My past is plagued with shooting traditional in hunting situations as many of you know. I have not missed animals, I seem to hit them high, either I do not compensate for them jumping the string, or I don't focus, or they're farther away and I misjudge .... in any event, my arrows have not been sufficient to pentetrate deep enough IMO. I don't believe in my equipment anymore.

So ... I made changed

I now shoot a Zipper recurve instead of a longbow - a bit more power, another #1 or 2 # in draw weight.

I am now shooting Steel Force 2 blad traditional heads - ultra sharp - over a 3 blade (Striker and Thunderheads have been my past choices)

My biggest imporvement, I use a 100 gr steel insert, and I've bumped my arrow weight from the 550 gr range to 680 grains now


I'm shooting my Zipper well ........ and I leave for Kansas Nov 7th for a 7 day or so hunt.

I think I'm going to commit to trad when I go. I'll take my compound, if something happens I'll have it as a CRUTCH and there aint no shame in killing a deer with a compound I just want to do it a harder more satisfying way.

Ya'll understand that of course.

I've battled a lot of trad demons ....... I need this to be a good hunt. I've taken a nice gobbler this year with a shotgun, a nice 8 point buck in AR with a compound ........ I need to take a nice KS buck. I'd settle for a 200" KS buck tooof course taking one with my Zipper would be icing to a very nice year.


I'll do a semi-live hunt, I'll post a thread, pictures, video and updates every night if anyone would like to follow along ???

Silly question

Good luck to you, hope you stick a biggun'!

I don't think you have to worry about that being a consistent problem at anything under 20 yards with whitetails. I've never had one do It, biggest reason I believe Is because our traditional bows are much quieter but It doesn't mean It can't happen. If I compensated for that here In Minnesota I'd have a pile of low hits and low misses. Maybe your deer are jumpier then mine though, could be. If your hunting the Couse' Deer down In New Mexico and Arizona I'd say then that you bet there jumping your arrow, they do It to the guys shooting 300+ fps with there compound's all the time.

Good luck Stealthycat on your hunt and new set up.

Good luck in KS--you do your part, the bow will be fine.

Chad

Do you practice out of a stand? I have always hit high too. I found my problems is one perception of the animal being farther away when in a stand, and two, I was not leaning at the torso.

I have started doing 50% of my practice from elevated stand with a small platform.

I agree, two blades penetrate much better than three blades. I use two blades with all my trad bows. This year ive killed two doe and two hogs with 145 grain magnus out of a 68lb long bow and a 60lb recurve. Both arrows are 620 and 650 grains respectively. The deer were both pass throughs and the hogs passed through, up to the feathers. Dont get down. You know you can shoot.

Good luck on the hunt.

2 Large does this year with a 53# DAS - 420gr arrow with 4 blade Stinger.
1st blew thru ribs/lungs - 40 yd recovery - 135lbs dressed.
2nd thru shoulder paddlebone, lungs and broke offside leg - less then 10 yd recovery - 120lbs dressed.

Shot placement is the key - way more deer lost to bad placement for whatever the reason, then to lack of penetration.

Good luck on the trip.

Steve

Stealthcat I wish you all the luck in the world and thanks a lot for the help. I'll keep an eye out for hunt updates, that's really cool.

shot placement IS the key - and yes I practice from a stand

that said, when you do hit thicker bone you better have the poundage, arrow weight and broadhead to get it done

My Steel Forces are not flying well after all. I took the steel inserts out and put in the regular aluminum and they fly great. I also screwed in a 125 Thunderhead and again, great arrow flight.

So .... I'll probably drop down in arrow weight to about 580 grains or 600 depending on what kind of broadhead I end up with. I might buy Steelforce, or Magnus or some Zwickey's .... but anything more than 145 grains I bet is going to make me a bit underspined with those weight tubes in there

My field points were shooting well at a higher FOC - and maybe a different broadhead would too, dunno ....

Its a small thing though, I'm shooting lights out, and 580 grains is still good 11 grain per pound arrow weights.

Congrats on the new bow (zipper), what poundage is it? You are sure shooting some heavy arrows, there definitely won't be a penetration problem. When I was shooting a compound the arrows were something over 300 gr (don't remember) and I shot clean through 2 bucks that field dressed around 160 lb, so they were not small. Another I shot was through the neck (high weeds/brush, all I could see), it drove the broad head half way through the spinal column, dropped dead in his tracks.

Did you hunt today?

Changeling