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Normal arrow breakage?

MNFarmHunter

Well-Known Member
Joined
Jun 6, 2021
Messages
1,898
Location
Minnesota
First time breaking an arrow and first time killing a deer via archery so have no idea if this is normal.

I was 18' high in the tree at the feet and the deer was at most 5 yards away so I figure about a 7 yard shot. With the lighted nock, I could clearly see I hit exactly where I was aiming. She was quartering away and hit hit high in the right back just behind the front leg crease. What struck me about the shot though was it didn't appear that I had a pass through as I could see the back half of the arrow (and lighted nock) sticking out of her back as she ran off.

When I got down, I had a blood trail I could run along and she dropped 50 yards max from where I shot her. The broadhead did come out lower left chest just left of the sternum with 3 perfect blade cuts. When I pulled the arrow out however, I found it had broke in half with the front half missing. I walked the entire trail and didn't find it and figured the front half was still inside.

When gutting, the front half was not in her chest and the heart was undamaged. Best guess is that I double lunged her and severed her aorta and she pumped herself dry due to the blood trail and the chest cavity full of blood.

What I can't figure out is the mechanism by which the arrow broke. It happened so fast that I don't recall ever not seeing the nock and assumed I didn't get a pass through. Since I clearly did, my best guess is I got the pass through and dug the front half of the arrow in the ground. She then squatted down, pushing the arrow back up and out the entry point before breaking it off while she ran. That would explain the clean exit yet having the arrow sticking several inches out of her back. The nock itself was also broken off (didn't find that either) and the entire length of the shaft was bloody so it did penetrate at some point (giggity).

The part I don't know about is how the arrow broke. It's a carbon arrow and it looks like it was cut in half as opposed to snapping and splintering. Is this normal for a carbon arrow? On a side note, I shot this arrow Friday night at 18:30 and the Nockturnal nock is still working as of Sunday at 11:30.
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I can’t explain it but about half of mine will break too. When I shot aluminum about half of those would be bent. Modern bows are extremely fast and carbon doesn’t bend. My guess would be that there are a lot of twisting and bending forces when you shoot an animal and it runs. I’ve hit trees before and not broken arrows but trees don’t run. I’d be curious to know if the trad guys experience this too.
 
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i didn't see where you mentioned the make and model of arrow

i've broken a few arrows due to spine hits and i broke them getting the arrow out

the only other breakage on deer was when i shot a wounded deer that was bedded, the arrow went through the ribs and stuck in the hill behind them and it broke when they rolled on it

i've shot goldtip ultralight 340 spine for a while, and they seem pretty tough....the hunter model would be even better

also, random stuff happens inside deer, of course
 
I’ve had a few arrow break on deer now using trad gear. I always though it was the shoulder going back and cutting it like a shear. Clean looking break and not splintered like you mentioned. Even when getting a broadhead pass through behind the shoulder I’ve had deer snap them
 
I wouldn't say it's normal but it does happen. There are a lot of variables in play which can cause an arrow to break.
In your case, I would agree with your conclusion that the steep angle lead to the arrow remaining in the deer while the broadhead was anchored in the ground and was then snapped during the deer's reaction.
Further away shots with shallow angles usually allow the arrow to completely pass through without breakage unless it hits a rock when it lands.
An arrow that doesn't exit and protrudes from the animal will almost always break from either the mad dash run the animal makes causing it to snap from contact with brush and trees or when the animal falls to the ground and rolls on it.
 
A couple weekends ago me and my father both shot does with our recurves. I was using GT 400 spines and he was using aluminum 1916's (I believe). In both cases the shots had exit holes near the opposite side front leg and in both cases the arrow broke.

I wouldn't say broken arrows happen more often than not for me but, at the same time it's not uncommon. Moving legs and shoulder bones can snap an arrow pretty quickly.

I think your assumption of her squatting down with the arrow in her is very possible. I shot a doe last year that was almost straight down and she did something similar. In that case the arrow didn't break but, it was flung about 10 yards from the point of impact when she took off.
 
It happens from time to time to me as well. A lot going on when they start running with it inside of them!
 
A couple weekends ago me and my father both shot does with our recurves. I was using GT 400 spines and he was using aluminum 1916's (I believe). In both cases the shots had exit holes near the opposite side front leg and in both cases the arrow broke.

I wouldn't say broken arrows happen more often than not for me but, at the same time it's not uncommon. Moving legs and shoulder bones can snap an arrow pretty quickly.

I think your assumption of her squatting down with the arrow in her is very possible. I shot a doe last year that was almost straight down and she did something similar. In that case the arrow didn't break but, it was flung about 10 yards from the point of impact when she took off.
So if it’s happening to Trad guys then it probably has more to do with the deer movement after the shot and not the shear force of the broad head/ arrow hitting bone at a higher speed. Assuming that the arrow doesn’t contact something beyond the animal that is. I’m just making an assumption based on a recurve being slower FPS than a compound? I’m not into traditional archery so I’m guessing but I’d like to know more.
 
So if it’s happening to Trad guys then it probably has more to do with the deer movement after the shot and not the shear force of the broad head/ arrow hitting bone at a higher speed. Assuming that the arrow doesn’t contact something beyond the animal that is. I’m just making an assumption based on a recurve being slower FPS than a compound? I’m not into traditional archery so I’m guessing but I’d like to know more.

Yes, I think in most cases broken arrows are from deer movement
 
I’ve shot two this year both 1/4 away and slammed the opposite leg bone both time. First was on a 7 point arrow went in splitting the ribs open enough for his lung to be laying on his side when I found him. Arrow came back through unharmed. Broadhead still sharp and spins straight. Second on a doe and the arrow was in 3 pieces with blades bent and tip flat. You shoot enough with a bow and you will see all different manners of things that are somewhat baffling. Dead deer is dead though no matter the breakage of arrow or destroyed broadheads.
 
Ok, so I work with composites....so here goes, cabon fiber has great tension strength but low shear strength. So most of the fibers are linear, and there is a thin layer of 90 degree fibers down the arrow. So the lengthwise fibers will shear flat very easily because the cf has low shear strength. The fibers running in rings down the shaft will split apart because only the resin is holding them together. If you try bending the arrow it will bend quite a bit before it breaks, but hit it hard against something solid and it will shear surprisingly easily.
 
The action of the deer running, (ex : shoulder blades, shear the arrow.)
 
Your arrow was definitely affected by the front leg. You say it exited in the front crease. Since that leg moved it will often stop the arrow from passing through completely if you’re tight to it. You will still have an entrance and exit, just the arrow doesn’t pass all the way through. Sometimes it will pull out as they run, often it will get broken by the movement of the leg.
 
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