bowhunterlimerick

hey guys, i am from Indiana Pa here, not the biggest bucks in the world but we do have some nice ones, i need some input from you guys though because im contimplating a major change in my archery gear, i shot my buck saterday morning stillhunting through a creek bottom (8 point 15inch spread 9 inch G2's) but i did not find the deer till sunday, the deer was slightly quatering towards me and the shot entered the deer in the shoulder crease and drove back through the body coming out right between the hund quarters, after waiting about a half hour and knowing i smoked him i went to his bed and found hair but no blood then following the general direction of his path i found no blood, i did recover the deer the next day, but my question is, do you thing the deer being bedded had something to do with it? or was it the Steel Force broadheads? it was the first deer i ever shot wiht a steelforce, i have shot 3 pigs wiht them in texas and they bled really well, thanks alot guys sorry for the rambling post

BobCo19-65

From the sounds of the hit, you probably took out one lung and the liver. I wouldn't suggest taking this shot though however since it will not give you a clean quick kill. I would expect a little more blood then you described though. Were you using a two bladed head? I have also experienced poor blood trails sometimes with the two bladed heads and now use them only on game where I really need penetration like elk or moose. On deer, I usually use 3 or 3+ blades heads. If you would have waited longer (about 5 hours), I bet you would have found your buck in his first bed.

Rangeball

If he was bedded and you were standing, shot was probably higher on the body. Not much chance of lot's of blood escaping this type of entrance wound unless you hit a vein or artery near the skin surface, blood loss from lung/liver hit was most likely contained in the body cavity.

Rear end? again, not a major area for blood loss, plus going through the abdominal cavity probably gummed up the exit whole somewhat preventing further loss.

Sounds much more like a shot placement issue.

WV Hunter

Congrats on your deer, but that was a poor decision on shot placement. Anytime your arrow will exit through the guts, chances of a good blood trail are slim. IMO the exit hole got plugged up, and I agree with RB, you probably hit him higher than you wanted based on the fact that he was bedded.
It wasn't the broadhead...it was user error.

BobCo19-65

Did he say that the deer was bedded when he shot it in his post? I didn't get that from the post.

Arthur P

Said so in the thread title, Bob.

If I couldn't have continued my sneak off to the side in order to get a better angle on the deer, I would probably have taken a shot myself. Not the shot you took, though. If the deer was quartered enough that the arrow would exit between it's hind quarters on a behind the shoulder shot, I'd have aimed IN FRONT of the shoulder, just where the shoulder meets the brisket, trying to get the heart, far side lung for sure and hoping to snag part of the nearside lung. All the while trying desperately to avoid getting the arrow into the guts. I hate cleaning up a mess like that.[:'(]

I have to agree it was operator error and poor shot placement that were at fault, not the broadhead. Don't be so intent on putting your arrow behind the shoulder that you don't recognize where the vitals actually are, and how to angle your arrow into them.

bowhunterlimerick

I was using the two blade head with the bleeder blades, have any of you guys shot deer with these and how was your bloodtrails, i realized after the shot that maybe the vitals were different since it was bedded, rookie mistake I have been bowhunting for only 6 years now and although i do have a feel for it i havent been in the woods for 40+ years like alot of you guys!, i have taqken a buck and doe every year though, thanks for everyhting guys

Techy

I agree with this. You have to change your shot placement on a deer when it is quartering away or towards you. Keep that in mind for next time.

BobCo19-65

Guess I need some more coffee.

On the blood issue, another point, remember that when a deer is bedding the hide will usually shift somewhat from bedding to standing. So now your entrance and exit wounds will not line up entirely between the hide and body, giving the blood a good chance to coagulate. Like others have said, it proably wasn't the broadheads since you were using a four bladed head, it was the shot placement.

bowhunterlimerick

upon filed dressing the deer, i took out the tops of both longs and the top lobe of the liver and through the guts, i just couldent believe that there was no blood, from where i shot him to where he crashed at