bandbwill

I shot a doe standing broadside at 35 yards using shockwave mechanical tips. She probably ran 30 feet before going down. 2 weeks later I shot a 4 point quartering away at 8 yards (15 ft up in tree). The arrow hit about 3 inches under the spine and entered around the last rib area and did not pass through. This deer was unfortunately not recovered after 6 hours of tracking.

I am very bothered because this is the first deer I have ever lost and like to think I am a very good tracker. Has anyone noticed differences with mechanical heads and quartering shots.

chiefks

This is why I shoot fixed blades.

huntingson

I don't care what you shoot, sometimes even a "perfect" shot can take a long time to kill a deer. I shot one with fixed blades through both lungs and he went about a kilometer and I wouldn't have found him if I didn't know the land so well. Just bad luck sometimes. If you shoot enough deer, that 1% will happen.

That said, it could be that your set up isn't powerful enough for the large cutting surface of some mechanical heads. Something to consider and do moreresearch about.

KodiakArcher

It's not the head, it's the shot choice. Sounds like the deer was too close to your tree and you only got one lung with no exit hole. A fixed blade head would have most likely had the same result.

stinkbelly

Like Huntingson said, that 1% will happen. You could blame it on the bow, the broadhead, or the shot placement, but sometimes you just can't kill them. I shot one about 8 years ago at about 35 yards from the ground. I shot muzzy fixed blades. I had it on video. It was a complete pass through just over the heart and perfect front to back. The blood trail could be followed walking fast and standing up. I trailed it for a mile before it quit totally. He was chasing a doe and I think the adrenaline helped him run away. We searched for 25 hours straight (3 guys), and we didn't find him. I waited for the buzzards and nothing. I went back in the winter and looked for the skull, once again nothing.

It is easy to blame it on the escape goat (mechanicals), but that may not be the answer. Unfortunately that is where the blame will land. I have been searching for a mechanical, but have never found one I fully trust. I have taken about 12 animals with muzzy 3 fixed blades.

RTA47

We used to call this area "no mans land". What i mean is?
Ihave shot deer in this area myself and never recovered them itsan area where there really is nothing vital. However you will find enough blood to keep you walking for hours. I know many hunter that have sead they have hit deer in this samearea trailed for hrs andnever recoverd them.
About the passthrew? There are all kinds of reason the arrow did not passthrew the animal all the way maby like huntingson sead it may be your setup? or the angle of the shot itself. I really don`t think that the head you sead you shot the deer with is the problem, "shockwaves" is a good head i have shot plenty of deer with themnot all of them were passthrews? But i didn`t need it as long asmy arrow hit its mark.
Most of the deer i have shot using these heads ran on ave, 20-50 yrds and fell.
However if you are looking to getpassthrews i would look at using a good well made fixed head like "magnus or slicktricks"(imo).

oldsmellhound

I wouldn't blame it on the mechanicals- I used to hunt with mechanicals (several different brands) and never once had a problem with them not opening (although I know some of you may have had this happen). It sounds like a 1-lung hit. A deer can live for a long time after a 1-lung hit, sometimes even surviving outright.

Bradkoz

i shot two or three deer in that area its pretty much all meat and pretty effective at slowing penitration down (i was using muzzys) it was my first and second year of hunting and my bow was only 45-50lbs and i never found any of those deer but saw one two weeks later and it looked just fine except the big patch of hair missing where i hit it.

lately ive herd a lot about mechanicals and quartering away shots and head glancing off. if you use a good mechnical with a reasonable cutting diameter and low profile ive found the opposite to happen the head seems to catch and pull the arrow straighter into the deer but still goes in near the angle you shot it at. im even confident enough to take a slightly facing me shot with my steelheads and have take three deer this way.

Germ

I do not think the mechanical did not open, I think when it open it has a CHANCE to alter the arrows direction.