Found in my deer

[spudder1982]

Lucky enough to get a nice mule deer this year with modern rifle.  (Broke my hand and had to give up my archery season this year.)  While harvesting my buck I found 4" of arrow and a broadhead in it located high behind the shoulder.  Actually hit bone on the backside.  As you can see in the picture, it failed to open.  I have debated with myself about mechanical broadheads and have always stayed with the tried and true fixed blades.  I know they have their place and have witnessed success with the same type broadhead as this one.  In fact my buddy only got his because the cutting diameter allowed him to clip an artery.  That said, I will keep the fixed blades.  One less thing to worry about going wrong.

Interesting side note:  I could not tell it had been hit with an arrow three weeks prior when I watched it walk.  Ran into the guy who shot it at 60 yards.  He recognized the antler and was happy to see it did not die from his arrow and was lost.  Said he spent two days looking for it and knew he hit it high.

[mfswallace]

Interesting and cool

[Widgeondeke]

Cool find

[huntnphool]

 Is that a legal broadhead in this state?

[Russ McDonald]

Has been for a couple years now.

Sent from my SM-N976V using Tapatalk

[Sutherland]

Wow that is interesting. I hear ya using fixed blades is the way to go just for reasons like that. Just my  thanks for sharing.

[jrebel]

This may be a sign......I shoot Slick trick Standard 125's with great success.  I have buddies who have had really good success with their Hyperdermic expandables.....I bought two packs last night to give them a try.  Maybe I will stick to my Slick Tricks!!   

I can't believe that broadhead didn't blow right through the deer beings it didn't open.....even with hitting bone. 

Did the shooter say what poundage bow he was shooting?  At 60 yards with my 70 lb bow and heavier than needed arrow.....there are to many deer (or elk) that I don't through and through with my slick tricks. 

[6haase6]

If that arrow hit bone momentum will close the blades with a sudden stop.

[spoonman]

I don’t think a mechanical broad head being in a deer for however long and then you find it defines whether it opened up or not? I’m sure there was a lot of moving around on the inside that could have closed it part way.  I have shot a few deer now with mechanical broadheads and the entry wounds showed  that they opened all the way, then I see the broad head after finding the deer and it appears like the one pictured. I just think there is way too many unknowns from when it was shot with the broad head to when you harvested it.

[jrebel]

is the plastic collar still intact?  I can't see with the lighting but it appears to be gone which would indicate it did open.  How big was the scar on the bucks hide?

[spudder1982]

Those are some good points made.  Had no idea that they would close back up like that on solid impact.  I don't know what poundage he was shooting and wondered that myself.  I actually found it inside the animal about like it is pictured except closer together.  The arrow was cracked where the broadhead screwed in and seems to be corroded and is very loose.  Definitely not something I expected to find, especially in the wide open country I was hunting.

[Chesapeake]

My thoughts, for what its worth.

If that broad head hit high and didn't penetrate the bone and didn't make a lethal wound, why would a fixed blade in the same location be any different? Wouldn't it just be stuck in the bone the same way?

I've found broad heads, muzzleloader slugs, shotgun shot, and rifle bullets in elk. They all looked to be from poor impacts except one muzzy slug. It was under the hide on the side of the ribcage, somewhat deformed, and in an area where had it traveled through the elk like one would have expected someone would have tagged the animal. Never could figure that one. Maybe wet powder and the bullet was only fast enough to get through the hide and slap a rib and stop?

Its pretty cool that you talked to the shooter.

[h2ofowlr]

Rage expandable.  I had one similar that did the same.  Didn't open up.  Went back to a fixed blade.

[2MANY]

Glad to see it lived??

God imagine the pain that animal endured until it was final killed.

Ouch.

[JohnVH]

Cutting up a buck a buddy shot, and we found a broadhead in the backstrap, been in there for quite a while.