh- caught the heart but only sliced into it-  and though we found the deer about 70 yds away there was zero blood until 8' before he dropped- Zero! So much for the big cutting heads, eh?

I think it was due to the shot being so tight to the leg and the leg must have been forward- the entry [no exit] was sealing up as the deer ran.

heck I've shot heart shot elk that were fighting and had blood spurting 6' on either side of him- pulsing out- it was wild.

[Terry Lightle]

About 100 or so

[ChuckC]

Every heart shot is not the same.  If you open the heart, cut atria or ventricles open so that they leak, cut the major veins or arteries leading to and from, the animal will die quickly.  If you cut the heart muscle but don't do the above, it will die less quickly (from that wound), however, remember, to get to the heart you must put a hole in the chest cavity and likely one or more lung as well.

Also remember, ,  a deer on speed can run 100 yards in seconds.  So a deer so hit may walk 20 yards and collapse and that same deer, running like hell may very well go 120 yards.

ChuckC

[doeboy]

Never underestimate a deers will to survive. Amazing animals.

[typical2]

I've seen them get hit and run over 100 yds, (usually if the arrow is still in).  And I've seen them hop 5 or 6 yards and stumble, wobble, fall (usually on pass throughs).

[dbd870]

Only a few heart shot deer with a bow for me  as that means I hit low (which happens). They both went ~70yds.