Some one has to say it. The more I hear the more I'm learning these mechanicals are NOT as effective as a plain old broadhead. We hear story after story of these terrible penetration from these things. It sounds like your setup is more than enough but the broadhead(mechanical) didn't do it's job. They work fine on perfect hits but fail time after time on odd angles and when meeting bone. You had both the bone and the bad angle for a mechanical plus questionable shot placement from such a short distance. Sure if you hit the rib cage it'll probably work, but that bone is tough...especially on a big bodied deer. It sounds like you didn't get much of anything other than some bone. It just slid along it and stuck and kicked up. He'll be fine I'm sure. Don't beat yourself up over it. You may want to reconsider the broadheads you're using. I know there are those that say they're the greatest but there are just to many horror stories. A fixed blade just doesn't have these problems. Proper tuning and a little patience and they shoot as good as any mechanical. I've said it before... steel drums and plywood just are not the same as hide and bone and moving deer.



Edited by - davidmil on 12/13/2002 08:50:02