this past weekend i was lucky enough to shoot my first deer with my bow. the shot was a little high and grazed his backbone but also got a lung, soon as he was hit he dropped instantly and died within about 5 minutes. at the time i didn't realize my shot had been high and another deer came down the trail within 10 minutes after the first had expired under my stand, i aimed at the same spot and when i shot the second deer dropped like a rock then started crawling away on her front legs. i figured it was a spine shot and knocked another arrow and took a follow up shot at about 30 yards while she was crawling away and hit her in the shoulder blade where she stopped. i waited 15-20 minutes but although she laid there motionless she kept her head up looking away from me with her ears back. i couldn't wait any longer and got out of my stand and went over and held her down and cut her throat. i feel bad about not getting a quick kill and the suffering of the deer.

i keep tabs on this board frequently and haven't seen any topics i remember about spine shots. although definitly not desired is this half way common or am i in the minority for executing such a half-a$$ed shot? if this has happed to anyone how did you finish them off ...should i have just shot her again instead of cutting her throat?

any insight on how you have or would have handled the situation would be appreciated. thanks.

I would have put another arrow in her.

Shoot her again or Cut her throat....Do whatever YOU can do the fastest!

I watched a good buddy of mine shoot a caribou from about 15 feet. The bull was walking right at him, and he felt confident about the shot he had, so he took it. It was a frontal shot shooting from a lower position up into the caribou. It went through a lung and hit the bull in the spine dropping it in its tracks. He put four more arrows into the bull until it stopped moving. One right after the other without hesitation. All but one shot hit the bull in the vitals. It felt like a while, but after looking back at it, the whole thing lasted no more than 30-40 seconds.

If her head was still up, and you had a shooting lane, empty your quiver if you have to.
ArcticBowMan's Hunting Photo's

YUP, just keep putting arrows down range. Even your first deer.. if, as you say, he took 5 minutes to die. Most deer hit properly go unconscious and die within seconds. If the deer is down and moving or has it's head up... I shooting. I would have hot footed it right out of the stand on the deer that was dragging herself away and made sure the shot hit vitals. There's just no reason to let them suffer at all if possible. A properly placed arrow renders most deer unconscious before they know what's happening.

Edited by - davidmil on 01/20/2003 19:20:14

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this past weekend i was lucky enough to shoot my first deer with my bow. the shot was a little high and grazed his backbone but also got a lung, soon as he was hit he dropped instantly and died within about 5 minutes. at the time i didn't realize my shot had been high and another deer came down the trail within 10 minutes after the first had expired under my stand, i aimed at the same spot and when i shot the second deer dropped like a rock then started crawling away on her front legs. i figured it was a spine shot and knocked another arrow and took a follow up shot at about 30 yards while she was crawling away and hit her in the shoulder blade where she stopped. i waited 15-20 minutes but although she laid there motionless she kept her head up looking away from me with her ears back. i couldn't wait any longer and got out of my stand and went over and held her down and cut her throat. i feel bad about not getting a quick kill and the suffering of the deer.

i keep tabs on this board frequently and haven't seen any topics i remember about spine shots. although definitly not desired is this half way common or am i in the minority for executing such a half-a$$ed shot? if this has happed to anyone how did you finish them off ...should i have just shot her again instead of cutting her throat?

any insight on how you have or would have handled the situation would be appreciated. thanks.
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It is extremely common to shoot high out of a tree stand. Bend at thw waist, use the horizontal distance from the base of the tree instead of the total distance for the range. Practice from the height you expect to shoot from.

Two deer! A lifetime for most bowhunters.

beprepn

i shot a nice 8 pt several years ago in the spine. it took out his back legs and he stood there on his front legs looking at me. i nocked another arrow and when he turned sideways i shot again....just as i released the arrow he turned directly away from me so my second shot hit him right in the back of the right rear leg. i said enough of this sh*t...i didn't want him to suffer and i definately didn't want to ruin another arrow w/o getting into the vitals...so i climbed down out of my stand, went up to him and shot him through both lungs. i went back to my parents house to get my dads 4-wheeler to take him out...he wasn't dead when i left but i didn't figure it would take long. my dad road me back on the atv...all this took place around 20 yds into a field so the buck was in plain site. when we got into the field, my dad asked me where he was i pointed to him....his comment to me was &quot;you mean the one that looks like it got attacked by indians&quot;....LOL. when we got to him, he still wasn't dead and i had been gone for around an hour. i nocked another arrow but the buck took 2 breaths and expired...that just goes to show you how determined a deer can be when his body is pumped full of adrenealine.

[Deleted by Admins]

I have hit more deer in the spine than I care to have. 1 was plenty for me. You just kill the deer in the quickest safest way you feel you are capable of.

I've spined several deer since I've been bowhuntin. (not intentionally). I try to put another arrow in the deer i spine.
I can't stand to watch em crawl, and I especially don't like to
here em bleat. a dying bleating deer is the worst possible sound
a man can here.<img src=icon_smile_dissapprove.gif border=0 align=middle>

Ward Burton-- Daytona 500 winner--
go Cat-22

Edited by - bogobble on 01/21/2003 08:45:19