[birddog]

I thought I'd make this thread to make a point, not to brag. Last thursday, I shot a doe with the bow at 13 yards. The shot was broadside, right in the boiler room. She ran 40 yards and tumbled, dead. I recovered the arrow which was full, bright, bubbly blood from broadhead to nock. Last sunday, a nice eight point buck passed my stand at 10 yards. I hit him broadside, right in the boiler room. He jumped a ditch, ran 50 yards, stood and looked around for 5 full minutes, then disappeared into the brush. Another full 5 minutes later, I heard him go down. Unlike the doe, he lived several minutes, with a perfect hit. Had I not seen him still alive, I might have climbed down, pushed him, and who knows how far he could have gone running in that 10 minutes, but needless to say it could have been a tough tracking job. I am only writing this so other bowhunters out there don't take it for granted how tough these animals can be, especially mature adult bucks. Upon recovery, both lungs were skewered, and the top of the heart clipped. I hope this observation helps some other bowhunters remain patient, give an animal -- even a perfectly hit animal -- time to lie down before taking up the track. I've killed many deer with the bow, and I learn something new each year.
Joel

[nygunguy]

I'm always amazed at what a well placed broadhead can do to a whitetail. I get a bit of a snicker when I hear the gun pundits talk about minimums for bullet weight and energy. Even though I love to gun hunt, my favorite projectile is a 28.75" 2219 XX75 with a 125GR Thunderhead. There's nothing in hunting quite like watching the arrow fly into the target.

[Atticus]

I hunt with a crossbow. More deer than not have crashed to the ground like a ton of bricks when I shot them. Some got up, and one went a hundred yards or so (and he was laying right under me until my hunting buddy spooked him). I don't move for 20-30 minutes unless I can see the deer laying there dead. I look at my watch after the shot and force myself to stay until the time is up...and that is very difficult EVERY time.

[zahc]

I've only killed one deer with a bow, he ran only 30 yards and crashed down. Which was like .3 seconds. Double lung shot. I waited like 5 minutes but I was going to fall out of my tree so I sneaked down and went out the back to get dad and grandpam, we waited a total of maybe a half hour and followed the huge blood trail to my deer.

I couldn't belive you could kill a deer so fast with an arrow.

The months and thousands of practice arrows paid off.