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Quartering too shot opinions

boacephus

boacephus

New Member
I will skip the story until tomorrow when I hopefully recover. I hit exactly where I wanted too. I felt confident(who wouldn't at 8yds) I hit right where I aimed between the shoulder and neck. My only concern is the apparent lack of penetration. I watched him go 40 yds and stop. I then watched him walk another 40 yds and stop then I lost him. Not exactly a contention for the big buck but he will be my best buck to date. Decent wide 8pt. I would say about 6" of penatration, is that going to do it???? I searched for blood and found known, I searched on the other side of the creek and found no deer within 100yds. That is about where I seen him stop a second time. I plan on checing the thickets and the creek bottom in the morning, is 6" a lost cause, will he make it or drop??? It was perfectly centered between the ncek and shoulder, he didn't limp, tail down and stopped running and started walking within 50 yds, any opinions???? Ohh a few more tangents. I was around 12' up shooting a 60lb, 100 gr. cheap expandable, 400(29") carbon epics.
 
Anything is possible, but I don't think that 6" will get you into the heart/lung area. Did you find the arrow?

No blood in either spot he stopped? That's tough. Be persistant, you might get lucky and find him layed up and get another arrow into him. Next time wait for that broadside shot.
 
I didn't do much of a search it was more of a gander. So no I didn't find the arrow to check blood color. I had full intentions of waiting on the better shot but by then he had already made me hold my bow for an eternity. I drew as he was about 15yds away, well he decide to stop and rub hes tree, then he stopped behind the only tree in my way. I let the arrow fly as he looked right up at me, I wasn't that far up in the tree. It would have been fatal had he got parallel to me. He was just far enough from my tree it wouldn't have been straight down. I have to go to work and take care of the water readings, then's it's off to search. I'll post later.
 
No arrow no deer. I know the shot would have worked but I didn't get the penetration I should have. I know I didn't hit the leg, he didn't limp. I must have caught the spine, my bow should have enough KE to pop through the ribs there.
No blood from 0-10yds. Spotty blood from 11-30yds. 30-60yds great blood trail, some darker red muscle blood, but enough pretty pink to give me a good feeling. 60yds he dropped down off the creek bed and must have jarred soemthing no more blood. Creek is only ankle deep, but no blood on the other side. I spent an hour looking on the other side, I know where he crossed, I watched him. Couldn't pinpoint the area he stopped the second time with different light conditions. Spent another 2 hrs zigzagging for around 500yds, checked creek line incase he doubled back, checked brushy piles, no deer. Unfortunately I get the feeling he is dead, I think with the pinkish blood, I nipped a lung. He wasn't a contest contention but would have been my best to date.
Maybe now that experience will help me mature as a hunter and not try that shot again. I suppose I should have just seen what happened after he looked at me. Spooked him oh well go back in a day or two change location and try again. Maybe I could have looked like a tree enough and he would have kept walking.
 
Don't take quartering to shots! Its a high-risk, low reward shot.

6" of penetration from the front doesn't hit vitals!! Besides, deer can survive a single lung nick. Wait for the perfect shot and you won't worry about losing them.
 
You asked for opinions, so that is all this is. I agree that quartering towards you shots are not the best, but they are doable. Something else I think you had going against you was trying it with expanable broadheads and light carbon arrows. How big does your expandable open up to? Expandables use up some kenetic energy just to open, then once open many cut a wide path that uses up the remaining kinetic energy quickly and does not have enough to bust through much bone, and are more likely to deflect. And with a quartered towards you shot the muscle is thick and the rib are thick and close together so you indeed need to be able to bust through to get to the vitals.

I am sorry to hear you didn't find him, but IMHO light carbons with expandables excel at broadside shots, but to penetrate on a "front of a shoulder shot", heavier aluminum and fixed blade broadheads have the advantage. I expect to have someone with an engineering degree post that I am all wet about my kenetic energy theory, but I have used both and for now I went back to aluminum and fixed broadheads because I consistently got better penetration.

IaCraig
 
Well Bo, that sucks. sorry to hear it. I try to avoid quartering to shots. I don't use mech. broadheads, Seen 'em fail like your's too often. lot of bone and gristle and muscle where you hit him. hope he survives and doesn't die from infection. a top cut broadhead would of probably anchored him. hope ya find him.
 
I wasn't taking the mechanical into account when I cut loose. I am well aware of it being a low percentage shot, but I felt more then confident at such a close distance. I made the same shot 2yrs ago with fixed blade and aluminums, deer only made it 50yds. I didn't really like the results of the muzzy's from a doe a harvested opening weekend. I found her but she went along distance without a very good blood trail on a lung liver shot. I missed alot to, I didn't shoot them enough and they were flying inconsistent. I later found out I had two arrows that weren't consistent, not the broadheads. I switched to carbons for mor durability, but with my new bow this year I think I might go back to aluminums. Deer aren't as hard on arrows when they pass through, lol. I only had one pass through with my golden eagle.
 
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