I shot a doe this morning at 35 yards and didn't make the best shot in the world but it got the job done. I was about 20 feet up on a pine tree in a climbing stand and the 10-15 mph wind was pushing me one a foot or so both ways. It sure made for a tough shot but I didn't screw it up too badly I guess.
With all the talk about the Rage broad heads here lately I figured I would show how for me (and on this day) they appear to have made the difference. My old Matthews Outback is smooth but not the quickest in the world and if I don't have the perfect shot placement I just don't get pass throughs. It has still managed to have killed about 60 - 70 deer the past four years but I think it might be time for an upgrade.
This particular shot was a slightly quartering away shot at about 36 yards. The Bushnell Fusion 1600 range finding binoculars told me that with the 18 degree downward slop I was actually only shooting 33 yards. I figured on 35 and it was pretty dang close.
I was trying to time the sway in the tree to release when it started to sway back to the right but apparently I broke the trigger coming back to the left and the end result was an entry wound through the front shoulder. Things happened really quick and I couldn't tell exactly what I had done but seeing her run out across the field with MOST of the arrow sticking out I didn't feel very good about it. She bailed off down a draw the likes of which we just don't have many of in East Texas. She ended up about 150 below the field I shot her in and finally came to a stop when she hit a tree. The angle of the slope is approaching 45 degrees so the extraction is a whole other story.
Back to the point at hand...
I snapped a couple of very quick shots of the doe and of the entry and exit. I have been a doubter to say the least of the Rage but I have to say that I was impressed. The arrow hit the shoulder bone on the front side, broke off a very big chip, sliced through the entire leg meat before entering the chest cavity. Once in there it left me with a nicely cut in two heart and then exited on the opposite of the chest cavity before drilling nearly all the way through the opposite shoulder.
I'm not saying that the recovery is completely due to the broad head but I will say that for a shot int he wrong place it penetrated very well and left a huge wound channel. What could have been a complete goof and lost deer turned out pretty well... This is what I want in a hunting product. When I goof up and shoot three inches further forward than I should I want my equipment picking up the slack, this time was a perfect example.
Entrance hole showing the damage to the shoulder bone and the extent of damage to the meat on the shoulder.
View of exit hole on right arm pit showing exit from rib cage (on left) and entrance into opposite shoulder (on right).
Other than that the day went pretty well. My dad shot a doe and a hog and we had a cool surprise on my buddy's game camera. It looks like I need to get out of the trees and find a call the next time I'm down there...
With all the talk about the Rage broad heads here lately I figured I would show how for me (and on this day) they appear to have made the difference. My old Matthews Outback is smooth but not the quickest in the world and if I don't have the perfect shot placement I just don't get pass throughs. It has still managed to have killed about 60 - 70 deer the past four years but I think it might be time for an upgrade.
This particular shot was a slightly quartering away shot at about 36 yards. The Bushnell Fusion 1600 range finding binoculars told me that with the 18 degree downward slop I was actually only shooting 33 yards. I figured on 35 and it was pretty dang close.
I was trying to time the sway in the tree to release when it started to sway back to the right but apparently I broke the trigger coming back to the left and the end result was an entry wound through the front shoulder. Things happened really quick and I couldn't tell exactly what I had done but seeing her run out across the field with MOST of the arrow sticking out I didn't feel very good about it. She bailed off down a draw the likes of which we just don't have many of in East Texas. She ended up about 150 below the field I shot her in and finally came to a stop when she hit a tree. The angle of the slope is approaching 45 degrees so the extraction is a whole other story.
Back to the point at hand...
I snapped a couple of very quick shots of the doe and of the entry and exit. I have been a doubter to say the least of the Rage but I have to say that I was impressed. The arrow hit the shoulder bone on the front side, broke off a very big chip, sliced through the entire leg meat before entering the chest cavity. Once in there it left me with a nicely cut in two heart and then exited on the opposite of the chest cavity before drilling nearly all the way through the opposite shoulder.
I'm not saying that the recovery is completely due to the broad head but I will say that for a shot int he wrong place it penetrated very well and left a huge wound channel. What could have been a complete goof and lost deer turned out pretty well... This is what I want in a hunting product. When I goof up and shoot three inches further forward than I should I want my equipment picking up the slack, this time was a perfect example.
Entrance hole showing the damage to the shoulder bone and the extent of damage to the meat on the shoulder.
View of exit hole on right arm pit showing exit from rib cage (on left) and entrance into opposite shoulder (on right).
Other than that the day went pretty well. My dad shot a doe and a hog and we had a cool surprise on my buddy's game camera. It looks like I need to get out of the trees and find a call the next time I'm down there...
