Weird first trad deer

[Biathlonman]

So Sunday morning I was fortunate enough to harvest my first traditional deer and I have to say it was a very strange experience.  I was shooting my #51 Toelke Chinook with a 29" GT5575, vpa 3 blade up front.  I've got 250 on the front in for a total arrow of about 575 and which clocks about 165 fps. On the chrono.  Well I've shot a lot of deer in my wheel days and I have to say I was shocked at the amount of penetration that this #51 rig, a ton more then any 70 compound and aluminum arrows I shot back in the day.  I've never actually seen an arrow go completely through a deer, let alone like this one did.  Didn't even look like slowed down before sticking 8" into the dirt.  I've also never seen a bow shot deer go down so quickly, it made about 15 yards before it's legs got all wobbly and it laid down.  Whay struck me as really odd though was that the deer managed to stay alive for about an hour despite going down so quickly.  My autopsy showed what looked to be a perfect shot not really to be that great.  While I centered the rear lobe of the onside lung exactly where I was aiming the angle from the high stand down out through the arm pit managed to not catch anything but that one lung.

I'm still torn whether I did the right thing by not getting down and attempting to get another arrow in it.  I guess he went down so quickly and was unable to regain his feet so fast that I just kept expecting it to be over, and instead it just kept dragging out.  I suppose the same thing could have played out on every deer I've ever killed, just the fact that this scenario all played out in front of me.

At the very least I learned a lot from this little spike.  For one the bow/arrow combination was more then up to the task.  Second, avoid the extreme angles whenever possible, third give the animal at least an hour before following up if circumstances allow it, and forth don't be so confident in your shot until your autopsy proves your what your eyes think they saw.

I'll get pictures up when I can get them uploaded and resized.  Thoughts?

[Bjorn]

Congrats! Great job on your first trad deer.          

Think you might have hit some major artery along with the one lung? Was there major bleeding inside or outside the animal?Normally a single lung hit will result in a very long recovery if at all.
Nice work just the same!

[Biathlonman]

My autopsy was rather hasty.  I suspect something else had to be hit as quick as it went down and as weak as it was.  There was a ton of blood on the ground where it layed down.  Arrow entered high and caught the rear lobe so that gives you entrance geography, exited arm pit off side.  I was also about 30 ft. Up in a tree and deer was probably another 10 ft lower elevation wise.  I'll get up some pictures tomorrow.

[Brutus Hedgeapple]

Congrats! I think you did the right thing by letting it lay there. I would have hated to have to chase/trail/follow it for another shot.
 Do you shoot with the KTBA? If so, not sure I know who you are.

[John Scifres]

I think young deer will often lay down quickly after wounding.  It was a tough call on how you handled it but it worked out.  While the wound was certainly painful, bleeding to death causes little "suffering" if we want to anthropomorphize.  I had one do about the same thing once but I made the other choice and had to run her down to finish her.

[A.S.]

Congrats Brad!

[e alexander]

Congratulations, Brad.  Waiting on the pic's!

[DRR324]

Congrats on the first Trad harvest!  Just reading your post and thinking you had to hit the offside lung as well.  If you hit the onside lobe, and exited the offside pit area, the offside lung has to be penetrated as well....
Rear onside lobe- to offside pit = slight quartering away.  I would bet you center punched the offside lung.  He laid down right away and therefore didn't have full out flight- with the heart pumping slower, the blood pooled in the chest cavity. This would also lead to a bit longer time frame before his demise.  Regardless- you got it done!!!

[psychmonky]

My first archery deer was exactly the same scenario. A young deer at an extreme angle. She bounded two big hops before bedding and waiting 30 min to die. There was a little cedar bush in front of her or I would have shot her again, but I knew she would bolt if I tried to get down and get another shot.

Upon field dressing I discovered that I had missed the near lung on entry and taken out the far lung on exit. Her age and size are the only reasons I can think of for the short recovery.

[Biathlonman]

Sorry guys I've tried photobucket on three computers and can't get logged in and my pictures resized.  This deer appeared to be a two year old though I suppose it could have been a very large yearling.  Experience would say it was about 130 field dressed.  I've shot at KTBA once and went to see the vendors at another.  Would like to go to more but I work nights and at least 6 months of weekends so making it out is tough.  I hope to make more this year but it's a pretty good drive from southern Scott county.

Congrats on your first. I agree that very high stands tend to make for very compound angles and narrow your effective shot area.

Glad you got him and awaiting the pics.

Bisch

[jlowrey75]

[Tim Finley]

Sounds like you hit him just about right ,good for you . 30' up Id need oxygen .....Tim

[nineworlds9]

awesome story.  congrats

[Kituwa]

I think on a lung it that if they run they die faster. Hard call really but i know its not fun to have to watch one take so long to die.I am pretty sure that most times they dont feel a lot, they just get weak and go to sleep.You are right about the penetration with trad gear,my friends that shoot with me always comment on how much harder the arrows hit on a target than their wheel bows.I think it is mostly that they use as light an arrow as they can and light broadheads too.Combine that with those open on contact heads that many use and it suprises me they dont lose more deer than they do.Congrates on the deer!

[ddauler]

You bet if them fellas with the pully bows would use heavy arrows and cut on contact heads they would see a vast improvement go fiigure. I have a few buddys that do so but most opt for flat tragectory and 300 plus PFS.

[ti-guy]

Congrats!

[COOCH]

Had the same thing happen a time or two.If I see them lay down I let them lay.Congrats on your first.

[Cyclic-Rivers]

Congrats on your 1st deer!  

A friend has a saying "when in doubt, quiver out"  If the deer is alive and there is a clear shot from where I am, I will shoot until either I ma out of arrows or the deer is dead.

hope you work out the photo bucket!

[Biathlonman]

Finally got photobucket to cooperate.  Not the best cell phone pictures but you get the idea.  Was a bigger deer then the picture suggest.  
 

Deer was standing at the wooden fence post in the lower left of the picture.  You can see the white of it's belly in the middle of the picture on the other side of the creek bed.  Photo taken from stand so give you an idea of shot angle and distance traveled.
 


 

After he made a last attempt to stand up and did a header backward into the creek before giving it up.  I'm standing at my bloody arrow.  Is laying in the middle of the creek bed.


 
The standard bloody arrow picture...don't we all just love them!