Abdominal Wound Management in Big Game Animals

by Joe R. Bumgardner, M.D.

Let's address the issue of the bowhunter’s old nemesis of the ‘gut-shot’ animal. When we speak of a ‘gut-shot’ animal we are referring to a hit/wound in the abdominal or pelvic cavity and the organ/organs involved include but not limited to the paunch (stomach on the deer family), small intestine, large intestine (colon) and rectum. We generally verify a ‘gut-shot’ wound by the fact that our arrow contains paunch or intestinal contents with particulate or creamy/soupy consistency green/yellowish material. I firmly believe (with rare exception) that paunch/intestinal shot game eventually produces a universally lethal injury. The paunch contents on the arrow usually has a characteristic putrid odor; quite noticeable when you ‘sniff’ the arrow.

Just because you have paunch/or intestinal contents on the arrow shaft doesn't’t necessarily mean that a vital organ (like the lung or heart) wasn't’t hit.It simple means that the paunch/or intestines were transgressed during the course of the arrow flight through the animal. Most ‘gut-shot’ wounds are ‘pass-throughs’ with an entrance and exit wound with the arrow usually remaining on the ground where the animal was standing when the shot was taken.The reason for this is the fact that the intestines/paunch offer little resistance to a sharp broadhead and results in a complete passage through the abdominal/pelvic cavity/cavities.

The rational of humanely bow-harvesting big game animals is based on shot placement in the ‘vitals’ which is the chest cavity housing the lungs and heart. A sharp broadhead placed here will usually yield a quick demise of our game because of rapid blood loss as well as the immediate collapse of one or both lungs. When this is accomplished (with proper shot placement), we frequently observe/hear our game ‘go-down’ in a matter of seconds making our recovery/blood trail a very straight forward simple endeavor. However, when a ‘gut-shot’ is made either because our game moved during or immediately after the shot or because we failed to properly aim/execute the shot, the animal usually does not experience a quick demise and the subsequent blood trail is usually less than desirable. The blood trail is frequently minimal with a ‘gut-shot’ wound because a major vessel was not hit or the entrance or/and exit wounds become ‘plugged’ with a loop of small intestine preventing any further external bleeding.

I have witnessed a ‘gut-shot’ animal ‘go-down’ just as quickly as a heart/lung shot (on occasion) because a major abdominal/pelvic blood vessel was hit yielding a quick demise of the animal. However the usual end result of a ‘gut-shot’ animal is death by peritonitis/sepsis (bacterial infection), infectious shock and dehydration. This latter scenario can take anywhere from 4 to 36 hours depending on the presence/or absence of any associated injuries in addition to the gut wound. The immediate behavior of a gut shot animal can frequently give us clues that indeed the shot did hit the paunch or intestines. Frequently the ‘gut-shot’ animal will react by ‘bowing’ or ‘hunching-up’ as an immediate result of the discomfort caused by the spillage of the paunch/intestinal contents into the abdominal cavity lining. The animal will frequently very slowly walk away from the point of impact to bed down as a result of the immediate discomfort. This causes an immediate ‘chemical’ irritating peritonitis or inflammation of the abdominal cavity lining that in a matter of hours converts to a bacterial (infectious) inflammation- peritonitis process. Because the time interval (from animal impact to the demise of the ‘gut-shot’ animal) is so variable and unpredictable, it is always best to wait before pursuing a ‘gut-shot’ animal. Once you have documented that a ‘gut-shot’ wound has been inflicted (by examining your recovered arrow), it is preferred to very quietly leave the area and return later with help to pursue/retrieve your animal. Don’t immediately pursue the animal and ‘track-up’ the area with your scent as this will be detrimental if you plan on later returning and using a dog to help trail the animal. Next we have to address just how long do we wait? If the weather permits (it isn’t so hot that the meat will start spoiling immediately and if it isn’t raining or about to rain thereby possibly washing away any trailing signs), I prefer not to return for an absolute minimum of 4 hours and preferably 8 hours. If it is an evening hunt, I prefer not to ‘pick-up’ the trail until the following morning. The rational for this plan (and the enhanced success of recovery) gives the undisturbed/non-pursued deer time to ‘bed-down’ and succumb to the wound.

If pursued before the animal’s demise what frequently happens is the animal is ‘jumped’ and runs with little or no blood trail for a long distance (frequently and unfortunately hundreds of yards). This lessens the likelihood of successful recovery particularly if you do not have the availability a good deer trailing dog.

When you (and your help) return to pursue your ‘gut-shot’ game, the best scenario hoped for is to retrieve your animal within 75 to 100 yards from the point of the original point of arrow impact. If you are able to wait the appropriate recommended time before you ‘take-up’ the pursuit trail for ‘gut-shot’ animals, you will fortunately and not infrequently be rewarded with a quick recovery. If this doesn’t occur, then you must pursue the ‘gut-shot’ animal with all the usual game recovery skills (and bowhunting commitment) that you posses to recover your animal and don’t give up until you have exhausted all the possibilities that a successful recovery can/will be achieved. We owe it to ourselves (as an ethical bowhunters) and to the animals that we pursue as bowhunters.

If you will apply these techniques to your bowhunting/game trailing endeavors, I feel that you can be more successful in recovery of your ‘gut-shot’ game. Fortunately for me it yielded a successful recovery on 2 ‘gut-shot’ animals just 3 weeks into the 2003-2004 year’s season. One deer had a lung/paunch injury and the other had an exclusive paunch/intestinal injury. Both recoveries produced some excellent venison for my freezer.

May you have a successful and safe upcoming 2004-2005 bowhunting season and please remember to continue to practice/and demonstrate ethical bowhunting principles so we can have the best chance of maintaining bowhunting a vital/viable sport.