Quick and dirty details on arrows released at live targets for 2021-2022 season. Will add as I go.
1 - Bull Elk. 550lbs+ Broadside, 25 yards, 10' above me. 520gr arrow, 1.5" wide COC head. Full passthrough, entrance mid body, exit slightly rearward. Decent blood from shot to 50 yards short of animal. Died less than 200 yards from shot site. Assumption is liver/stomach, while also cutting the dorsal aorta. Didn't gut to figure it out. Recovered 5 hours after shot.
2 - Grouse. 350gr arrow with small game tip. dead. eaten.
3 - Whitetail Fawn. 70-75lbs 520gr arrow, 1.5" wide COC head. Walking in to scout property, bumped the deer feeding on acorns midday. I bleated, and it came to 35 yards (ranged). I dialed to 35, found a good opening, and drew. The deer was standing facing slightly quartering to. I lined up with the deer's heart, and released. My arrow traveled EXACTLY where I was aiming. Only problem is the deer swapped ends before the arrow arrived (290fps ish). I aimed at right shoulder. I hit left side rear of ribcage, and exited left ham. What's interesting is I don't remember the deer swapping ends. I remember the deer dropping before bolting, and assumed by strange sound and blood on arrow, that I hit backstrap. We had wind noise to cover getting arrow and looking for blood. Arrow passed through but little blood and had fat on it. We walked up the treeline looking for blood and about 50 yards from shot, found first few drops. Then several drops, then the deer stood still and lots of drops. Then many drops with bubbles. Now we are really confused. Trailed the deer with great blood another 250 yards to where it died on it's feet in a fallow field. Lesson learned. Your memory lies to you, and deer can move A LOT in the time an arrow takes to arrive at the target. Crazy the thing swapped ends, in the small opening I had to shoot, and still managed to die.
4 - Whitetail doe. 130lbs. 520gr arrow, qad exodus. Came out of thicket at 25 yards, right where I expected. Only problem is she never stopped, making her way onto trail going right under tree. Drew on her as she was in thicket, and followed her to stopping directly under tree. If she continued, I'd have a nice 5 yard quarter away shot. She stopped, and tensed up hitting my scent. Pin between shoulder blades. Shot through spine, heart, and out bottom of deer into dirt. She dropped, and was dead within 20 seconds.
5 - 9pt. Whitetail Buck 150lbs. 520gr arrow, 1.5" wide COC head. Deer came running to a grunt call. Right at closing time, slight drizzle. I had plenty of time given circumstances, but took an easy 7 yard broadside shot. As I released, my release arm hit tree with me turning into shot and bumped me back on the deer. Hit him high mid body, exit low further back. I saw blood come out at shot, and assumed I hit dorsal aorta, and the deer would be dead in short order. I elected to back out however, given uncertainty. Plenty of blood at shot site, and 10 yards into trail. Came back in the morning, blood dissappeared within 50 yards of shot site. Found where he crossed a creek 200 yards or so away. Grid searched all areas we expected him to go. Another hunter found him in a pool in the creek 300 yards away, about 50 yards past the last place on the creek we looked for him. Assumption by condition of carcass, he lived at least 24-48 hours, or he died that night and sunk to bottom of pool. Creek dropped throughout week potentially exposing him to hunter who found him. Will never know. Either way, deer dead within 300 yards of shot site.
6 - Whitetail Doe. 150-170lbs 520gr arrow, qad exodus. Giant doe. Almost positive she was bigger than the 9pt. A doe came running at full speed through my set. I instinctively grabbed my bow thinking a buck would be following. It occurred to me she was running for her life, not trotting away from a buck. By the time that notion set in, a second doe was barreling in. I drew when the deer was at about 100 yards. When she was about 30-40 yards out I bleated. To my surprise, she slammed on the brakes, and stopped 5 yards from my tree quartering to. I put the pin high in shoulder due to angle, and released. She bleated at the shot, and bounded 30 yards. Stood still for a minute, then walked 50-75 yards into thicket. Flicking her tail sideways. I heard her cough about 2 minutes later and thought it was the death rattle. Elected to leave deer overnight due to wanting to hunt the spot in the morning anyway. Returned, trailed the deer to where I heard the cough. She was dead there. But she was still warm and quite flexible. When cleaning the deer, I realized I hit very close to spinal cord, breaking back bone. My guess is that is why she yelped at shot, and never ran - only walked. I think she lived most of the night, but couldn't move due to shot hitting so close to spine. Exit low in gut, and her insides were hanging out at shot (my red edit to cover up gross exit in submission thread). Definitely passed through a lung or two, liver, stomach, etc. Glad I let her lie, she may have attempted to run if I busted into that thicket right after shot. The deer was quartering harder than I thought, and I hit higher than I thought. Memory is deceiving.
Will add more as the season progresses, I hope.
1 - Bull Elk. 550lbs+ Broadside, 25 yards, 10' above me. 520gr arrow, 1.5" wide COC head. Full passthrough, entrance mid body, exit slightly rearward. Decent blood from shot to 50 yards short of animal. Died less than 200 yards from shot site. Assumption is liver/stomach, while also cutting the dorsal aorta. Didn't gut to figure it out. Recovered 5 hours after shot.
2 - Grouse. 350gr arrow with small game tip. dead. eaten.
3 - Whitetail Fawn. 70-75lbs 520gr arrow, 1.5" wide COC head. Walking in to scout property, bumped the deer feeding on acorns midday. I bleated, and it came to 35 yards (ranged). I dialed to 35, found a good opening, and drew. The deer was standing facing slightly quartering to. I lined up with the deer's heart, and released. My arrow traveled EXACTLY where I was aiming. Only problem is the deer swapped ends before the arrow arrived (290fps ish). I aimed at right shoulder. I hit left side rear of ribcage, and exited left ham. What's interesting is I don't remember the deer swapping ends. I remember the deer dropping before bolting, and assumed by strange sound and blood on arrow, that I hit backstrap. We had wind noise to cover getting arrow and looking for blood. Arrow passed through but little blood and had fat on it. We walked up the treeline looking for blood and about 50 yards from shot, found first few drops. Then several drops, then the deer stood still and lots of drops. Then many drops with bubbles. Now we are really confused. Trailed the deer with great blood another 250 yards to where it died on it's feet in a fallow field. Lesson learned. Your memory lies to you, and deer can move A LOT in the time an arrow takes to arrive at the target. Crazy the thing swapped ends, in the small opening I had to shoot, and still managed to die.
4 - Whitetail doe. 130lbs. 520gr arrow, qad exodus. Came out of thicket at 25 yards, right where I expected. Only problem is she never stopped, making her way onto trail going right under tree. Drew on her as she was in thicket, and followed her to stopping directly under tree. If she continued, I'd have a nice 5 yard quarter away shot. She stopped, and tensed up hitting my scent. Pin between shoulder blades. Shot through spine, heart, and out bottom of deer into dirt. She dropped, and was dead within 20 seconds.
5 - 9pt. Whitetail Buck 150lbs. 520gr arrow, 1.5" wide COC head. Deer came running to a grunt call. Right at closing time, slight drizzle. I had plenty of time given circumstances, but took an easy 7 yard broadside shot. As I released, my release arm hit tree with me turning into shot and bumped me back on the deer. Hit him high mid body, exit low further back. I saw blood come out at shot, and assumed I hit dorsal aorta, and the deer would be dead in short order. I elected to back out however, given uncertainty. Plenty of blood at shot site, and 10 yards into trail. Came back in the morning, blood dissappeared within 50 yards of shot site. Found where he crossed a creek 200 yards or so away. Grid searched all areas we expected him to go. Another hunter found him in a pool in the creek 300 yards away, about 50 yards past the last place on the creek we looked for him. Assumption by condition of carcass, he lived at least 24-48 hours, or he died that night and sunk to bottom of pool. Creek dropped throughout week potentially exposing him to hunter who found him. Will never know. Either way, deer dead within 300 yards of shot site.
6 - Whitetail Doe. 150-170lbs 520gr arrow, qad exodus. Giant doe. Almost positive she was bigger than the 9pt. A doe came running at full speed through my set. I instinctively grabbed my bow thinking a buck would be following. It occurred to me she was running for her life, not trotting away from a buck. By the time that notion set in, a second doe was barreling in. I drew when the deer was at about 100 yards. When she was about 30-40 yards out I bleated. To my surprise, she slammed on the brakes, and stopped 5 yards from my tree quartering to. I put the pin high in shoulder due to angle, and released. She bleated at the shot, and bounded 30 yards. Stood still for a minute, then walked 50-75 yards into thicket. Flicking her tail sideways. I heard her cough about 2 minutes later and thought it was the death rattle. Elected to leave deer overnight due to wanting to hunt the spot in the morning anyway. Returned, trailed the deer to where I heard the cough. She was dead there. But she was still warm and quite flexible. When cleaning the deer, I realized I hit very close to spinal cord, breaking back bone. My guess is that is why she yelped at shot, and never ran - only walked. I think she lived most of the night, but couldn't move due to shot hitting so close to spine. Exit low in gut, and her insides were hanging out at shot (my red edit to cover up gross exit in submission thread). Definitely passed through a lung or two, liver, stomach, etc. Glad I let her lie, she may have attempted to run if I busted into that thicket right after shot. The deer was quartering harder than I thought, and I hit higher than I thought. Memory is deceiving.
Will add more as the season progresses, I hope.
