Liver shot
 

I am not a young hunter but I just got my license and just tagged out my first ever deer. I am just curious about the fatality of liver shot deer as that was what I got on mine.

When the buck only got a foot or two when I hit it I was assuming he was either lung or heart shot but when we were field dressing it turned out he was liver shot.

Anyway, I was told liver shot deer acted like gut shot ones? Where they take off and bed down not too far away but he was dead by the time we walked the 250 yards to him. Is that only with archery? Or minor damage because there was only a little less than half of the liver intact? We couldn't even find the entry and exit wounds until he was skinned because there was no blood except internally. Unless I hit a heart vein too but I didnt notice.

It is just kind of shocking. I am glad he didn't end up taking a long time to die.

A liver shot is better than a gut shot but it certainly is not the area you want to hit a deer. Since the liver filters the blood they certainly will hemorrhage internally, but normally it doesn't leave a good blood trail . Heart lung shots are always the best place to shoot for. You shot too far back, ail for the crease right behind the shoulder, much larger kill zone and if you need to track a good blood trail. You got a reprieve because your shot was almost a gut shot. Check the pictures to see where the liver lies inside a deer.https://www.google.com/search?q=draw...mJC1qk6KWNh7M:

It usually takes a liver shot deer a while to die. You don't want to go chasing after them right away. Let them alone to go bed down somewhere an bleed out. I usually don't go looking for blood for at least a 1/2 hour unless I see him laying there dead. We had to leave one overnight once so we wouldn't keep bumping him and making him move further away. In the end he was only 100 yards from where he was shot. He would have been miles had we pursued him that night. It was cold so his meat was still good in the morning.

Thanks for the input!

Looking at that photo I must have been just an inch or so too far back from the heart judging by where the wounds were between his ribs.

I hardly had any time to do some target practice or general experience with high power weapons before the weekend hunt. Both the deer and I were lucky on a quick death and for that I am greatful. I will need to work and overcome my flinch by next season.

You owe it to the animals you hunt to be proficient or better with your sporting arm before you go hunting. Targets is where you should learn shooting, not on animals. I am glad you retrieved your deer, it could have gone the other way.

Liver shot deer will usually bed down within 200 yards to rest. If you find the thicker dark red blood, wait at least 4 hours if possible before you start tracking.

What amazes me is the amount of shots taken at deer on the TV programs that IMO are way too far back. They never show the tracking job except for the last couple of yards - and its always dark. So its pretty obvious that they wait a good while before tracking. Waiting is always a good thing regardless of where the animal was hit (unless you actually watch it drop). You should resist the temptation to go after it immediately or only after a short wait. If I don't see my animal fall, I wait at least 45 - 60 mins for a heart lung shot. Four hours for a liver shot and 12 hours for a gut shot.

Bronko, You very often hear them say, "I hit him a little far back".