I am shooting a Hoyt Ultratec cam and half........65 pounds, 29 inches......277FPS with a Easton Epic 400 shaft tipped with a 100 grain Rocket Steelhead 100 XP (cut blade in the front, new version). Should this setup work well on large bodied deer and what penetration on shoulder shots should I expect?

i dont know what to tell you but it sounds like a sweet setup

Don't shoot at the shoulder. Getting an arrow to pass through the shoulder is not a good shot. Aim just behind and you should have no problems getting pass thoughs with that setup.

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I tend to agree with the other posts. A shoulder shot with anything less than a firearm will leave you with a wounded deer and alot of frustration. Avoid them at all costs. Instead, aim for slightly above and behind the shoulder region. With your setup, assuming a proper tune, you should have no problem getting complete pass-throughs in the area I mentioned.

I'm glad I'm not the only one to question your thinking. You should expect to get S#!tty penetration if you shoot a deer in the shoulder. I hope you're asking what to expect if you screw up a shot but that isn't what it souds like.

A shoulder shot on a whitetail is generally a non lethal shot which will cause the animal unneeded suffering and a likely very long and unsucessful tracking job.

You should expect little to none. You may get more with the right setup, but it's a very iffy shot with no guarantees.

Avoid the shoulder at all costs.

The shoulder question was a theoretical one. I don't try to hit them in the shoulder but in case I do I like to get into the vitals if I do. I shot a large doe a couple of years ago with a 100 grain Shockwave at 25 yards and I hit her at exactly 90 degrees and it broke through both shoulders and penetrated up to the vanes.......But i like to hit both lungs, not the shoulders. I have changed the setup to 2413 aluminum, 100 Steelhead XP's and shooting 267 FPS.

Like Dan the man fitzgerald says, to take a shoulder shot you should be shooting at the very least 80 to 90 lbs and even 100 would be better[>:][>:]Also for max KE shoot aluminums gents!

Wondering how much penatration you will get "if" you hit the shoulder is alot like wondering "if" you will survive after hitting a tree with your truck.

Costs too much to find out.

Instead of picking a set up for shoulder penatration... I would pick a set up that allows you to put them where you want to every time. There is no good set up for shoulder penatration with a bow.