Blood Trails: broadhead or shot angle?

[CalhounWV]

This is my first year of bow hunting of any type. Great information on the board! Hunted with a gun for about 35 years, I hunt from a ground blind or stalk, never have hunted from a tree stand.

I am wondering which has greater impact on a blood trail, the broadhead or shot angle?

Seems to make sense if I hunt from a ground blind, I hit double lung and get a hole in and out of the deer, but at about mid-way up the body of the animal and the cavity fills with blood. For those hunting from a tree stand, they get a double lung coming from higher to lower on the body cavity, which would result in better blood trail with blood spilling out the lower hole.

More experienced hunters will have a lot better concept of this in practical hunting scenario's than I do.

Any one with experience using the same equipment in tree stands and ground blinds ever notice much difference?

[LongCarbine]

I agree with you . After shooting many deer from the air and on the ground with a lot of different broad heads . I would have to say that the lower exit hole leaves a better blood trail . But I wouldn't say it's any shorter. Shot placement and a relaxed deer seams to be the key to a short blood trail.

[DuckHunt]

I would have to say that the lower exit hole leaves a better blood trail . But I wouldn't say it's any shorter. Shot placement and a relaxed deer seams to be the key to a short blood trail.

^^^^ That's spot on. You can have a high entrance and still get relatively high exit when hunting from a tree stand on longer shots too. In general hunting elevated can give you better angles, but shot placement is still king. A high exit leaves a poor blood trail in almost all cases and I'd venture to guess may be the primary culprit leading to an unrecoverable deer.

An exit wound on the bottom 1/4 in the ribcage is ideal regardless of where the entrance is or the size of the broadhead.

DuckHunt

[longbow joe]

I Killed one of my biggest bucks with my longbow strait down in n out but only got one lung ...buck went 200 yards. I wish it was a double lung grounder woulda been n easier recovery for sure. ......so many variables you just gotta stay cool n take your best shot thats all there is to it.

[xcaliber]

Double lung, higher up seems to put them down pretty quickly in my experience hunting with bows, and crossbows. Heart shots for me mean I hit lower than intended, and I never brag about a heart shot deer. I'm not judging, or pushing an opinion, just saying what my experiences, and aiming points are. To tell another hunter how to aim, what to use, etc. is not the aim, no pun intended. I have to say that gun hunting has the edge on shock imparted on deer, but lung, and sometimes heart shot deer don't leave the bloodtrails archery shot deer do, and sometimes do not go down as soon. I have killed my share of deer over the years, and the shortest recoveries were all from bow / crossbow kills except two spine shot bucks with a Muzzle Loader. Here is a 215# buck that was shot at 29 yards, and went 35 yards to pile up. He is right under my limb tip. On another note, I have noticed that high lung shot deer don't always blow blood through the snout as heart, and low lung shot deer do.
Good Luck on your bow hunting, and keep us posted on your success. I'm sure you will adapt, and enjoy the new dimension of hunting, and getting into the woods earlier in the season.

Dan
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