Just took a deer....but crossbow wierdness.

Wrong Way

Wrong Way

CGN Ultra frequent flyer
Rating - 100%
198   0   0
Location
Ontario.....far enough N of T.O. that I (almost) c
So I was out bowhunting tonight trying to fill a tag (and the freezer) before I leave for my two week "real" deer hunt next weekend. Anyway, I put one of those string trackers on my bow to try this year, and wanted to see how it works. (figure following a string in the dark is easier than blood trailing.....)
So I'm walking out and I catch a movement out of the corner of my eye, and immediately go into a crouch, when a big doe pops out at 20 yds......BUSTED.
She does the stomp and snort and takes off. I immediately lay on a grunt tube and stomp the hell out of the ground......she 360's and comes back. At twenty-two yards she is facing me dead on and starting to stomp again....so I pick my shot (neck, dead center, midway between the sternum and the chin....and before anyone gives me grief about waiting for a quartering away shot...it wasnt gonna happen. BTW, I can split my own bolts at 20 yds, I KNEW I could make a clean shot) Anyway, I shoot, and the line whizzes out of the bow and she takes off. I wit my usual 45 minutes, then start following the line. It ends about 40 yds into the bush, and there's my arrow! I blood trailed her another 25-35 yds and found her, but heres the weird part: There was an entry, but no exit. In fact, it seems like the broadhead only went in about 1 1/2"! Could a tracker line really slow down my arrow enough that it will only penetrate 1 1/2" at 20 yds? I'm stumped.
Its a tenpoint stealth, 165 lbs draw shooting carbons with 100 gr mechanicals.

Ryan
 
Very light bolt and broadhead, and the string tingey could have slowed it up some, but my guess is you hit something solid that stopped it.
Would have waited , and or passed on the low percentage shot. The deer was alert to something a miss. Don't take it the wrong way, I was not there , but it could have ended up not so good. ;)
 
Hey Levi. Any further than 20 yds out, and I would have passed......but an 1 1/2" broadhead throught the jugular is an 1 1/2" broadhead through the jugular....and I was 100% confident in my shot. I was rested, scoped, and shoot this bow 50-75 times per week. In fact, I've allready had it restrung twice since july :)

The only variable was the string........I cant see it dropping my arrow that much, esp at 20 yds. The bow chronies 312 FPS with these bolts/broadheads, and on every other deer I've shot with it (9) I've had complete pass-throughs, even when I causght a piece of the far shoulder.

I dunno...maybe the line caught a branch or something. I think the trackers are a good idea, but now I'm not so sure I'd continue to use one.
 
Ya I don't like those string thingys either what Levi says could have happened it certainly could have slowed and hit something hard and bounced out I have seen that before. At least she is down and your freezer is full. Where is the Pics?
 
hunt365 said:
Ya I don't like those string thingys either what Levi says could have happened it certainly could have slowed and hit something hard and bounced out I have seen that before. At least she is down and your freezer is full. Where is the Pics?
Click to expand...

I never took one......not real exiting. Big doe hanging from the rafters in the shop. I never in a million years would have thought that an arrow could "bounce out".......amazing.
 
the arrow didn't bounce out, at least not 40 yrds after the shot( the string deployed that far so that means the deer pulled out that amount of string with the arrow still in it.)

what happend was either the arrow got pulled out by a branch( has happend to me) or the string snagged on something and pulled the arrrow out.... and if you only got the amount of penetration you said you got, it makes it that much easier to be yanked out

sounds like you were confident with your shot and you made a great shot..congratulations
 
Last edited:
I tried my buds bowfishing rig in Florida with a regular arrow, with 15lb test, and i shot at his target and the arrow went surprisingly slower than without the string. Now, this could have been because his spool wasnt the greatest, but i could notice a difference. Another thought, is that it could have hit the spine.. but then i remembered that you only got 1-1/2" penetration, and i think the spine is a little further in than 1-1/2" lol.
 
Well firstly congratulations on the deer.
Secondly those string trackers are crap... your experience is proof of that, every single person I know that has used one has trashed it because of bad experiences.
Thirdly, I don't know how to say this without sounding like a preacher or know it all but here goes.... your choice of shots was a very low percentage shot and you were very fortunate to collect your deer.
Your reasoning that the animal was not going to present a broadside shot and the fact that you can split your own arrows in no way defends a low percentage shot like this.
I would have let that deer walk and I am sure that almost every other archer here would agree. No offence meant Wrong-Way.... but I could not let that slide by without offering my view for the new archers here.:eek:
 
10 Characters
http://www.bowhunting.net/artman/publish/bowtechFrontalSHot.shtml
The Frontal Shot
By Scott Haugen
May 25, 2006, 00:15
Email this article
Printer friendly page


Sponsored By BowTech Archery

Visit the web site of Scott Haugen
I’ve heard it by many hunters over the years, “Never take a frontal shot on a big game animal with bow and arrow.” This is a shot most archers, even veterans, shy away from, and I often find myself asking why. If you know your equipment, the anatomy of the animals you’re hunting, and more importantly, their behavior under any given situation, then you’ll understand why a frontal shot can be effective.


The author depended on a frontal shot to drop this bull.

My last frontal shot came on an African lion. It was bedded, facing me, at 42 yards. The cat had not yet seen me, and my intent was to use the wind and sneak around for a side shot when it stood. Several factors prevented me from reaching this point, which is when I consider taking a frontal shot.

At first I couldn’t get a shot due to tall grass, but I repositioned myself and when the cat stretched out it’s neck, a window opened. Quickly I reached full draw and seemingly in one motion my BowTech Allegiance sent a broadhead under the cat’s chin. The arrow ran the full length of the body and exited near the tail, destroying the atrium and piercing the lungs. It was the perfect angle and the situation was right. The cat went eight yards and died, and we captured it all on film.

On one of my best Rocky Mountain elk, the bull came running to the call. When I saw small tree tops swaying, I reached full draw, and held. When the bull broke from the trees he stopped, looking for the source of the sounds. There was no wind, the sun was in the bull’s face and he was obviously not aware of what I was. He stood facing me, and at 24 yards, I put the arrow right in his throat.

The vanes disappeared into his deep chocolate mane. He went 40 yards and collapsed. When field dressing him, I found the broadhead in his pelvis. On the elk, lion and all other animals I’ve taken with a frontal shot, the blood trail has been immense. Never have I missed a frontal shot, nor had an animal turn on me upon release. This is not a bragging point, rather an example of how the frontal shot can be highly effective when selectively taken.

The key to making a frontal kill shot is being able to hit a small target, under pressure. If you shake at making a lung shot on a broadside animal, then a frontal shot is likely not in the cards. However, if you’re drilling animals and have the confidence you can hit a small kill zone, then no longer will a facing animal at close range walk away from you.

I’ve heard numerous stories of archers who have let big bulls and bucks walk away, despite the fact they were within 15 yards, staring at a hunter who was at full draw. This is where knowing an animal’s anatomy is crucial. Where the windpipe goes into the body, there is a soft window of tissues which are great for a broadhead. Avoid shooting too low, beneath the windpipe, as this is where bone and cartilage become a factor.

I use the bottom of the windpipe as a reference to the lowest point at which I’ll take a frontal shot, and a few inches above the base of the windpipe as the highest. Above the windpipe there is a narrow margin of neck muscle you can shoot through, prior to hitting the spine. This gives you a shot window of about five inches high by four inches wide on elk, a bit smaller on deer. If this window is not within your comfort zone, then the frontal shot is not an option.

Another factor to consider when evaluating a frontal shot is body position. Ideally, the animal will be on level ground, where an imaginary line can be drawn all the way from the throat to the anus, or at the highest point, the base of the tail. If the animal is below me, where I’m looking at the arrow to exit out the stomach, I won’t take the shot. This is because the target entry spot, beneath the throat, is quite small, not because the arrow won’t pass through the vitals.

Distance is another key to consider. I won’t take a frontal shot beyond 30 yards, simply due to personal preference, but this decision also depends on two other factors. First, I don’t want to risk an animal jumping the string or seeing me move, then flee; the closer they are the better. Second, because an animal is facing me, it’s likely already on alert (unless I’m sitting on the same trail it’s walking up), and this means a quick evaluation of it’s next move.

After considering wind, distance, light and angle of the animal, predicting its behavior is the last item on my checklist as to whether or not I’m going to take a frontal shot. This comes from years of hunting experience, and observing how animals behave, both disturbed and at ease. If I sense an animal is on edge, I won’t take the shot. If I’m confident I can send a speeding arrow into the kill zone when an animal is facing me, I won’t hesitate.

The more time you spend in the woods, the more animal encounters you’ll have, the more familiar you’ll become with their behaviors. Combine this with educating yourself on the anatomy of your quarry and honing your shooting ability, and the odds of connecting on the frontal shot greatly increase. But one factor you can control that will help make that frontal shot is a fast-shooting bow, one you know will get the arrow to the sweet-spot before the animal has a chance to move
Click to expand...
 
That is one mans opinion gth... and far more opinons are against frontal shots!!!
Here is one worth reading.

http://www.huntingnet.com/staticpages/staticpage_detail.aspx?id=8
Frontal shot

This shot is too risky. Yes, you can kill a deer by taking a frontal shot with a bow, but the odds are against you. The chances of hitting the rib cage bone and deflecting or stopping your arrow far outweigh the odds of your broadhead taking out enough vitals for a quick and humane kill. This is a shot to pass on until the animal turns broadside for a more effective and ethical killing shot.

You can take this shot with a firearm but the effective target area is much narrower than the width of the deer and the shot must be dead on for a quick and humane kill. A few inches either side of dead center will result in a frontal shoulder shot and will more than likely require a second shot. A little low on the shot and you will hit the deer in the meaty, lower brisket, resulting in a wounded animal.
 
Agreed, it is a more risky shot for sure.

Under 20yds, with a crossbow @ 315fps, on the ground at eye level with the deer, I'd take that shot if I thought it was the only one I was going to get everytime.



Back to Wrong Way:

I cant understand how that arrow only went in a couple inches. I't must have hit the spine or something. That bolt @312fps @20yds....... that bolt should go damn near stem to stern through that deer, ribs or not.
 
He said the shot went low, lots of hard bone there, and with light and fast does not mean its gonna penetrate. I would take a 2219 bolt with a 145 grain 2 blade head any day over a light setup . Deer are very fast , and the head up and down motion they nake when checking out something could have messed the shot up , I think being lucky is not a good way to view harvesting game. :)

MATADOR 11 2BLD. 140 GR or Zwickey Delta
 
Last edited:
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom