Advice on a high hit

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johndeere506
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Advice on a high hit

Unread postby johndeere506 » Wed Nov 13, 2019 11:45 am

I came to my friends house after dark tonight to help him track a deer. He says he hit him high. Arrow doesn't look good, some meat on it. We do have a good fresh snow and we found blood. Not much until 80 to 100 yards, then dripping out both sides. It looks like a lot in the snow but not sure it's really a lot. The deer stood a couple times dripping lots especially exit side, melting down through 6 inches of snow. I told him after 120 yards we should back out. When the deer started walking after 120 the blood was more sparse so I wanted to research and get feedback. Blood wiped on trees seems much lower than high shoulder hit I've seen in the past so didn't know what to think. He's positive it wasn't shoulder, and passed thru since blood on both sides.
What do you think? Track later? Wait till morning in case shoot him bedded?


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Re: Advice on a high hit

Unread postby johndeere506 » Wed Nov 13, 2019 11:47 am

I trust his hit judgement as every other deer he shot we found to be hit right where he described. He just doesn't know HOW high this went.
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Re: Advice on a high hit

Unread postby Grizzlyadam » Wed Nov 13, 2019 12:02 pm

Sounds like classic over the spine hit. If so the deer will live to be shot another day. Good blood for the first 250 yards or so, then slowing down to a drop every 30 to 50 yards, then nothing.
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Re: Advice on a high hit

Unread postby Jackson Marsh » Wed Nov 13, 2019 12:11 pm

If it's high lung the deer is dead now, and might not bleed a ton. If it's above the lungs, where the spine sweeps down it's probably a meat/backstraps hit and the deer will probably be okay.

Broadside shot? No arrow found?
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Re: Advice on a high hit

Unread postby johndeere506 » Wed Nov 13, 2019 12:46 pm

Jackson Marsh wrote:If it's high lung the deer is dead now, and might not bleed a ton. If it's above the lungs, where the spine sweeps down it's probably a meat/backstraps hit and the deer will probably be okay.

Broadside shot? No arrow found?

Perfect broadside. Meat on arrow. Rage 2.3 so maybe it nicked the lungs not sure. Could've been over the spine. Were going to wait till morning, pick up the track. If its live then we can shoot if spotted. If it's dead, still be dead by waiting.
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Re: Advice on a high hit

Unread postby johndeere506 » Wed Nov 13, 2019 12:47 pm

Grizzlyadam wrote:Sounds like classic over the spine hit. If so the deer will live to be shot another day. Good blood for the first 250 yards or so, then slowing down to a drop every 30 to 50 yards, then nothing.

I had one of those in 2016.i tracked far and then hired a dog. He said alive. I started getting pics again 5 days later. This snow will make it easy to find out at least.
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Re: Advice on a high hit

Unread postby EllieTheChubb » Wed Nov 13, 2019 1:12 pm

It never hurts to wait. Good luck!
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Re: Advice on a high hit

Unread postby KRONIIK » Wed Nov 13, 2019 1:16 pm

johndeere506 wrote:
Jackson Marsh wrote:If it's high lung the deer is dead now, and might not bleed a ton. If it's above the lungs, where the spine sweeps down it's probably a meat/backstraps hit and the deer will probably be okay.

Broadside shot? No arrow found?

Perfect broadside. Meat on arrow. Rage 2.3 so maybe it nicked the lungs not sure. Could've been over the spine. Were going to wait till morning, pick up the track. If its live then we can shoot if spotted. If it's dead, still be dead by waiting.


If the arrow was in line horizontally, and high but still under the spine, it couldn't have merely "nicked" the lungs, especially with that big a broadhead.
It would have deflated him. and you would have found him within the distance you tracked before backing out.
I think he probably shot him over the spine in the meat.
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Re: Advice on a high hit

Unread postby KRONIIK » Wed Nov 13, 2019 1:22 pm

Also just because you found blood wiped on trees lower than you expected the hit to be (if he described it accurately), doesn't mean that he wasn't right.
It may be a high hit but bleeding down his side and leg, and getting wiped off the hair there where the body is wider and more likely to contact those trees.
Just another thing to consider...
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Re: Advice on a high hit

Unread postby Mgaspari » Wed Nov 13, 2019 1:37 pm

KRONIIK wrote:
johndeere506 wrote:
Jackson Marsh wrote:If it's high lung the deer is dead now, and might not bleed a ton. If it's above the lungs, where the spine sweeps down it's probably a meat/backstraps hit and the deer will probably be okay.

Broadside shot? No arrow found?

Perfect broadside. Meat on arrow. Rage 2.3 so maybe it nicked the lungs not sure. Could've been over the spine. Were going to wait till morning, pick up the track. If its live then we can shoot if spotted. If it's dead, still be dead by waiting.


If the arrow was in line horizontally, and high but still under the spine, it couldn't have merely "nicked" the lungs, especially with that big a broadhead.
It would have deflated him. and you would have found him within the distance you tracked before backing out.
I think he probably shot him over the spine in the meat.


Not necessarily. Shot one this year double lunged went just over 200 yards.
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Re: Advice on a high hit

Unread postby muddy » Wed Nov 13, 2019 1:55 pm

I'm with the "over the spine crowd". Good luck in the morning tho
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Re: Advice on a high hit

Unread postby johndeere506 » Wed Nov 13, 2019 2:27 pm

muddy wrote:I'm with the "over the spine crowd". Good luck in the morning tho

Is there any chance of recovery with an over the spine, or zero chance? Not literally zero but is it highly unlikely I mean?
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Re: Advice on a high hit

Unread postby johndeere506 » Wed Nov 13, 2019 2:29 pm

Mgaspari wrote:
KRONIIK wrote:
johndeere506 wrote:
Jackson Marsh wrote:If it's high lung the deer is dead now, and might not bleed a ton. If it's above the lungs, where the spine sweeps down it's probably a meat/backstraps hit and the deer will probably be okay.

Broadside shot? No arrow found?

Perfect broadside. Meat on arrow. Rage 2.3 so maybe it nicked the lungs not sure. Could've been over the spine. Were going to wait till morning, pick up the track. If its live then we can shoot if spotted. If it's dead, still be dead by waiting.


If the arrow was in line horizontally, and high but still under the spine, it couldn't have merely "nicked" the lungs, especially with that big a broadhead.
It would have deflated him. and you would have found him within the distance you tracked before backing out.
I think he probably shot him over the spine in the meat.


Not necessarily. Shot one this year double lunged went just over 200 yards.

That's crazy..did this deer in the pic run the entire 200 yards? I'm concerned w this deer here standing. If mortally wounded I feel like they don't stop much.
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Re: Advice on a high hit

Unread postby muddy » Wed Nov 13, 2019 2:35 pm

johndeere506 wrote:
muddy wrote:I'm with the "over the spine crowd". Good luck in the morning tho

Is there any chance of recovery with an over the spine, or zero chance? Not literally zero but is it highly unlikely I mean?


If you're above the spine theres nothing up there to bleed it out. Sorry but if that's the case the deer will live.
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Re: Advice on a high hit

Unread postby Mgaspari » Wed Nov 13, 2019 3:37 pm

johndeere506 wrote:
Mgaspari wrote:
KRONIIK wrote:
johndeere506 wrote:
Jackson Marsh wrote:If it's high lung the deer is dead now, and might not bleed a ton. If it's above the lungs, where the spine sweeps down it's probably a meat/backstraps hit and the deer will probably be okay.

Broadside shot? No arrow found?

Perfect broadside. Meat on arrow. Rage 2.3 so maybe it nicked the lungs not sure. Could've been over the spine. Were going to wait till morning, pick up the track. If its live then we can shoot if spotted. If it's dead, still be dead by waiting.


If the arrow was in line horizontally, and high but still under the spine, it couldn't have merely "nicked" the lungs, especially with that big a broadhead.
It would have deflated him. and you would have found him within the distance you tracked before backing out.
I think he probably shot him over the spine in the meat.


Not necessarily. Shot one this year double lunged went just over 200 yards.

That's crazy..did this deer in the pic run the entire 200 yards? I'm concerned w this deer here standing. If mortally wounded I feel like they don't stop much.


Only saw maybe 70 yards and he was moving pretty good, not a dead run but fast. I agree with some of the other guys: above spine is a non fatal shot, below the spine has a lot of stuff to make it fatal.
You did the right thing backing out, if it’s dead tonight it will still be dead in the morning.
My experience with hitting an artery is it a very quick kill - normally and sometimes the eyes see what they want to see.
Good luck


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