Tell me how this happens

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tellico4x4

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Killen, AL
Wednesday afternoon I shot doe with crossbow that was quartering away at 33 yds. Aimed at the off side shoulder and bolt entered 1" behind last rib on right side. Traveled thru chest cavity and came out a little high in front of left shoulder. Sounds perfect but here's where it gets weird...
It was not a complete pass thru and bolt was sticking out about 2" of the exit hole on left side NOCK & FLETCHING first!
As I have for years, was shooting a 2 blade Rage and the entry wound was the regular two slits as broadhead opened. But the exit was a round hole about size of quarter with nock end protruding.
I was hunting a plot and nothing between me & deer but air, so didn't hit anything between us to deflect bolt. Deer didn't whirl at shot, as she ran straight ahead the way she was facing when hit. Ran about 50 yards & piled up. Very scant blood trail, only a few drops 10 yds from where shot .
Bolt & broadhead is about 23 1/2" long. If it had happened on an elk I could maybe make myself believe it flipped inside chest cavity after hitting a rib, but not on a 112# doe that's about a foot wide.
 
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That's crazy. Who knows, arrows seem to do some weird stuff in a running deer.

I shot a doe last month, almost dead broadside, slight quartering away. She dropped at the shot and the exit was about as high as the entry, cut the top of both lungs wide open. I couldn't find the arrow, but when I was butchering the deer, I pulled about 3" of the fletching end of the arrow out of her backstrap. The entry and exit were below the backstraps in the ribcage, somehow the back end of the arrow got pushed up into the meat and broke off.
 
Wednesday afternoon I shot doe with crossbow that was quartering away at 33 yds. Aimed at the off side shoulder and bolt entered 1" behind last rib on right side. Traveled thru chest cavity and came out a little high in front of left shoulder. Sounds perfect but here's where it gets weird...
It was not a complete pass thru and bolt was sticking out about 2" of the exit hole on left side NOCK & FLETCHING first!
As I have for years, was shooting a 2 blade Rage and the entry wound was the regular two slits as broadhead opened. But the exit was a round hole about size of quarter with nock end protruding.
I was hunting a plot and nothing between me & deer but air, so didn't hit anything between us to deflect bolt. Deer didn't whirl at shot, as she ran straight ahead the way she was facing when hit. Ran about 50 yards & piled up. Very scant blood trail, only a few drops 10 yds from where shot .
Bolt & broadhead is about 23 1/2" long. If it had happened on an elk I could maybe make myself believe it flipped inside chest cavity after hitting a rib, but not on a 112# doe that's about a foot wide.
That's a strange one. Happen to take any pics?
 
That's a strange one. Happen to take any pics?
Of course not....was at camp by myself & almost dark, was just thankful that I didn't have a long drag! Later on that evening, I thought what an idiot, no-one is going to believe without pics. Was hesitant for a couple days about posting.
 
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It being a short bolt, it almost had to deflect on the off side should some how and turn the opposite direction while both ends inside the deer. Crazy thing for sure. By the way, not sure my guess is even possible!!😂
 
I love these posts, because LOTS of crazy stuff happens with "shot deer" that I can't explain. Very interesting experience you had, thanks for sharing. I really enjoyed the details. Glad you got her quickly. 112# dresses or whole?
 
I love these posts, because LOTS of crazy stuff happens with "shot deer" that I can't explain. Very interesting experience you had, thanks for sharing. I really enjoyed the details. Glad you got her quickly. 112# dresses or whole?
Live weight
 
Had u been in the bottle? Lol just kidding I shot my 9 point several years ago with a mathews compound and it sounded like a 22 rifle when it hit him. Well long story short I found about 10 inches of the arrow (fetching end) no blood and it started raining after about an hour plus dark hit so I give up for the evening and decided to hunt for him after I hunted the next morning. Soon as daylight broke I seen horns coming toward me so I take a shot not thinking it was the same deer. Fast forward before field dressing I noticed a lump in his belly the rest of the arrow straight up and down from spine to belly and his insides was a mess. Don't know how he made it through the night.
 
Same could be said about vehicle accidents. How did this car hit that car and end up here? People spend entire careers explaining difficult, dynamic problems. Real life dynamics are hard to explain. Glad you recovered her and have a story to boot. Even if camp doesn't believe ;)
 
Had u been in the bottle? Lol just kidding I shot my 9 point several years ago with a mathews compound and it sounded like a 22 rifle when it hit him. Well long story short I found about 10 inches of the arrow (fetching end) no blood and it started raining after about an hour plus dark hit so I give up for the evening and decided to hunt for him after I hunted the next morning. Soon as daylight broke I seen horns coming toward me so I take a shot not thinking it was the same deer. Fast forward before field dressing I noticed a lump in his belly the rest of the arrow straight up and down from spine to belly and his insides was a mess. Don't know how he made it through the night.
Dang, they are tough.
 
If the bolt flipped it wouldn't retain the forward inertia to punch through knock first.
 
I'm not gonna claim to know, but I can see it happening this way: the bolt goes through and then hits the offside shoulder and maybe it sticks for a second. The deer starts running and somehow the bolt gets turned and the deer's momentum pushes the nock out in front of that shoulder. Its just a guess but crazier things have happened.
Congratulations on a quick, clean kill.
 

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