Wounded animal help.

[Zac]

I'm shooting Easton Axis 300, 50 grains brass and 1.75 inch cut Thorn broadhead at around 272 fps. Shot an antelope very slightly quartering to me at 55. Heard a loud crack. Penetration looked horrible. Entrance was a large gash that appeared mid body behind the shoulder while standing, it did look like it was in the scapula when it was bedded. Exit hole was very tiny and high, blood trickled out, and eventually dried. Didn't recover the shaft or the antelope. I don't think I hit any vitals because I sat on the antelope for almost 7 hours waiting for him to expire. He ended up running off the unit after I failed to get another arrow in him. I'm open to all theories.

 

[Bubblehide]

I was hunting with a good friend that was in a very similar situation decades age. What I learned is that antelope are pretty fragile compared to mule deer and elk. I would bet really good money that the antelope you hit is within a square mile, and likely with other antelope. But, it will have significant difficulty keeping up, if it can. So the other antelope will likely hold up and wait, unless they sense danger. Get yourself in some really good glassing positions and you should be able to find him.

In our case, I ended up taking the fatal shot, but he put his tag on him since he hit him first. I did end up getting a great buck.

Best of luck!

 

[sndmn11]

Those broadheads look to be all the things that would sap momentum and stop penetration all in one.

 

[Rob5589]

Hard to say, especially without having recovered the arrow. A "loud crack" sounds like probably bone/scapula. That said, those are some funky ass looking heads.

 

[Zac]

I was wondering if it is possible that the shaft broke off at the insert, maybe that would explain the tiny exit hole in such an odd location. I was also using my tension release so maybe some strange bow torque gave me horrible flight.

 

[Chad E]

Stories like this always keep me shooting fixed blade heads. Not sure if the outcome would be different with a fixed blade but I can't help but wonder. Im guessing you caught the scapula because of the crack sound and got some sort of glancing wound. Sorry about the tough break.

 

[slatty]

I will echo the sentiment that those are bizarre-looking heads. I don't have any experience with them but I can't imagine them passing through anything other than a perfectly hit broadside whitetail.
Hard to piece the situation apart having not been there. Sounds like you put a hard effort in waiting for him and I hope you're able to get back there. Best of luck to you and keep hunting.

 

[Page Master]

I was wondering if it is possible that the shaft broke off at the insert, maybe that would explain the tiny exit hole in such an odd location. I was also using my tension release so maybe some strange bow torque gave me horrible flight.

The chances of the arrow breaking but allowing the shaft alone to penetrate through are marginally low. Next to 0 I would say. If it breaks at the head that shaft is going off at some weird ass angle. Did you leave the yellow collar on the head by chance?

 

[NorthernHunter]

The world of mechanicals is full of gimmick broad heads. My first attempt was with grim reapers. Had an incredibly long tracking job on a good shot. Was lucky to find the deer. Swore off them for a couple years. I have now used the rage 2 blades for the last 5 years. They work awesome.

 

[Zac]

The chances of the arrow breaking but allowing the shaft alone to penetrate through are marginally low. Next to 0 I would say. If it breaks at the head that shaft is going off at some weird ass angle. Did you leave the yellow collar on the head by chance?

No had a giant entry hole, and yeah I think this will be my last year with mechanicals as well. Probably just use the Thorns for Turkeys.

 

[Page Master]

No had a giant entry hole, and yeah I think this will be my last year with mechanicals as well. Probably just use the Thorns for Turkeys.

I think Lusk did a review on the thorns, said he shot a mule deer and it had awful penetration and bad blood. The design is weird to me, seems like it would sap energy upon impact. I bought some 1.7'' cut ones for whitetail and pronghorn, but I would not use it on mule deer, let alone elk. And that is with a moderately heavy arrow traveling fast.

I actually ended up killing a pronghorn with a Ramcat. I had 2 Sevr, 2 Thorn and a Ramcat in the quiver and blindly grabbed the Ramcat. They fly great, so do the QAD exodus.

 

[Beendare]

Zac, Zac, Zac...... i’ve seen your excellent posts for a long time here on Rokslide and you know your stuff on bows....... enough that you would NOT choose that BH. Were those Freebies?

i’ve seen some horrible results from angled shots and mech BHs....many actually.
Its one reason i dont shoot mech heads....i want my BH to penetrate the vitals even in a bad shot scenario.

Yours was a bad shot location as much as anything. When they are angled enough that you cant get both lungs because of the shoulder then it’s better to shoot them in the brisket in front of the shoulder as then when you get inside the rib cage with the Brodhead the ribs tend to help you rather than hurt you. The BH is deflecting inward rather than in the other case where it directs your arrow outside the rb cage.
That head you were using can’t dig in like a cut on contact fixed head.

 

[Zac]

Zac, Zac, Zac...... i’ve seen your excellent posts for a long time here on Rokslide and you know your stuff on bows....... enough that you would NOT choose that BH. Were those Freebies?

i’ve seen some horrible results from angled shots and mech BHs....many actually.
Its one reason i dont shoot mech heads....i want my BH to penetrate the vitals even in a bad shot scenario.

Yours was a bad shot location as much as anything. When they are angled enough that you cant get both lungs because of the shoulder then it’s better to shoot them in the brisket in front of the shoulder as then when you get inside the rib cage with the Brodhead the ribs tend to help you rather than hurt you. The BH is deflecting inward rather than in the other case where it directs your arrow outside the rb cage.
That head you were using can’t dig in like a cut on contact fixed head.

Yes I agree. I think the gaping hole was a deployed blade that was yawing, honestly I got into paper tuning broadheads and got caught up in flight over performance.

 

[TheGDog]

Loud crack? I'm wondering if the shaft didn't perhaps have an imperfection in it that caused it to crack/shatter upon impact with the bone, which is obviously harder than flesh.

At the archery range, when just starting, I messed up once and the arrow thru the hay bale hit the frame it's lashed to, and you hear a "Tink!" along with a "Crack!" because it causes the beginning of the shaft to shatter open.

 

[Reburn]

Yes I agree. I think the gaping hole was a deployed blade that was yawing, honestly I got into paper tuning broadheads and got caught up in flight over performance.

So I agree with beendare your advice is always good and you seem to really know your stuff and still think you do. I have a feeling you went down a rabbit hole somewhere. NOT picking on you AT ALL. All of us arrow and bow nerds seem to end up there eventually. I would really like to know how you ended up shooting thorns. To just be honest I would like to learn from your "mistake or mistep" if you would call it that. Sorry about your wounded animal bud. It sucks, I wish I could say it never happened to me but I would be lying.

 

[Rob5589]

Yes I agree. I think the gaping hole was a deployed blade that was yawing, honestly I got into paper tuning broadheads and got caught up in flight over performance.

Sounds like you just "sliced" him down the side. The tip of those heads do not lend themselves to "grabbing" and penetrating on off angled shots.

 

[Billy Goat]

It would be really curious to recover the animal and see what happened. That head has almost a blunt on the front, I wouldn't at all be surprised if it did snap the insert out of the arrow on impact. If the arrow hit the scapula as the animal was reacting it could have imbedded and snapped the ferule at the threads or insert out of the shaft. Firing off blunts I have managed to break arrows in interesting ways, and that's on static targets. Buddy killed an elk this year that his hit insert busted out of the end of his fmj. That was after it penetrated thru the onside shoulder pocket and must have burried into the opposite shoulder, broadhead wasn't recovered, I really wish it was.

 

[Zac]

So I agree with beendare your advice is always good and you seem to really know your stuff and still think you do. I have a feeling you went down a rabbit hole somewhere. NOT picking on you AT ALL. All of us arrow and bow nerds seem to end up there eventually. I would really like to know how you ended up shooting thorns. To just be honest I would like to learn from your "mistake or mistep" if you would call it that. Sorry about your wounded animal bud. It sucks, I wish I could say it never happened to me but I would be lying.

Honestly I go through a ton of gear. I get curious and try things. I really wen't down a rabbit hole tuning broadheads and was listening to Gillingham and his experiences with the Thorn. I don't really wan't to blame it because if I hit the shoulder it probably fared the same as any mechanical. That being said, I just ordered six of the Iron Will S100s.

 

[Beendare]

Yes I agree. I think the gaping hole was a deployed blade that was yawing, honestly I got into paper tuning broadheads and got caught up in flight over performance.

It happens....a good lesson for all.

Here's the big question; Did one of the blades come loose or deploy to screw up your shot placement? That would have really sucked.

We will probably never know. A buddy had that happen using mech heads on a 161" whitetail and a layup shot for an ex ASA shooter. He described the arrow as making Whoop D loops on the way to the 30 yd buck. [the farmers buddy rifle shot the buck a week later]

That ^ buck had a big slice in him that was healing a week later. My buddy was questioning how this poor arrow flight could happen with his 'totally tested' mech head....until we were sitting having a couple adult beverages and I had him get his bow. He loaded the remaining arrows like he was going to shoot....and sure enough, 2 out of 5 arrows had a blade hanging loose when he loaded them.

It seems the blades dislodged or something from the process of either putting them in or taking them out of his quiver....THAT he didn't test.

All I know is when shooting the COC fixed heads....that is one less thing I have to worry about at crunch time....visually checking my BH to see if a blade is loose or partially deployed.

_____-

 

[Ucsdryder]

Crack definitely sounds like shoulder. Shot my bull this year in the shoulder and it made that noise.