Need some opinions

[Ethan Givan]

My youngest brother shot his first deer last night at about 6:30, a little buck. Mom called me while I was hunting at another farm and told me to come on back and help him find his deer. I sat another 20 minutes till dusk and then headed home. We went back to his stand at about 8:30. His arrow had passed clean thru and was covered in blood but had some fat on it too. My brother said after the shot the deer actually stumbled and fell, then got back up and walked away. I found a fair amount of blood for the first 20 yards and then it started to get less and less. It became little droplets here and there and after about 50 yards it had quit. So I decided it would be best to back out and come back in the morning.

So this morning we go back in there about 9:00. I cant find any more blood but Im confident that the deer wouldnt leave the big bottom we were in. There was water, thick cover, and I just didnt see him going up the steep hills out of there. So we start walking lines back and forth across the bottom working are way up and down both sides. At 10:00 I was walking thru some thick stuff along the creek when I jump a deer. I look up and see a small buck running away. I walk over to where he came from and found his bed. It had some blood around it and by the looks of the bed the deer had laid there all night. So this buck has lived over 15 hours after being shot.

My questions are:

Where did my brother hit this deer so that it would stumble and fall after the shot and then survive the night? Should I go back this afternoon and try looking for it again or do you think the deer will live?

My guess is that he hit the deer high over the lungs but beneath the spine, and that the deer will probably survive. I would think the deer would have died overnight if he had hit any vitals at all.

[rhine16]

My guess is that he hit the deer high over the lungs but beneath the spine, and that the deer will probably survive. I would think the deer would have died overnight if he had hit any vitals at all.

I'd give it about a 99% chance he hit him there.

[Leo]

Unless the shot angle was very steep (ie. treestand shot at a deer almost under the stand). For whitetail deer, fat on the arrow is almost always an indication of a hit that was way too high.

There are exceptions but that is usually the way it plays out.

[swohiodave]

My first thought is you are correct but no one will ever know. I had that happen once and I saw the deer a few weeks later walking by me. I let the little buck walk after that. He survived a hard hit an I gave him a pass after that. He had a big knot on his side but seemed alright.