First Crossbow Kills Leave me Wondering about Broadheads?

[strum]

congrats on the two does and dont worry .
like everyone said those shots were a little high and my deer i shot a couple weeks ago was the same but the good news is you still made a perfect shot..
who needs a blood trail when the deer falls 20 yards out?
i think what would have been bad is if only one lung was hit ..then you got problems..

[Jackbass]

Congrats on your Does. By chance are you hunting on the ground? I have to agree with the others that the shot is a little high. It would be perfect from a tree stand as your exit hole would be lower and then you would have a great blood trail. I think that your choice of broad heads is fine. Just aim lower as instructed in the previous post. Good luck.

[PA_DeerHunter]

Boltcutters are a great head, but because they're a fixed blade they are therefore narrow...1 1/16" diameter. Bill T, scored on a monster Ohio Buck a few years back, and hit it while it was crossing in front of him in an open field. The buck ran some 300 yards according to Bill, and with a perfect shot. Fixed blades are narrow for a reason. Out of a fast crossbow, wider blades will have accuracy problems. Hence mechanicals.

It is my opinion that you should should the widest mechanicals made. There are several out there that are superb. I shoot the Spitfire Maxx in 125 grains, and has 1 3/4" cutting diameter. They have great reviews, and I personally have never had a problem with them...and more importantly, they blow huge holes in whitetails. They are field point accurate, and with the shot you and your son made on your deer, a Spitfire Maxx would have definitely left blood to follow.

I hear great things about the Shwacker head, but I'm still a fan of a large 3 blade head. The Maxx creates a very large triangular hole in the animal, about the size of a lemon. And the entry wound is pretty impressive too! Give 'em a try. You won't be disappointed!

[rander3141]

Congrats, I wouldn't change a thing. I had the same thing happen to me except I was using rage crossbow broadheads. Shot deer out of a chairblind at 20 yds. No blood trail that I could find, but a puddle of blood where the deer fell the size of a bathtub. She only ran 30 yds and I knew she was dead when I shot. Huge hole a little high. Lately I don't bother with the blood trail anyway, just go to where I hear them crash
Bob

[Hester0305]

I don't know about the heads you're using but the Slick Tricks will leave a bigger hole from what I see in your picture. The 4 blade Slick Tricks cut a nice hole for blood to pour out of. They're a lot of good mechanicals out there. A lot of people use Spitfire and Rage mechanicals because they fly right with you're field points. It doesn't hurt to try different heads and see what you like best. I love the 3 blade Rages but I also love the 4 blade Slick Tricks for a fixed blade head, good luck on your quest.

[doghouse ninja]

when i watch them fall at 20 yrds i don't worry much about blood trails a deer can cover 20 yrds in like a second or less they are full of blood when you gut them .. well placed shots and good sharp broadheads are very lethal ......

[ace_2930]

125 gr swhackers!!!! 2.125 inch cut deadly

[Galgo]

Concur with what others have said and from experience confirm that ground level shots half way up or more can yield very little to no blood trail. Deer just dies before cavity fills to the height of the entrance/exit wounds. I've killed two deer with the bolt cutters, one from ground level with little blood trail but deer fell within sight. Another one from a 15 foot stand at 25 yards. Deer went 80 yards and left a trail like a scene from a slasher flick. If you are happy with your grouping, your results speak for them selves. I don't know if I would change if I were you. But you do have a lot of choices and a lot of good advice here.

[ohioexocetfan]

I often wonder the same thing about my
beloved Slick Tricks. The deer never go very
far, but I hardly ever get any blood trails to
follow. Fixing up my boys' Phoenix and I got
them some 100g schwackers when they had
their 2 for 1 deal going on. Can't wait to see
how they do.

[nchunterkw]

Your goal is to create lots of hemmoraging, which you did. A deer generally goes down because it "passes out" from lack of blood flow. I have heard this typically takes 8 seconds or so. You say your deer ran 20 yards - that is awesome. Deer can cover alot more ground than 20 yards in 8 sec. IMO you center punched the lungs and the deer went down very quick. Probably in 3 or 4 seconds. A lower shot would give you a better blood trail, sure, but - again IMO - a heart shot deer will run further. I like to aim at the lungs.

I did the same thing Friday night - a bit high, and the deer was quartering to me so I hit the lungs/liver. This was with a 100 gr Swhacker. I walked up to the shot area, found my arrow burried in a tree, looked around and saw the deer 30 yards away. No blood to speak of to follw, but it just didn't get far enough to start pumping it out.

Your setup seems great to me.