skipper19

Just preparing for the inevitable Murphy law. The shoulder is not the Target but it is closer than the paunch for a miscue. An inch of error to the boney structured shoulder is shooter error that still has vitals behind it. Wrong application of broadhead is under preparing for a non perfect shot. Might as well have the advantage and over come the odds of a non fatal shoulder mistake. Yes I said mistake, we are not aiming for any bone heavier than rib. But a little understanding of what a combo of a particular setup with all the variables that are possible can do in an attempt to make the best of a bad situation. There are People conducting tests of results on a 55 gallon barrel, plywood, jugs full of red water...lol. last time I was on a hunt I hadn't seen any deer wearing those things for armor. Maybe then the 30-06 or 7mm mag would be good but a 30-30 should do just fine without the armor. [ Post made via Android ]

Maybe we could all go to Andy's farm and he could collect some cow scapula for us to do some bone busting research. [ Post made via Android ]

Fantastic!...specially on the whim of an idea and time to hunt! I can relate. Mark [ Post made via Android ]

Buckboard, I have looked at the site you posted and yes it makes sense that a single bevel edge on a long taper HEAVY blade (thickness, ridged, strong) with some weight behind it will have the best chance of breaking bone and wedging through with minimal edge deformity to still cut vital tissue. I like the samurai single bevel. It looks like a great deer size killer. Very expensive but it would definitely make the best of any marginal shot including one that a mechanical would shine at, and that would be the dreaded gut hit. As far as bone splitting this single bevel would offer the least resistance to passing through a hard object due to the one bevel being the only wedging edge and that could best be compaired to the way an ice auger has a single bevel to cut and wedge It's way through ice as if it were able to pull It's self through. Sharpness is the key., and we all know how hard the ice can be on a 10 degree day when all you want is a Sharp auger and catch some fish. I BELIEVE! Maybe some serrated edges like the ones on the Thunderhead Edge could help with tissue and vessel damage. Mark [ Post made via Android ]

Many moons ago I was hunting with an AMF Wing compound bow (that was alot of moons, AMF is long gone) It was the fastest bow on the market at the time. ....any how, I was using the Wasp three blade head on aluminum arrows and 31 inch draw at 70lbs. this bow was the best let off available at the time with a really forgiving 50% holding reduction and no real discernible wall. The wasp head was available at the time with 3, 4, or 6! blades and a round bullet point in 125 grain. Made sense to me that the more things (blades) to penetrate the target the harder it would be to get depth in penetration, so I stuck with the 3 blades. When I made a shot on a deer with the wasp, I had the same misfortune of hitting the shoulder and thought I had good hit with the arrow sticking out the other side of the deer as it ran. Almost dark tracked the blood for a ways just to make sure of a trail to follow and marked it as I went. Returned the next day and tracked with a friend. 300 yards up the side of the mountain and jumped the deer but no shot. It ran pretty good for a shoulder hit I thought and never caught up to it again. Month later, rifle season, my friend shoots the same buck and the wound is all healed up, just a hard scab. I asked him to have the butcher do an exploratory of the area and he said the point of the arrow had hit the shoulder plate at an angle and gouged it but deflected away from vitals and exited the upper shoulder above the spine. Well that explains the arrow sticking out the other side. I was hunting on the ground and as I released the buck lowered himself for the initial launch at the twang of the old AMF. The round point of the Wasp would not be able to "dig in" and drive through. After that I decided to go with a chisel point design and although I have not had the chance to screw a shot to far forward and high, I have had good results with the rib cage and a spine shot (nearly straight down) and a neck shot facing nearly straight at me at 28 yards all with the Thunder head on either the heavy aluminum or the carbon 400s. I have been thinking of the mechanical broad heads, but I know the Physics of things and was a little skeptical of a heavy bone hit. It is true that shot placement is everything but I still believe that a chisel point is best for cracking a hard bone. It's like, what do you grab when ya have to break a nut or bolt that won't budge and the corners are rounded off. The old sharp chisel is the tool to split the hard object. The spine hit was the convincing proof. Dead center of the spine and it smashed through the bones just inside to the aorta running along the underside. I have no reason to change my thinking on the resistance of bone against any thing but a chisel point but the razors are the weak link there. not convinced the razors will survive a pass thru bone and go to the vitals intact. maybe one or two might, but like I say have not had the shoulder experience again since the wasp. The spine hit was an 85 grain Thunderhead and the blades did stay intact but were bent up pretty bad. Hey....it's archery, and it has it's limitations. Bad hits are gonna happen, and when the animal has some size and age it is a much tougher frame to deal with. too many variables to conjecture what might happen, but preparing for the worst scenario can decrease the limitations somewhat. Go get him Ray, do not get discouraged. I have been there with you and yes it is frustrating, but you were excited and I know you are playing it over and over again second guessing what may have been. Just refocus and enjoy the rest of the hunt my friend. Good luck! Mark

image upload Happy birthday Bob! Great job by Eskimo Joe, getting your world record gobie mounted for ya on yer birfday. Well almost on yer birfday! Have a good un buddy! Mark [ Post made via Android ]

I NEED this!... [ Post made via Android ]

Power belts....SUCK!....easy to load, but then again, if its too easy it's loose in the barrel and therefore inaccurate. No you don't need 150 grains of powder specially in a .45 but hornady has a great sabot and accuracy is very good, however I'm not fond of the SST polymer plastic tip bullet for It's terminal performance. Not enough upset in many cases and leads to a long tracking of a deer that is hit well. I'm now using bullets that are open tip, but I'm still searching for the ballance of accuracy and efficiency on the impact. Mark [ Post made via Android ]

Now that's funny right there! What sabot is giving you a problem. I know some are tougher than others. But hornady has some easy ones. [ Post made via Android ]

Hunting near NYS parks, like Hamlin, and in tourist towns like Old Forge,...yeah, you can say the deer are not wary of you. All you need is a bag of peanuts and a Sharp knife. BUT don't bring your dog with you during the spring birthing season.....maybe a cat is ok. This is why. V V V http://m.youtube.com/index?desktop_uri= ... 0DkEcZ_k8Q [ Post made via Android ]

HUH!?....WHAT?....Hey! Get outta my lunch!....er I'll shoot! [ Post made via Android ]

Ray, you better stick to wrestling lobsters, that deer is foaming at the mouth....yikes! [ Post made via Android ]

"**Wondering what kind of grunt calls people are using.. I am stuggling to find one that I really like.."** Not sure of the brand that I have, but I like one that has an "accordian" style of plastic tube that can be flexed or shrunk and extended to give direction and pitch changes. Sometimes flexed down into your chest for more quiet burps, and sometimes cupping my hand over the end of the tube for more volume or a pitch change, by collapsing the accordian down and then extending it as I'm blowing a long grunt. A sound many bucks make around my area is what I imitate with my hand cupped on the tube end. It starts with my blow and my hand open, as I get towards the end of my blow I close my hand around the end of the tube in a progressive manner. Kind of a sound you could make with your mouth when you imitate a buck grunting by having your mouth wider open at the beginning of the grunt and closing your mouth down to forming an "ooh" sound towards the end. This kind of call has worked well for me cause it causes little movement, and it can hang around my neck. The tube can be pulled off if debris gets on the reeds. Mark [ Post made via Android ]

In the past few years the QDM practice around my area has lessened the doe population. Thus the bucks have grown 3 to 4 years and are in a better buck doe ratio than 6 years ago. In this area back before QDM, like Ray said .."tinkling" WAS the way to get the curiosity up of smaller bucks that were less aggressive and they would sneak around to find you. Now with the bucks larger and more plentiful in the area, there is more competition even before the peak of the rut than before. The norm now is to be near the feeding bedding trails early mornings, and like Ray said clattering, and grunting are very productive, especially with the bucks looking to increase their "local" harem. The rattling has become more aggressive with the matching aggression that the bucks have become for does. Deep ...long..grunts followed by a few shorter ..quieter burps has proven to stir a buck in hearing range into a frenzy these past few years. They have come on a trot disregarding all caution at the right times on a quiet cold morning. Almost scary, when the woods come alive with rustling and cracking sticks as they iblunder along looking for a fight. So if the woods are full of does ...non aggravating "tinkleing" is best for bucks with less than enthusiastic wanderings for love. You can turn it up a bit for bucks in a low doe population. I still like the grunted bucks for the "hurry up and beat him to a pulp attitude" that brings them in with thier guard down. Knowing the buck doe population ratio of your area is a big help in determining the amount of enticement. Mark [ Post made via Android ]

HMMMMmmmmm......Is she a "tite end" with great receiving qualities or what . . . Hey Eli, "Throw the ball a little high, like 3 feet over her head...OK?"

Nice job Rod! Looks professional [ Post made via Android ]

Like my berts but keep an eye on the e clips that hold the ratchet lever stuff together. They will come off if moorings, net or line snag them by accident. It's slightly vulnerable to that. Lost one of the plastic rod protector caps, I recommend glueing them on to help keep them on when pulling a rod. Haven't tried big john. Mark [ Post made via Android ]

ahh HAHHHhhhh [ Post made via Android ]

Bob are you trying out for the quality control tech for the tickle me elmo doll? If so you only have to give him two test tickles. [ Post made via Android ]

I GOT MY BUCK! [ Post made via Android ]

Rock on Rod, another trip around the sun, hope its a good celebration. Mark [ Post made via Android ]

Sorry to hear your loss of a friend. May he fish forever in peace. Mark [ Post made via Android ]

30, 40, 50, ....80!!....all ok but put it away when fleas bloom out. If you insist on braid, go with fireline fused original (a tip given to me here on this forum) it helps some. Less prone to fleas if you must use it during that time. do braided wire and be more happy. Mark [ Post made via Android ]

Nice pic Ray! Glad to see Zoiefound a family, and that family said OK, we will let you own us looks like you're on the end of the list for having the Mrs. run her fingers through your hair Ray and hope Zoie let's you move in sometimes. The doghouse I mean. Nice choice Ray....I mean Zoie Mark [ Post made via Android ]