single lung hit

[erussell]

If it was truely a one lung hit your pretty much out of luck by now if you havent recovered the deer. Deer have a Mediastina like a human and some other animals which keeps the lungs from collapsing when one lung is punctured.A deer is able to travel a long distance on one lung and will give the impretion that it was a good hit with lots of blood and froth as I like to call it for about 100yrd eventually pettering out. The only way to collect a one lung punctured deer in a timely matter is to put another arrow in both lungs. A slow and steady immediate tracking job, trying to catch the deer bedded and put another one in her would have been recommended. The deer will eventually die usually from infection but some have been found alive living on single lungs.Sorry but unless you damaged the other lung or got an artery under the back bone you are probably out of luck. It is very hard to finish off a one lung hit deer unless you are gun hunting of coarse. Deer are pretty tough unless you take out something vital. You would have had a better chance recovering a stomache shot deer. So not to discourage you, but unlikely to find.

Edited October 25, 2011 by erussell

[SteveB]

I have to ask - you shot it Sunday night and posted twice Monday about going back to look for it?

Why where you not looking Mon morning?

By Monday night, it was spoiled if dead - for sure by now.

[twsted21]

Went back in yesterday and had no luck, we are thinking that with the angle of the shot it shattered a rib and knocked the arrow out the same side it went in just knocking the wind out of her. we found no more blood and no more beds where we saw her go in last.

[erussell]

Sorry, sucks to lose a deer no matter what it is. Been there done that, sometimes things just dont turn out like there suppose to, thats bow hunting for ya. All you can do is chalk it up to experiance and move on. Atleast it wasn't a 14 point buck in the 170's That would really bring you down.

[biggamefish]

erussell

I have to disaree with you here. I have hit a few deer with just a one lung and I have found them dead. This year was one of them. I do agree with the petering out with the blood trail though and they tend to be a longer blood trail. I think your theory is right if you just nick a lung but if you have a direct hit on a one lung shot the blood loss would be to great for it to survive too long.

[Doewhacker]

Twisted, if you wound one in the pinebush again shoot me a PM, I work in Guilderland and would be happy to help track one with you.

I do think this deer died somewhere and if you had an arrow ready perhaps you could have taken a second shot when it got up...allways be ready for that scenario.

[Meat Manager]

Last year I had a similar situation.

Hit what I thought was a nice 6-7 point last year with a one lung, clipped-gut pass thru (slightly quartering towards). He took off about 10 yards and then just stood there behind a tree for 15 minutes. It was getting late and there were thunder storms coming, so I fired a poor second shot toward the deer. It never made it, the buck took off down the trail.

I got down and got my arrow. Plenty of foamy blood followed up by just a bit of guts. Very little blood trail. Searched until the storm came sometime after dark. Went back the next morning after pouring thunder storm, so I just headed down the trail and listened for crows. Sure enough I found him under a tree full of crows...unfortunately the coyotes had already removed his head and gotten into the rear end.