Got my first deer but have a question!

[Kranjack21]

Hey everyone just joined. This season is my first year hunting and after 4 days of no sightings I finally saw and shot my first deer, a doe. I shot her with a 270 rifle at about 70 yards. and I was aiming for the heart but with my adrenaline I actually directly hit her spine/rib cage. I shot her and she dropped instantly and did one little leg kick and then no movement after that. I went up to her and touched her eye and no blink and no breathing. Yep she was dead. She just about died instantly. But my question is how DID she die? I’ve read the spine shot is dreaded because it requires a follow up shot. Her organs were all intact and as well as lungs from what I can tell but her spine and top of the rib cage was completely destroyed. Also there was blood by her head. Why is that? Here’s a pic. Thanks for any feedback. I wanna know how she died from this because it doesn’t seem I hit anything vital.

 

[Drycreek]

The spine shot generally will not require a follow up when hit solidly with a firearm. (If hit with an arrow, it might or might not). The shock is tremendous to the animals nervous system. You also cut the spinal cord as well as the big arteries that run along the backbone. Hydrostatic shock from a high powered rifle bullet will blow blood a long ways into and along the arteries, that may be the reason for blood in her head. I often aim for the high shoulder on an animal because I’m old and don’t care to track or drag.

I didn’t look hard at the picture until after I posted. If that’s the bullet hole in the doe’s neck then the blood probably came from her mouth. The esophagus as well as the jugular may be cut.

Welcome to the forum !

 

[yoderjac]

Congrats on your first deer! Spine shots are dreaded with a bow, not a high powered rifle. First, the spine is a very small target for a bow and a miss can result in a wounded deer. As Drycreek says, a bullets primary method of killing is hydrostatic shock that causes system shutdown, but major disruption of the spinal cord causes a "bang/flop" dropping the deer instantly. They generally will die before you can get to them. There is little movement as they are paralyzed from the impact point backwards.

Congrats again on your first deer!!!

 

[Kranjack21]

Congrats on your first deer! Spine shots are dreaded with a bow, not a high powered rifle. First, the spine is a very small target for a bow and a miss can result in a wounded deer. As Drycreek says, a bullets primary method of killing is hydrostatic shock that causes system shutdown, but major disruption of the spinal cord causes a "bang/flop" dropping the deer instantly. They generally will die before you can get to them. There is little movement as they are paralyzed from the impact point backwards.

Congrats again on your first deer!!!

Ohhh I see. Thank you I appreciate it.

 

[Kranjack21]

Congrats on your first deer! Spine shots are dreaded with a bow, not a high powered rifle. First, the spine is a very small target for a bow and a miss can result in a wounded deer. As Drycreek says, a bullets primary method of killing is hydrostatic shock that causes system shutdown, but major disruption of the spinal cord causes a "bang/flop" dropping the deer instantly. They generally will die before you can get to them. There is little movement as they are paralyzed from the impact point backwards.

Congrats again on your first deer!!!

Ohhh I see. Thank you I appreciate

The spine shot generally will not require a follow up when hit solidly with a firearm. (If hit with an arrow, it might or might not). The shock is tremendous to the animals nervous system. You also cut the spinal cord as well as the big arteries that run along the backbone. Hydrostatic shock from a high powered rifle bullet will blow blood a long ways into and along the arteries, that may be the reason for blood in her head. I often aim for the high shoulder on an animal because I’m old and don’t care to track or drag.

I didn’t look hard at the picture until after I posted. If that’s the bullet hole in the doe’s neck then the blood probably came from her mouth. The esophagus as well as the jugular may be cut.

Welcome to the forum !

Gotcha. Makes sense. I appreciate the input!

 

[George]

you hit ribs, you also hit lungs. The blood came out of her mouth from her lungs.

G

 

[T-Max]

We actually aim for a “high shoulder” shot when possible. It almost always leads to an instant kill. I think another advantage is, miss low and you are still solidly in the vitals and a good kill. Miss high and they are unscathed.


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[weekender21]

Congrats on the deer, couldn’t have killed her any faster than that.


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[AjaDog]

M

Hey everyone just joined. This season is my first year hunting and after 4 days of no sightings I finally saw and shot my first deer, a doe. I shot her with a 270 rifle at about 70 yards. and I was aiming for the heart but with my adrenaline I actually directly hit her spine/rib cage. I shot her and she dropped instantly and did one little leg kick and then no movement after that. I went up to her and touched her eye and no blink and no breathing. Yep she was dead. She just about died instantly. But my question is how DID she die? I’ve read the spine shot is dreaded because it requires a follow up shot. Her organs were all intact and as well as lungs from what I can tell but her spine and top of the rib cage was completely destroyed. Also there was blood by her head. Why is that? Here’s a pic. Thanks for any feedback. I wanna know how she died from this because it doesn’t seem I hit anything vital.

My guess would be, looking at the amount of blood and no visible head injuries, when she hit the ground she kicked maybe flipped herself once or twice trying to get back up and the blood is from the initial wound, just a guess, if you're just starting and trying to get the hang of putting deer down shoot for the lungs for a kill shot it has taken me many years to decisively make consistent heart shots from any distance with in reason and the rifles capabilities, (just saying)

 

[yoderjac]

I'm guessing the small brown spot on the neck is the entry wound. You will learn a lot when you roll that deer over and look at the exit wound. My guess is, presuming that is the entry wound, that you hit bone, the exit wound is much larger, and that was the source of the blood.

 

[AjaDog]

I'm guessing the small brown spot on the neck is the entry wound. You will learn a lot when you roll that deer over and look at the exit wound. My guess is, presuming that is the entry wound, that you kit bone, the exit wound is much larger, and that was the source of the blood.

I didn't zoom in on the pic just going by what the guy wrote,