Author Topic: Pass through shots on Whitetails (Read 9939 times)

gmc · « **on:** January 18, 2012, 12:17:16 am »

I would really like to hear some experiences on pass-through shots deer hunting with primitive bow equipment. I am specifically interested in the draw weight of your bow, the grain weight of your arrow and estimated velocity (fps) that made it happen. Or is this just wishful thinking?

Obviously I know nothing about deer hunting but just curious as I do read from time to time on such occurrences happening.

Thanks in advance.
gmc

Pappy · « **Reply #1 on:** January 18, 2012, 08:41:10 am »

It depends on if I hit bone or not,I sometimes punch out but not pass through.
I shoot around 48/50lbs @ 26 with a 525/600 grain arrow around 150 fps 2 blade head either trade point/flint or Ace 160. Never really seen the need to pass through as long as it gets deep enough to get into the vitals,2 holes do leave a better blood trail but won't kill any quicker than one.

Pappy

PEARL DRUMS · « **Reply #2 on:** January 18, 2012, 09:07:18 am »

I have never left an arrow in a deer with any of my bow kills. Be it wheelie, glass or wood. I shoot no less than 50#, all steel broadheads (for now) and most often my arrows weigh up around 550-650 depending on materials used. I let them get as close as they want if I can help it. I would say 95% are within 12 yards of my tree. For what its worth I have shot over 75 deer with a bow. Not bragging, I just wanted you to know my numbers are from a broad range of years and critters. I have left more arrows in damn squirrels!

crooketarrow · « **Reply #3 on:** January 18, 2012, 01:58:20 pm »

Not counting compounds,recurves or long bows. Unless I spine shoot (4) or shoot through the shoulder (5) I'd sat 95 % of all my self bow shots have passed through. I shot 36 bucks and never kept count a the doe's. These were shot with from 65 to 55 pound bows what I'm useing now.
Either 2 blade ZWICKYS starting out to knapped and trade points for the last 10 or so. I've shot 5 bucks 2 doe's with knapped heads and had 4 pass thoughs. The other 3 hits ribs perty square. Even these got good enough pentration to kill the buck. The longest 18 yards the closest 4. Most 10 to 12 yards. About half and half from ground and tree stand.
I have a friend that has shot 11 deer with a 49 pound osage bow so far. All from a tree stand. He was proud that he had 8 pass throughs. He shoots 2 blade zwickys.

jimmy · « **Reply #4 on:** January 18, 2012, 03:16:03 pm »

Two years ago I shot a buck at around 20 yards (and maybe a little further). This was a very long shot for me. Most are no more than 10 yards. The arrow passed through ( double lung shot ). I was using a 65 pound osage bow with a river cane arrow whith heavy hardwood foreshaft. It had a 2 blade, 125 grain magnus broadhead. It really didn't help with the blood trail, but it was pretty satisfying knowing that my "primitive" equipment can produce those kind of results.

gstoneberg · « **Reply #5 on:** January 18, 2012, 04:13:57 pm »

Independent of bow type, I did not get reliable pass-through (arrrow on the ground) kills until I got above 55lbs of draw weight. I don't know if that was caused by more energy at the higher draws, whether the stouter, heavier arrows required for the heavier draw weight were the cause or a combination of the 2. At 60lbs it was rare for an arrow to stay in the deer. At 40lbs it was rare for an arrow to get all the way through. Hogs are a different story. I've only had 1 pass-through and it was with a 60lb recurve at about 5 yards. Every other hog has run off with the arrow. All my kills to date have been with steel heads but I hope to change that soon.

George

gmc · « **Reply #6 on:** January 18, 2012, 08:41:26 pm »

There's more than few in this thread that appear to be pretty darn good at what you do and should be ashamed of themselves.

Thanks very much for the input here guys, very useful real life experiences.

Trying to figure out after reading the Ashby Reports why I wouldn't be packing 75 or 80 lb. bow shooting 800 grain arrow at 150 fps lead to me this post. I've built a bunch of bows and just now feeling the need to arm them with the most effective arrows as possible in both grain weight and ensuring the bows ability to push them.

I needed to know basically what works for a through shot on a whitetail. Hunting equipment with the ability to pass an arrow through should be more than adequate in my book. I've been working on some 500- 525 grain arrows using trade points of high carbon steel that carry a thickness of .060 thousandths. I purchased them from ebay some time before 3rivers started selling them from the original maker - Stevens I think was his name. Any experience using these
would be appreciated as well.

Pappy, you make a good point on not totally needing a through shot to be affective. Thanks for your input.

Perly, your guilty buddy. Thanks for offering up your experience, it was very valuable information. No doubts here.

Cookedarrow, Thanks for your post- testiment that lower weight bows can be effective as well. I did some research on the ZWICKYS.

Jimmy, I hope to have that same satisfaction soon. It good to hear about how effective a primitive weapon can be.

Keep posting guys, I want to hear your experiences or any other input that you may have to add here.

Thanks again everyone.

gmc · « **Reply #7 on:** January 18, 2012, 08:59:36 pm »

George, thanks for your input. I have a buddy that struggled with pass through shot on pigs as well. He said the critters were pretty tough to kill.....

PEARL DRUMS · « **Reply #8 on:** January 18, 2012, 09:44:31 pm »

One thing I will say no matter the type of bow in my hands throughout the years..........my arrows ALWAYS weighed up fat. Even in my wheelie days I got crap for using aluminum shafts and 145 gr heads. It didnt take trad/prim gear for me to know weight = energy=passn' through!

JW_Halverson · « **Reply #9 on:** January 19, 2012, 12:05:01 am »

50# sinew backed osage, 52" nock to nock. 425 grain sitka spruce arrows, 23/64th, 125 grain Zwickey Eskimo sharp enough to worry me. 17 yd shot at a heavy body mulie buck. Broke a rib entering and exiting, but the shaft snapped just below the broadhead and bounced back out of the entry wound as the buck jumped. Broadhead was never recovered, the shaft is on my desk. He died within 5 minutes of two collapsed lungs and massive blood loss. Chronographed speed of this set of arrows varied between 156-162 fps. Handshock was miserable.

Mind you he spent two of those minutes with his nose up a doe's butt, he even tried to mount her twice but was too weak. Did I mention it was during the rut?

Does this help?

gmc · « **Reply #10 on:** January 19, 2012, 12:46:39 am »

PD,
Yeah, the heavier arrow weight seems to be a help.

JW,
I was following along just fine on your post and by the time I got to the end I was laughing so hard that I had to start over and read it again. I played around with one of my bows the other night using different weight arrows through the chrono and got very similar performance. I'm sure hunting is a little different, but 3D or target shooting with any thing less than 160 fps just isn't much fun for me. Sounds like my 500 grain arrows at 164 fps should be good enough with a sharp point.

I will order some Zwikey tips, too many remarks about them.

JW_Halverson · « **Reply #11 on:** January 19, 2012, 01:10:53 am »

I loved that set of extra lightweight arrows for 3 years. I shot a lot of targets at all kinds of distances and really refined my shooting technique. Being light they didn't tend to drop quite like heavier shafts BUT you really have to work hard on your form to keep from wild-spraying them all over the place like a 6 month old boy getting his diaper changed.

But when I went to a heavier set of arrows thru that self-same bow I lost all the handshock, got really consistent groups but had to re-learn how to judge distances. The bow is quieter, the arrows hit harder, and I shoot much more confidently. Hunt ready.

Pappy · « **Reply #12 on:** January 19, 2012, 09:47:19 am »

Good topic,I guess the 50lb and less thing has to come into play along with draw length and arrow weight.I have a short draw 26 on a good day,more like 25 in hunting situations and 50ish in draw weight and like Pearl not bragging but have killed well over 150 deer with a bow and the last 50 or so with my home made bows and I really can't think of any [as JW said] on the ground pass through,lot of punch out but more lodged in a opposite rib or opposite shoulder or just sticking out the other side. Arrow almost always stays with the deer at least for awhile, Never really been that much of a problem just had to learn to track a little better.

Pappy

PEARL DRUMS · « **Reply #13 on:** January 19, 2012, 10:09:55 am »

Draw length is huge for energy storage Pappy, no question. I got ya' beat by all of 3". The buck I shot this year with my little static curve was 15 paces away, he carried the arrow with him about 3-5 yards before it plopped out the other side. I hit only one rib going in and nothing coming out.

iowabow · « **Reply #14 on:** January 19, 2012, 10:19:33 am »

Just a thought. How about the fps setting the wt of the arrow so if you have a 148fps drop the 1 and add a zero 480grain arrow should work. Or 160 fps drop the 1 and add a zero and you have 600grains. Just a thought.

Primitive Archer