Do you retire your arrow after a kill ?
 

I've seen several of my friends retire an arrow after taking a deer with it, especially if they had it mounted or if it was their first deer.

How many of you do this? and do you leave the dried blood on it?

Keep 'em all in the Bull.

RE: Do you retire your arrow after a kill ?
 

Leave blood on it. No, I don't think so. I retire the arrow if the deer is a trophy. However, if it isn't I usually just practice with it a few times to make sure everything is OK with it. Then I use it again.

RE: Do you retire your arrow after a kill ?
 

Never thought of that but it's a great idea. I did retire a lure that I caught my first Master Angler Bass with. I put it in the fish's mouth after it was mounted. I think that's a really good idea. When I do kill my first deer with a bow, I will. But I will clean the blood off of it. Some people will not appreciate that I'm sure.

KEEP IT LEGAL. KEEP IT SAFE. OR WE MAY NOT GET TO KEEP IT AT ALL.

RE: Do you retire your arrow after a kill ?
 

I use to..... but I ran out of places to hang them all.<img src=icon_smile_big.gif border=0 align=middle> I used to shoot an arrow ONCE at an animal.... kill... miss... it didn't matter. It never got shot again. I quit doing that about 3 years ago. I usually shoot 4-7 a year lately. Arrows mount up awfully fast at that rate. They were all just hung on some horns in the basement but it got to be to much clutter. That's why I have a couple dozen thunderheads.

RE: Do you retire your arrow after a kill ?
 

I have kept two arrows. The one that I shot my first deer with and the one that I shot my first Buck with. I just put them across the antlers that I have on the wall. And I did leave the blood on both of them, But noone really notices the blood unless they inspect it closely.

RE: Do you retire your arrow after a kill ?
 

My buddy, who got me in to hunting deer has his first kill, a 9pt, on the wall. The arrow that took him hangs in his antlers and his hooves were made into coat hooks that hold his bow. It looks cool.

Keep 'em all in the Bull.

Edited by - Bulzeye on 11/26/2002 12:20:29

RE: Do you retire your arrow after a kill ?
 

If I'm going to mount the deer yes,if not and it's still in good shape I'll use it again and yes leave the blood on their.

[Deleted]
 

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RE: Do you retire your arrow after a kill ?
 

Good question DOG.
So far I on ly shoot the factory arrows, but when I start making my own, I'll probably have a favorite. (like the one that shoots best)


Start that as a new topic.<img src=icon_smile_wink.gif border=0 align=middle>

Keep 'em all in the Bull.

RE: Do you retire your arrow after a kill ?
 

I usually keep my arrows and hang them next to the mount. Especially if they break for some reason.

RE: Do you retire your arrow after a kill ?
 

I've had deer &quot;retire&quot; plenty of arrows before. <img src=icon_smile_big.gif border=0 align=middle>

The first deer I took broke the arrow, but I would have retired it anyway. I used her hooves to make two bow racks, one of which holds the bow I used, and the mended arrow.

I did, however, &quot;retired&quot; the one I shot my 10-pointer with this year. I cleaned the blood off, even from the feathers, and it hangs on the antlers. The arrow's in perfect shape, except for the slightly messed up feathers.

(Tip: a spin tested and a blow dryer will fix wet feathers great)

I retired one practice arrow this past summer. It was the cedar arrow I used to hit a $50.00 bill folded in half with a home-made bamboo-backed osage longbow at the Compton shoot, from 100+ yards away. (lucky shot to say the least)

I did have a favorite arrow last year that I used to put four deer in the freezer. It's still in good shape and hangs in my bowrack, but is overspined for the lower-weight limbs I'm using this year.

JRW

RE: Do you retire your arrow after a kill ?
 

I do end up with a favorite arrow during my practice. I do not retire the arrow until something happens to it.

That being said if I shoot the next world record buck you will be able to reconize me holding my arrow beside the beaman representative with the big contract.<img src=icon_smile_wink.gif border=0 align=middle>

&quot; Anyone can be a father, but it takes a real man to be a Dad&quot;

RE: Do you retire your arrow after a kill ?
 

I retire the arrow. Each has a special memory and sometimes when I'm dinking around in my shop I stop and take a look at them and remember the hunt.

RE: Do you retire your arrow after a kill ?
 

I wash it and use it again.

RE: Do you retire your arrow after a kill ?
 

I used to save them all--with blood on them. Now--if they're straight--I wash them, put in new blades and spin test them before placing them back in my quiver. One of my arrows already has 2 kills this year.

Today's small bucks are tomorrow's trophies.

RE: Do you retire your arrow after a kill ?
 

When hunting in West Virginia, we have a tradition, started about 18 years ago when there was just two of us, of saving the arrows from deer we've killed and putting the arrow(s), blood and broadheads included, in the antlers of a nice rack that was hanging on the wall from many, many years gone by.

We now use a 9 pt buck that my good friend, Jim, killed about 12 years ago. Its antlers are starting to overflow, though. So we will have to put arrows in the old rack again at some point in the not too distant future.

Bill

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Praise the Lord, He is worthy

RE: Do you retire your arrow after a kill ?
 

killed three deer this year with the same arrow, changed broadheads

THWACK!

RE: Do you retire your arrow after a kill ?
 

I recycle arrows, just change blades in the broadhead, after checking and making sure things are still straight. Only ones that get retired are the ones that the deer break/bend.

RE: Do you retire your arrow after a kill ?
 

I retire them if they're damaged and I do clean them up. However the 8 pointer I shot this year broke my arrow into three pieces. For some reason its still out in the woods. I need to go back and pick that one up. What was I thinking!

If undamaged they are cleaned up and used again.

RE: Do you retire your arrow after a kill ?
 

So far my belief is to clean them up and use them again if they're not damaged. I have to admit though if I ever shoot a monster I will retire the arrow.

Dog....I grew up shooting instinctive. When you do that, you definitely get favorite arrows, not to mention favorite gloves, hats, jackets..ect. you might even call it superstition<img src=icon_smile_wink.gif border=0 align=middle>

[Deleted]
 

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RE: Do you retire your arrow after a kill ?
 

I've retired every arrow I've used so far with the blood and broadhead on em. My dad had a very interesting idea this year, whenever you shoot an aminal put a notch in your broadhead (the part inside the shaft of your arrow) and see how many animals you can kill with that one broadhead (changing the blades and spin testing it first though) So far he has 3 notches in 1 broadhead and one notch in 2 other heads. I'm going to adopt this myself next season. :)

Preserve your hunting rights- Spay or neuter a liberal
>>>---------->

RE: Do you retire your arrow after a kill ?
 

If I have the animal mounted then the arrow goes with it but it must be a unique animal for me to mount it the last thing I mounted was a 130 class 8pt I did retire one arrow this year as it has taken 5 deer and 2 bobcats and 1 coon those ACC's sure are tough all 5 deer were taken with the same 100gr shockwave and 4 out of 5 with the same blades just sharpened. I am now useing an arrow that has 4 kills of a whitetail.

RE: Do you retire your arrow after a kill ?
 

If I were mounting a trophy, I would retire the arrow and broadhead. Since I prefer meat over trophy, after a kill, I thoroughly clean the arrow and put fresh blades on it then spin it. If it spins perfectly, it goes back in my quiver. If it doesn't, I add it to my practice brodhead arrows.

Dick

RE: Do you retire your arrow after a kill ?
 

i dont really keep them unless they break or something.. but only if they kill the deer.. lol


http://community.webshots.com/user/jimmymo32

RE: Do you retire your arrow after a kill ?
 

I used to but after a while you end up with a bunch of old arrows and most of the time I can't remember which ones killed which deer. Now I reuse them if possible, and retire them if not. I shot a point this year with an arrow that killed a 9 point last year, only thing I changed was the blades.

&quot;We do not inherit our wildlife from our fathers, we only borrow it from our children.&quot;

RE: Do you retire your arrow after a kill ?
 

That arrows days are done in the field..

RE: Do you retire your arrow after a kill ?
 

I have on 2 the first was a nice 16pt had a shoulder mount done with the arrow below it the 2nd is a doe that I had shoulder mounted with the arrow below it,other than that if the arrow is still straight I will reuse it,and I did clean the blood off from the arrow's or actually the taxidermist did before he glued them to the board

RE: Do you retire your arrow after a kill ?
 

I have retire every arrow with blood & broadhead on them! Out of all the deer I have taken I only have 2 arrows I can reuse if I wanted to!!

RE: Do you retire your arrow after a kill ?
 

I do if I shoot aluminum or wood arrows, carbons are to expencive to retire.

&quot;Hey ya'll, watch this&quot;

RE: Do you retire your arrow after a kill ?
 

One of my cedar arrows zipped thru 4 deer before the 5th one finally &quot;retired&quot; it.

RE: Do you retire your arrow after a kill ?
 

I try to use the arrow as long as I can, I have one arrow that has passed through three deer. There have been many arrows that only made one trip. I do wash the blood off, because the arrow will not slide across the rest like it should.

RE: Do you retire your arrow after a kill ?
 

if i hit a deer with an arrow (alu.) it becomes a practice arrow.

RE: Do you retire your arrow after a kill ?
 

I have shot two deer with the same arrow because it ended up back in the quiver after the first one and I never got around to cleaning it. The next year it still shot fine so I used it as my hunting arrow the next year and got another deer with it. That arrow is in my quiver and since it still fly's true I'm planning to take number three with the same arrow. For the record, I do have head mounts and have never kept the arrow with the shoulder mount.

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RE: Do you retire your arrow after a kill ?
 

If a deer-kill arrow isn't broken, I sometimes return it to my quiver. I seem to eventually retire them though. Most are laying around my basement workshop, but I do have 5 woodies that I've retired to the doorway transom between my kitchen and sunroom.

RE: Do you retire your arrow after a kill ?
 

<font face='Comic Sans MS'></font id='Comic Sans MS'><font size=4></font id=size4>I have yet to take my first deer with a bow. I recently came over from the dark side (gun hunting) but one of my buddy's has each of his arrows mounted with a photo of the animal (if it's a trophy he mounted it with it) on his rec room wall and it looks sharp. It's a real conversation piece. The blood has been washed off.

Take care and stay safe!

RE: Do you retire your arrow after a kill ?
 

i only retire the arrow if the deer breaks it

RE: Do you retire your arrow after a kill ?
 

I do retire the arrow after it has served its purpose I do leave the blood on it I put it on the rack if I mount it other wise I just hang them in a place of honor on the wall by the 10 pointer I had mounted a few years ago. This year it was a five pointer that dressed at 125 not a wall hanger but good eating.[;0]

RE: Do you retire your arrow after a kill ?
 

I don't retire the arrow or the broadhead. their too expensive.
the only time I would retire an arrow, is if I killed a wallhanger
I'd want the arrow and broadhead layin accross the deer's horns on my wall<img src=icon_smile_wink.gif border=0 align=middle>

daytona 500 winner- Ward Burton
go Cat-22

RE: Do you retire your arrow after a kill ?
 

Nope, if the arrow is not damaged I just replace the old broadhead with a new and that arrow goes right back in the #1 position in my quiver but only after I clean it and make sure it still is shooting the same as it was. I have never killed a &quot;trophy&quot; sized deer with my bow but, if I did I would most definitly retire it. I am using the word &quot;trophy&quot; very loosly because I fell any deer is a trophy just only very special ones get put on walls.