bigbulls

A double lung shot will put down an animal much quicker than a heart shot. Once the arrow passes through the lungs there is a sudden and extreme drop in blood pressure. As a result of this drop in blood pressure the brain immediately tells the heart to pump harder and faster thus pumping blood straight out the wounds instead much quicker and depriving the brain of oxygen much quicker resulting in a quicker kill. The heart just doesn't pump blood too well with a hole through it as it can't produce any pressure within itself in order to pump blood so the oxygenated blood that the brain does have stays there longer cause blood circulation stops and the blood basically drains instead of being pumped out.

That's why blood has a tendancy to spray with a double lung shot and drain with a heart shot.

If you put an arrow through both lungs the animal as 10 to 15 seconds to live, a little longer with a heart shot. How far an animal can run in that time depends on a lot of factors like terrain, weather, health of the deer, how alert the deer is etc...etc...

WV Hunter

I would say the typical response I've seen from the heart shots I've had is....they take off on a flat out run, and crash in mid stride anywhere from 40-100 yds. This is with a bow or a gun.

However, last season I saw something that I would never have believed if I hadn't been there.
My buddy shoots at this doe with his muzzleloader. He calls me on the radio and says that if he didn't get this one, he's giving up hunting (missed one earlier in the day). 45yds away slightly quartering, wide open. There was snow on the ground. I told him to stay put, I'd be over in a bit. As I'm working my way over, he calls on the radio and says he's got good blood. I told him to wait for me. 5 minutes later he calls again...says he can't believe how much blood, and that the deer has already run about 150yds. He's confused. I tell him to stay put AGAIN. I finally get to where he had shot the deer...yes plenty of blood. The trail was easy to follow, of course the snow makes it look like there is more...but there was plenty. I call to him on the radio...he says he's gone another 100yds, still good blood, and he just saw her run over the hill 50 yds away. I told him to STOP!!!!
After about 5 minutes or so, I get up to where he is. We discuss the shot, and wonder where he could have hit her that she would bleed that much, but not be down. She did not lay down anywhere in the first 250 yds we'd followed either. When he saw her, it had been almost 15 minutes from the time of the shot. There was only about 1/2 hr of light left, so we decided with the amount of blood...no way she could make it much farther and we would push her until she gave out. We walk about 50 yds and look over the hill expecting her to be right there. NO DEER! ??? I couldn't believe it. On we follow another 100 yds and find her piled up. 400 yds she ran. We look at her and he says, oh I hit her in the shoulder, no wonder. So he field dresses her, and I go through the pile looking at what was hit. Right in the lower part of the heart...a hole all the way through. I stuck my pinky finger through it. We were totally blown away. He shoots round a patch and round ball which usually don't expand much. But it went through the heart and she still ran 400 yds and was alive at least 15 minutes. ??? To this day, deer never stop amazing me. Always expect the unexpected, and never say never.

nubo

If your broadside to the animal I don't think you could help but take a lung with the heart or even both since the heart is pretty much surronded by lung . We took a bull moose this season double lung heart shot and he never went 15yrds before he hit the ground pawing .

nubo

Fieldmouse

That's a great picture but where are your teeth marks?

Wildweasel

My 2003 Buck,was Double Lunged,and Heart shot combination.He WALKED 90 Yard's,and fell over.There are exceptions to every situation.Some just give up the Ghost a little harder than others.

Rusty/MO

Your seventy yards seems like a good average on my experience I've had. I've arrowed several deer through the heart or double lungs. They seem to go from 60 to eighty yards after hit. I do believe a double lung shot is just as good as a heart shot.

logs

This has come up here before. Muscle, regardless of the animal, needs Oxygen to function. The distance a Deer can travel with a heart shot is directly related to how much blood it is pumping effectively. As long as a sufficent amount of blood is being oxygenated and circulated the Deers muscle, it can function. I have been amazed at how far Bow hit heart shot Deer have travel. I"ve seen them go over two hundred yards and almost four hundred. I realize that is rare but it does happen.
I had a friend hit a Deer in the leg and cut the main artery there and the Deer go only 20 yards and drop. Bleed out, no oxygen to the muscle.

BGfisher

Good post, and mostly good answers. I can only shorten them all up and say a deer will go until his muscles have exhausted all the O2 in them.

Double Creek

I've had heart shot deer run anywhere from 40-300yds, with a hole in the heart. I've probably had half a dozen heart shots over the years, most were recovered within 100yds, I do remember one scrub buck I shot on the edge of a bean field, he ran all the way across the field and then turned and came all the way back and dropped within 10yds of where I originally hit him. I say 300yds, but it was probably much more to be honest.

jimpok61

Just like anything, many variables can apply. Double lung seems to cause a quicker kill due to the sudden loss of oxygenated blood going to all parts of the animals body. Overall systemic failure of major organs due to such loss is the major reason for quicker kills over a heart shot. The heart being an extremely strong muscle can be pierced cleanly but because it is very fibrous muscle tissue can tend to seal itself on heartbeat expansion. Although this is the pressure cycle of the pumping heart it can also be the sealing cycle. Hitting the attached arteries will cause massive blood loss, more so that the pierced heart shot. This also tends to produce quicker kills. The brain controls all the body functions and again without oxygenated blood being supplied to it systemic organ failure and shutdown occurs. This does not take into account the variable of adrenaline induced flight. JMO & that of a buddy in the medical field that discussed this with me a few years ago. He is an emergency room, trauma surgeon who has treated many gun shot victums over the years. He was kind enough to share his knowledge and expertise. I might not have all of the details 100% but to the best of my memory my above statements are as accurate as memory of that discussion serves, presently. I hope this helps explain some of the variables with regards to a deer's death run.