Archery Talk

Hey guys so after 3 hours of searching and still finding some more blood here and there we never found her after it just stopped. There were 3 of us and we still couldn’t find her. It sucks.

We did a reverse search and found the arrow though. It had about 8 inches of penetration and was found about 30 yards from the shot. I can’t figure it out.

I couldn’t find where she started bleeding initially but I knew where she went and when I doubled back last night I ran into blood and tracked for a long ways.

So first issue, the lighted nock failed which sucks balls. I would have found the arrow last night if it had worked properly. It shorted when it hit her. Second, the shot looked perfect.

I’m going to send you guys a pic of the arrow and see if you can figure out what may have happened.

If it was shoulder, it would never have penetrated so deep. If it was a superficial area it should have came out right away. I’m lost for ideas. It looked like a perfect heart shot.


This is the view and yellow is where I believe the arrow hit.


I shot at like 15 yards away. I would’ve shot her before at a better distance, but she came in at an angle and was facing towards me. She came underneath the stand and I had to wait to get the shot as she was walking away.

 

Is it possible you went just behind the left shoulder and hit the right?

 

I agree man. The only issue is... That would have bagged something important either on the way in or the way the arrow popped back out. I did find some areas of a fair amount of blood but then it turned to drops. It was very confusing. I think I probably tracked her about 150 yards or more. I’ve never been able to not find a deer as an adult hunter. When I was like 19 I shot a deer when it was really too dark in the evening, but other than that I always try my best to wait for just the right shot. I really didn’t have a good opportunity until she stepped out in the open and she started immediately walking away which I didn’t anticipate. She was facing the whole time until she stopped to eat and she was facing up grabbing leaves pointed directly at me so I couldn’t draw even if I wanted to.

I’ve lost blood trails in a few deer but I have always been able to find them. This just blows. I mean it’s one thing if you gut shoot a deer, but this was a money shot man. I couldn’t believe she made it more than 50 yards. I’m stressed about it but with over 5 hours of searching I can’t figure out how much more we could’ve done.

 

My guess is, if the deer was in position like in the photo of the vitals, you hit a little bit forward. Outward appearance it seems like a heart shot, but ends up close to the shoulder bone and exits out the brisket, without hitting any of the good squishy stuff. They'll bleed, sometimes profusely for a 100 yards or so and peters out. Those short hairs, and the way they are colored look like brisket hairs. Lost a chocolate racked 8 point in 2014 on a shot exactly like that. Guy shot him a week and half later, had a healed up gash that penetrated forward. Coulda sworn that illuminated nock punched the heart.

Sorry ya didn't find her..

 

Well IMHO you did all you could do.
Some would have not even gone back.

 

And in that pic of the vitals, I'm shooting for the exit, which in that case is is the opp shoulder. That red dot is just a bit forward for my liking. Up and back a couple of inches, aiming for the opp leg, I'm punching both lungs.

 

Agreed! Sometimes....well sh!t happens. Doesn't feel good when it does, though.

 

Thanks guys. I probably should’ve aimed a bit further back but it was pretty quick how it all came together and I at least got her to stop and figure it would slip right in there and it may have been a bit forward. My issue is that it did get good penetration and stayed in for about 30 yards. If I wasn’t in the thorax I figure it would have passed through or not stayed in for the distance it did. Either way if that lighted nock worked right I may have at least knew in the beginning kind of what was going on before tracking. That’s the first time I’ve had one fail on me so I can’t complain too much I guess. Thanks again for your support. I don’t have much time to hunt this year but I want to at least get something in the freezer!

 

I put up trail cams in my yard cause there's a lot of activity. I've got 3, a doe, spike, and a 2 year old that hang out together. First time I've checked my cams in a couple weeks and first I've seen of this guy. He's got my attention that's for sure. Also a funny antler photo

 

if it was low, id say you got in between the shoulder and brisket.

 

I hate mechanical broadheads

 

+ 1 on this ^^^^^^^^^

 

I’m beginning to feel the same way honestly. I used to only use Slick Tricks after the first issue with the mechanicals. But... I figured I would give them another shot.

I’ll be honest with you, I have not been impressed with the “extreme blood trails”. I’ve killed a few deer that didn’t really bleed much with mechanicals and they were good shots. Maybe I’ve been watching to many hunting shows and the results they get. They seem to create a blood bath with every shot.

I was using the Trypan for the past 2 seasons and they will kill deer but I’m think about getting back to Slick Tricks at this point.

 

My wife and I both tried mechanicals, the first deer each of us shot didn't go past 60 yards with wide blood trails. I thought, wow these are awesome. Then we both started losing deer. We both went back to fixed.

 

+2

 

In my opinion you can’t beat a MUZZY . I actually mistakenly in low light shot right through a sapling and into a 7 pointer years ago . I was going to cut down the sapling as a souvenir but never did . . Found the buck in the morning.Back when I used those big fat aluminum arrows I shot an 8 pointer from the ground quartering to me ,right through the shoulder blade through the deer long ways and out the butt cheek never found the arrow . Knocked his ass down he got up and ran about 100 yards . MUZZY

 

The sapling was about the size of the bottom of the neck of a beer bottle and had a perfect X right through it . I couldn’t believe it

 

I've used Muzzys for 20 years. Love em.

 

Haven't lost a deer to failure of mechanical broadhead failure. I've lost them to poor shot placement, but not failure to open, or jack-knifing. That mech broadhead Whitetail Assassin showed the pic of DID its job. It opened. Was shot placement the best? Prolly not. And if the shot ended up being where I think it was, based on his pic of the vitals, Rage, Magnus, Slick Trick, Muzzy, VPA, Montec, NAP, etc....would all have had the same result. Since 2017 I've put six deer on the ground with Rage Hypodermics. Combined blood trail lengths are under 150 yards. I also shoot Slick Trick Standards and Vipertricks. No kills with the V'tricks, but plenty with the Standards. Again blood trails are short and heavy.

Shot placement is the key. I'm certain that the six I killed with Hypodermics would have dropped just as quick with as heavy a bloodtrail, as any of the broadheads l mentioned above. I shoot a mid-weight arrow, 420 grains, 11% FOC, 100 grain Rage 1-1/2" Hypo's or Slicktricks, going about 275fps. Penetration is typically not an issue. Broadside or quartering up to 45 degrees.

Side note.....there was no bigger Rage basher than me. Hypo's are a great broadhead. As are all the others I mentioned.