NO MANS LAND
 

What are the odds of a deer surviving a shot in the No Man's land Area?
Had a doe come out last night bout 6 perfect 20 yard broadside shot. just before I released my elbow hit a branch I had not trimmed and the shot when about 6 inches high. and it looked to me like it went in between the vitals and the spine just behind the shoulder. anyway. I saw her run into the woods with both sides of the arrow sticking out of her. (that really bothered me didn't want someone to see that) anyway I snuck out and returned this morning. followed minimal blood for about 75 yards then it stopped. Backtracked out to the field and found my broken off arrow broke off just below the fletchings so I found the majority of my arrow and the broadhead with nothing but fat residue on it. So this tells me that she came back out to the field to eat last night. what do you guys think?

RE: NO MANS LAND
 

I think she'll be fine as the arrow passed though her backstraps and never entered her chest cavity.

RE: NO MANS LAND
 

There is no such thing as no man's land.

RE: NO MANS LAND
 

I don't believe you hit vitals. I also don't believe in no-mans land. Since there was a lot of fat on the arrow, I also don't believe you hit above the spine.

RE: NO MANS LAND
 

If you hit under the spine she would be dead and there would have been a lot of blood on your arrow. You hit above the spine and went through the backstraps. It may have hit the fin type protrusion from the vertibrae that stick up a little, which would have slowed your arrow enough to not get a pass through. If your arrow is out of her she should heal fine. If there is some still in her she will be lucky to not die a terrible slow death from infection.

RE: NO MANS LAND
 

Yep sounds like you hit above the spine through the backstraps. If you would have hit below the spine behind the shoulder you would have a dead deer (Lungs).

RE: NO MANS LAND
 

Why not? There is a lot of stored fat around the backstraps above the spine.

RE: NO MANS LAND
 

Thanks for the quick replies guys. I may have very well hit above the spine... like i said there was minimal blood and fat on the arrow. No mans land may not exist I don't know, but i didn't think about the backstraps as up higher than the spine.

RE: NO MANS LAND
 

The spine actually runs lower through the deers body than what alot of people think. There is more room than what most people suspect between the top of the back and the spine.

RE: NO MANS LAND
 

I guessit would depend if you would call it membrane or fat. FWIW, this deer is hanging with it's head down. You can see where the concentration is.

RE: NO MANS LAND
 

FWIW, this deer was actually spined:

RE: NO MANS LAND
 

Bobco,

Did you peel the fat off that thing already? The deer that I shoot have a 1/2 layer of fat that covers the backstraps. All downthe ribs, and TONS on the hindquarters.

The only ones that have little to no fat are bucks after the rut.

RE: NO MANS LAND
 

Nope.

I would agree that the seasons to have a lot to do with fat deposits on deer along with gender,health, age, food sources availableand location.

RE: NO MANS LAND
 

Alot of the fat natually pulls off with the hide as well depending.

RE: NO MANS LAND
 

If you were shooting out of a tree at what angle was the deer? If you were high but at a good angle you hit lung! Its hard to shoot down on a deer and go threw no mans land!! It would have had to been a flat shot pretty much to pass straight threw this area!

RE: NO MANS LAND
 

I know thats why I thought it was wierd that when I saw the deer running directly away from me it was strange that from that angle(15 ft up @20yds) the arrow sticking out of both sides of the deer was paralell to the ground. I didn't see how that could happen unless it ricocheted off a bone or something.

RE: NO MANS LAND
 

New to this site, it's good to see some excellent posts here. The only so called "no mans land" is suppose to be an area just under the spine and just above the lungs. Having shot several deer in this region peronaly has resulted in a quik kill,with aheavy blood trail. I think you would be hard pressed to drive an arrow through that region and not severe at leat one lung. Perhaps a single blade broad head could pass through on the horizontal, perhaps. I think you shot above the spine also. Best of luck.... DFA