Last hunt a bust

[Helmut]

Well made the trip to Bancroft area last week. Set up at a friends farm in two differnt spots. Temps were cold all week averaging minus 16 to minus 25 wind chills. Lots of snow made for some real pretty scenery.
Had a lot of deer sign and only a couple of does came by that I let pass in favor of that beauty buck we hope for.
Spent a lot if time in the trees reflecting on life as I'm sure we all do during the slow times.
Last day was to be Friday. Stayed out for 7 hours and low and behold at the last few minutes of dusk out pops a nice 8 point.
Took my time with careful aim and watched the diablo luminok hit dead center of the sweet spot. The buck jumped straight up about 4 feet then went into warp drive. To my amazement he was taking my arrow with him.
How it did not pass through with the 150 gr bolt cutter is beyond me.
Watched him zigzag through the pines and disappear.
Gave him 20 mins then off looking in the dark. Found blood trail in some spots had spray and drops in others. Still could not find him. After an hour decided to try in morning. Don't wanna get caught that deep in bush with light loosing batteries.
Next day picked up blood trail again but still could not find him. How in the world can this be??? He was hit solid even had arrow in him causing damage I'm sure.
This is my first no recovery and makes for a bad feeling.
Can anyone out there give me an idea what went wrong?
Matrix 380 has the power
150 gr bolt cutter always work before
18 inch diablo hit the mark perfectly.
30 yard shot well within range.

Better luck next year I hope.

[Riflemanz]

Sorry to hear you couldn't find him!
That's also why I like a big 3 blade 2"
Cut head for better blood trails!

[vixenmaster]

Sorry to hear you lost the deer. Sometimes we don't hit where we thought we did! Deer moves, we move it does happen. Didn't get pass-through, thats an ever occurin durin every season by most of us at one time or another. I get miffed when i shoot a deer less than 25 yds & not a pass-through. I have been goin back to my heavier weight arrows instead of fast n faster wid light poundage models i shoot

[Fletch2]

I lost one this year it's not a good feeling,Ill take a little more time shootin. So your not in the boat alone

[Lake shooter]

Been there with my old bow on a big buck for around here. I too thought that I hit him in the boiler room but he immediately took off like a thoroughbred and an instant later I heard a carbon shaft tinkling on the rocky ground below!!

The arrow snapped off minus 6-8" and all I ever found over 100's of yards of trailing were drops of blood. It WAS low light, and I believe my eyes deceived me. Thinking on it, I had to hit him in the shoulder blade to have that poor penetration and snap the shaft off when he took off running. Looked for him a long time that night and wound up being bit in the face by a POS Akita that an ex friend brought to help trail, and looked for him half of the next day until I started feeling bad and then ended up spending 18 hours in the hospital hooked up to IV antibiotics!!!!!!

I honestly think that short piece of shaft and broadhead missed anything vital as I never found that buck or saw any buzzards circling the area days later. Sometimes what we think we see ain't really what happened!

IMHO, if you had really hit him in the sweet spot there would have been an EASY pass through with the gear specified. The fact that he ran off with the bolt in him tells me that all was not as you thought.

Very sorry about that, I know that it sucks BIG time!!!!

[Riflemanz]

You would think that 380 would blow thru any part of a deer woundn't it?

[Lake shooter]

That's the clincher here: it would have easily blown through if hit in the sweet spot with a properly sharp and functioning BH!

I only have one under my belt with my 380, and shooting a BH 25 grains lighter than yours BUT most positively hit in the boiler room I had a dead deer in less than 10-12 seconds and a bolt which still had so much energy after cutting two ribs and making a clean pass through that it either ricocheted off to parts unknown or buried deeply in the rocky ground, as I never could find it!!!!!

[mr meat]

Sounds like you gave it your best shot on finding it!, but as others have stated sounds like the shot hit bone as to why there was no pass thru

[Lake shooter]

Very well said buddy!

[one shot scott]

A couple weeks back i shot a buck with my 380 at 25 yards. it was 1/4'ing away & I did not get a pass-thru either, but after the shot i could tell it was buried into the chest cavity so i knew i hit shoulder going out, not in. He took off like a bat out of hell too. I found him but i was surprised how far he went with so much damage and a busted up shoulder.

[Lake shooter]

When they put the hammer down it's absolutely amazing how far they can go in 10-20 seconds!!!

Scott, just curious: what is your total bolt weight and what type of BH were you shooting?

[Helmut]

I think you all are correct. In that my shot was not exactly where I thought it was. They more I think on it the more I feel he may have been quartering away from me not exactly broadside. This would explain why no pass through. Arrow went in where I thought the sweet spot was and angled away into the far shoulder. Sad situation but lesson learned. Thanks all

[one shot scott]

When they put the hammer down it's absolutely amazing how far they can go in 10-20 seconds!!!

Scott, just curious: what is your total bolt weight and what type of BH were you shooting?

My total arrow weight is 406, and I am using a g5 striker magnum, 1.5" cut 125g

[Lake shooter]

Scott, mine's only 375 gr total with said Magnus SS Snuffer. It completely cut through one rib on the way in and one on the way out and headed for parts I'll never know! The 380 is a beast!!!! I also keep my BH's freshly touched up, sharp and ready for business.

I never have bought the old deer camp BS of "aim for the opposite shoulder"...... No shock there! To me it's totally insane to purposely aim for one of the thickest bones in the body AND on the off side, so if your aim is true and it hits where aimed there is a great chance of no pass through, a broken shaft and no blood trail!!!! I believe this to be just one more of the oft repeated but not very well thought out ism's that has become ingrained and passed down without much thought in the bow hunting world. There are LOTS of them!

You folks that follow this mantra, not looking for an argument, aim where you like, it's a free country. I endeavor to aim for center mass of the heart/lung area with a conscious plan to MISS both shoulders, for the reasons already given. I've lost one big buck from a shoulder hit and still bear the dog bite scars on my face from the later supposed blood trailing, I don't want anything even remotely similar to happen again!