When you shoot a deer....

[TxAg]

Does it walk off slowly or bolt outa there?

Seems like all the animals I've ever shot bolted. Hogs might be the exception....a lot of them just waddle off.

Deer and African game lit out like their hair was on fire.

My experiences include my wheel days.

[KOOK68]

Only deer I killed w/ a bow was a compound. Arrow deflected off of a rib and hit the spine. He dropped so quick, I wasn't sure what had happened.

[lpcjon2]

Think ? If I shot you with an arrow wouldnt you bolt off...LOL I have seen them stay still and slow walk after a gun shot,not an arrow

[Matthew Bolton]

I've only killed two with a bow. One gut shot and one 8 second death run. The gut shot was straight meat and stomach so all she did was hop 40 yards and bed down. The short death run was a shot I pulled forward and it quartered through the shoulder and into the heart. She ran very hard which I would attest to the amount of shock that was delivered from getting hit through a shoulder at very close range. My dad taught me that as long as you hit mostly meat and not much bone like a straight double lung shot with a sharp broadhead deer may just trot a few yards and look around.
These are just my observations and things I've been taught. I'm interested in hearing from the more experienced bow hunters out there.

[JamesKerr]

All the deer I have killed with my bows have died running or ran about 50 yards stopped and fell over dead. This includes heart, double lung, liver, and gut shots. I have only heard of one instance where a deer slowly walked off after being shot with an arrow and that was from a crossbow.

[iohkus]

From what I've read, most if not all deer heart-shot (gun or bow) will run like crazy. One in particular I remember, I hit head-on with a .30-06. He tore up the ground running in about a 30 yard circle,dead on his feet, and fell practicly in the spot I had hit him.

[Rock 'N Bow]

One deer I shot ran twenty yards then stopped, stayed in place for about ten seconds then dropped.

[Rob W.]

I have only had 2-3 out of a whole bunch over the years walk off slowly. One actually walked about 30 yards and started feeding then fell over. That shot went between both ribs.

I had a few drop in their tracks back when I thought I had to climb 20'.


Rob

[KentuckyTJ]

Almost every one I've shot have bolted. I've had a few bound off then stop and look back but that is rare for me. Don't ever remember one that just walked off and never ran at all.

[kbetts]

All have bolted, but sometimes not very far.  I've seen quite a few go only 30 yards or so, look around, and fall over.

[Caughtandhobble]

Every deer that I've shot ran like they were scolded except for a few spine shots were the deer was directly below me.

[nd chickenman]

I shot a rutting buck that just flinched a little, then when back to grunting and walking. He even stopped and nibbled on some brush. Double lunged him, he walked about 50 yards and tipped over.

[bretto]

The last 3 Deer I've shot all reacted differently. The first I liver shot as it was walking pretty fast. It made one jump and then slowly walked 30 yards and bedded down. Recovered 2 hrs. later after jumping it up while trying to get another arrow in it. Shot with a Magnus 2 blade.

Next one made a 40 yard mad dash and literally went head over heals twice. It was shot with thru the tip of the shoulder then into the heart with a Snuffer.

Last Buck was working a scrape line. I grunted him to about 7 yards and put a 2 blade Magnus thru both lungs. Went between ribs on both sides somehow. He made 2 big jumps then stopped looked around then tried to work another scrape. He started coughing then started walking away. He went about 50 yards total.

I think it mostly depends on the placement of the shot and what organs or bones are struck as to how they react.

bretto

[PaddyMac]

I shot a doe once that started scratching at her chest leisurely with her hind leg then just kind of walked a few yards and crumpled. By the time it occurred to me to nock another arrow, she was down. Only deer I've shot from a tree.

Almost all have run about 50 yards and piled up.

I had a bad hit on a small buck once that bedded down at about 60 yards and I sat there and watched him just before sunset. His head never went down and I got about 35 yards from him and took the shot and missed and he bolted. I was up all night tracking him, but I got him about 3/4 mile away.

[Hoyt]

I've had them act all kinda ways..lope with tail up, stop and start twitching tail and looking around. Wide open with tail tucked..just fall over with paralyzing spine hits, etc. Never had one just walk off that I can remember.

[Widow's Son]

I double lunged a doe ten or so years ago. The Zwickey Eskimo zipped right thru her. She buck jumped at the shot and then stood there licking at the blood coming out of her nose. She turned, walked away and piled up after about 40 yards. It seems that heart shot deer always take off running in my experiance. I believe if you hit bone with the loud whack sound they are going to run.

Ross

[wooddamon1]

They usually bolt, had one run into a tree and drop right there once after a heart shot.

[Widow's Son]

This is my experiance also. Never had one run into a tree however. I bet that was a sight.

Ross

[Rob W.]

Originally posted by wooddamon1:
They usually bolt, had one run into a tree and drop right there once after a heart shot.

The buck in my avatar was heart shot. It spun ran down hill about 30 yards out of sight and dead centered a tree. Was an awful sound but I knew he was down.

Rob

[Archie]

The only deer I've shot hopped up in the air and took 3 slow bounds, then stopped and stood still.  I had a complete pass-through; he took a few steps, laid down, and that was it.