Anyone broke an arrow inside a deer?

[Kegbelly]

Hey y'all, pardon my absence on the forum, been really busy lately both at work and with projects at home. Got a chance to hit the woods this weekend and Friday morning I had two does come out on a trail and work their way toward me, and when they got into range I took my shot at the bigger of the two at about 25 yards, a perfect slight quartering away shot on a completely relaxed and unaware deer. Saw the lumenok light up and hit her in the ribs a few inches behind her left shoulder, saw it disappear inside her. With the hit she jumped straight up into the air and kicked like a mule, then took off in the direction she was heading. But where is my arrow? It should be stuck in the ground on the exit side, but it's nowhere to be seen. She takes two big leaps forward and only then do I see my arrow, nock still lit up, flip probably 8 feet into the air and tumble end over end 4 or 5 times then land on the ground -- this is a good 15 yards away from where she was when I shot her. She runs off the field and I hear her fall, she's down less than 30 yards away. I wait 30 minutes anyhow then I retrieve my arrow, it's covered with blood, hair and bits of flesh, but there is no broadhead or front insert. Arrow is broke pretty cleanly right at the front insert. I find her and field dress her, I see the 4-cut entry hole right where I aimed, got 4-blade cuts thru the lungs and an exit hole through the opposite shoulder, but no broadhead anywhere, and the exit wound is a small hole, not a 4-blade cut. So i think the broadhead has broken off inside her, most likely when it hit the shoulder bone on the opposite side, but I never did find it. Granted I didn't open up the stomach and bowels but we did look through the gut pile pretty closely and I didn't find the broadhead anywhere. Only thing I can come up with is the arrow broke when it hit the shoulder bones on the other side and the shaft went on through her and the broadhead went somewhere else...but from what I saw I don't think the arrow completely exited, I think it was stuck in her shoulder and when she flexed the shoulder while running it flipped the arrow loose and up into the air. It was really weird to watch all this unfold, I've never seen anything like it. But it was a good shot and she went down quick so it was all good, just never seen anything like that. Every shot I've made with he 380 was complete pass through and the arrow stuck in the ground on the other side, but not this time.

[j.krug]

Can't splain your arrow situation but I can say congrats on a nice doe.

[xcaliber]

Is the arrow full length? The insert, and head might have come unglued, and kept going into the ground behind her. If the arrow is shorter than your cut length, it might have snapped off with the jewelry!

Congrats on the deer John!

[Kegbelly]

Is the arrow full length? The insert, and head might have come unglued, and kept going into the ground behind her. If the arrow is shorter than your cut length, it might have snapped off with the jewelry!

Congrats on the deer John!

Thanks Dan and I think you hit the nail on the head... I just measured the shaft, it is indeed full length 18". There is a split on one side and it's a little boogered up, but what you describe adds up with what I saw. The impact with shoulder bone on the other side must have broke the insert loose. Which would explain why it's not in the deer or why I couldn't find the head on the field, because it's buried. Now why didn't I think of that?

[j.krug]

That's brilliant! Mystery solved. Some good sleuthing skills xcaliber.

[hankenhunter]

Congrats Keg. Now it's metal detector time.
Hank

[one shot scott]

Congrats keg!

You mentioned the exit wound is small, not a 4 blade cut. The insert and head prob came out of arrow but I would suspect it to be lodged in an organ but it really just a guess.

[gerald strine]

I believe all your assumptions are correct that arrow was broke ether by the far shoulder impact or most likely it was embedded in the far shoulder and was broke by the leg movement back and forth while running ,
I think the B.H. is in the gut pile.
But it was a happy ending so a big congrats to you on your harvest !

[vixenmaster]

Yup i get broke arrows n i have lost BH when the glue gets older n brittle they jus turn loose on impact. I chalk it up to poor glue these Copanys sell us fer big dollars !

Big congrats on yer fine deer

[Pydpiper]

A few. The worst for it, in my opinion was the GTII, they break clean though. Now with BE Zombies and no problems yet.

[Michiganhunter]

I would suggest that if you take the deer to a processor that you tell them there may be a broadhead lodged in a shoulder yet or if you cut it up yourself be very careful in case the head is still in the deer. Don't want to get a nasty cut reaching around while skinning and cutting.

[Kegbelly]

This was a Zombie and the first insert I've had come loose. Oh well, it stayed together long enough to do it's job
My first thought was it was still inside the deer, and it may have been but I never found it. It was just weird the way the deer ran so far and then the arrow popped out and flipped up into the air, I thought what the heck is this?

As for the exit wound, I could be mistaken... the outside wound looked like a hole, but it was big enough to put your finger through because I did while feeling for the broadhead. The inside of the exit would was pretty ragged, so it didn't look like blade cuts but they may have been there and the meat tore up as she ran with the arrow still lodged in her. I'll go with Excaliber's explanation and leave it at that

[Kegbelly]

I would suggest that if you take the deer to a processor that you tell them there may be a broadhead lodged in a shoulder yet or if you cut it up yourself be very careful in case the head is still in the deer. Don't want to get a nasty cut reaching around while skinning and cutting.

I did take it to a processor and informed them that there may be a broadhead still inside. They hung it up and washed it out good and we looked but no luck. But I did tell them several times that I have a missing broadhead and to be careful.

[Starvin' Hillbilly]

The same thing happened to me but on a target (wish it were meat), even borrowed a friends metal detector, went over the "The Block" target and even cleared a spot behind the target at a 180 degrees, NUTT'N!

-ken

[Jeeper]

Ive had them brake off with a compoud but ive alway got a pass through with my Excaliburs. And always found the bolt till yesterday. Shot a little one with my micro yesterday ( fist micro kill ) and it went through both shoulders and disappeared. I looked for the bolt for a hour after i cleaned and cut it up.
Congrats on the nice doe!