Matrix 380/Xbow Trick 9-PT

[Boo]

Looks like perfect shot placement to me Steve!
Congratulations!

[whitetail1]

Congrats!!! Nice buck! Shot looks very good to me as well!!!

[wabi]

Congratulations!
How was the deer oriented when you shot?

[Carnivorous]

Beauty deer!!

Will you go back to the FOC head now?

I am a fellow FOC user and so far so good!!

[newbie]

congrats on the nice buck!

[strum]

congrats on the 9..i see no reason to feel bad about it. you made a decision. stand on it. as far as the slick go. I wouldn't change em . I don't think that was your blood trail issue at all. sometimes it just happens that way no matter what you shoot. was the shot on a downward angle or level..if level then it may have done most of its bleeding inside the body. not the Bheads fault..more of a shot placement issue.. you should stay with those slicks for a few more deer just to be sure . you may get surprised..
my only comment on the Rages.. I think their over rated

[Carnivorous]

Beauty deer!!

Will you go back to the FOC head now?

I am a fellow FOC user and so far so good!!

Absolutely! Spitfires and different arrows( 18" GT L-3 Pros/110g inserts) on M 380 now and the Zombies(AL inserts)/FOCs on 405. Just wish both NAP broad heads had better practice points. The FOC needs a real practice point!!! It does not hit where the 170g field point hits regardless of indexing. Spitfire practice point is fairly close but actual SF seems to hit slightly low and left, but only slightly.

Good info. I need to shoot the actual FOC head in to a target to check. So far they seem to hit exactly where I aim...

[mr meat]

Congrats on the nice buck!!

[Gemjam]

Congrats on the AWSOME 9 point! I live in Arkansas as well and where I hunt the 9 point would b a buck of a lifetime! Never saw any with antlers that big except on T.V.

[Normous]

Steve, I call your deer very respectable and one should be proud, congrats!

My experience using FOC's and the included 170 gr. practice points is very different than yours out of my 405, 18" Zombies, built with added 25 grain inserts, Lumenoks and Blazers set with the Bolt fletcher.

Earlier this year I used last years used FOC that went through a deer and wired it shut with thin diameter wire (added 10 grains) and compared it with the NAP factory 170 grain fieldpoint at 30 yards off a bench and bag. I repeatedly found both to impact within 1/2" at 30 yards. This impressed me enough that I did not change my scope settings at all.
I might add that I use a dental band on the FOC out of the 405 but not out of the 380.

Do you have any idea why your results are different than mine using a very similar setup?

[amythntr]

SEW....you got some of us just salivating....you truly are Blessed!

Congrats!


Anthony

[wabi]

Perfect broadside. 32 yds. I should have hit 3" lower and forward. The high hit was just my fault. I'd grown accustomed to the extreme shot forgiveness of the FOC.

Not criticizing, but from the pic it looks like 3-4" forward and 2-3" lower would have been better. Still a fatal hit and I'll agree the blood trail should have been better.

A lot of times the hits look better or worse than they were because we're guessing how the deer was oriented to your position. If you had been 12' up in a stand 15 yards from the deer, and the deer was slightly quartering away that hit would have been perfect!

[retrieverman]

Nice bucks!

[wildcatter]

Sorry for your misfortune,,,, but I think you got a very nice buck, CONGRATULATIONS are in order!! I understand the area dictating the shooter, but it's not a bad buck at all. good job on the recovery and the time to spen hunting with the son, sounds like a terrific hunt to me!!

The tricks I don't have any experience with, but 2 seasons ago I swore to never shoot any mechanical again. I went one step farther, I decided never to shoot anything but a one piece fixed blade broadhead. I had a spitfire, which I have used exclusively for over 20 years every since they came out, killing over 100 deer with one loss. First year I used them with a Hoyt Flashpoint shooting 225 fps. the shot was a little forward and I hit the leg bone, it sounded like a 22 going off when it hit, and I watched the deer run off with about 3 or 4 inches of arrow in it. Never lost another deer in over 100 archery kill's with Hoyt compound bows and a couple with an Exomax and Parker Cyclone, till two years ago. I was in a stand in southern Ohio my buddy had put up knowing I was coming down to hunt. The first day in the stand I had a nice doe come in and took the 20 yard shot, I watched the arrow spiral out of control to it's target and just grazed the doe. I couldn't believe it, then in the stand I noticed a the tip of a tiny twig that was freshly clipped about 6' in front of me. I had to lean out and up a little to get a clear shot and at such close range the tip of the tiny branch end didn't show in the scope, and if it hadn't hit the blade on the spit it would have hit it's mark. I made the decision then with 2 years into crossbow hunting, time for a change.

I now shoot 1 1/8" dia. VPA 3 blade broadheads. Machined out of a solid block of tool steel, easy to sharpen, nothing to change, lifetime warranty, and shoot extremely well. I use 100 grain and 175 grain in the past two seasons I have taken 7 deer all less than 70 yards to recover, and most excellent blood trails. I took a very Large bodied 10 point last year @ 35 yards on hard quartering at me shot, almost straight on, but he came in on my left side when I was looking away and had to turn and raise the crossbow I was using and as I came to full draw and looked thru the scope he snapped his head up and looked right at me, I knew it was then or never,,,,busted! I hit him center chest high, as I was about 20' up, and heavy breast bone then taking out #'s 1,2,and 3 ribs kinda high but getting one lung and a main artery (barely). I had a great blood trail 10 yards from where I hit him and walked right to him 70 yards away. The first deer with 175's I hit on the ground, 25 yards and broadside, like your buck I was a little high but got both lungs, very little blood for 30 or so yards but only went 60 to 70 yards, easy tracking because we had snow!!

I wont go back to mechanicals, but I would advise anyone using spits in a crossbow, especially the 380 and 405,,,,,"add dental bands" to help the blade keepers keep the blades from opening prematurely, I have heard more than one complain about blades opening from the fierce acceleration, both from being shot out of the 380. Just something else to change and add,,,not me I'm staying 100% one piece... Again,,,CONGRAT'S on a fine buck harvest!!

[wildcatter]

Wildcatter,
Thanks for your very nice, and thoughtful response. I am using orthodontic heavy "c" elastics (purple packs - color indicates the strength of the bands), and have no shortage of them since I'm a dentist. I'll likely stay with the FOCs just due to the success so far.
That was one tough Spitfire you had!
Thanks again.

WOOPs!!! sorry about that not A spitfire, but many. the one was gone that didn't kill the deer. I got the arrow back a 2315XX78 broke of right above the feral. But in all them years had plenty of replacement packs and about a dozen different heads,,,,,they worked, just want fewer things to go wrong!!! Good Luck I am sure they will work just great for you If I were going to use a mechanical again, I am sure they would come from NAP!!!