Talondale

I've heard good things about that bow.

LBR

Did you hit any bones on that shot? If not, that for sure tells me there is something else being overlooked. Even if you hit a rib, that should have been a pass-through IMO.

I get to talk to a lot of people from all over, and get to hear a lot of hunting stories. Obviously I can't confirm them, but I've heard too many from too many people I trust to think that all the ones about killing really big animals with lighter bows are a lie--I really don't think any of them are. I've heard about elk, bear, even moose, being killed regularly with bows pulling less than 50#. I've got pictures of the 650+# bear, the gemsbok, and the two carribou.

I also know weird things can happen--I witnessed a spruce grouse taking a solid hit (square in the chest--the arrow literally bounced off) from a 65# longbow, 600+ grain arrow with a rubber blunt, from maybe 15 feet. The bird fell about 3 feet, righted itself, and flew to another tree, then flew off when a second arrow missed. I'd have dang near bet my right arm that bird would have been dead on the spot, but it flew off after taking a hit that would have knocked a grown man flat on his back.

Again, don't get me wrong. Everything I've heard about the DAS has been positive--this has just got me puzzled. My concern is if whatever hasn't been right isn't corrected or covered with the DAS, lightening may strike a third time. There's no doubt whatsoever that the DAS and a 600 grain arrow is more than enough--that should be plenty to shoot through two deer.I just don't think the bow was the problem to begin with.

I'm curious to know what has gone wrong with the other two. Hopefully we (a couple of friends and myself) will get to do some hands-on tests the first weekend of March--headed to SC for hogs. I shoot 66#, but both of them shoot lighter bows and medium weight arrows--maybe they will get a shot at a big hog and we'll see what kind of penetration they get.

Chad

Buster T

22 yards out, 20' up in a tree or so, which is a great angle, broadside and nothing between him but me and air and yes, I hit way high up on the rib cage, I don't think I hit backbone, just below it where the thick ribs come off the spine. Of course, hard to tell 1" from 2" below etc ....... but on impact there wasn't a loud crack like hitting ribs normally give, yet I only got 4-5" penetration or ?? Again, a deer running off its hard to tell if 24" is sticking out or if 23" is, you know ?

But, I've hunted a lot, shot a lot of game, I know when an arrow is suppose to break through and double lung - this hit should have.

It didn't - why ?

I dunno why ......... but I DO know it would have had greater chance to break through wit a few more pounds heavier bow andanother 100 grains of arrow weight behind it.

Agree or no ?

LBR

I meant did you hit any bones on the one you killed, but didn't get a pass-through on.

Obviously with a heavier arrow and draw weight, you should get better penetration unless the arrow is hitting practically sideways. What's puzzling me is you should have gotten much better penetration that you got with the bow you used, bones or not. Deer aren't built like tanks, even in KS.

There are instances where more draw weight isn't better. I tried bowfishing with my 98@28 flatbow one night. Couldn't figure out for the life of me why I wasn't sticking any fish--I should have been buring my arrow in the mud every shot. Finally shot where the light was shining, and discovered the arrow was hitting the water almost sideways, and veered off wildly as soon as it was in the water. Weird things can happen. It's not my bow and it's not my hunt, but I'm still wondering what happened with those two deer, and hope the DAS is the cure.

Chad

Buster T

Cut low ribs going in, broke but didn't pass through ribs on opposite side. I did have a Thunderhead broadhead on that arrow.

I dunno either ........ I remember GORGEOUS arrow flight right before the hit


Thats the only thing I know to do ....... I will not keep shooting and losing deer, I've reached a turning point and this bow will either save me from the Dark Side of archery or I'll go buy a Mathews.

Time will tell

LBR

Have you ever paper tuned or bare-shafted your set-up?

Don't blame you for not wanting to wound a deer at all, but there's something wrong somewhere.

Chad

Rogue

Buster, congrats on the new bow. Thought i would add my 2 cents in here although its probably worth considerably less than that.

Chad brought up some great points but there is one thing that happened to me that I thought of reading your post.
One september along time ago I made a poor shot on a big cow elk and endded up hitting her in the shoulder blade. Granted at that time I was shooting a compound bow and eventually I did find her again and finished the job, but it was 4 days later. I lost all confidence in that bow and never could actually kill anything with it again.

Call it gremlins,mojo,spirits whatever it is that bow had to go away for me to feel confident in my shooting again. Cant help about thinking about some of the American Indians that refused to pick up an arrow that missed thinking it was cursed.

Anyway good luck with the new bow!

Bill

Buster T

Chad - strip the feathers off and my arrows have gorgeous arrow flight. Very tuned bow - that aint the problem either.

The problem #1 is I hit high. But I still believe it wasn't so high that I shouldn't have gotten a kill.

I shot the DAS yesterday evening ......... I wasn't blown away for many picky reasons. Some bows have the feel, some don't. DAS is ultra quiet and vibration free, had good speed, looked to be a very tunable bow. The grip doesn't work with my little hands, it wasn't super fast, and a couple of other little things that will have me sending it back.

[X(]


Had to try it ......... I'll be looking for another bow (likely a Silvertip) because yes Rogue, I think the mojo on my longbow has been lost due a lot to faith in it. I dunno if I can restore that or not .........

Longbow Bowhunter

Kind of agree with what LBR is saying. I don't use a no-cut on contact broadhead (i.e Thunderhead, Sattelite, Wasp), it robs you of bunches of penetration ability/power, and this was no reading, I did my own unscientific test. But good luck with your new bow, I have heard nothing but good about DAS.

Buster T

Longbow Bowhunter

I've bowhuted for ..... gosh, 20 years now ? I've killed a lot of animals, elk, mule deer, whitetails. I've destroyed a lot of broadheads and I found one constant - a 2 blade broadhead will tip curl / bend if they strike something heavy/hard. I've bent/broken Magnus, Zwickey, Bear and quite a few others. The braodheads that DON'T tip curl at the Thunderhead type heads.

That said, a two blade WILL out penetrate because they have less surface area cutting - its an aerodynamic thing IMO. One blad slicing cuts deeper than two, both cut deeper than three and all of those cut seeper than four.

All things being equal in my opinion, a small diameter 3 blade broadhead like the G5 Strikers I used this year, ulta, ULTRA sharp and a cutting tip, will cut just as deeply as a big 2 blade broadhead that might not be quite as sharp.


I've killed one deer with my trad bow. 200 pound KS whitetail, 3 blade Thunderhead.

I've lost a couple of deer ...... and I shot a variety of other heads along the way.

Its my opinion, based on my personal experience, NOTHING beats an ultra sharp head, and very few bowhunters can sharpen a Zwickey or COI head like that as sharp as a factory Thunderhead of G5. So while a 2 blade Zwickey will penetrate better than a 3 blade Thunderhead, it might not if its not ultra, ultra sharp.

Again, my opinion only. My #1 problem is not shooting the animal low enough. my #2 problem is a 52# longbow IMO.

I can fix the #2 by going to a heavier bow. The #1 is MUCH harder to fix and I don't know how to do it. I'm at a loss ......... because my practice is hunt-like, from a treestand, odd positions etc. Maybe shoot 3D this year if I can ?Maybe try a pin ? I dunno ........ I really don't.