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Trail cameras are constantly producing amazing pictures that people would normally never get to see. For some, the pictures reveal that a black bear has been visiting their land. For others, a picture verifies that the big brow tine buck has made it through the season. A trail camera picture could show a hawk lifting a squirrel from a bait pile. In this case, it is a picture of a young buck with an arrow sticking out of its side. The picture looks authentic and shows no signs of being altered or tampered with. Regardless of the authenticity, this photograph proves that there is very little margin between a perfectly ethical shot and a shot that results in a wounded animal.
I have been bow hunting since I was 12 years old. I actually killed(harvested) my first whitetail with a bow during that first hunting season. It was a great evening hunt with my brother and dad. During the summer before that bow season, we shot everyday. My brother and I were wearing out tabs on a weekly basis. You guys remember tabs, they were the leather flaps that covered your fingers long before we had releases. At 12 years old, I was able to put 12 arrows in a 6 inch circle at 20 yards. The only problem was that I never practiced when I had the "fever". Even with all the practice, my arrow sailed further back and missed all major vitals. My dad and brother worked hard and we were able to track down my deer.
Since that first hunt, there have been over 20 bow seasons in camp, and unfortunately there have been hunts that resulted in a wounded animal. Normally the story begins, "I hit him perfect, right behind the shoulder and he ran off over the ridge." Everyone meets at the camp to gather lights for the tracking job and then heads back to the beginning of the trail. At first emotions are high, and everyone is optimistic because the sign is normally very good at the beginning of the trail. 10, 20, 50, 80, 100 yards and the trail continues on, but the blood sign is definitely weaker than before and the optimism has also tapered off. The tracking party is now spread out and begins making small circles in desperation of finding a speck of blood or a tuft of hair. After searching for several more hours, it is decided that everyone should meet back at first light and continue the search. Now the hunter that took the shot begins to second guess himself and say, "maybe it was a little high and forward." Maybe the hunter's arrow hit one of the "no kill zones" on the deer. 
The arrow can be seen sticking out of the deer in an area between the lungs and the spine. Click the picture to view a full size image This trail camera picture proves just how tough a whitetail deer is and that the shot from a bow or gun must be true. The arrow's trajectory appears to be fairly flat as if the hunter were shooting from the ground. This is just a guess because the arrow could have been bent down while the deer was moving through the woods. You can also tell that the fur around entry point has been licked clean and does not have any visible signs of infection. The picture can not convey movement so there is no way to know how much the injury has impaired the deer’s ability to walk or run.
You can barely make out the arrow in the area between the main artery from the heart and the spine. Click the image to view a full size picture of the deer anatomy overlay. Knowing the anatomy of the deer suggest that the arrow entered and lodged in an area void of any vital organs or arteries. This is the area above the lungs and below the spine. Taking a look at the picture of the deer with the circulatory system superimposed shows that the arrow missed the lungs and missed the major artery that runs just below the spine. This area is one reason that bow hunters are told to shoot at the lower 1/3 of the deer. By aiming at the lower portion of the body, if the deer were to duck, the arrow would strike the center of the vital zone. If the hunter were aiming at center mass and the deer were to duck the string, then the arrow could strike this "no kill zone". 
Every bow and gun hunter should study these pictures and memorize the anatomy from every angle. This photo should also be a call to hunters to practice periodically both on and off season. The margin for error is very small, and to be an ethical hunter, it requires commitment. If the shot is perfect, you hit both lungs and the deer expires within 5 seconds. If you hit 6 inches high, you will hit the spine and the deer will drop immediately. If the shot is 3 inches high, then you hit the area with no vitals and will likely never find the deer. When you nock that arrow and come to full draw on an a deer, remember that you must be completely confident with the situation before releasing the arrow. At this time the deer is assumed to still be alive unless he was harvested by another hunter. thanks to Mike Augustine for sharing the picture with Trailcameras.net If you have an opinion on these photos or this article let us know in the trail camera forum Here is another example of the "no kill zone" 
Readers have left 38 comments. No.1 Untitled
why would someone shoot a spike anyways, that deer can only be about 2 1/2/ years old...let him go and get a nice body on him. No.2 Untitled
well you have 2 realize that some people dont have the luxury of having there own land that doesnt have alot of hunting pressure where hunting clubs kill every thing that walk by, so you have 2 do the samething as every1 else sometimes if you want 2 even kill a deer! or it might of been some kids first deeer with a bow! No.3 Yep. probably a kids
This buck was probably a kids first hunt with a bow. And unfortunatly it was a very unlucky shot. I live in the west and mostly hunt on public land. a 2 year old buck is a decent buck these days. No.4 Untitled
well maybe it was a kids first deer and he only a few days left of season, so back off dude. And dont tell me you wouldnt shoot it to get rid of a tag a few days before end of season No.5 Untitled
untitled, wow you are the kind of hunter i dont respect. hunting is not all about shooting mature bucks, and maybe they didnt have the chance to shoot all the giant bucks you do. To even get at you more, my 2 and a half year buck scored 121, so i think that is a first year buck. You dont know your whitetail deer very well. So leave it alone No.6 Hunting vs. Voting
 Good to see two computer literate people discussing ethical hunting tactics. Since you can both read and use a computer, I'm sure that you'll agree with this... I believe that ethical and proper deer management hunting practices are like voting. Why, you ask? Because, like voting, some people don't know whether or not "pulling that lever" will make a difference or not. "It's only one vote" vs "It's only one spike buck". Will it make a difference or not? Imagine if all hunters shot everything that moved? Imagine if all voters stayed home on Super Tuesday? We all have the right to shoot any legal buck we want, but we are responsible for our own actions. The fact remains that if we don't allow buck to grow to their full potential, we'll never know what the woods could be filled with. Yeh, I own 115 acres of posted land in central PA. Pennsylvania's deer management is all messed up because of many reasons, but my 3 young daughters will soon begin hunting and will not be allowed to shoot any buck under about 80 inches. I've started a "kinda' big buck pool" with my hunters to try and control the quality of buck locally. Not all youths need to kill a spike. It takes all hunters to believe in such a philosophy for it to work. I know that public lands can be a nightmare with hunting pressure and "brown and it's down" beliefs, but remember: We're all responsible for our own actions. Sorry for babbling, but I've been hanging out with Jim Beam tonight and my oldest daughter of 11 years, just shot her first groundhog at 100yds with her .22, so I'm pumped! Happy hunting fella's, and let the young ones live...You may be surprised what fate puts in your sights after passing up the year and a half spike (yeah, I agree...it's only a yearling in the picture) Looking forward to the rut, Mark No.7 Let's be clear
 Hey...let's be clear here...the young one is obviously the yearling spike, and the other, depending on food supply is either a 2 1/2 or a 3 1/2, in my opinion. By the way, I saw only one buck last year on my posted property in all of archery and rifle season...so to adhere to an 80" minimum on any buck taken, takes extreme belief in the fact that it will work in time. Our property is thick as heck, due to logging recently, so there are more deer, but just can't see them in all the cover and convenient brouse...they don't need to go too far to eat! 23 days 'till archery season, Mark No.8 Bow hunting is bad anyway
This discussion should'nt even take place. What's the point with bow hunting? You feel more like men? Rifle hunting is too easy for you? I tought it was a medieval weapon. The bow IS an non-ethical way of harvesting a Deer. So don't make me cry with your 3 little girls. The point is not about the young buck it's about a f****** arrow in the butt of a white tail. Last year I havested a 4 1/2 buck and it had the remain of the edge of an old arrow in the butt ruining all the left side sirloin. For those who only have this choice for hunting then press your govrnment  Hey! Have a nice hunt! L. No.9 Bowhunting is bad?
What's the point of bow hunting? The point is that bow hunting is the only real sporting challenge there is in whitetail hunting. To have to lure or luck your way to within 20-30 yds of such an intelligent creature, make yourself virtually invisible, and with heart pounding...make the perfect shot...now THAT'S HUNTING! Rifle season isn't even a challenge. If you see a deer within 200 - 250 yds, relatively open and relatively still...it's going to die. And those are just the long shots! Wait...I'm supporting your point, aren't I...It's easier, more ethical, and a more "guaranteed kill" with a rifle than a primitive bow, right? I agree.  However, there are just as many gun carrying idiots out there who will take a shot at either a running deer, or a deer too far away, or use an inaccurate or unsighted-in rifle ...and end up wounding the deer just as often as an archery hunter may. The point is that both weapons have a risk of only wounding a deer, rather than harvesting one. It's up to the rifle and bow hunters alike, to make certain that they are taking an absolute high-percentage shot. I've only lost one deer to a "high" archery shot through the tenderloin, and never lost one in rifle season...yet. By the way, my 3 daughters will not be hunting with a bow for many, many years to come...they'll be sporting your weapon of choice: the rifle.  Hey, thanks for the chat, and you have a nice hunt as well. Shoot Straight, William Tell  No.10 Matter of OpinionS!!
Well Gents i believe to each his own...If you hunt in PA. you have plenty of state regulations that prohibit the take of anything under a Six,,,Correct??So you shootin something small is kind of not even a question...(Though I am not familar on PA"s regs.)Now answering the Bowhunting question of why...Why not? The thrill of the hunt..Is it immoral? I do not know, ask an indian, have you ever been killed by a Arrow/or bullet...Who is to say what is worse...Do you Think that weather a Bullet rips through your lungs, or an Arrowhead,,one is less painful, the result is the same,,,, your lungs still fill with blood and you drown in your own blood..Why don't you think about that, Unless your bullets are coated with morphine, I do not think it matters...Think about what you say before you say it. The end result is the same for thr animal.....PAIN......!! I personally hunt with everything that my state(NY) will allow...I think that it is a matter of the hunters respect for the animal, I look my Bow shot Deer in the face at 10-35yrds..And I can still pull the trigger...How about you?? As for what i shoot whatever fills the freezer....My POST/////MY OPINION!!! Like it or not I am out there, I will not shoot you, but I will shoot that Spike, Doe , Button Buck, fawn...I also hunt N.J, and here you can take Endless Doe's so thank You P.A for not letting your residents shootem for a extended season,,,,more for me....9/8/07.....120lbs Doe / Matthews/Splitfire/LUNG SHOT!!
Have Fun hunting,and EAT WHAT YOU SHOOT... No.11 Matter of OpinionS!!
Well Gents i believe to each his own...If you hunt in PA. you have plenty of state regulations that prohibit the take of anything under a Six,,,Correct??So you shootin something small is kind of not even a question...(Though I am not familar on PA"s regs.)Now answering the Bowhunting question of why...Why not? The thrill of the hunt..Is it immoral? I do not know, ask an indian, have you ever been killed by a Arrow/or bullet...Who is to say what is worse...Do you Think that weather a Bullet rips through your lungs, or an Arrowhead,,one is less painful, the result is the same,,,, your lungs still fill with blood and you drown in your own blood..Why don't you think about that, Unless your bullets are coated with morphine, I do not think it matters...Think about what you say before you say it. The end result is the same for thr animal.....PAIN......!! I personally hunt with everything that my state(NY) will allow...I think that it is a matter of the hunters respect for the animal, I look my Bow shot Deer in the face at 10-35yrds..And I can still pull the trigger...How about you?? As for what i shoot whatever fills the freezer....My POST/////MY OPINION!!! Like it or not I am out there, I will not shoot you, but I will shoot that Spike, Doe , Button Buck, fawn...I also hunt N.J, and here you can take Endless Doe's so thank You P.A for not letting your residents shootem for a extended season,,,,more for me....9/8/07.....120lbs Doe / Matthews/Splitfire/LUNG SHOT!!
Have Fun hunting,and EAT WHAT YOU SHOOT... No.12 Untitled
Good point, "guest user", but the law states a minimum of 3 points on one side...not a minimum of 6 points. So, a "legal" PA buck can be a scrappy 3 point of at least 1 inch per tine, and a busted off rack on the other side...pretty pathetic harvest, if you're trying to see more and bigger buck. But I understand that you and I have different goals. You want to fill your freezer, and I want to fill my walls. Filling the freezer is a side benefit of a successful harvest every now and then. I've got no problem with meat hunters, and long as they are paying for their licenses and obeying the hunting laws and regulations. Shoot to kill, the game commision in the states which you hunt will take care of the rest through allotting more or less tags the following years, based on estimated populations. However, I am personally trying to get the buck/doe ratio closer to 1:1 on my posted property with more stringent antler restrictions. By the way, the 6-7 guys that hunt on my place in central PA all voluntarily get into the "kinda big buck pool", at a cost of $100 each, knowing that each and every legal buck that we pass up (in hopes of one 80 inches or more) may very well be shot 2 minutes (or 2 days) later by a neighbor! It's a chance that they are willing to take for a more exciting rut, earlier breeding, bigger racks, healthier and more numerous fawns, and an exciting opportunity in the woods for all (including my daughters, so that they grow up to be hunters, rather than bunny huggers)...I'm sure that you've got no problems with that! Anyone else got any comments? Register for free, so I can see tell who people are. Mark in PA (buzzard52) No.13 Untitled
Well I enjoyed reading all about yalls ethics on deer hunting, and i guess i'll piss yall off with this. We use dogs, four wheel drives and Bud Lights to hunt them around here and when a herd of deer come by me I'll stack them knee high around my feet with my 870. Fawns, mammas, young bucks or big bucks, it makes no difference. All of them taste the same on my plate. No.14 Untitled
Dear most recent Guest User, No, it does not piss me off to read your response. Your proper use of proper grammar (except the lower case "i", twice), comma placement, accurate use of larger 5th grade vocabulary words such as 'ethics', correct use of capitalization in proper nouns like "Bud Light", and highly creative use of figurative language tells me that you are an educated person. Therefore, what you are saying is hopefully, mostly a fabricated bunch of mistruths about your hunting tactics. Even if my presumption is incorrect, it's no concern of mine. You're not in central Pennsylvania "hunting" my local deer population, and that's what State Game Commissions and Game Wardens are for. Like I've said before...there are two basic types of hunters. There are meat hunters, and there are rack hunters. I'm a rack hunter, and you're telling me that you are an illegal meat hunter. Let me know how that works out for you, Mark P.S. Shoot straight, drive straight, feed your hard-working dogs straight away after hunts, and drink straight...nobody likes a spilled beer...that's alcohol abuse.  No.16 Meat hunters....
For all you supposed "meat hunters" out there, you have to be kidding me. If your looking for meat shoot a doe. There is an over abundance of does in nearly every area that holds deer. Let the little bucks go so they can grow. Besides, does taste better. Plus, by harvesting does you can even out the buck to doe ratio, thus improving the quality your herd. As a result of a better herd quality, you will have more bucks, larger body size on all the deer, and most important, a healthier habitat for not only deer but other game in the area. So if your hunting for meat, do yourself a favor, as well as the deer herd, and shoot the next big juicy doe that walks by. Hunt hard and hunt safe JJ. Wis. No.17 Well Said
Well said, JJ.Wis. It's nice to know that there is another intelligent hunter out there, somewhere. Mark, in PA No.18 Untitled
There are many opinions out there and I don't agree with all of them. Hunting pressure on public land makes killing a whitetail a challenge. The photos only show a portion of what actually happened. Some people like to eat and harvest deer for the meat. Others like the big rack of a mature buck. There are times when both are appropriate. If you have the ability to manage deer then they should be so the deer can naturally get big. If you can only hunt on public pressure filled land I say kill everything that moves! No.19 Untitled
i hunt for 2 reasons. to relax in the woods and get alittle thrill at the same time. 2nd is to put food on the table. i'm not on any tv show doing a trophy hunt. granted a big buck would be nice but i prefer a younger doe. the meat is better.
also any good hunter with a half a brain knows you dont just pick up a weapon and walk into the woods and start shooting. either way to go gun or bow you need to know what your doing and make your shots count.
last but not least. gun season is for hunters not up to a real challenge or just dont have it in them. bow hunters are real hunters. you gun idiots and dressed in blaze orage and what not and y'all still manage to shoot each other. you dont find nearly as many ignorant drunk fools sitting in a box in the sky shooting a bow.
those are my words, not yours. take it how you want. No.20 Untitled
I have been bow hunting for 31 years. Love the sport. I have killed many deer. Big deer, little deer, big racks, small racks. I will continue to hunt til I can climb no more. I just recently took a 10 point. The problem with both pics is penitration (sp). These were shots taken to far away. Or maybe this person had one to many Bud Lights. ALCHOL AND HUNTING DON'T MIX GIVE UP ONE OR THE OTHER.
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