How do you find your arrow after the shot?

[awshucks]

Well, I broke down and purchased a Bounty Hunter TK4 Tracker IV Metal Detector for $99 on sale. I figured it will pay for itself given that a carbon arrow is $6 to $10 plus the broadhead another $10+ for a total of $16 to $20. I also plan to use it at the beach and in the park maybe I get lucky and find some lost gold / silver jewelery. It will be fun for the entire family.

Best bet, don't have to look for lost arrows.
you're in for a learning experience on the detector. [+20 yr swinging a bunch of them].

You won't believe how much crap is in the ground. Most of it sounds like your arrow tip.

I've 'lost' several arrows here in Ar for a variety of reasons.....forget about it and move on.......

Fwiw.....a nickel, pop top and gold ring all sound the same......save the pop tops, lol.....

edited to add: use head phones if possible, they save on batteries a bunch......

[Waif]

Yep dig all pull tab signals if you ever want to recover gold stuff.
Any lonely old foundations or cellar holes, that you find while hunting with your crossbow,later with permission to hunt where private, and mindful if on public land of any antiquity law, can be interesting during off season.
The right finds could cover an upgrade let alone recover your original cost,
Please fill in any holes made digging and blend surface appearance so no one can squawk about them dang detectorists leaving holes.
Though skunks and squirrels may try to frame you,they dig different. Except when one wants to check your handywork! l.o.l..

[Galgo]

Lumenoks have saved me 4 or 5 arrows. one time after a pass thru on a doe, I returned at dusk and easily found it buried 8 inches and in tall grass that completely covered it.

[Dash]

I don't lose arrows target shooting anymore. If on your own property you can use a detector, but good luck at an archery course. I spent 1 1/2 hrs pulling years of lost tips/insert/arrows out of the ground once, but still didn't see my bolt
But hunting is harder. Yeah the Luminoks help in most cases with a pass through, but not if you miss and the arrow digs into the ground.
There's no easy fix for this, but here's a few things I consider before shooting.

1st - Best Advise, Don't miss the target .
2nd tip - for hunting small game use blunts. I always get my blunts back as they don't disappear into the ground if you happen to miss.
3rd tip - If its nearly dusk or at night, a small LED UV torch will make most fletching shine bright like a neon light up to 40 meters away. Can't miss them.
4th -This is probably the most important ! Shoot within your capabilities. If I'm not practicing regularly, and my bow not perfectly tuned, I don't push the limits with distance. Any error is increased with distance. We can all over estimate our capabilities, and if we're not practicing enough its more likely this can happen.

[PSEWOOD]

My short experience with these puppies leads me to think that bolt loss will be much higher than with a vertical bow. I have one shot at a deer, one dead deer and one expensive bolt/BH gone, and this was from a tree stand of about 12' up and an 18-20 yard shot!

As another said, lighted nocks are moot when buried under leaves or dirt!

This is why I use XX75 2216 arrows & old style 125gr. snuffers.To keep cost down on lost arrows!

[cspot]

In my experience the arrow tends to go farther along the ground especially if shot from a low angle. I have seen arrows travel quite a distance beyond where they first contacted the ground. I think a lot of times they must kinda skip along the ground. I try to look at least 50 yards beyond where I think the arrow went into the ground. Also look up at nearby trees as I have seen them skip up high and stick into a limb. Lumenoks or any other lighted nock will help tremendously.

[vixenmaster]

Like awshucks, we live amongst the rocks. So most of the time my BH & arrow becomes ruined after shot! I jus chalk it up to its a fact not exception here. That it costs me an avg. of $15-$18 per deer

[mbc4]

look

[SixLomaz]

look

Where? Where?

[mbc4]

Where? Where?


a lot of times i seem to look in the wrong place!

[Lake shooter]

My short experience with these puppies leads me to think that bolt loss will be much higher than with a vertical bow. I have one shot at a deer, one dead deer and one expensive bolt/BH gone, and this was from a tree stand of about 12' up and an 18-20 yard shot!

As another said, lighted nocks are moot when buried under leaves or dirt!

This is why I use XX75 2216 arrows & old style 125gr. snuffers.To keep cost down on lost arrows!

I here you PSEWOOD, that exact same thought has crossed my mind, believe me! Buy the way, the first deer I ever killed was on the ground at 37 yards with the 2216 and old style 125 gr Snuffer. The ground between where that doe was hit and where she died 40-50 yards later looked liked someone had thrown pints of blood on either side of her trail!!!! never have seen another blood trail even close to that since, with many different BH's!

I made the switch from 2216's to carbon a decade and a half back on my vertical bow mainly for silence on the draw, instead on having that aluminum "sssssshhhhhhhhhhhhh" . I had more than one deer hear it! I love the attributes of carbon shafts and believe them to be well worth the money, but with the power of the 380, no drawing noise and the very high chance of each shot at an animal costing me $12-$15, I just may go back in time!

My next couple of shots at deer will tell the tale. I'll be giving the 125 Swhackers a test run. The 2" cut should (hopefully) bleed enough speed off the bolt that it doesn't continue on to the next time zone or bury 3" under the ground!

[awshucks]

bury 3" under the ground!

If ya got's 3" of dirt, you're a lucky man, lol.

[wilkster]

your bolt/arrow is gone if you miss target or animal,not much you can do other than not miss .luminok is your only hope , even on complete pass threw you need them

[Lake shooter]

I'm not talking about a miss! Mine was a perfect double lung pass through!!!!

[JPjunkie]

I'm not talking about a miss! Mine was a perfect double lung pass through!!!!

Need to teach the deer to pickup the arrow before they run off And holdon to it for you