Broadhead Failure?

[jlgsgw]

So I just got back from 3 days for a black bear spot and stalk with my bow. First day out at about 5:30 pm I'm driving up an old lease road and spook a nice sized bruin(320-330lbs) that was sitting in the middle of the road chewing on what I found out as I walked up was a partridge carcass. He didn't run far, I gave him some time and he emerged out the other side onto an old oilfield cutline, munching on grass, ranged him up at 37 yards, no wind, pretty flat ,easy shot. So I dialed up my single pin slider drew back and let it fly. Perfect shot, exactly where I was aiming. The arrow took a funny whip sideways on impact but it happened so fast that I assumed it hit a bone coming out or something along that line. So he runs off into woods(bunch of planted pine about 10' high). I waited about 15 mins to hear for a death moan, but not a peep. Didn't think much of it as I was confident on my shot placement and they don't always moan. So I decided to give it an hour and go check some game cameras. Came back and went to the spot where he was hit and there's nothing, no hair, blood, arrow, absolutely nothing. So I went and looked at the footage of the bow shot.(bow mounted camera). Wasn't overly helpful as the camera jerked away just enough at the shot and then comes back long enough to see him run into the pines. I spent until 10:30 looking for any sign of a wounded bear and nothing, as I'm getting ready to give up for the night (barely any light left) I saw the glowing nocturnal laying beside a tree, 120 yards Ish from where I'd originally shot. Total penetration was 2.5 inches, blades had chunky meat on them. So this definitely has me wondering what went wrong, as I still am certain of my shot. Regardless I won't be using those broadheads for big game again as I just can't trust them, here's a few pics of the arrow and of the trip.

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[cdales]

Same thing happened to me once. Most likely the bear will be fine. Keep on keepin on.

[jlgsgw]

Originally Posted by cdales

Same thing happened to me once. Most likely the bear will be fine. Keep on keepin on.

I'm sure he'll be fine too, just bugged me because I hate wounding anything, wasn't much sleep got that night....plus all the thought that goes into my gear and to have a failure like that, enough to **** a guy off, but it happens, you win some and the your me lol

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[Sooner]

I don't shoot a bow yet but maybe you hit a willow or something and just caught chest flesh. Maybe you will get another chance at him.

[Nordegg2]

Use a fixed blade broadhead and have no more worries. Leave the junk in the store.

[jlgsgw]

Originally Posted by Nordegg2

Use a fixed blade broadhead and have no more worries. Leave the junk in the store.

I've never had an issue with a mechanical before but this is definitely gonna make me think twice , I was reading that wac em has fixed broadheads that fly like field points and are apparently really tough, I'm thinking on buying a pack.

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[rem338win]

I've been able to tune n slick tricks, wacems and MX4's in fast bows and they are good heads. Wacems are very good.

That said Grimreapers are doing just as well as any and I'm getting greater cutting diameter.

[L.O.S.T.Arrow]

I know this is gonna cause controversy but as a bear guide ...more than one outfitter banned mecanicals for the bear...I find bear the easiest animal to take down with a bow and fixed head...but mecanicals resulted in 4 out of five bear lost...

Then again I saw lost bears with rifles...sometimes it's the shot...
I'm 99% positive it was due to strange angle on shot and it didn't open proper...
JMHO
Neil

[jlgsgw]

Originally Posted by L.O.S.T.Arrow

I know this is gonna cause controversy but as a bear guide ...more than one outfitter banned mecanicals for the bear...I find bear the easiest animal to take down with a bow and fixed head...but mecanicals resulted in 4 out of five bear lost...

Then again I saw lost bears with rifles...sometimes it's the shot...
I'm 99% positive it was due to strange angle on shot and it didn't open proper...
JMHO
Neil

He was almost broadside, a little head forward to me but not much, something weird definitely happened, I've made much worse shots than that that ended in a short tracking job, but like I said I think I'm gonna try fixed blade now, gonna have a bad taste in my mouth over this for a while. I had just bought a pack of axe hybrids too lol

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[muzzy]

Personally I think you hit the shoulder blade. Broadheads and bears shoulder blades do not go well together. When I outfitted bears for 7 years almost always on the non recovered bears the hunter would be saying" pefect shot, right in chest" then we'd find arrow with about an inch of blood on it. The long spring hair, the excitement of the moment and perhaps a bear twisting a bit in its stance and what seems like a beautiful chest shot is in reality a shoulder blade. If thats the case the bear will recover nicely its just a minor flesh wound.

[Z7Extreme]

Originally Posted by muzzy

Personally I think you hit the shoulder blade. Broadheads and bears shoulder blades do not go well together. When I outfitted bears for 7 years almost always on the non recovered bears the hunter would be saying" pefect shot, right in chest" then we'd find arrow with about an inch of blood on it. The long spring hair, the excitement of the moment and perhaps a bear twisting a bit in its stance and what seems like a beautiful chest shot is in reality a shoulder blade. If thats the case the bear will recover nicely its just a minor flesh wound.

X2

[jlgsgw]

Originally Posted by muzzy

Personally I think you hit the shoulder blade. Broadheads and bears shoulder blades do not go well together. When I outfitted bears for 7 years almost always on the non recovered bears the hunter would be saying" pefect shot, right in chest" then we'd find arrow with about an inch of blood on it. The long spring hair, the excitement of the moment and perhaps a bear twisting a bit in its stance and what seems like a beautiful chest shot is in reality a shoulder blade. If thats the case the bear will recover nicely its just a minor flesh wound.

I guided for bear, moose and deer in NB for 10 yrs too and your right about it sounding like a shoulder hit, especially after I saw the arrow, hope for the bears sake your right , personally I think the shot was too far back for a shoulder hit but I'll never say never because things happen fast when your worked up.

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[broadfieldpoint]

I had the exact same issue shooting NAP Spitfires.....yet, I used them previously and harvested a bear.

My issue was that I was shooting a solocam bow and my kinetic energy was too low to push the mechanical in. Arrow only penetrated about 3" and I lost a 20" 400 lbs boar......I vowed to never use mechanicals again.

[SBE2]

Originally Posted by broadfieldpoint

I had the exact same issue shooting NAP Spitfires.....yet, I used them previously and harvested a bear.

My issue was that I was shooting a solocam bow and my kinetic energy was too low to push the mechanical in. Arrow only penetrated about 3" and I lost a 20" 400 lbs boar......I vowed to never use mechanicals again.

What was the draw weight of your bow? Have not heard many issues with these at all, and have put them into deer, gators and hogs.

[calgarychef]

Mechanicals never fail to open....until they do. There's the cartwheel effect, the arrow hits at an angle one side pushes the arrow out of the line of impact. The whipping you saw could have been that. Doesn't happen with fixed blade but I don't have to tell you that.

[BCROB]

fixed Montecs , I'll never use mechanical

[kujoseto]

Sounds like it hit bone. Not necessarily shoulder blade but maybe the leg bone leading to it is an option too. I'm assuming the bow is tuned and arrow flies true.

I've moved from Montecs to grim reapers. If you go fixed I'd suggest getting something sharper than Montecs. I think nap has one called hellrazor that is the same construction as montec only it's sharp

[albertabighorn]

First hand experience with losing a 160 wt with those broadheads. They are crap and dont tend to open very often. They have been passed around and changed company names like a two bit *****.

[jlgsgw]

Originally Posted by albertabighorn

First hand experience with losing a 160 wt with those broadheads. They are crap and dont tend to open very often. They have been passed around and changed company names like a two bit *****.

The swhackers?

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[Nordegg2]

It's not weather a mechanical opens or not, so much as there is a larger chance of them failing than a fixed style head. With all the things that can go wrong with bow hunting why take the chance. Use good proven equipment and success will be better.

[Prdtrgttr]

Mechanical broadheads have been reliable performers for our group for years. We have killed tons of game with Wasp Jak Hammers. Bears that I've shot and seen shot with Jak Hammers, don't go far at all!!!!
The benefits that a good mechanical offer, easily balance and maybe even tip the scale towards using them. More than likely you hit a heavy bone with that arrow, and it wouldn't of mattered if you had a fixed or mechanical.
Good luck to you and go get a big bear!!!

[jlgsgw]

Just went back and watched the footage on my computer and I slowed it down enough to catch the impact just before the camera veered off to the side, you can clearly see the lighted nock at least 3-4" back from the shoulder, should of been a double lung shot easily , won't be using those swhacker 3 blades again I can tell you that.

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