Arrow Penetration
10-30-2017, 12:55 PM
#1
Fork Horn
Thread Starter
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: S Cent IN
Posts: 257
Arrow Penetration
I just returned from hunting and have a question about arrow penetration.
I shot a buck this morning from 20 yds with a two-blade 100 gr Rage tipped arrow. I struck him directly in the shoulder and immediately knew I did not get much penetration. I found the broken arrow less than 10 yds from the shot. There was minimal blood on the arrow; one side was completely devoid of any blood and the arrow was broken exactly 5 inches back from the Rage tip.
There was not one drop of blood to be found either on the ground or through the relatively heavy brush and briars along the path he took. Moderate rain came and left me with no clues as to where he might have gone.
My question is, based on your experience was 5 inches of penetration directly in the shoulder a lethal wound?
Thanks for any thoughts you may have. I really hate shooting a deer and not being able to recover it.
I shot a buck this morning from 20 yds with a two-blade 100 gr Rage tipped arrow. I struck him directly in the shoulder and immediately knew I did not get much penetration. I found the broken arrow less than 10 yds from the shot. There was minimal blood on the arrow; one side was completely devoid of any blood and the arrow was broken exactly 5 inches back from the Rage tip.
There was not one drop of blood to be found either on the ground or through the relatively heavy brush and briars along the path he took. Moderate rain came and left me with no clues as to where he might have gone.
My question is, based on your experience was 5 inches of penetration directly in the shoulder a lethal wound?
Thanks for any thoughts you may have. I really hate shooting a deer and not being able to recover it.
10-30-2017, 01:25 PM
#2
Typical Buck
Join Date: Apr 2017
Posts: 995
What angle? What part of the shoulder as that encompasses a pretty large area? Where you in a tree stand and if so how high? On the ground, broadside, dead center shoulder, 5" may have clipped a lung. From a tree stand that same shot from 15 feet up would have probably missed anything vital. Not reaching the artery and vein cluster off the heart and missing the onside lung. Had you been using a quality fixed broadhead, you more than likely would have gotten yourself a deer. The blades more than likely broke off on entry taking a ton of your energy out of the shot. Lots of fixed blade broadheads out in the market today will fly very close to, if not identical to, your field tips. There is now no reason to use energy robbing mechanical broadheads. Broadhead technology in fixed blade has excelled in surpassing mechanical heads.
10-30-2017, 01:29 PM
#3
Dominant Buck
Join Date: Dec 2004
Location: On an Island in Vermont
Posts: 22,605
5" in the shoulder isn't much but you could have severed an artery so I would be spending the next day looking in a grid. Many many years ago I had the same experience with another brand of mechanical head with a bad ending. Same aiming error too far to the front. I never used them again and went back to a name brand fixed head. Good luck I hope you find him before the yotes do.
10-30-2017, 01:46 PM
#4
Fork Horn
Join Date: Aug 2017
Location: mcdonough ga
Posts: 147
yes 5" penetration could have killed him very dead and very fast...depends on a lot of things...i killed one last week that never dropped one drop of blood..frontal angle,i got lucky and went right to her.. ran approx 100 yds up a steep hill...i'd suggest walk in direction he left...100 yds is very typical especially w/ a big hole like that...take a dog if possible..good luck
Last edited by davidg; 10-30-2017 at 02:48 PM.
10-30-2017, 01:49 PM
#5
Fork Horn
Thread Starter
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: S Cent IN
Posts: 257
What angle? What part of the shoulder as that encompasses a pretty large area? Where you in a tree stand and if so how high? On the ground, broadside, dead center shoulder, 5" may have clipped a lung. From a tree stand that same shot from 15 feet up would have probably missed anything vital. Not reaching the artery and vein cluster off the heart and missing the onside lung. Had you been using a quality fixed broadhead, you more than likely would have gotten yourself a deer. The blades more than likely broke off on entry taking a ton of your energy out of the shot. Lots of fixed blade broadheads out in the market today will fly very close to, if not identical to, your field tips. There is now no reason to use energy robbing mechanical broadheads. Broadhead technology in fixed blade has excelled in surpassing mechanical heads.
I was 20 ft up and perfectly broadside dead center shoulder. I used to swear by Rages but have begun to rethink using them. Every deer I have taken with the Rages have required replacing the blades. I have taken two deer with G5 Montecs and think I may have to continue using them as I was able to recover both of them.
Thanks
10-30-2017, 02:55 PM
#6
Dominant Buck
Join Date: Dec 2004
Location: On an Island in Vermont
Posts: 22,605
Another issue with some mechanical heads is if there isn't a pass through the blades often aren't locked open and collapse rather than continuous cutting as the deer runs off. Not sure about rages though.
10-31-2017, 06:48 AM
#8
Fork Horn
Join Date: Nov 2014
Location: Western Maryland
Posts: 195
I like fixed blades with a hard chiseling tip. Nothing to fail. I just can't personally trust mechanical broadheads. A plain 2 bladed fixed BH is all you need to kill any game at all. 3 or 4 is a plus, but are not needed
My daughter used Trocar heads and I use the G5 Montec. Both can be driven through into the ground and I just re-strop with a file for a bit and they are sharp again, short of smacking a rock in the ground. crossbow into a tree sucks too we couldn't even unscrew the bolt.
It is quite possible you smashed the shoulder and the bone chips slowed and twisted the arrow on penetration after trying to open. I would think this might be the hardest on a mech head
My daughter used Trocar heads and I use the G5 Montec. Both can be driven through into the ground and I just re-strop with a file for a bit and they are sharp again, short of smacking a rock in the ground. crossbow into a tree sucks too we couldn't even unscrew the bolt.
It is quite possible you smashed the shoulder and the bone chips slowed and twisted the arrow on penetration after trying to open. I would think this might be the hardest on a mech head
10-31-2017, 08:53 AM
#9
Spike
Join Date: Mar 2017
Location: Southern piedmont of Virginia
Posts: 60
I shoot a Hoyt set at 70 pounds. I’ve been using NAP 3 blade heads for...a very long time, like 20 years or maybe more. With the exception of hitting the spine of a deer I always pass through. My setup has only changed a bit over these years with the bows getting faster and my fletching going from 5 inch feathers on aluminum arrows and 125 gr heads to 2 inch fletching on carbon arrows and 100gr heads but the result has always been the same. 2 holes...entry and exit. I see all the TV hunting personalities shooting rage or some other mechanical head but I just can’t find a reason to change. Oh...my broadheads and field points shoot to a spot within inches of each other. So arrow flight is not a problem with fixed blades either (for me). For me it ain’t broke...