dick_cress

I took my mulie doe a week ago tomorrow. She was a magnificent animal. My arrow hit a bit far back and passed all the way through the animal - it was a beautiful . . . and fatal liver hit. We tracked her about three hundred yards to her final bed by following one drop of blood at a time [about every 5 or 6 feet].

In analyzing the hunt I need to find some 'Cutaway' pictures of the mule deer that I can study.

Although the liver was hit hard and we were able to study the hit in depth, we were unable to find anywhere that the arrow penetrated any intestinal tissue. I would not have believed this possible but two pairs of eyes confirmed the finding.

Bowhunter

Jason N

I don't have any cut-away's of a mulie, but I cna tell you that the liver is in front of the intestines. Why can't you believe you hit the liver and not any intestines?

dick_cress

Oh I believe I hit the liver, I saw the hit and followed its path . . . in fact the arrow sliced through ribs (on both sides) through the liver and out the other side. What I find hard to believe is that in transiting the body cavity . . . through the liver . . . the arrow didn't cut or penetrate any of the intestines.

The liver, just rearward of the diaphram, is a very narrow organ laterally; headward of the liver its a double lunger; rearward of the liver it's a gut shot. The lateral dimension of the liver - mid body -can't be much more than 1 to 1-1/2 inches and my Thunderhead is barely 1 inch. That's only around 1/2 inch to spare and there couldn't have been much if any deflection at all.

I knew where the hit was and that it was fatal but I also expected to have damaged the intestines too. It's not a problem her steaks are perfect - especially when they move a bit after removing from the grill.

Thanks for the reply.

Bowhunter