I've heard a lot of bowhunters talk about no 'vitals' above the lungs & below the spine - but I've also hear a lot of folks say it isn't true becasue the lungs take up all the space but deflate when dressing so it's deceiving...

What I'm wondering is does anyone have a link to something showing this more definitively??

Someone close to me lost another deer - assumed it was a good hit, just a bit high - broadside, 20 yards, passthru, arrow in ground on the other side. They lost the deer after about 150 yards of tracking & SOME other friends are claiming this 'hollow' spot that I thought really didn't exist..??

Just looking for some facts



Aim small miss small

Man im a firm believer in this Hollow spot, my buddy shot a 4pt with his marlin .444 at 70yds, BIG badazz gun! The deer fell over and got back up and ran away, 2 drops of blood found thats all! Man did we feel bad.
-Jon

" My Name is Bocephus"

I am not a bioligist, but the No Mans land you are refering to is real, but it is also a very thin area. I am not saying a broadhead could not slip inbetween the spine and the lung, but it would be a tight fit. Now if the hit is high and more towards the neck that is a different story, there is a pretty sizable area in there I could see a bullet or arrow passing through with no damage to the lungs, but if you are talking high and above the elbow, it is very narrow.

The Tazman aka Martin Price
Founder and President of
Virginia Disabled Outdoorsmen Club

I have read some articles (from some reputable folks) that claim it is impossible to shoot above the lungs and below the spine. ?????? Personally, I lost a deer a long time ago with that exact shot...I saw exactly where the arrow went at 10yds. The other thing is, a buddy of mine killed a buck during gun season one year that had a &quot;X&quot; scar on the hide right in that spot, a passthrough from a 4 blade broadhead. So, that said, even though some &quot;experts&quot; say it's not possible, I'm inclined to say yes there is a &quot;void&quot; up there. Where exactly and how big....who knows. I just try an make sure I don't hit it anymore<img src=icon_smile_wink.gif border=0 align=middle>

It exist as far as I'm concerned. I'm positive I hit it about 10 years ago. Also, the area probably gets bigger if the animal exhales....(I think).

I too believe there's such a spot. I shot a buck with a rifle several years back that fell in his tracks only to get up and run off. I aimed a little high to compensate for the drop because of the distance however he wasn't quite as far as i thought so the bullet hit right where i aimed which was just below the spine but above the lungs. I found very little blood and looked for hours and several more hours the next day but still never found him. Made a believer out of me!

Shot a mule deer saturday very high in the rib cage. Tracked the deer for 2 days but never found him. Yesterday I shot hte deer on opening day of rifle season. The arrow had penetrated right below the spine. and nicked the lung (my mech failed to open so I don't knnow if that had an effect) but the lung had been nipped and this arrow was as high in the chest cavity as you can get. No man's land...I don't know but they can live a long time if they are shot there with an arrow.

&quot;What we do in this life echos an eternity&quot;

I do believe you are right especially with my recent experiences. I did find this online which might help us all. http://www.braggingpost.com/Links/charts_and_game.htm

It exists. I shot a deer a couple years ago that had old scars from the previous year. She was shot at the top of her shoulders, back a couple inches, just below the spine and above the lungs. I couldn't believe she was alive after looking at the scars. When we skinned her everything was healed nicely, very little scar tissue other than right at the hole.

The previous year to that, my Dad shot a buck that had been shot a few days earlier. It was hit back farther but still high, guessing above the liver/below the spine. Again I would have thought that deer should have been dead, but it showed no ill affects and was chasing does when shot. We never saw the extra hole until we were skinning it.

Some things are true whether you believe them or not.

CG, you didnt hit no mans land, if that mech head would have opened, it would have died, thats my guess anyways <img src=icon_smile_wink.gif border=0 align=middle>!

The farther forward you hit, the more apt you are to find this no mans land! Take a shoulder off a moose and you'd be suprised to see the gap at the front of the lungs, where the top of the chest cavity is and the bottom of the spine is! I have seen 8-10&quot;es of an arrow WITH a BH inside in this area! More probably is a bad angle shot, to steep of a quatering away angle and a little high is why the arrow ended up where it did.

To NOT hit it....the rule of all rules.....1/3rd up AND 1/3rd BACK! The bigger the critter, the more that rule applies. ie, most cant shoot through the shoulder on a average sized whitie, but 99% cannot on a moose, even with beefed up set ups!

Anything can happen however and knowing when and where to shoot, and then knowing what do or not to do after the shot, is what makes the difference between a begginer, intermediate, and expert bowhunter in my book!

There is also many theorys and such when it comes to blood trails Huntmup. You have to take the situation for what its worth. My partner in Tn tried to tell me his doe went 600 yards, I told him, only if he pushed her did she run so far! Well upon unfolding the mystery of the blood trail, that is exactly what happens, she bedded down close to his stand (in site of) He came down and off she went. That is only one instance, they did recover her, but many dont, so make sure the storys you are getting are full and from knowledgeable bowhunters. One with many a moons and more then a few blood trails.

Look at the push pin deer the NBEF or IBEP programs use for their courses. Look at the shoulder. Then get pictures, and start taking off that front shoulder, you'll be suprised whats behind it....or lack their of!

http://www.geocities.com/tradbow007/...dventures.html