Hunting too high?

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Have you ever had a one lung hit on a deer ?

yes. & recovered the deer
58
37%
yes. & no recovery
33
21%
both
29
19%
no. thank god
35
23%
 
Total votes: 155
dan
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Hunting too high?

Unread postby dan » Sun Feb 26, 2012 11:26 am

I have noticed a lot of people dont set there stand height appropriate to the distance of the shot.
Some guys always hunt high, or always hunt low rather than thinking about where they are best concealed, have the proper air current, and most of all, where they will perform the best shot placement.
The higher you are in the tree, and the closer you are to the deer, the more severe of an angle, and the more likely to achieve a dreaded "one lung hit"....

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Re: Hunting too high?

Unread postby dan » Sun Feb 26, 2012 11:28 am

I think the most important way to avoid "one lungers" is to understand why they happen and try to avoid high risk shots. Anybody else have any tips?
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Re: Hunting too high?

Unread postby Casper » Sun Feb 26, 2012 11:33 am

I like your art work! :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:
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Re: Hunting too high?

Unread postby Dor » Sun Feb 26, 2012 11:36 am

This subject always baffles me. I hunt high a lot and have killed many deer from nearly straight down shots. I have never had a single issue with a "one-lunger", nor do I know of any of my hunting partners who have.

Although it is possible for a deer to survive a one lung shot, it is very rare and I have never seen it. I think a lot (not all) of so called one-lungers are similar to shots that hit the "void"- more myth than the true reality of what really happened.

One mans opinion after 25 years in a tree. Take it for what it's worth.
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Re: Hunting too high?

Unread postby BigHunt » Sun Feb 26, 2012 11:48 am

i remember one buck i shot with the bow it was right under me ....i was 5 sticks up , i remember hitting it just to the side of the spine. i found the buck and when i gutted it, i found i only hit one lung. i trailed for quit some time, and the blood was to a minimum. At the time i was shooting muzzys...... i may of got lucky, who knows but ive also shoot deer like this and haven't found them. maby i didnt even hit the lungs on those deer :? ive also shot a doe in one lung, and she went about 60 yards and died..... but know i try to limit how high i go because of that.




awesome art work dan 8-)


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Re: Hunting too high?

Unread postby Dor » Sun Feb 26, 2012 11:57 am

Oh, I might add, so there is no confusion- Dan's point is spot on. It is much wiser to try to achieve the double lung shot if it is possible. :handgestures-thumbupright:
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Re: Hunting too high?

Unread postby GRFox » Sun Feb 26, 2012 11:59 am

First of all Dan, your art work is nothing short of incredible. :lol:

But it does believe it or not, articulate your point.

I had a one lung hit on a buck 3 years ago. He was quartereing slightly to me (last time I will ever take that shot), and I caught 1 lung, liver and guts, arrow went in a little far back and high and came out just in front of the rear quarter on the white / brown line of the belly.

Zero blood what so ever. I grid searched for that deer for 10 hours straight and wound up finding him in the last hour of light. He crossed a road, jumped a barbed wire fence, crossed a main road, crosses a rappid flowing river, and died on some power lines.

Upon the autopsy I discovered my hit. I hit very high, and until right now as I type this I never realized that I was in fact hunting too high. My arrow entered just under the back strap at a downward angle, I hit one lung, liver, guts and like I said the arrow came out in front of the back ham. The shot was too high for blood to pump out of the entry and gut was blocking the exit.

The shot was 28 yards and he was slightly down hill from me. I was probrably hunting aount 25-30 feet high in a climber at the time and given the circumstances I was too high. Because of the angle he was facing me, I probrably would have only got one lung regardless of the height of my stand, but If you consider the angle of the pass through, it is pretty steep for a 28 yard shot.
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Re: Hunting too high?

Unread postby magicman54494 » Sun Feb 26, 2012 12:57 pm

Dan, I think your first deer has monkey but. :lol:

I hunt as low as I can and still stay covered fairly well. Besides a poor shot angle, hunting higher often brings more branches into play which cuts down shot windows.
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Re: Hunting too high?

Unread postby rack addict » Sun Feb 26, 2012 1:16 pm

I love to hunt high in my spots 27-30 ft up. Most of what I've read on here had more to do with shooting high and not putting the arrow where it needs to be which will be poor no matter the height. Both bucks I shot this season were both shot from stands that were close to 30 ft. Both shots were under 15 yards, one quartering away slightly, the other quartering to slightly. I put the arrow where it needed to be for the position the deer were in, neither bucks needed a track job after the shot. Will that happen everytime, absolutely not but to me its about placing the arrow exactlley were it needs to go and realizing where you need to put it when there quartering or if they are just slightly turned. Its about paying attention to all the details and lots of practice shooting. I set up a 3d buck target and practice at all different ranges and different quartering shots from a stand that is setup at 27 ft. I try to be as prepared as possible.
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Re: Hunting too high?

Unread postby dan » Sun Feb 26, 2012 1:17 pm

Dor wrote:This subject always baffles me. I hunt high a lot and have killed many deer from nearly straight down shots. I have never had a single issue with a "one-lunger", nor do I know of any of my hunting partners who have.

Although it is possible for a deer to survive a one lung shot, it is very rare and I have never seen it. I think a lot (not all) of so called one-lungers are similar to shots that hit the "void"- more myth than the true reality of what really happened.

One mans opinion after 25 years in a tree. Take it for what it's worth.


I think you have been really lucky... That or me and my friends are extremely un-lucky ( I wouldn't rule that out :lol: )
Over the years I have shot more than a few one lungers. Especially in my earlier years. And even more I think were one lungers, and I have tracked a ton of them. I am convinced based on blood, hit, and angle that a few of my lost deer received a one lung hit.
I have also recovered a few that were autopsy confirmed one lungers and although some indeed went down fast, the majority covered some ground with minimal blood trails. One I tracked for a friend took me 2 days and nearly a mile and if it were not for some snow would of never been recovered... A few had to be finished off hours later... So, its not whether or not one lung hits are hard recoveries, its reality.
I do agree that most die... I shot a buck once that had only one lung from a wound the year before. But I do think thats very rare. Its more of a matter of exactly how long will they live before they die, how far will they travel, and how much will they bleed.
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Re: Hunting too high?

Unread postby Brad » Sun Feb 26, 2012 1:30 pm

I have been lucky, I always used to hunt super high, 30 foot or more generally. The first deer I ever shot with a bow was a 5 point buck I shot at 11 yards, and I do remember it was darn nrar straight down from that high. I ended up gut shooting him and the arrow came out through his "very important to him equipment" and the buck tripped over the arrow as he ran away. I have not had any one lungs that I'm aware of, and hope to keep it that way but I'm sure it will happen sometime. Now I look for cover behind me and hunt around 18 to 20 feet. I also like to set up for 25 to 30 yard shots, I struggle with the closer ones and that also helps get the angle down a little.

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Re: Hunting too high?

Unread postby Casper » Sun Feb 26, 2012 2:35 pm

I hit a doe a couple of years ago that was a one lunger. It wasn't the fact that I was hunting too high, but she was about five yards away from tree walking the edge of an alfalfa field. I hit her right below the spine and she ran a few feet and went down. I could see the blood pouring out halfway down her body. Well after about ten seconds she got up and took off running. I gave her an hour and never did end up finding her. I figured I must of clipped the bottom of her spine, stunning her for a little bit.
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Re: Hunting too high?

Unread postby jon » Sun Feb 26, 2012 3:26 pm

I hardly ever hunt higher than 20'. If I watching a bed from far away to see if he's there before I move in.. I shot 10 point 2 yrs ago quartering away only hit liver and 1 lung watched him fall bout 60 yrds. I was scared after the shot but relieved to see him crash. A lot of blood where he fell that was about it. Better to ne lucky than good I guest.

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Re: Hunting too high?

Unread postby Zap » Sun Feb 26, 2012 4:14 pm

My advice on this is...practice.

Take a stand and a bow into the woods and shoot a small reinhardt ball, 9" diamater.

http://www.rinehart3d.com/products/#i44

Graet way to stay in shape in the off season and have some fun also.
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Re: Hunting too high?

Unread postby blackwolf » Sun Feb 26, 2012 4:40 pm

I try to stay 15-20 foot max, mostly because I am height shy but I also don't like the steep angles. I really need to practice more at steeper angles as they seem to wander close below my stands too many times. Zap, that 9" ball is perfect, need to get one!


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