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MDTROTLINER · Post by **MDTROTLINER** » Mon Jul 27, 2009 12:13 am

Last year I bought a new excalbur crossbow. Very impressed with its speed and accuracy however last year I was disappointed with how the bow performed on deer…or maybe I’m disappointed with how I performed??? I shot at 8 deer last year and only retrieved two of them. I am very very conservation with the shots I take, 25 yards or less, broadside. I used both expandable and fixed broadheads, I can not figure out what is happening. Any ideas out there? At this point I do not even want to hunt with the bow until I can figure out what’s going on. The only thing I have left to consider is using heavier bolts. Anyone have a similar experience. Thanks! Dave

dick195252 · Post by **dick195252** » Mon Jul 27, 2009 2:18 am

Welcome to the Forum. I have never had a problem with killing the deer i have shot with my Exomax. If the shot placement was in the kill zone the deer should be dead. did yiu have total pass throughs? what arrows {size} and broadheads {size and make} are you useing?

R.J. · Post by **R.J.** » Mon Jul 27, 2009 5:19 am

Sorry to hear about your bad luck ....

What Excal model are you shooting ? ... If you are shooting at whitetails , broadside , 25 yards or less with whatever broadheads , and not recovering them ( 2 out of 8 ) then they can't be hit vital ?

The two that you did recover , were they complete pass thru ? ( I suspect yes ) .. what was shot placement and recovery distance on those two ?

I think when you look at those two and compare shot placement to the other 6 you shot at and did not recover , you will probably have answered your own question ...

I have shot pretty well every model Excalibur has made ... generally using a standard 2216 with 130 grain Wasp broadhead with great success ...

I have also missed some over the years ( with compound bow , and crossbow ) ... but as much as I hated to admit it , it was due to error on my part ( hit too high , too low , too far back ) ... The shots felt good at the time or I wouldn't have taken them , but in the end , didn't turn out ...

A Vixen at 25 yards with standard set up , broadside vital hit is very high success with complete pass thru ... as you progress up in model , Exocet , Exomax , etc ... well then it's just a matter of how far you pound the arrow into the ground after pass thru ..

I went back over my original response to add more detail ... I failed to notice you were a new member ... Welcome to the forum !

As other forum members mentioned ... If you give some more details , on your bow , set-up , broadheads , shot placement , how the tracking went down etc. etc. ... You will get some good advice , based on members personal experiences .

I'm guessing 2009 will be a better season for you !

SPITFIRE · Post by **SPITFIRE** » Mon Jul 27, 2009 6:26 am

HI and welcome to the forum. If you are hitting the vitals then my guess is your not giving the deer enough time before you start looking for it. I would wait at least one half hour to an hour then start tracking. I think you are pushing the deer out ahead of you thats why your not finding them. Just a guess on my part.

Rich · Post by **Rich** » Mon Jul 27, 2009 6:27 am

Sounds like bad shot placement or poor recovery skills, 25 yard and under shoots through vital organs with any archery equipment equates to backstraps on the BBQ. Please give more details on shot placement, way the deer was standing, type blood found, etc. If your broadheads are on target in practice and you are shooting more than a minimum grain arrow (350 combined) then I would rule out the EXCAL and look elsewhere (like in the mirror). Sorry about being hard on you, but 2 of 8 is a real bad percentage.

Rich

wheelie · Post by **wheelie** » Mon Jul 27, 2009 6:50 am

Wow, no comment.

sumner4991 · Post by **sumner4991** » Mon Jul 27, 2009 6:55 am

What broadhead did you use on the ones lost?

diesel · Post by **diesel** » Mon Jul 27, 2009 7:27 am

Welcome to the forum. Looks like you have enough help for now.

mikej · Post by **mikej** » Mon Jul 27, 2009 8:36 am

welcome to the forum, where was the shot placement? not leaving the deer long enough and pushing it is a great possibility

wabi · Post by **wabi** » Mon Jul 27, 2009 8:48 am

I was disappointed with how the bow performed on deer…or maybe I’m disappointed with how I performed???

First - Welcome to the forum!!!!!!!

Now.......
If I was betting I'd place my bet on the latter - …or maybe I’m disappointed with how I performed???

Not trying to be critical of you in my statement, but archery hunting deer is tough! It not only requires getting close, but it requires great shot placement with a very sharp broadhead. The shot placement is sometimes tricky in the heat of the moment when you have a deer so close. A live deer is a 3-dimensional target, and you have to also consider where the arrow is going to pass on it's way through the target. If the deer isn't somewhere between perfectly broadside to slightly quartering away it can be hard to get that broadhead where it should go. I've had a deer move from broadside to quartering toward me (not a good shot!) while I was looking through the scope and failed to notice the change in angle. The end result was an arrow through one lung and the intestines - not a good situation! It can be recovered, but DO NOT take the trail right away!

If you can give us more details of some of those you failed to recover we may be able to help you figure out what went wrong. The Excalibur crossbows are both accurate & powerful, so the odds of the crossbow being at fault are slim. Most likely is poor shot placement, poor broadhead performance, or poor tracking practices/skills.

Again, I'm not trying to belittle you or make you feel like you've been a poor hunter, but deer hunting with archery equipment is not as easy as it often sounds. You've made a good decision to come to this forum and ask for help, hopefully the membership here can give you some help in shot selection, and what to do after the shot to help you increase that recovery percentage.

Limbs and Sticks · Post by **Limbs and Sticks** » Mon Jul 27, 2009 8:49 am

Welcome, Something not right here

Wes

Grizzly Adam · Post by **Grizzly Adam** » Mon Jul 27, 2009 8:50 am

WELCOME TO THE FORUM, DAVE!

Honestly, I believe your problem is non-vital hits ... although the advice about waiting long enough and not "pushing" deer is standard, most deer hit through the lungs or heart with a sharp broadhead will be dead before you can get off your stand and walk to them ... and trailing is no problem with a lung or heart shot. That said, it is a good idea to wait a bit, in case it was a liver shot or was worse than you thought.

I haven't had a deer shot in the vitals with a bow or crossbow get past 100 yards ... ever. Most have been dead in 40 or 50 yards.

One problem with crossbow shooting is that it can be very hard to see your arrow strike, and it's easy to believe you made a vital hit when in fact you didn't. In any case, a vital pass-through will cause a copious blood-trail, and the blood itself will tell the tale.

Are you an experienced bowhunter with kills behind you? If you're just starting out, it would be easier to be fooled.

Let us know ... we'll do anything we can to make sure you shoot at eight and recover eight this season!

ninepointer · Post by **ninepointer** » Mon Jul 27, 2009 8:52 am

mikej wrote:welcome to the forum, where was the shot placement? not leaving the deer long enough and pushing it is a great possibility

I agree with mikej and the others.

Being a rifle hunter, I had a bit of a hard time when I started into crossbows. I had to remind myself that just any shot from any angle into the boiler room will simply not do, and that the thick part of the shoulder blade should be thought of as an armour plate. I learned that shot placement with archery requires almost surgical precision, which in turn requires the patience to wait for the deer to move into the right position, along with the willingness to let the deer walk away if the right shot never presents itself.

Big John · Post by **Big John** » Mon Jul 27, 2009 10:06 am

Wow!Is correct. I'll go with Wheelie on this one.
No comment.

dutchhunter · Post by **dutchhunter** » Mon Jul 27, 2009 10:20 am

sounds like he is shooting them with practise tips .

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