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-   -   Help decipher this scenario. (https://www.huntingnet.com/forum/whitetail-deer-hunting/395202-help-decipher-scenario.html)

flyinlowe 10-28-2014 05:27 PM

Help decipher this scenario.
 
Tonight start off perfect. My 9 year old daughter and I took our first deer hunting outing together with my cross bow. Just before dark three does came in and one was broad side, very slightly quartering toward me and 25 yards. When I shot it hit her hard and I heard a pretty loud crack. She instantly fell and for about twenty yards she was flopping and plowing with her chest. My first instinct was maybe I hit front shoulder. I could not see the bolt in her as she flopped towards the woods. After she went out of sight I went and found the bolt. To my surprise it was a pass through shot, blood all the way up and one of the fletches was peeled back. At first I didn't notice but soon realized my Grim Reaper was not open, and it had hair crammed down into the blades like they did not open. The way she was plowing I was sure her front shoulder was destroyed but I don't think I would get a complete pass through going through the shoulder would I? My only thought is the bolt his the shoulder and then glanced straight down. Just a guess but not sure. There was not much of a blood trail. About 10 minutes into the track in the woods it was dark and my daughter was getting scared so I backed out and am going back in the morning. It was in the high 40's when I shot and supposed to be in the low 40's over night. Once in the woods it appears as she was up because the leaves were not all disturbed like she was on her chest. I heard nothing but good about Grim Reapers and that is why I chose them. I hope it wasn't a mistake. After taking these pictures I checked and the broad heads open with little pressure as they should.
Any other thoughts on what might have happened?



rockport 10-28-2014 05:52 PM

Looks like muscle blood and fat but its hard to tell from a picture high shoulder area would be my guess.

Could be liver blood but looks more like muscle from the pictures.

Hopefully the crack was the unopened broad head hitting a rib and she won't be far.

jcrobra 10-29-2014 05:40 AM

That's baffling how the blades didn't open. Can you open them manually? I use NAP Killzones and they open up if I accidentally hit a branch. Have a hard time fathoming how a mechanical can go through a deer without opening up. Crazy.

You would think even with a hole punched through her she would die in short order with decent shot placement.

Hopefully you find her this morning. Good luck!

Oldtimr 10-29-2014 06:51 AM

Anything mechanical can and will most likely fail at some point in time.

redgreen 10-29-2014 08:20 AM

Never was a fan of the mechanicals. I have seen a few that didn't open. Give me a 150 grain Thunderhead and I am a happy camper.

flyinlowe 10-29-2014 08:21 AM

Update.
Found the doe just a little bit ago but the coyotes did a number on her, I will post a pick I took from my phone later. I couldn't tell anything about the entrance wound but the exit was about as expected, a little behind the shoulder, which she was slightly quartering toward me. The front shoulder was still intact from the coyotes and the shot did not impact it. Her "passenger side" (LOL) was ate up from the behind the shoulder back to the ham. Her left side was partly intact back to the back leg, right side back leg was missing. Plus I checked the tip again and it is till razor sharp at the point so that also tells me it did not hit the shoulder bone.
I felt one of the blades and it would open with very slight pressure. I did not open it all the way. I sent pictures and an email to grim reaper just to see if they would want to examine it or not. I thought maybe since it was still as is an had not been manipulated they might be able to tell something. Needless to say my confidence is not the highest right now, the reason I went with that bread head was all the positive reviews.

rockport 10-29-2014 09:54 AM

Just go get some heads that make sense.....simple,steel,and sharp fixed heads.

Slick trick, thunderhead,muzzy,montec,steel force etc.

flyinlowe 10-29-2014 02:07 PM

That's the plan.

flyinlowe 10-29-2014 04:30 PM

I was doing some looking around on Grimm Reapers web site. They say their heads will close up on exit because of the inertia from the bolt slowing down so fast. The way all the hair was in the blades it looked like it had stayed closed. Due to the damage of the carcass from scavengers I didn't really pay much attention to the exit wound because I was assuming it stayed closed, I never dreamed they would close after the fact.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qZOnwNS_cPw

hatchet jack 10-29-2014 05:29 PM

I know Grim Reps have a rep that people/Hunters don't think they open up sometime. They do close on exit some of the time. Checkout some of the reviews on some other sites . Its a bummer you lost the Deer. If you dropped your Daughter at home and went back and tracked the Deer it sounds like you would of found it. ? How far away from where you shot it was the Deer?

Hj


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