I always thought pass through, but after talking to a elk guide this past weekend he almost has me convinced that a fixed blade broadhead is better to stay in because it does so much damage when they run. I have never had an arrow stay in an elk, but he has seen a lot more than I have and he swears it is better to jam it up against the far shoulder and have it stay in.

The buck I shot this year was a pass thru double lung. He didn't run (thank god), but walked off and lived for about a full minute before giving up the ghost. Each hit is something new.

Ibelieve those persons who say they wish the arrow to stay in say things out of random occurence which is not fact-based or backed up by empirical evidence showing the inherent advantages of such a strategy. I can say without fail that the deer that I've had the most difficult time locating was those which I did NOT achieve a full pass through.

Give me a two-sided blood trail any day.

I'll take a complete pass through on a deer sized animal and up any day of the week.

pass through.

Pass Through

And RUN they will. Quite often when an animal is shot he jumps at the sound but stops after a hop or two to look for the source of the noise. We all know that a hit in the vitals is pretty much painless. That's been discussed over and over in papers by biologist and doctors. BUT, I say that if that arrow is in there slapping around and smacking on trees as they flee it just pushes them harder and faster. I'd rather the arrow slip through both sides of the rib cage and stick in the ground. Much shorter tracking job to my way of thinking. Make an animal run faster and faster with an arrow smacking him in the butt he'll spread the blood a lot thinner than if he were just taking a few bounds and not running in BLUR.

A pass thru is the better choice. I had two deer where I did not have apss thru, and after about 100 yards of tracking, the blood trail disapered. That dosen't happen with a pass thru.

It has to me. I shot a buck where the entrance was on the right side half way up and the exit was on the left side near the bottom of the chest cavity and the last 75 yards of the blood trail there was no blood. He only went about 125 yards and the shot placement was as good as it gets. I'm telling you weird things can, will, and do happen. Heck, my dad shot a buck broadside, double lung, right behind the shoulder and the thing went over a mile. We found it, but it took all day. That was with Thunderheads 125 grain 3 blade. Not a bad broadhead, just one of those flukes. Honestly, with what you are describing I am thinking you hit the shoulder or above the spine.

I have had 2 hits on deer not pass through and both died extremely quickly. I am not saying that the one caused the other, I am just saying that there are always outliers.

Davilmil, that is a great point. I never thought of it like that.

pass thru for sure!

2 holes is better than 1!!

heck, if the arrow stays in, your likely to have about 1/4 of a hole with the arrow clogging up the entrance hole and no exit hole!! even if its a good double lung hit, it could be a very very poor blood trail...

the only expirience i have is this years buck...double lung pass through about as picture perfect as they come...he trotted 20yds and stopped. i KNEW i watched the arrow sink right into his chest. but for about 5 seconds my mind was racing...WHY is he just standing there?! i know hes gunna collapse! but why is he standing there!?!? sure enough, he collapsed and it was over for him. if every other deer i take in my life happens like that, i will be a happy man.