Can a whitetail survive this shot ?

[BBDown]

Shot a bruiser with a slug quartering away flipped him over and far shoulder/leg unusable. I'm thinking I missed vitals and hit him between lungs and spine then blew out far shoulder. Tracked him next morning and bumped him 17 hours after shot. Pushed him with good blood trail. Opted to back out. Later in the day bumped him again not too far from where we backed out. Bed soiled with blood. Went into a creek bottom with a pinch point so decided to back out again. Went back 2 days later and expected to find him dead. I bumped him again out of his bed. No blood but some hair. Didn't move from his bed in two days. When bumped he did not bolt but no wobble either. Is this guy gonna die ? Can't imagine him surviving a slug through his ribs busting up far shoulder. Thoughts ?

 

[finelyshedded]

IMO, he won't die from injuries so much as the injuries slowing him down enough that a pack of yotes can run him down and kill him. Hope I'm wrong and he makes it but sounds like he's hurt pretty bad.

 

[xbowguy]

Welcome aboard buddy! Ummmm when did you shoot this deer? Sounds like it is going to slowly be fatal. I also thought about the Coyotes finding him first.

 

[Ohiosam]

Years ago one of the guys I was hunting with was butchering a deer and found a 20 gauge sized hole in a shoulder blade from the year before. So yes it's possible. Not sure if it is probable.

 

[cspot]

I assume this was about 2 months ago? If he is still alive I would say his odds are decent of making it.

 

[xbowguy]

I might add: I would still grid-search the entire area looking for him or his remains.

 

[Bigslam51]

Welcome, your screen name kinda cracked me up when I read your post, sorry I'm an asshole lol. In all seriousness, I'd keep looking. You don't run cameras in the area?

 

[hickslawns]

Welcome to the forum. I'd be out looking for him now. Chances are he has died from infection or coyotes even if not a fatal shot. If you shot him and missed both lungs BUT hit the far shoulder on a quartering away shot. . . I'm trying to figure it out. Were you in a tree stand? How far back was the shot? How did you miss liver, guts, and lungs if you got the opposite shoulder? Maybe you got one lung? They can survive without a lung.

 

[Fletch]

Can't imagine him surviving a slug through his ribs busting up far shoulder. Thoughts ?

I can't imagine a deer making it 100 yds. let alone living several days... A slug entering ribs and exiting the far shoulder sounds pretty lethal TOO me.. Sounds like slug went right through th "boiler room"... I'm betting you hit elsewhere...

 

[xbowguy]

Can't imagine him surviving a slug through his ribs busting up far shoulder. Thoughts ?

I can't imagine a deer making it 100 yds. let alone living several days... A slug entering ribs and exiting the far shoulder sounds pretty lethal TOO me.. Sounds like slug went right through th "boiler room"... I'm betting you hit elsewhere...

I'm thinking it would have had to of been fairly high if this is the case.

 

[giles]

I'm thinking it would have had to of been fairly high if this is the case.

Or low and he blew the leg off giving the effect of a blown up shoulder. This is what I think happened...

 

[Fletch]

Rickand Dave.... That's what I meant either hit low through brisket area blowing off part of other leg or hitting high. But definitely not through the rib cage and out the far shoulder, thus having a text book shot and a very dead deer..

 

[xbowguy]

Oh it's all speculation until you find the deer and evaluate. I have seen what should have been a text book shot be just a bit into the twilight zone.

 

[BBDown]

Or low and he blew the leg off giving the effect of a blown up shoulder. This is what I think happened...

I know I didn't hit him low in he leg. His leg was not broken or flopping. It was in essence stiff. I was up in a treestand and shot felt real good at about 80 yards. When I kicked him up last I got another good look at his leg and it was not flopping. Slug would have demolished lower leg if his there.

 

[giles]

I know I didn't hit him low in he leg. His leg was not broken or flopping. It was in essence stiff. I was up in a treestand and shot felt real good at about 80 yards. When I kicked him up last I got another good look at his leg and it was not flopping. Slug would have demolished lower leg if his there.

Why didn't you shoot him again?

 

[Lundy]

I would believe that your assessment of where they deer was hit is not accurate or the deer would have been dead in a short time.

Sometimes the results tell us more about reality than what we believe to have been factual.

 

[huntn2]

I would believe that your assessment of where they deer was hit is not accurate or the deer would have been dead in a short time.

Sometimes the results tell us more about reality than what we believe to have been factual.

Exactly.

I am guessing lower and or further forward than you believe. Anything center mass with a slug whether guts, tearing through diaphragm, or lungs/heart with the rupturing power of a slug would result in a dead deer IMO.

 

[Outdoorsfellar]

When did this happen ??

 

[Just 1 More]

I didn't know there was any room between the lungs and the spine.. All the deer i've ever seen, the lungs press against the inner spine

 

[Outdoorsfellar]

That's the so called " no man's land". Some belive it exists.