Heavy arrow build, non heavy build, crossbow. The story of my 2018 season and why I believe I need a heavy arrow build.
I purchased my diamond black ice in 2009. Few years later I shot a spike at 32 yrds. Perfect shot through the heart. Yeah Me! J.k. interesting part was I did not get a full pass through. Arrow was half way hanging out when he ran off. I was shooting 100gr. Fixed broadhead with 340 spine arrows. Was not a super sharp fixed broad head. They were called sharks or something like that. Don't think they stayed around long. Didn't think a whole lot about it. Got the deer. Life was good. Few years later shoot another buck. 28ish yrds. Upon release, my string hit my arm, and shot drifted back. Hit him high enough I split that artery under the spine. Didn't go far.
So after that I made the jump to the crossbow. More knock down power and accurate. Life was good. Arrowed some deer with NAP broadheads. Life was good. Then 2018 came along. Thinking I had this down, one afternoon later October I shot this small 8pt. Here's where it begins for me. The shot was just a touch over 40yrds. No big deal. I got a crossbow. Either I pulled it, or he moved. I didn't record. I grunted at him to come over, so he was on edge. Either way my shoot landed on the front of his rear leg. Gave him some time. Ended up kicking him up and he ran. Went to lunch, came back to finish tracking and hopefully find him dead. Well after going 200yrds I come up to the edge of the field. I see a deer with its head down looking like it's struggling. I think it's him, launch another bolt and think I miss. Sounded like I missed and hit a tree limb Mind you this all happened so fast. As he is walking away, I note his antlers look different. At that moment the first deer I shot was on the ground and had been getting trashed by this other buck. He gets up and runs across the field. Crap. What the heck is going on. Start looking and now see another blood trail from that other deer I just shot. Big splash of blood on the ground 20yrds away. Cool, I guess I drilled him. As I think about what just happened. I figure with all the blood on the ground he has to be dead. So I figure to give the other deer some more time to hopefully expire. I go after the second one. Only to kick him up as he takes off running through the brush. I find a broken arrow. Lots of blood. Like streaks of it on the ground.
So I end up going back to deer #1. Find him 75yrds off the field exhausted. Have to finish him off. Go back and finish tracking the other one. Find him dead with only an entry wound. In the front side, just inside the shoulder. How in the world that happened. I have no idea. Either my bolt hit a tree and bounced in to him, or he spun right as I was shooting and it hit shoulder and stopped. I should have opened up the chest cavity more to see what happened. I take them in for processing. Luckily I recovered both deer. I know I made several bad mistakes that day. But lost in the heat of the moment and excitement that's how it all shook out.
What I learned was just because my Crossbow can shoot 50yrds. Doesn't mean you should.
Even if you think it's a good shot, give it a .5hr.
When your tracking like that. Be extra quiet and go slowly if you know it's a bad shot.
So why am I going heavy arrow?
I didn't think my bow was an effective killer before. I know I'm not the best shot and the best hunter. But I don't want to wound an animal like that again. Keep it with in 30 yds and hit em with a Mac truck. Would a heavy arrow build and my bow have stopped that? Yeah. Cause I never would have taken that shot at that range. It's not the only way to get it done. I know that. And better hunters/shooters than me would not have had that happen. But I'm that kinda guy that stuff happens to. I almost quit hunting that day. I was so mad at my self. So I have been trying to educate my self more about hunting and how to make a better kill. I have had a few shots drift back cause I am scared of hitting that shoulder blade. In my teens I hit a nice buck in the shoulder, watched him run off with my arrow hanging down. Like zero penatration. No blood. That was with an old Browning Nomad. Aluminum arrow but a 100gr. Head. Was trying to get the speed up. Probably had little FOC on it.
So anyway I have been hunting for 27 years. Didn't have Youtube and Forums to learn from back in the day.
So I would say I am a little passionate about ways to make a better kill. If I would have went through that at 12-13 years old as a new hunter. I would have probably quit then. Just don't want to see anyone else makes those mistakes if they think they are an average bow hunter like me. Do everything you can to stack the odds in your favor.
I purchased my diamond black ice in 2009. Few years later I shot a spike at 32 yrds. Perfect shot through the heart. Yeah Me! J.k. interesting part was I did not get a full pass through. Arrow was half way hanging out when he ran off. I was shooting 100gr. Fixed broadhead with 340 spine arrows. Was not a super sharp fixed broad head. They were called sharks or something like that. Don't think they stayed around long. Didn't think a whole lot about it. Got the deer. Life was good. Few years later shoot another buck. 28ish yrds. Upon release, my string hit my arm, and shot drifted back. Hit him high enough I split that artery under the spine. Didn't go far.
So after that I made the jump to the crossbow. More knock down power and accurate. Life was good. Arrowed some deer with NAP broadheads. Life was good. Then 2018 came along. Thinking I had this down, one afternoon later October I shot this small 8pt. Here's where it begins for me. The shot was just a touch over 40yrds. No big deal. I got a crossbow. Either I pulled it, or he moved. I didn't record. I grunted at him to come over, so he was on edge. Either way my shoot landed on the front of his rear leg. Gave him some time. Ended up kicking him up and he ran. Went to lunch, came back to finish tracking and hopefully find him dead. Well after going 200yrds I come up to the edge of the field. I see a deer with its head down looking like it's struggling. I think it's him, launch another bolt and think I miss. Sounded like I missed and hit a tree limb Mind you this all happened so fast. As he is walking away, I note his antlers look different. At that moment the first deer I shot was on the ground and had been getting trashed by this other buck. He gets up and runs across the field. Crap. What the heck is going on. Start looking and now see another blood trail from that other deer I just shot. Big splash of blood on the ground 20yrds away. Cool, I guess I drilled him. As I think about what just happened. I figure with all the blood on the ground he has to be dead. So I figure to give the other deer some more time to hopefully expire. I go after the second one. Only to kick him up as he takes off running through the brush. I find a broken arrow. Lots of blood. Like streaks of it on the ground.
So I end up going back to deer #1. Find him 75yrds off the field exhausted. Have to finish him off. Go back and finish tracking the other one. Find him dead with only an entry wound. In the front side, just inside the shoulder. How in the world that happened. I have no idea. Either my bolt hit a tree and bounced in to him, or he spun right as I was shooting and it hit shoulder and stopped. I should have opened up the chest cavity more to see what happened. I take them in for processing. Luckily I recovered both deer. I know I made several bad mistakes that day. But lost in the heat of the moment and excitement that's how it all shook out.
What I learned was just because my Crossbow can shoot 50yrds. Doesn't mean you should.
Even if you think it's a good shot, give it a .5hr.
When your tracking like that. Be extra quiet and go slowly if you know it's a bad shot.
So why am I going heavy arrow?
I didn't think my bow was an effective killer before. I know I'm not the best shot and the best hunter. But I don't want to wound an animal like that again. Keep it with in 30 yds and hit em with a Mac truck. Would a heavy arrow build and my bow have stopped that? Yeah. Cause I never would have taken that shot at that range. It's not the only way to get it done. I know that. And better hunters/shooters than me would not have had that happen. But I'm that kinda guy that stuff happens to. I almost quit hunting that day. I was so mad at my self. So I have been trying to educate my self more about hunting and how to make a better kill. I have had a few shots drift back cause I am scared of hitting that shoulder blade. In my teens I hit a nice buck in the shoulder, watched him run off with my arrow hanging down. Like zero penatration. No blood. That was with an old Browning Nomad. Aluminum arrow but a 100gr. Head. Was trying to get the speed up. Probably had little FOC on it.
So anyway I have been hunting for 27 years. Didn't have Youtube and Forums to learn from back in the day.
So I would say I am a little passionate about ways to make a better kill. If I would have went through that at 12-13 years old as a new hunter. I would have probably quit then. Just don't want to see anyone else makes those mistakes if they think they are an average bow hunter like me. Do everything you can to stack the odds in your favor.
