Arrow: Exit or No Exit ?

[CalhounWV]

Last summer I purchased a Matrix Grizzly and used it for the fall season. I have not made upgrades or additions to the factory package, and using the diablo arrows and 150 grain bolt cutter broad heads.

I have only harvested two whitetails, each deer was hit in the vitals and the arrow passed through sticking in the dirt behind the animal. They went about 15 to 20 yards and fell over. Shot ranges were: 25 yards on the first, and 20 yards on the second.

I would like to know if members have experiences at not getting a pass through, and what factors were involved for the arrow not passing though.

Good luck to everyone this season!!

[sproulman]

Hitting bone like in shoulder ..This is why i only take a broadside shot or Buck walks...With brush 8 ft high now a lot of Bucks over years have walked on as close as 20 yards....

[nchunterkw]

Hitting bone would probably be number 1, but a heavy arrow (500+ gr) may even go through that. Number 2 would be a light arrow, from a lower speed bow, using a large mechanical head. The head takes a lot of energy to open and sometimes will not pass through.

My belief is that a bow hunter should strive for a pass through on every shot. That is why I use heavier arrows and fixed blade heads. Even then things happen. I just shot a deer Sunday and did not get a pass through. Deer was 20yds broadside but had it's close leg raised like to stomp at me. As a result I put the shot too far fwd (it was right behind the leg but the leg was fwd....things happen fast sometimes) and did not get a passtrough. It buried in the offside shoulder about 1/2" from passthrough. Well, 4" of the arrow did. The arrow broke so maybe that was why it didn't make it all the way through. The deer did not go far (100 yds), and the blood was not bad, but sometimes this can lead to a long tracking job. My arrow was 425gr ZS with a Ramcat head, and shot from a Micro 335. The same arrow at 500gr went completely through a bison at 30yds.

[DuckHunt]

Twice I have failed to get a pass through and it was a heavy bone hit in both cases.

Once with my ExoMax with an arrow just over 350 grains, I shot a doe in the neck intentionally. I was at ground level and she was facing me. She dropped in her tracks.

The other was just over a week ago with my Micro 335 with a 374 grain arrow with a fixed broadhead. The doe was alert and moved before the arrow arrived. She was quartering away, but turned even farther causing the arrow to enter the front of the hind quarter and strike the femur. Surprisingly, the arrow still managed to bury up to the nock which put the broadhead into the kill zone. I was fortunate to have others hunting in the vicinity that helped identify where she went down less than 100 yards away.

As long as you avoid bone or lengthwise shots and have a sharp broadhead, getting a pass through should be the norm. Its certainly the goal for the sake of an easier recovery.

DuckHunt

[acreek]

Well, last fall I didn't get a pass through on the tree stump I stuck my arrow into. I shot over the deer's back with my traditional bow. I would say the density of the wood stopped that one. Haha.

But to add to the others' input, some of my vertical bow friends hunt from nose bleeding heights and I think that hinders a pass through, especially on quartering shots. And if your entry is high up on the deer and you have no exit down low, you're looking for pin drops as the cavity fills up.

You have a good streak going with that combo you are using. Well done.

[vixenmaster]

Like the other members i have had some that didn't pass-through. Sometimes it was stopped on the off shoulder, either scapula or the leg bone. Light weight arrows n low poundage crossbows add to the mix.

[galamb]

Only had one not pass through and it was my fault.

Deer was quartering towards me at 27 yards, not a shot I would generally take or recommend anyone take with a bow. But he was perfectly still and a decent buck.

I had to tuck the arrow just behind the shoulder (since the vitals were obscured being quartered towards me). I did nick the heart and got the lung on one side but the arrow "bounced" off the far side ribs (due to the angle is my assumption), ran the length of the deer and only "half exited" down near the butt.

The deer was recovered although the blood trail was poor and when I found him about 10" of the arrow was sticking out just below the offside rear leg.

That taught me to listen to my own advice and never take a quartering towards shot no matter how tempting. I was almost blind luck that the deer was recovered (he made a full circle and fell within a few yards of where he was hit after traveling almost 800 yards with little to no blood trail, but I do use a string tracker - when I opened him up all the blood was in the body cavity).

[Carnivorous]

Only one non pass through. On this buck. It was quartering away. The arrow went in through the heart and hit the opposite leg. Arrow broke in half. The blood trail was outstanding though.....

[884savage]

I've had my Matrix 380 for 3 seasons, and I've shot 10 deer with it. The very first one my arrow did not pass through. I hit her right in the heavy part of the shoulder, and my arrow lodged into the opposite shoulder. It still double lunged her, but I'd have preferred to hit 2 inches further back. All others have been pass through shots. 2 have been bucks over 240 pounds live weight. Those arrows are going through anything short of very thick, solid bone.

[IronNoggin]

... I would like to know if members have experiences at not getting a pass through, and what factors were involved for the arrow not passing though.

Only ever had one failure to pass right through. My 380 on this Alberta Buck:



The shot: 66 yards freehand. Matrix 380 with Big John Zombie Slayers right on 400 grains when tipped with 125 Spitfires. Arrow broke 2 ribs on entry, hit the liver, right lung, all arteries into heart, left lung, two ribs on the way out of the chest cavity, then hit the heavy bone of the shoulder (just below the socket) breaking it and stopping the arrow. The arrow itself snapped off three or four inches below the broadhead from impact. Both ends of the arrow remained inside the Buck, thus creating a rather slow start to the blood trail. Recovery was around 60 yards or so.

Here's what the offside shoulder looked like inside - you can see the massive damage to the heavy leg bone:





Guess 2/3 of the body on a 400 lb plus buck combined with that huge leg bone was simply a little too much for a pass through. If the arrow had missed that bone however, I am certain it would have buried in the dirt beyond that buck.

Cheers,
Nog

[Normous]

Since purchasing my first 165 pound 270 fps Exocet in 1991 I can report with confidence that my Excalibur only once failed to give me a pass through (my error) on any broadside or quartering shot on Whitetail deer (35+ deer taken). Ribs and shoulder bones never stopped any arrow I am happy to report.

I do note one risky shot I took straight on that did not result in a pass through and that event taught me a valuable lesson that I will not repeat AGAIN. My shot out of my Exomax using a Slick Trick was stopped by the heavy brisket/center rib plate on a 4 yard frontal shot. I had hoped to hit above the brisket bone and fully expected the arrow to pass out the rear end. I never did recover that large 8 after he entered a water filled low area.

[SEW]

Passthru's seem to give the best blood trails. However, I've not gotten passthru's with 3-4 FOC hits, and passthru's on 10+ other FOC hits. All the non-passthru's were DRT.