As a matter of fact I have seen things done to a deer and it still tote it off that you would not believe.Anything from one that was hit just enough on the belly that it opened up like a zipper dragging entrails for almost a mile to a guy shooting one between the eyes with a (no doubt) .243 at the just perfect or not so perfect angle to where it knocked all of the bark off of the deers forehead ,Knocked it out as cold a a creek rock.When he got to the deer it woke up stumbled around some and he had to kill it.I looked at the forehead,and it was just a nick.You stay in the woods long enough you tend to see some pretty odd stuff.