Double lung versus Heart shots
10-12-2004, 01:31 PM
#1
Nontypical Buck
Thread Starter
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location:
Posts: 2,994
Double lung versus Heart shots
Here's a good article explaining some sound reasons why you may want to consider lungs over heart if given the choice, mirrors my experience in the field to a T-
quote:
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DOUBLE LUNG VS A HEART SHOT
Picking a good, clean shot depends on your level of experience and proficiency. I asked Mike Roux an outdoor writer and Pro-staff member for Lohman Game Calls his thoughts on shot placement. By the way, Roux just happens to be the chief technologist of nuclear cardiology at Blessing Hospital in Quincy, Illinois. Roux always encourages hunters to aim for the lungs over a heart shot. He believes the benefits of a double lung shot are vastly improved when compared to a heart shot.
"From a physiological standpoint", Roux explains when there is trauma to the heart the body automatically responds by shutting itself down. This causes the blood in the body to move slower.
In other words, all the arteries, veins and major organs retain the blood they currently possess. When a deer is hit in the heart, blood circulation decreases and less blood exits the body. Therefore, a heart shot deer may not bleed as much compared to a lung shot.
Conversely, Roux states: that, "on a double lung hit, the wound causes the heart to beat harder. This is mainly due to the loss of blood pressure. As the body tries to compensates for the loss of blood pressure to supply the brain with blood, the heart pumps harder. Whenever the heart beats faster, more blood is lost and a hunter has a better chance of finding the animal".
By no means do I suggest that a heart shot is not effective. The fact is, a heart shot is lethal. This is simply a good rule of thumb to remember whenever you are picking your shot. The lungs also provide a larger target area that gives hunters an easier shot as compared to the smaller sized heart. With this information in mind I asked Roux his opinions on the "waiting game" after a confirmed hit? Like most of us, he suggested waiting 30 minutes. Whenever hunters push deer, the type of shot and the amount of adrenalin within the animal determines how far a deer will run. The further away a deer runs often times lessens your chances of finding the animal.
What is the difference between a gun and a bow and arrow hit? Unlike a bullet hit, Roux explains, "When a deer is hit with a broadhead, many times he doesn't know he's hit, he just knows something is wrong. There is no adrenalin surge associated. The deer weakens from blood loss and lies down. If you give him enough time to "bleed out", that's where your blood trail will lead. If you track too soon and jump the deer, or he sees or smells you, this is where a rush of adrenaline keeps him moving. Increased adrenaline can cause a deer to escape from you and move quite some distance after the bleeding has stopped. This can make deer pushed too soon very hard to find".
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Makes sense to me...
quote:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
DOUBLE LUNG VS A HEART SHOT
Picking a good, clean shot depends on your level of experience and proficiency. I asked Mike Roux an outdoor writer and Pro-staff member for Lohman Game Calls his thoughts on shot placement. By the way, Roux just happens to be the chief technologist of nuclear cardiology at Blessing Hospital in Quincy, Illinois. Roux always encourages hunters to aim for the lungs over a heart shot. He believes the benefits of a double lung shot are vastly improved when compared to a heart shot.
"From a physiological standpoint", Roux explains when there is trauma to the heart the body automatically responds by shutting itself down. This causes the blood in the body to move slower.
In other words, all the arteries, veins and major organs retain the blood they currently possess. When a deer is hit in the heart, blood circulation decreases and less blood exits the body. Therefore, a heart shot deer may not bleed as much compared to a lung shot.
Conversely, Roux states: that, "on a double lung hit, the wound causes the heart to beat harder. This is mainly due to the loss of blood pressure. As the body tries to compensates for the loss of blood pressure to supply the brain with blood, the heart pumps harder. Whenever the heart beats faster, more blood is lost and a hunter has a better chance of finding the animal".
By no means do I suggest that a heart shot is not effective. The fact is, a heart shot is lethal. This is simply a good rule of thumb to remember whenever you are picking your shot. The lungs also provide a larger target area that gives hunters an easier shot as compared to the smaller sized heart. With this information in mind I asked Roux his opinions on the "waiting game" after a confirmed hit? Like most of us, he suggested waiting 30 minutes. Whenever hunters push deer, the type of shot and the amount of adrenalin within the animal determines how far a deer will run. The further away a deer runs often times lessens your chances of finding the animal.
What is the difference between a gun and a bow and arrow hit? Unlike a bullet hit, Roux explains, "When a deer is hit with a broadhead, many times he doesn't know he's hit, he just knows something is wrong. There is no adrenalin surge associated. The deer weakens from blood loss and lies down. If you give him enough time to "bleed out", that's where your blood trail will lead. If you track too soon and jump the deer, or he sees or smells you, this is where a rush of adrenaline keeps him moving. Increased adrenaline can cause a deer to escape from you and move quite some distance after the bleeding has stopped. This can make deer pushed too soon very hard to find".
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Makes sense to me...
10-12-2004, 01:40 PM
#2
Nontypical Buck
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: Rockford Michigan USA
Posts: 1,344
RE: Double lung versus Heart shots
I aim for heart and if I hit right on I get heart, and if I hit high I hit lungs. Either way the deer is down in 100yds. True a heart shot may have less blood, but its a lower wound which creats a nice bloodtrail anyways. Also you can just body search for a heart shot deer because its not going far.
10-12-2004, 02:36 PM
#4
Nontypical Buck
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: Middletown PA United States
Posts: 3,625
RE: Double lung versus Heart shots
Gee, maybe I've been looking at the wrong anatomy charts over the years, but I thought I saw the heart between the lungs and low. This leads me to believe that in order to get the heart you have to shoot through the lungs (on a broadside shot). Of course, I'm a double lung kinda guy. As I always say "Stay away from the Bone". The heart lies very tight to the leg bones. Arrows don't penetrate bones well.
Of course I get the message as read. Less trauma means probably less of a trailing job.
Of course I get the message as read. Less trauma means probably less of a trailing job.
10-12-2004, 02:40 PM
#5
Dominant Buck
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: Blossvale, New York
Posts: 21,199
RE: Double lung versus Heart shots
I've said that for years and I'm not even an expert. I just simply say if the heart shuts down blood flow stops... no blood on the ground. THe lungs however always put blood on the ground.
The deer below didn't put a tablespoon of blood on the ground.
The deer below didn't put a tablespoon of blood on the ground.
10-12-2004, 10:51 PM
#7
Nontypical Buck
Join Date: Nov 2003
Location: Almost Heaven,WV
Posts: 4,087
RE: Double lung versus Heart shots
I killed 2 bucks last year using 100 gr. wasp jak-hammers for the first time. The first was a double lung pass through and it ran hard for about 70 yards and left a blood trail that a blind man could follow. The second was at a steep angle and took out 1 lung and the heart . It wasn't a complete pass through but did break the skin in the center of it's breast bone. It went only 40 yards and the blood trail wasn't as heavy but when I dressed it out it's chest cavity was full of blood. After seeing the 1 3/4 inch 3 blade cut through the heart I was amazed that it went as far as it did.
10-12-2004, 11:21 PM
#8
Join Date: Nov 2003
Location: North Carolina
Posts: 357
RE: Double lung versus Heart shots
Thats strange, I shot a doe at 140 yards with Remington's Core-Lokt's in 150gr 7mm Mag. I hit the top part of the heart and when I made the shot, I saw her hit the ground, get up and cross into the woods....
I gave her some time to expire since I was not 100% on the placement of the shot. I walked up to where I had shot it and looked for a trail into the woods when I noticed something triangular shaped hanging on a brush, almost 2.5*2.5*2.5, it was red and looked wet. At a first glance I thought it was a ribbon to mark a trail or stand, looking closer revealed that it was a piece of the lung! Looking ahead, I saw what looked like someone taking a water hose and spraying blood on tree's, ground and brush about 15 yards into the woods. Following the bloodtrail, I found a doe and I expected the exit would to big huge since I found a piece of the lung hanging on a bush.....I looked at it and noticed the exit wound was as big as the entrance wound...
Still beats be to this day how that piece of lung came out hanging on that bush. While cleaining it I saw that the bullet had clipped the top of the heart and lower portions of the lungs, the biggest and most dramatic blood trail I have ever had...
I gave her some time to expire since I was not 100% on the placement of the shot. I walked up to where I had shot it and looked for a trail into the woods when I noticed something triangular shaped hanging on a brush, almost 2.5*2.5*2.5, it was red and looked wet. At a first glance I thought it was a ribbon to mark a trail or stand, looking closer revealed that it was a piece of the lung! Looking ahead, I saw what looked like someone taking a water hose and spraying blood on tree's, ground and brush about 15 yards into the woods. Following the bloodtrail, I found a doe and I expected the exit would to big huge since I found a piece of the lung hanging on a bush.....I looked at it and noticed the exit wound was as big as the entrance wound...
Still beats be to this day how that piece of lung came out hanging on that bush. While cleaining it I saw that the bullet had clipped the top of the heart and lower portions of the lungs, the biggest and most dramatic blood trail I have ever had...
