Bowhunting: Another Buck Shot in the "Dead Zone" Lives

Mike: I shot a buck on our South Georgia property in the “dead zone”--above the lungs and below the spine. It was a 17-yard shot w/a Thunderhead 100 broadhead. I was 20-25 feet high. I drew and he saw me. I knew he might jump the string, but it was my only chance for a shot so I took it. He jumped. 

The shot looked high and I had proof--he ran off w/the arrow sticking halfway out each side. I followed the trail for 40 yards before it became a walking trail. I would find 5-6 blood drops at a trail intersection where he stopped, and then a drop here and there after he continued walking. After about 100-150 yards the trail was lost. After looking for about 6 hours we gave up.

I videoed this buck 1 1/2 months later. He had broken his points fighting, and he was out in a field feeding. I saw no reason to shoot him as I didn't feel he was suffering. He did have a pronounced limp, but many of our bucks do after the rut from fighting. In the video you can plainly see the scars in each side of him--one a little lower on the exit side.
 
Maybe deer exhale as they prepare to spring when they jump the string, like we do when we strain and grunt when we jump or lift something? Maybe this causes a gap between the lungs and spine?

Thanks for the articles and blogs you write on this topic, they help hunters out—Derek

Thoughts:

We have the best hunters on the Web on BIG DEER, and Derek’s well-written and thought-provoking email is more proof of that.

Yes, I believe the Dead Zone (aka No Man’s Land) exists. I have shot deer there and never recovered them (I hope they lived, but can’t say for sure). Like Derek, I have seen/ videoed 2 different bucks that were shot there walking around days later with arrow marks on their sides.

Yes, some people believe it is possible for an arrow to slip through when a buck exhales and contracts his lungs. I am starting to think this might be the case. Others think there is simply a small dead space (no vitals) high, no matter if the lungs are full of air or flat.

Others think No Man’s Land is a myth!

Two blogs I wrote are still very popular and pop up on archery forums for discussion from time to time. If you missed them, click here and here. Great info and hunter comments.

This is a fascinating topic with no definitive answer. There will never be a definitive answer because as long as we bowhunt, some bucks will duck/twirl the string, and some of our arrows will hit high in various places and at weird angles (some high shots due to the deer dropping, others due to our human tendency to aim higher than we should on the vitals).

Whether a buck is calm or spooky (and especially if he’s alert) force yourself to hold lower on the top of the heart!

It’s been more than a year since we discussed the Dead Zone. Do you think it exists? Has something weird happened in the woods to change your mind? Have you shot a deer too high recently--what happened? We can never talk about it too much because it is such an integral part of the game. Your new thoughts and perspectives make us think, and the more we think the better we hunt. comment