No Mans Land on a Whitetail

Does it exist or not? Above the lungs but below the spine

Unfortunately, I think it does. 3 years in a row I had does that I hit high and didn’t recover.

I have heard some so called whitetail experts and biologist say that it doesn’t exist. That there is no space between the spine and lungs. Perhaps that is technically correct, but that does not mean that it is a deadly shot. I have seen pics of deer on trail cam that were hit in that location that obviously didn’t die. I sure don’t like hitting there, because it does not seem like sure thing that the deer will actually die.

I believe in the “Void” spot. Made that shot of a buck a few years ago. Say him may times after that and over three years until I moved out of that state.

I say it exists. It happened to me on a very nice buck last year. Lots of blood right away and then down to a trickle after a couple hundred yards. Spent the entire next day looking for him. No luck.

Yes, it surely does. I’ve had pass through on that shot only to watch a small buck run over a mile before I lost sight of him. Never did find any blood at a spot where he stood for several minutes before jumping the fence. Even had a good frost that morning so it should have been easy to spot.

My buddy has a pic of a lost buck the very next day after he shot on trail camera, hit high on a steep angle 5″ right and 2″ from top of spine on entrance and exit opposite side just below the ticker. Arrow is still in deer on camera and he is walking. Never seen again until next year when he is on camera multiple time with nothing but hairless scars on both sides and perfectly healthy. Dont ask me how but this buck had all kinds of no mans land. Very amazing pics to say the least. I will see if I can get a hold of them.

However, the typical area is below spine and above lungs. The lungs actually are lower in the cavity towards the front of the deer so there is some “dead space” above the lungs, albeit only an inch or two and it contains connective tissue that helps suspend the lungs and has non lethal blood vessels and usually in front of the tenderloins. You will feel the area quite well if you pay attention when pulling out your next gut pile.

It doesn’t exist. If you look at a whitetail’s anatomy, the spine sits a lot lower than people think. Their high shots, or “void” is the arrow going through the back straps. The spine also begins its gradual slope right about the shoulder area, which exposes more meat and less vitals

Quote:

---

It doesn’t exist. If you look at a whitetail’s anatomy, the spine sits a lot lower than people think. Their high shots, or “void” is the arrow going through the back straps. The spine also begins its gradual slope right about the shoulder area, which exposes more meat and less vitals

---

X2 There is no void in the thoracic cavity of a deer or any other mammal for that matter. There is a thin pleural cavity that allows the lungs to function properly but it is not a void. What people see as they field dress a deer is that the lungs have deflated.

To kill an animal you need to destroy vital organs and/or cause massive bleeding. Sometimes a bullet or arrow will sneak though and only move things around.

No such thing with a Grim Reaper 2 inch Whitetail Broadhead!!

“No Mans Land” definitely exists. I have a personal experience with this on a complete pass through on a Doe 7-8 years ago. I was doing a spot and stalk and was standing on the ground when I shot. I tracked her for 3 hours and only found around 1/2 cup worth of blood. I felt horrible.

Roughly 2-3 weeks later after getting done with work (I bartended) and pulling out of the driveway when I saw her across the street in my headlights and she had a wound/spot/scab on both sides where my arrow had passed through. The funny thing about it was she was only 200 yards from where I had shot her.

My shot was above the lungs and below the spine. Even though it does exist, I don’t agree that it could happen while hunting from a treestand. Only a shot from the ground where the arrow is flat and not shot at an angle.

There may not be an official “cavity”, but a full deflated lung appears to be about 25% the size of one that is fully inflated. Consult youtube for more info. Search “Lung function using deer lungs”. You’ll see what I mean.

It seems plausible that if your arrow happened to enter the chest cavity just below the spine, while the lungs were fully deflated, you could miss everything and have a non-lethal hit.