Author Topic: liver shots on whitetail (Read 3221 times)

TScottO · « **on:** October 29, 2003, 01:27:41 PM »

Will any of you take a liver shot on a whitetail if thats all that was presented? How long would it take a deer to expire if this was the only major organ hit?

Good luck and be safe,
Scott

Flinch · « **Reply #1 on:** October 29, 2003, 01:49:53 PM »

Well, Im my opinion, its not a prefered shot. I have hit one there but by accident, it was a real windy day and I just didnt account for it. Anyway it took about an hour to find it. It ran about 1/4 mile through heavy brush. I should have just sat tite and let it die but I think I started trailing it too soon. Maybe it wouldnt have gone that far if I wasnt chasing it. Anyway its definatly not going to drop it where it stands if thats what your after.

Gregory · « **Reply #2 on:** October 29, 2003, 01:56:01 PM »

I've taken shots at the rear of the lung area with the deer slightly quartering away, but wouldn't take a broadside shot aiming for the liver on purpose.

Myk · « **Reply #3 on:** October 29, 2003, 02:48:20 PM »

I wouldn't. Not fair to the animal to give it a drawn out death and less likely to recover that animal. Crap happens but there's no excuse for taking a bad shot on purpose.

I couldn't believe it when my friend said he took a bad shot at a deer last year just because it had a good rack. He never got the deer so what good did it do him? The deer won't be back this year if it's even alive so it actually hurt his chances of getting a trophy.

I hit liver tonight. But I also totalled two lungs and was aiming for the lungs. The only reason I hit liver was because I didn't realize she was angling towards me a little. There's a little more room for error making a 2" hole than there is making a .3" hole.

DzrtRat · « **Reply #4 on:** October 29, 2003, 03:15:32 PM »

The liver is actually pretty slim in the area it takes up from front to back. It lies right against the diaphram separating the chest area from the abdomen, so intentionally shooting at the liver from broadside is shooting at the very rear of the lung area.

Yes, I'd take a liver shot on a quartering away animal......but only because the lungs would be right behind it.

~Rat

Graybeard · « **Reply #5 on:** October 29, 2003, 04:17:02 PM »

It has been my experience that an arrow thru the liver drops a deer just as quickly as one thru the heart or lungs does. I think I've hit three or four there from memory. Wasn't really aiming there but that's where the arrow went regardless. None went much over 100 yards. The first one went 77 steps and I was some shocked that a liver hit dropped it so quickly. After the second one fell in not much more I wasn't surprised by the others.

Can't really say as how I've ever put a bullet there on one. Not that I recall anyway.

So would I? Yeah if it was the only shot presented (kinda hard to believe it would be tho) and I didn't expect to get a better presentation. You do need a more strongly constructed bullet to exit on a liver hit as opposed to a lung hit.

GB

Tony · « **Reply #6 on:** October 29, 2003, 07:36:45 PM »

Myself , I would not take a liver shot if that was all that was offered. I would wait for a better shot and if one never got presented then oh well. I think people need to know from the start what shots they will and will not take and then stick to those decisons. Remember hunting is not about going out and just shooting and killing an animal. I think it is about being out in nature and enjoying it and if the right shot is not presented, there is always the next time.

Tony

Lloyd Smale · « **Reply #7 on:** October 29, 2003, 11:54:18 PM »

Ill agree with graybeard here. Ive shot a couple with the bow in the liver that didnt make 100 yards and one with the .44 mag that made about 125 I wouldnt shoot them there on purpose but why would you if you can hit the liver you can hit the lungs.

Quote from: Graybeard

It has been my experience that an arrow thru the liver drops a deer just as quickly as one thru the heart or lungs does. I think I've hit three or four there from memory. Wasn't really aiming there but that's where the arrow went regardless. None went much over 100 yards. The first one went 77 steps and I was some shocked that a liver hit dropped it so quickly. After the second one fell in not much more I wasn't surprised by the others.

Can't really say as how I've ever put a bullet there on one. Not that I recall anyway.

So would I? Yeah if it was the only shot presented (kinda hard to believe it would be tho) and I didn't expect to get a better presentation. You do need a more strongly constructed bullet to exit on a liver hit as opposed to a lung hit.

GB

supermag 445 · « **Reply #8 on:** October 30, 2003, 01:28:31 AM »

My brother and I were hunting in PA a few years ago and my brother got a shot at a buck on a very windy day using his 30-06 as the deer was moveing and hit the buck in the liver. Well the liver was jello to say the least and the buck went right down. No other major organs were hit if I remember right. If there were it was very insignificant to say the least. We were both very suprised to see it go down so fast. He said that by the time he got to the deer it was dead. So it didn't die right away but didn't stay alive long either. He was only about 65 yards away when he shot. So I do believe it is a killing shot but I don't take them on purpose.

Brian

ras308 · « **Reply #9 on:** October 30, 2003, 03:27:08 AM »

I will have to agree with Graybeard as usual. The liver shot is very deadly, but not an aiming point. I have shot a deer, accidentally,through the liver and watched it go down w/i 20 yards. If you think about it, the liver filters the blood!!! Happy hunting.

Crayfish · « **Reply #10 on:** October 30, 2003, 04:03:06 AM »

I accidentally hit a buck in the liver several years ago ... it was quartering toward me at very close range (35yds or so) and was beginning to sense that something was up! I was using a 300WinMag and didn't want to ruin the near side shoulder so I aimed just behind it, not realizing that the deer was quartered as much as he was (and thinking he was going to bolt any second so couldn't wait for a better angle). At the shot, the deer wheeled around and headed across a field. I had jacked another cartridge into the chamber, but didn't have to shoot again... he never made it more than 75yds.

The post-mortem showed that nothing but the liver and diaphragm were hit and the 180gr Ballistic Tip totally shredded the liver, exiting out thru the forward part of the stomach (unfortunately making a mess in the process) and leaving a 1.5" exit hole.

So they definitely work, but I also wouldn't shoot one there on purpose!

... Crayfish

Questor · « **Reply #11 on:** October 30, 2003, 04:36:11 AM »

If I were offered a liver shot, I would probably be offered something better at the same time, unless it's a broadside shot where everything is obscured except the liver area.

I wouldn't take it because it's just guts around the liver, so if I miss, there's no margin for error and probablly a lot of tracking and waiting -- exactly what I try to avoid.

512 · « **Reply #12 on:** October 30, 2003, 07:01:34 AM »

i witnessed two deer taken with a liver shot.
first was with 44 mag and 240 gr. rem HP. it was a large northern whitetail buck and at the shot he ran and covered 150 yd or more. the shot was obviously vital however it took longer to bleed out than a heart-lung hit. the HP did guite a bit of damage and also caught the tail of the lungs. my wife was the shooter and the deer was quartering away some. she just hit a little farther back than she intended.

second one was a hunting buddy of mine. he used a 454 with 260gr freedom jacketed. the deer was running and he hit just a little far back too. the shot was angled slightly but all that was hit was the liver. it was a large buck as well. he traveled 400 yd or more but with the open country we hunt in and a faint blood trail, we found him rather quickly. same load on another buck he shot in the heart ran 75yd or so with huge blood trail. we found that bullet after some "tracking" in the snow. it had a full wadcutter sort of look.

i would not take a chance on a liver shot if you didnt have good conditions for easy recovery. its always fatal but how long and how much ground can it cover? besides, it would take a better shot than me to hit just the liver, as its so small from the side veiw. hope this helps.
Jeff

Tony D · « **Reply #13 on:** October 30, 2003, 07:52:13 AM »

I shot a small buck in the liver and rear part of the lungs once. He was about 7 yards away from the tree I was in and quartering away. I aimed to place the arrow behind the offside front shoulder. At the shot, he took a step and I hit a lot farther back than I wanted. I was sure I had just gut shot him. It had been raining, but with the assumed gut shot, I was going to wait a long time to start tracking. About 15 minutes later, it started raining again. So as not to lose the blood trail, I got out of the stand quietly to check my arrow that I could see on the ground after passing through the buck. You could not have gotten any more bright redblood on that arrow than what I found on it. I looked in the direction he ran and saw a white spot - he only made it about 75 yards! I think this shot was so quickly fatal because I had severed the main artery serving the liver as well as the rear part of the lungs. Heck of a smelly field dressing job, though!

tripper · « **Reply #14 on:** October 30, 2003, 08:24:05 AM »

i will have to agree with graybeard. i waited 1/2 hour on both deer i have hit there with my bow then marked the first blood and went and had coffee with my bro. for another hour. i knew i had hit further back then i wanted so gave the deer plenty of time to lay down and die. both deer were found with in 150 yds of where i hit them. i would not shoot for the liver except on quarting away shots because then you will take at least one lung to. i will add that both dear i hit left very skimpy blood trails.

High Brass · « **Reply #15 on:** October 31, 2003, 03:05:28 AM »

I assisted in a tracking job earlier this month on an arrow hit deer. The guy described the hit over the cell phone and I figured it for a liver hit. I told him to wait at least one hour before tracking. Well, he didn't and jumped it up. We found the deer, 3 hours and 250 yards later. Long story short, wait few that I have seen hit in the liver took a while to die. May be different with a gun, but with a bow an hour or better wait seems practical. Just my experience.

Black Jaque Janaviac · « **Reply #16 on:** October 31, 2003, 04:15:48 PM »

Although I don't necessarily "aim" for the liver, I do consider it part of the vital zone.

I've been using a muzzle loader with roundball for several years. I've been dissappointed in how far the deer travel after hit - EXCEPT FOR THOSE HIT IN THE LIVER.

I don't know if the roundball needs the density of the liver to dump energy or what. But if I put the ball through the lungs or heart the deer take off like a shot. If the liver is involved the deer seem to hunch up and wobble away; or run off over the top of a hill to lay down, never to get up.

I realize my experience is a bit different from what others have described - but hey, I'm just relaying what I've witnessed in the field.

The reason I don't "aim" for the liver is because it doesn't make a huge target, and if you miss to the rear you gutshoot 'em. I consider the liver as an extra margin if you err on a heart-lung shot - and it has bailed me out on occasion.

jhalcott · « **Reply #17 on:** November 01, 2003, 03:41:07 PM »

my buddy hit a buck thru the liver today about 4pm. It humped up ande went about 50 yards, he was NOT aiming for the liver . It was almost instantly fatal,
jh :wink:

TScottO · « **Reply #18 on:** November 02, 2003, 05:35:31 AM »

I have killed deer with shots that included the liver but have never hit only the liver. I agree that to be presented only a liver shot would be rare but if its the only shot and its an effective shot I dont see a reason not to take it. I figured there would be a lot of responses saying that its an inhumane shot to take. I guess if I hunted somewhere where deer are plentiful and had tons of deer to choose from I might not even have asked this question. When you are only likely to see a few legal bucks a year I think its worth finding out what really works.

Good luck and be safe,
Scott