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Liver Shots

Old 09-24-2007 | 12:59 PM
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Default Liver Shots

I really dont know from experience but my dad last year shot a big doe in the liver and he said it hunched up and walked away...then bedded down about 30 yards from him...and died later on....then saturday my uncle shot a doe and he said he didnt see were he hit it but in hunched up and also walked away..but the odd thing is we havent been able to find much blood...any suggestions or experience of this..

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Old 09-24-2007 | 01:07 PM
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Default RE: Liver Shots

It's pretty normal for a deer to hunch up on a hit outside of the body cavity. I believe a portion of the liver is inside and a portion outside.

Your uncles could have very well been a stomach/intestine hit.
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Old 09-24-2007 | 01:09 PM
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Default RE: Liver Shots

the thing is there was very good blood on his arrow and it was a pass through... there was good blood for about the 30 yards it walked then he couldnt see it so idk its kinda wierd if you ask me..
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Old 09-24-2007 | 01:14 PM
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Default RE: Liver Shots

My first deer was shot in the liver with a shotgun so it might be slightly different. I shot it at an angle and the intestines blocked the entrance hole so there was NO blood. He took off into a reserve to we waited a bit. call the DNR to get permission to look. Luckily he was on a deer trail so we followed that into the woods and there he lay like he fell asleep. It also looked like he went to the bathroom before laying down to take his last nap. As far as good blood on the arrow it makes sense as the liver has a TON of blood going through it. Then maybe like mine somthing plugged up the entrance hole causing the lack of blood trail. Just my 2 cents.
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Old 09-24-2007 | 01:20 PM
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Default RE: Liver Shots

thanks for the information buckrogers

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Old 09-24-2007 | 02:06 PM
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Default RE: Liver Shots

I shot a buck last year in the liver and like you mentioned the arrow was covered but the only blood we found was at the impat site. After I shot it the buck ran a few yards and started licking the wound then he bounded away uphill. I waited til morning and never found him. All i can say is they can be hard to track when hit in the liver.
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Old 09-24-2007 | 02:13 PM
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Default RE: Liver Shots

sounds like a gut shot. this happened to me on my buck and i didnt find the deer until like a week or 2 later after many hours of searching. and it went far
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Old 09-24-2007 | 02:47 PM
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Default RE: Liver Shots

Liver shots arethe most complex hits on a deer. Some go 80-100 yds good blood all the way and die in a short time. Other times they are still alive after 4 hours.
On a gut shot, catching liver can sometimes give you just enough blood to trail them(assuming hole doesn't plug) and assuming you give them proper time to lay up and die. Even liver/1lung shots can be tricky and you better give the deer time or you could push it and lose it.
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Old 09-24-2007 | 03:00 PM
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Default RE: Liver Shots

The only liver shot deer I've had died in less than 3 seconds. He ran and crashed into the creek I was set over and that was it. I've seen heart shot deer last longer. When we saw where I had hit it we were shocked how fast he died.
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Old 09-24-2007 | 03:46 PM
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Default RE: Liver Shots

Sounds like you were dealing more with a Gut shot than a Liver shot. A Liver shot deer most times will bleed profusely once it gets to bleeding

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