pass through shots
 

Just a quick question to see if this is normal. I have shot about 10 deer with a bow (recovering 7) and not one of those shots were a complete pass through. I used to use a jennings buckmaster with alluminum arrows with mechanicals but now i am using a martin jaguar magnum with 28 1/2 Easton carbon evolution arrows with both bows set at about 70-71 lbs. On Some of the shots the arrow punched through and was sticking out the other side but never a complete pass through, even on shots clearly behind the leg in the ribs.

Is it just me or am i expecting tooo much thinking i should be getting pass throughs on my shots. JUst curious.

RE: pass through shots
 

You should probably list more spec's ! Draw length , Arrow spine, type of mechanicals and it's grain weight , have you ever paper tuned the bow or group tuned ?

I'll say "generally" with today's bows .....especially at 70 # ......if they are tuned well ........you should get pass throughs on most shots unless you hit bone !!

Personally.....I'm lucky and have a 30" draw and shoot 70+ lbs pretty easy !! I always get passthroughs unless I hit a heavy bone .......with mechanicals or fixed blades !!

My initial guess without knowing more .......would be "bow tune" causing your trouble !!

RE: pass through shots
 

My guess would be bow tune as well. The Jag Mag has plenty of "oomph" at 70 pounds, and assuming no major bone hits and a good broadhead you should be zipping them on through.:)

RE: pass through shots
 

Are you still using mechanicals with your setup or did you switch broadheads at the same time that you switched arrows? My guess would be bow tune as well because, as Jeff stated, your bow should be putting out some pretty decent KE numbers....unless you are shooting a large diameter expandable head that is.

RE: pass through shots
 

I'm with the others, something might be wrong.

I have shot 5 deer with a bow, 4 pass throughs, one shoulder hit.
Hunting partners have also shot several in the last few years, all pass-throughs except one other shoulder hit, all deer recovered.

My bow is 65 lbs, 2314 xx78 with 100 gr thunderheads
others are, both 62 lbs, one with 2213 arrows and either 100 gr thunderheads or 2 blade stingers, and other 2314 with expandables from NAP (forget the name).

--Bob

RE: pass through shots
 

If your broadheads are SHARP they should be slicing right through.What distance are you shooting these deer at--30 yards and closer i would think you should get pass-thru shots.jmo.

RE: pass through shots
 

If your bow is out of tune the arrow wont hit "square" and can cause this . The fatter the shaft the less penitration you will get . Feathers tend to go thru easyer than vanes [ very slightly] .Carbon arrows will penitrate better than alluminum of the same diamiter [slightly] . A narrow 2 blade cut on contact head will pass thru easyer than a large cut 3 blade mecanical . That being said , with the bow you are shooting there is no reason you should not be getting passthrus , unless you are useing dull , large cut mecanical broadheads .

RE: pass through shots
 

What everybody else said, only using different words...

:)

RE: pass through shots
 

Can anyone guess what I'm going to tell him?:eek:


Through the mechanicals away, not as good at pentrating as a fixed head.:D However that should not prevent a pass through on a 70 pound bow. You should always get a pass through with 70 lbs, bone or not, with fixed heads. I have to agree with the rest the bow is most likely out of tune.

RE: pass through shots
 

Huh?

Perhaps the game in your area are in dire need of some coral calcium in their diet... :)

RE: pass through shots
 

Make sure your bow is tuned properly , and you are shooting properly spined arrows , and try a cut on contact 2 blade head [ ie , magnus , steel fource , exc.] You will get passthrus . Oh and make sure they are so sharp that you are scared of them .

RE: pass through shots
 

I shoot similar setups or have in the past and have always had complete pass throughs except on one deer with a vortex head, never not cleanly blown through when using muzzys though. As long as I get an exit hole I don't care if it sticks in the ground.

as far as the bone or not issue, i have shot through ribs and not had probs and when i first started bowhunting, shot completely through the shoulder blade of a deer using old darton 50 MX at 55 pounds 2117 arrow and a muzzy 125 head.

RE: pass through shots
 

Of all the deer I have harvested, I would 90% were pass throughs. If your poking him in the lungs, you should be getting pass throughs. It's got to be a tuning issue.

RE: pass through shots
 

With a 65lbs set up I shot a 230 lbs 10 point in the front shoulder, it went all the way through the deer and out the back shoulder, through the bone. Fixed heads, proper arrows, prperly tuned bow you will always get a pass through (unless your shooting at 60 yards;))

RE: pass through shots
 

I disagree with that statement. Way too many variables to say "always"...

RE: pass through shots
 

Todd, thanks for saving me some typing... Damn, I just wasted it :)

RE: pass through shots
 

Well it's like saying, "deer will never jump the string if you have a quiet bow"....

Blanket statements like that are always open to many exceptions. I've had complete passthroughs at 55#'s with the arrow stuck in the dirt on the other side with great shot placement, and I've had one deer with great shot placement at 67# that did not get a total passthrough. Bone/rib density can be a tricky thing. Of course shot placement is crucial, but I think it is bad advice to tell someone that you always should get a passthrough.

RE: pass through shots
 

i think one factor is where exactly the arrow makes contact, if it hits in between the actual rib bones then your going to get better penetration than if it hits a rib bone square on, same thing with the exit side, the arrow will be slowed more if it hits a rib bone square upon exit rather than in between the ribs. maybe!!:D

RE: pass through shots
 

thanks guys. I guess i have to tune up my bow this summer. (i was shooting carbon arrows with a 28 1/2 inch arrow with a 30 inch drw and as small a mechanical diameter head as i could get and yes most shots are under thirty pounds)

I am new to this site and it has paid off already. Thanks again to everyone who replied.

RE: pass through shots
 

I dont say much on here, as I'm new to bowhunting & still have a lot to learn.
That said, last fall was my first season bowhunting & I got a couple does :) which put meat in my freezer but when the buck came out for me, I hit him forward in the shoulder & that stopped my arrow dead. Looked to go in about 4" max. I cant say for sure because I never found the arrow or deer. I tracked him the next morning for 1/2 mile or so till the blood quit. I shot anuther that was looking right at me & that one didnt penetrate either. I know that was a bad shot & I probubly shouldnt have taken it but my point is bones can stop arrows sometimes.
I was using an older Bear Paw compound set at 70 lbs & shooting 28.5" xx75 2413 shafts with 100 grain Thunderheads. Cant say how fast they were going but they passed thru 2 other deer & kept going.

RE: pass through shots
 

im scared of them there pointy and not im my hands

RE: pass through shots
 

where did you hit these deer , and how far away were they??

RE: pass through shots
 

If your talking to me, the buck was about 30 yards out & I believe I either hit his shoulder or he mighta took a step & I got his upper leg bone. When I tracked him he wasnt using his left front leg at all so I kinda lean toward him lifting that leg & putting it in the way.

The second one was a doe about 20 yards away facing directly at me. I was on the ground & she was slightly higher than me so the shot was angled up somewhat. I hit her right smack between her shoulders in the center of her chest. (Sternum?) She ran about 50 yards, pulled out the arrow & believe it or not I think she just started feeding again. I waited almost an hour till the landowner came home & we tracked her together. Found the arrow like 50 yards away & then the trail just kinda wandered around the area awhile before going over a rise & into a swamp. I honestly think she was still there when we went to look for her & she slipped over the ridge when we entered the woods.
The arrow was only 3 inches short when we found it.

Someone above said it may matter alot how the bone is hit, meaning hit squarely vs. a glancing blow that might deflect an arrow a bit but not stop it. This sounds reasonable to me.

These 2 experiences almost soured me to bowhunting as in the past with a rifle I have never wounded or lost a deer. So to lose 2 kinda hurt. I like hunting too much to quit though & have chalked these up to experience. I will never shoot one faceing me again with a bow, even though I'v been told I shot too low it just seems too iffy for me to call ethical. The buck all I can think I coulda done better was aim further back or wait for him to stop.

Sorry I started rambling.

RE: pass through shots
 

A through and through is not a given. Never has been. Too many variables, even in a good hit.

RE: pass through shots
 

I have to agree with most on here. Passthrough's are not a definite by any means. Too many variables come into play when shooting at an animal.

On the other hand, a well tuned hunting setup should yeild a passthrough in most cases if the shot placement is correct. I personally have never had any issues with passthroughs on my past dozen or so animals I killed. But these were all well placed shots. My setups don't yield particularly high KE compared to some. 65lb, 28" draw and a 400 grain arrow shooting in the mid 260's has blown through all of the deer I've killed in the past few years.

I have a cousin who blew completely through an elk at 30 yards with almost the exact same specs as myself. You do not need ultra high KE to kill even the largest game.

RE: pass through shots
 

I am new to this forum, but i really hate to make those who say throw away you mechanicals and go with fixed blades mad. I have killed 6 muley bucks and 7 bulls in the past 8 yrs. with mechanicals. I shoot a BowTech Extreme Solo, 70#, 28 1/2" easton carbon evolutions at 275 fps, tipped with rocky mountion revolution mechanicals (total weight 480 grains, KE of 73.3). All but one was a pass through, with some shots out to 56 yrds. Like i said i'm not out to make anyone mad or upset anyone, just don't trash mechanicals, they do work and work well.

RE: pass through shots
 

Absolutely!:)

RE: pass through shots
 

I agree as well and shoot them almost exclusively now though I also understand that some setups definitely do not warrant their usage. In fact I would say that a fixed/replacement blade is more reliable in terms of penetration when all possible hunting scenarios are considered.

RE: pass through shots
 

I used mechanicals for a while (~270 fps), but the crummy penetration and mangled heads I realized steered me back towards fixed blades. I used many styles of heads and finally came to the conclusion that one-piece, cut-on-contact heads are superior for big game. I hunted the last 2 years of my compound days very content with 2-blade heads. Shooting wooden bows and arrows now at ~140-150 fps, I typically get passthroughs unless heavy bone or dense muscle is encountered...still using cutting point 2 and 3 blade heads with 600-700 grn arrows.