Originally Posted by
Nalgi
I didnt go back to your original post; but yup, I hit an elk about 3" below the spine and got blood on the arrow, little chunks of meat and a few drops of blood. Followed the tracks/blood drops for over a mile until the ground got too hard to see tracks. never found it. There is a "No Man's land" between the spine and the organs as seen in this skeletal view. Better luck next time
Actually the photo shows there is no "no mans land/void".
Animals can occasionally survive a high lung hit, but there is no area below the spine with no vitals from the back of livr/kidneys to the front of the lungs.