Just have a quick ? regarding a shot my hunting buddy took on opening day. He normally shoots a compound, but after helping me check my 2 crossbows and he saw just how accurate they are he left compound at home and used my xbow. He took a shot close to straight down, slightly in front of the stand right at dusk. Pass through, good blood (not pink - but not guttural either, on arrow(arrow was pretty well covered in blood). He came out and we waited an hour. Went back in with flashlights and found only two large drops of blood within 3 feet of the hit. Searched til 11:30 at night and then next morning and found nothing more. He blamed my crossbow, I blamed his shot..My question is regarding a shot I have never taken, but I have heard that if you shoot straight down out of a stand, your shot will generally be alot lower than where Xhair is aimed. Am I telling him correct info, and he probably past through with non fatal blow. His shot was with a 125gr spitfire. I have hunted most of my life but relatively new to the archery world. Thanks for the help/comments

wasn't the crossbows fault. he took a bad shot and probably only caught one lung if he's lucky or didnt catch anything vital.

I appreciate the reply and I am sure you are right. Whats your opinion of taking a straight below the stand type of shot, other than not to. Is the hit usually low and if so by how much, If you have seen or taken a similar shot. I just want to better educated next time I speak with him. Thanks again Doug

the straight down kind of shots are a no no. You're margain for error is none and if you're really lucky u may hit spine. It's a shot you just dont take regardless of crossbow or compound. Usually if ur shooting straight down you are going to hit a little above where u aim from the arrow rising. Hopefully the deer survived to be hunted another day. I have never taken that shot but i have helped track deer before that were taken with that shot. It's way to risky and it's one you pass up. Let the deer walk out away from you a short distance and you stand a much better chance of a clean kill. Hope i was of some help.

Thanks Slayer, I have limited knowledge of bowhunting, but I do know better than to take even a marginal shot much less a difficult one. Its surpirsed me when my buddyDave told me of the shot he took. He's bow hunted for a lot longer than me, however he now gets few opportunities. He acted legitimately surprised not to find the deer but it did make him sick to his stomach. It proves to be quite a waste when something like this happens, especially onmy familys property. All I hope for is that it was not a fatal wound and the deer heals. Thanks again, and good luck this year.

CORRECT.....straight down shot are a NO NO.....ussally the arrow will slip some what...sounds like to me....you gottaa wounder on your hands...Bad decision...its not what we wanna hear in the crossbow Forum...the anti's cross bowers will be all over this....Honkers

Your buddy is a duffus. The only thing I would shoot it with is a firearm and only if the deer were inline with the gun so that a slightly high or low shot would be still effective. Suggest he goes for sterilization, that way bad decision making will come to an end! LOL!

how long did you look for the deer?

Did not mean to put a bad topic in forum or anything for the anti-xbowers to chew on. Just wanted to find out if his shot was truly straight down or in this case the way he described it to me 3 feet from the ladder, what the arrow would have done over or under so I could let him know and educate myself.Its an unfortunate reality that his concious now has to deal with. Thanks for the input.

Ans to Killas question.. We met at the truck at I think 8:40 about 20 / 25 minutes after he shot... We walked back in with lights at 9:30 and looked til 11:30p.m. The next morning I went to my stand and he waited for enough light to see by and then searched til about 9:45 am and never found anything but the 2 drops at the stand. Thanks