Will he live?

[usmc1978]

Took a shot at a decent buck, short range (inside 15 yards). I blew it somehow, not even sure how, but it's not so important at the moment. Hit him in the shoulder. As he spun around and took off I saw my arrow sticking out. After dashing 10 yards or so through some thick stuff it looked like he shed the arrow (saw the fletching come off of him), but I later found half of it. Presumably the other half is buried in his shoulder. Aaaargh!

Long story short, I tracked and the blood became less and less and farther and farther apart, until it was down to a drop or so every 15-20 feet. No deer.

Any experience with this, e.g. has anyone ever harvested a deer that had been hit like this in a prior year? I don't want him out there with my broadhead in his shoulder, but that unfortunately is the case. Since it's a given, I just want to think he's going to live, rather than die unrecovered.

[DanRoach]

I'd put my money on him still walking the earth.

[HardwoodHunter]

earlier this year my buddy shot at a spike horn, wishing it would be his first buck ever (gun or bow). he thought it hit the shoulder, but he actually managed to hit a branch and have it ricochet and hit the buck just below the spine. Two or three weeks later his neighbor shot it with a shotgun...what was in him? A rage 2 blade broadhead under the spine....long story short, whitetails are some tough critters...their will to live is tremendous, I think he'll survive. Oh by the way, his neighbor wouldn't give him his expensive broadhead back. Hahah, talk about a non happy camper right there.

[Fieldmouse]

Don't loose the sleep. The critters need to eat also. If he lives, he won't have a nice rack next year. Just try to correct what you did wrong next year.

I seriously doubt he will make it.

[halfbakedi420]

1/2 the arrow? how long is the piece inside him?
im thinkin 1/2 my arrow...thats a dead deer.
i shot my fixed blade into a 6X6X6 cedar piece, it went about 1/2 way through..im thinkin it would make it through the shoulder...what bh ya shootin?
at 15 yards, its kinda hard to fugg that up?
dead deer!!

[DaveH]

It depends on how far the arrow penetrated . . . and at what angle. If you hit the ridge along the scapula and didn't get good penetration, he might be alright. Also, if the angle was steep enough, you might have missed the other lung. I've seen deer live with one lung. A friend shot a 6 point years ago and lost him figuring he was dead somewhere on the farm. Two months later - during gun season - he was shot by a shotgun hunter. They found the front 6" of his arrow just under the skin . . . healed over. He might make it.