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stexashunter
Guest
shot a javelina right through the liver, old 2 blade magnus made a mess of it, did the job- what do you think of the high and back shot on big game?
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brutusthebuck
Guest
my dad killed his elk with a crimson talon broad head he hit the bull right through the liver at 30 yards, pictures of his hunt are at
www.rugerhunting.com/tom
www.rugerhunting.com/tom
>shot a javelina right through
>the liver, old 2 blade
>magnus made a mess of
>it, did the job- what
>do you think of the
>high and back shot on
>big game?
Not really sure what you are asking.The best shot is right through the lungs/heart. A liver shot is basicaly like a gut shot,alot of bad things can happen.
>the liver, old 2 blade
>magnus made a mess of
>it, did the job- what
>do you think of the
>high and back shot on
>big game?
Not really sure what you are asking.The best shot is right through the lungs/heart. A liver shot is basicaly like a gut shot,alot of bad things can happen.
caelkhnter
Very Active Member
- Messages
- 1,526
I agree with Bucksnort, I would never intentionally make a shot for the liver. However if you do hit the liver you will kill the animal, you just need to be real careful on retrieving. If you push it and lose it, which is a good possibility, you will have killed an animal for noththing. Also the shot will not leave a good blood trail. So like Bucksnort said go for the hear/lung shot.
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ansonlynn
Guest
I shot a 6pt bull that wheeled at the shot; I was aiming for heart/lungs, but the arrow entered the rib cage angling back into the paunch (just clipped a lobe of lung, I learned later). Horrible tracking on warm, dry ground. Gave him 3 hours, then began, hands and knees, following the tracks and flagging each tiny bit of blood or stomach content. 265 yards from the initial shot, according to the GPS, the trail was leading through a gap in rimrocks into a bottom where I spotted his antlers bob - he was laying down, eyes 1/2 closed, in a patch of aspen below the rimrock. Took off my boots, eased to the right and on top of the rimrock. When I eased forward, he was standing 20 yards below me, facing away. The only shot I had was a 12" space through the aspen branches, where i could see his back from the pelvis forward. I held to the right of the spine, shot true, and the arrow penetrated to the fletchings, beside the spine angled forward about 20 degrees from vertical. He shook like an electric shock went through him, and stepped forward where he was obscured. I jumped back to the left to the trail he'd followed, and snapped a quick third shot at him that rattled through the branches as he was running off.
In the bed was a 12" blood pool, and 20 yards further I found my third arrow, completely covered with bright red blood - clearly a pass-through, but for the life of me I couldn't figure where. Was able to follow his running tracks for about 40 yards - still VERY little blood sign. Used the GPS to circle outward from each spot of blood, to the next little spot, very hard tracking still. Over an hour later, 110 yards from the location of the second and third shots, I found him, looked like he ran until he died (in the photo, you can see the 2nd shot still in place, the arrow shaft backed out about 16"). Running with that arrow in place absolutely pulverized his liver, and killed him fast.
When I shot, I was aiming for liver, it being the only shot I had on a very wounded elk. I would NEVER intentionally shoot for the liver on a healthy animal. The only other animal I've had jump the shot was a 2pt mule deer buck, hit him through the liver on a pass-through that exited the off-side ham; he bled amazingly, and died fast.
In the bed was a 12" blood pool, and 20 yards further I found my third arrow, completely covered with bright red blood - clearly a pass-through, but for the life of me I couldn't figure where. Was able to follow his running tracks for about 40 yards - still VERY little blood sign. Used the GPS to circle outward from each spot of blood, to the next little spot, very hard tracking still. Over an hour later, 110 yards from the location of the second and third shots, I found him, looked like he ran until he died (in the photo, you can see the 2nd shot still in place, the arrow shaft backed out about 16"). Running with that arrow in place absolutely pulverized his liver, and killed him fast.
When I shot, I was aiming for liver, it being the only shot I had on a very wounded elk. I would NEVER intentionally shoot for the liver on a healthy animal. The only other animal I've had jump the shot was a 2pt mule deer buck, hit him through the liver on a pass-through that exited the off-side ham; he bled amazingly, and died fast.
Nice bull,congrat's.Also congrat's to your determination and tracking skills to find wounded game.I know what it's like to crawl on hands and knees for hours from drop to drop of blood.I can't stand when people don't give much effort in tracking game that doesn't leave much blood.
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MartinHunter
Guest
I shot a doe muley in the liver a few years back. She ran about 50 yrds, but took a good half hour to die. I did nto want to jump her even though I could see her. Also, nice pics stexashunter.
Michael
Michael
C
Chef
Guest
great story ansonlyn.
Nice bull too!
Chef
"I Love Animals...They're Delicious!"
Nice bull too!
Chef
"I Love Animals...They're Delicious!"
C
Chef
Guest
WOW! Nice pics too Mitch!
Love that one of the bull alive.
Chef
"I Love Animals...They're Delicious!"
Love that one of the bull alive.
Chef
"I Love Animals...They're Delicious!"
O
Oregonbowhunter
Guest
Liver shots are very fatal regardless of what some may say. The liver's job is to filter the bodies blood therefore it has a lot of vasculature. A shot through the liver should cause an animal to bleed out very quickly unless you clip the peripheral border. Although it shouldn't be targeted for a shot it is sometimes hit when a shot is a little far back.
A
ansonlynn
Guest
Thanks for the feedback guys - forgot to mention that last pass-through on the elk - was through the shank! DEFINITELY don't recommend that one. OBH is correct, no animal will survive a liver shot! However, time to death can be prolonged, especially w/o heart-lung involvement, and the blood sign very poor. You just can't beat the pumping of the heart, and/or the bellows action of the diaphragm with a perforated chest and lungs, to leave good blood trailing sign.
Last fall, I shot a trophy doe quartering away at 22 yards - my shot placement was intentionally behind the rib cage, to pass through the liver and into the chest.
I didn't expect the arrow to exit (it did, between the 4th and 5th ribs). In this case, though, it was on fresh snow about 12" deep, and my buddy was watching from higher on the hill - she ran full out until she pitched over dead after 156 yards. Though there was a pretty amazing line of sign from where she was standing to where the arrow buried in the far bank (both hair and blood), and my buddy could see her down - when I walked out the trail, from shot location to where she piled up, I found exactly one tiny drop of blood - even though I was following her tracks in the snow the entire way. Totally bled out inside, but almost no leakage. On dry ground by myself (she was out of sight within a few yards), I'd have had a long, tough track.
Every shot has to be evaluated in the context of the situation - distance, orientation and alertness of the animal, time of day, tracking conditions, open-ness of the habitat, density of animal sign, etc. I have found it very useful to habitually practice "visualizing" where major organ systems are located when watching deer and elk - so that shot placement to penetrate the heart or lungs becomes automatic regardless of the angle - also need to know where major bones are too!
I've had the fortune to track more animals than a lot of people - and know all too well the crushing disappointment and self-loathing that comes with a lost animal, mine or a buddy's. I think it's inherent in us, when we begin hunting, to hope for luck and push our efforts past our abilities. A liver-only hit is one of the most lethal misses - but shouldn't be a deliberate shot. However, I will happily take a quartering shot through the liver that avoids major bone and gives a trajectory through the heart and/or lungs.
Last thought - I cannot recommend too highly the capabilities of GPS for conducting systematic, tightly spiraled out searches for tough tracking of scarce sign. Marking each confirmed sign with flagging, and circling tightly outward using the track and go-to features, have really enhanced my ability to track downed game. Get a GPS, and learn to use it, if you don't already.
My opinions, take 'em or leave 'em!
Last fall, I shot a trophy doe quartering away at 22 yards - my shot placement was intentionally behind the rib cage, to pass through the liver and into the chest.
I didn't expect the arrow to exit (it did, between the 4th and 5th ribs). In this case, though, it was on fresh snow about 12" deep, and my buddy was watching from higher on the hill - she ran full out until she pitched over dead after 156 yards. Though there was a pretty amazing line of sign from where she was standing to where the arrow buried in the far bank (both hair and blood), and my buddy could see her down - when I walked out the trail, from shot location to where she piled up, I found exactly one tiny drop of blood - even though I was following her tracks in the snow the entire way. Totally bled out inside, but almost no leakage. On dry ground by myself (she was out of sight within a few yards), I'd have had a long, tough track.
Every shot has to be evaluated in the context of the situation - distance, orientation and alertness of the animal, time of day, tracking conditions, open-ness of the habitat, density of animal sign, etc. I have found it very useful to habitually practice "visualizing" where major organ systems are located when watching deer and elk - so that shot placement to penetrate the heart or lungs becomes automatic regardless of the angle - also need to know where major bones are too!
I've had the fortune to track more animals than a lot of people - and know all too well the crushing disappointment and self-loathing that comes with a lost animal, mine or a buddy's. I think it's inherent in us, when we begin hunting, to hope for luck and push our efforts past our abilities. A liver-only hit is one of the most lethal misses - but shouldn't be a deliberate shot. However, I will happily take a quartering shot through the liver that avoids major bone and gives a trajectory through the heart and/or lungs.
Last thought - I cannot recommend too highly the capabilities of GPS for conducting systematic, tightly spiraled out searches for tough tracking of scarce sign. Marking each confirmed sign with flagging, and circling tightly outward using the track and go-to features, have really enhanced my ability to track downed game. Get a GPS, and learn to use it, if you don't already.
My opinions, take 'em or leave 'em!
C
canhunter
Guest
I don't think this is what you should aim for, but it freaking kills like a heart shot. A little slower but they are dead on their feet with a liver shot. All the blood will be pumped through their liver every minute, so it is a no brainer as to why it works so well. The same goes for a dbl lunger, so go for the center of the kill zone always.
I killed a buck on the muzzleloader this year with a liver shot. I watched him run just out of range and lock up at the edge of some quakies where he stood locked up for 15-20 minutes while I sat and waited for him to drop or laydown or something that would allow me to back out or sneak in for the finishing shot. I backed out after he moved into the quakies. I waited for an hour and a half. I snuck back in to where I had last seen him. As he entered the quakies he must've died 5 feet in and I missed him drop. It was a painful time on the hill worrying that I might lose him. I found little to no blood. I prefer breaking them down hard or heart and lunging them. If you look at the picture of the buck laying, notice the slug under the skin about the side of the liver. Just missed a little far back.
CS
CS
