hunt12ga

I just shot my third deer of the season. It was a nice hunt. The weather was bearable, I saw several deer, the RUT is on and I made a clean kill on a doe.

My question is regarding my arrow penetration. I have a G5 bow that's set between 50 and 55 lbs. It's not a very quick bow, but it shoots well. I'm shooting Maxima Hunter 250's with 100 gr 3-blade Muzzys.

The first deer I shot with it, a buck last fall, was quartering away from me at about 20 yards. I shot him behind the shoulder up high and the arrow made it out on the far side in front of his leg, but didn't pass completely through. It was a very clean kill and he didn't go more than 50 yards.

The second deer that I shot this season was a doe, and I hit it a bit high. I didn't get hardly any penetration. I watched her run off with my arrow, and there was no blood to be found. The woods is open enough that we were able to walk the whole thing and we found nothing.

The deer I shot tonight was only about 7 yards from my stand. She was quartering away and I shot her just behind the shoulder up high. She jumped and kicked, and there was blood spraying before she hit the ground. She didn't go far, but this time too my arrow didn't pass clear through. It punctured the chest down low on the far side up in front of front shoulder. She was crashing before she'd gone more than 30 yards.

I want to stick my arrows in the ground on the other side of the deer. It's nice to be able to look at the blood on them to know what kind of shot I made, and they are a lot less likely to get broken off against trees when they aren't hanging out of the deer. I'm just wondering if I should drop down to a 90- or 75-grain Muzzy? Or should I keep shooting what I've got?

rw

MountainHunter

I am no bow techie, but I have used Muzzy 3 blade 100 grains for years and have never had a problems with penetration or pass-through. The last deer I shot with one was a large, mature doe. It was about 15 yards and a fairly steep angle. It came in a bit high, deflected down off a rib, grazed its heart, poked a hole through its breastbone and stuck in the ground on the other size. I shoot a Darton Storm set at about 58 lbs., so my bow isn’t the fastest, either, but it’s quiet and does the job well, IMO.

Mikey30067

had the same setup as you a few years ago but with a 2000 hoyt 50 lbs with muzzys always had pass throughs but if you are hitting the far shoulder or any major bone with this setup chances are its just not going to happen

make sure your bow is properly tuned that will make a big difference
also not bashing muzzys because they are great heads but if you want a better chance for a pass thru look at BH's like montec g5's, magnus stingers, and other cut on impact heads

2 Lunger

Don't go to lighter heads. If anything you are wanting to maintain or go to a heavier arrow. You want more penetration and not less. My guess is your hitting offside bone. It's a common problem with any setup on quartering away shots.

Todd1700

Even with a 50 lb bow you should be getting a pass through with a muzzy unless you hit the offside shoulder on an angled shot. Not to ask a condescending question but is the bow well tuned? Do your field tips and broad heads group together?

ADVWannabee

I use Muzzy 3 blades and I shot my first deer with a bow two seasons ago. It was a nice 5 pt at about 18 yards. I hit him a little high and took out the far lung. It was a complete pass through and stuck in the ground after passing through. I have my bow set at 57 lbs.

hunt12ga

I always second-guess myself, and that's probably what I'm doing now. The first deer I shot this year (not listed above) was a yearling at about 5 yards and it was quartering towards me a bit but I blew through the top of its shoulder and buried it in the mud. Maybe my last couple of shots were just stopping due to getting too close to that off-shoulder. I do know that the blades on my Muzzy from last night were nicked up from bone.

And yeah, my bow is shooting well. I practice during the summer with field points, but a few weeks before season I put old broadheads on my arrows and that's all I practice with so that I KNOW what my arrows are going to do when I'm in the woods.

Thanks for the input... I think that I'm just thinking about things too much.

rw

HoytMT2332

I second the heavier arrows. I always got pass throughs with my hoyt at 48 pounds when i was a kid. I shot heavy arrows. If you want pass throughs to be more likely, use heavier arrows. I was shooting aluminums.

hunt12ga

Ok. I just got done butchering my deer and I have to take back all the second-guessing of my setup.

When I gutted her last night I saw that the arrow had gone in and out of her chest, but I didn't see what else it had done until I started cutting it up. After I skinned her, her front leg almost fell off! The muzzy completely blew her bone into right above her elbow on the off-side.

I don't guess I can ask much more out of my setup. If it still had enough steam to explode a leg bone after going through the body, I will say that is plenty of punch. I guess they are "bad to the bone!"

rw

TFOX

First things first.Find out why your hitting high.You either have a loud bow and the deer are ducking to run(this will decrease penetration as well,muscle contracting)Or you are not bending at the waist when shooting from an elevated position resulting in high hits.Or you just aren't sighted in correctly for the closer shots.


Now,how is the tune?Do your arrows fly straight without any kick due to contact or torque issues.Do broadheads hit the same as fieldpoints?


I know you said the last deer went through the bone but I am willing to bet a Magnus Stinger in either 2 or 4 blade(2 blade with 2 SMALL bleeders) would have been stuck in the ground after that shot from a well tuned setup.

Heavier arrows are fine but they are not a fix all cure all.What's up front makes more of a factor than anything behind it.

My son is getting passthroughs with a 4 blade Magnus Stinger from a 40# bow at only 23" draw(24" this year)His arrows are aluminum BUT they are a thick walled(.016) and only weigh 340 grains so it isn't the weight.It is what's up front and good F.O.C.