The Void/Dead Zone

[erk444]

After reading through some posts, I'm curious to see what peoples opinions are on ''The Void''. In other words, do you think there is a spot under the spine and over the lungs that an arrow or bullet can pass through without hitting anything vital? I used to think there was, but after looking at a few critters inards, I don't think there is. My opinion is that when most people think they hit the void, they are actually going over the spine. Just my  . What do you guys think?

[6haase6]

For sure a void. But I would say there is two ways of hitting it one broadside and one from the rear. Hit a deer I jumped from under a bluff right up the pooper with an arrow had 26 inches of penetration. Buck lived for a month and a half till a kid shot him during rifle. Arrow followed the bottom of the spine over the guts and between the lungs. If it wasn't so close to the spine it would have done circles as the deer ran and made hamburger out of his vitals. Second one was deer I'm guessing I went just behind the lungs infront of the guts under the spine and over the liver. Needless to say deer ran off leaving a piss poor blood trail and lived to see another day. 

[scottfrick]

  a month and a half dang that had to of hurt!!!!

[6haase6]

He made it over two fences and a half mile before I'm guessing the adrenaline wore off and I bet he didnt leave that pasture till the day he was shot.

[norsepeak]

absolutely.  Experienced it myself, so the last deer I killed, I dissected it carefully to verify the void and sure enough there is one.

[grundy53]

Definitely a void.

sent from my typewriter

[erk444]

absolutely.  Experienced it myself, so the last deer I killed, I dissected it carefully to verify the void and sure enough there is one.

Did you take any pics? Like I said, I didn't think there was, but now you got me thinking again . I thought I saw a pic of a deer one time that someone had cut half of it away to show all the vitals and guts and their placement. Don't remember looking for a void . Maybe I can find that pic again.

[coachcw]

I shot a cow there one the shot was thirty five and I guessed fourty , the arrow went through her and fifteen to twenty yards past her . we saw her a week later in the herd getting along just fine with a dirty mark up high behind the shoulder , there was very little blood .

[Jayfire83]

Oh yes the void!! A few years back i got bull fever so bad  i sent an arrow into a monster bull right through the void and he just walked it off!!

[bowhunterforever]

For sure a void, shot a muley buck a few years ago with my bow in the void and saw him again few weeks later with perfectly healed broad head marks.

[elkoholic]

I shot a 3x4 buck last year in the void looked for him for days without finding him, a week later he fed out in front of me and I double lunged him this time. His wounds were starting to heal.

[Special T]

The vitals kinda sag a little inside the chest cavity... One way that "the void shot" happens is from a tree stand with a deer too close to you say 10 yards or less. You actually have to shoot steeper(lower on the deer) because its not where the arrow impacts it, but where it travels through.

[headshot5]

We call this spot the "window."   I have seen a .50 cal muzzleloader bullet shoot through it, knocked the elk down, got back up and off she went.  Saw her 2 weeks later, she was a little stiff, but was healing up just fine.   I think a lot of it has to do with the animal breathing out.  The lungs shrink way down and the diaphram isn't damaged (at least not badly).   

I do agree, that this is probably why a lot of folks are not finding an animal after a percieved lung shot.  The bottom 1/3 of the (deer/elk) animal is the magic spot.   1/2 way up is getting pretty high above when the animal exhales.