North Idaho Bull - 5x5

[Longfield1]

Nice job!  Tell us more about the arrow placement.  Did you get 1 lung or 2?  Liver?


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Great story and bull, nice to have help for the search and pacmout!  Curious about this too as a learning opportunity for the rest.  And did you get a pass through?  Didn't see a hole in the photos.

Last 2-3 years I've gone to the heavy single bevel broadheads.  I'm running 100 grain brass inserts and 150 grain heads (cutthroat heads).  Claim to fame would be penetration.  I used 100 gr slick tricks prior to that.  I'm still on the fence as to which is better.  I think the penetration I got on this bull bailed me out a little. I cleaned it with the gutless method, but I was a little far back and might have just hit the rear of the lung if he were perfectly broadside, which he was not.  With him quartering to, I must have hit liver only as he lived for many hours afterward.  About 8" of my arrow was hanging out, I did not get a passthrough, but it sunk pretty deep.  I think with my lighter slick tricks, I would not have seen the penetration I saw.  One critical error was ranging a tree that he passed in front of and assuming he was that range.  Running arrows as heavy as I am, 5 yards makes a big enough difference to matter, and I think he was really 25, not 30, which made me hit higher than I wanted, and I already aimed erroneously high because I didn't take time to think like I should have.  I did EXPECT a pass through, and was surprised not to have seen it.  I'm honestly surprised with the shot I did make, that he didn't go further.  It was 180 yards straight downhill, but took hours to die?  Sometimes its hard to say what is going on in there.  Maybe I did clip a lung?

I'll also say on my heavy single bevel game, I lost an elk due to this that I KNOW I would've killed with a slick trick. I'm running my arrows at the edge of the capability of my spine, and I threw an illuminock on there last minute when Idaho allowed them, didn't practice enough, and it appeared through a few test shots that things were fine.  They were not fine and corkscrewed and hit 8" low and right at 45 yards.  Had I plopped those on my slick tricks, I'm sure it would've been just fine.  Penetration is great, but not if you hit them in the wrong spot or your arrows dont fly true.  These are all "my fault"... but running standard lightwight arrows are certainly more forgiving, and you'll hit more often where you're aiming. I also think the single bevel leaves a smaller blood trail...  Still on the fence about continuing to use these, I need a few more samples I think.  I do like being able to sharpen my own and get them RAZOR sharp.

Do you know what your total arrow weight is? I started around 530 grains and have since dialed mine back and removed the brass inserts to 470 grains using 2 blade 150 grain ozcut solid broadheads stropped hair popping sharp. The previous year i had some complete misses due to shooting 60lbs and having a heavier arrow. Now i'm using a lighter arrow and shooting 70 lbs. From your description of the hit you got 23-25" inches of penetration more likely than not hit a rib and slowed you down some. But glad it worked out for you.

[luvmystang67]

Nice job!  Tell us more about the arrow placement.  Did you get 1 lung or 2?  Liver?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Great story and bull, nice to have help for the search and pacmout!  Curious about this too as a learning opportunity for the rest.  And did you get a pass through?  Didn't see a hole in the photos.

Last 2-3 years I've gone to the heavy single bevel broadheads.  I'm running 100 grain brass inserts and 150 grain heads (cutthroat heads).  Claim to fame would be penetration.  I used 100 gr slick tricks prior to that.  I'm still on the fence as to which is better.  I think the penetration I got on this bull bailed me out a little. I cleaned it with the gutless method, but I was a little far back and might have just hit the rear of the lung if he were perfectly broadside, which he was not.  With him quartering to, I must have hit liver only as he lived for many hours afterward.  About 8" of my arrow was hanging out, I did not get a passthrough, but it sunk pretty deep.  I think with my lighter slick tricks, I would not have seen the penetration I saw.  One critical error was ranging a tree that he passed in front of and assuming he was that range.  Running arrows as heavy as I am, 5 yards makes a big enough difference to matter, and I think he was really 25, not 30, which made me hit higher than I wanted, and I already aimed erroneously high because I didn't take time to think like I should have.  I did EXPECT a pass through, and was surprised not to have seen it.  I'm honestly surprised with the shot I did make, that he didn't go further.  It was 180 yards straight downhill, but took hours to die?  Sometimes its hard to say what is going on in there.  Maybe I did clip a lung?

I'll also say on my heavy single bevel game, I lost an elk due to this that I KNOW I would've killed with a slick trick. I'm running my arrows at the edge of the capability of my spine, and I threw an illuminock on there last minute when Idaho allowed them, didn't practice enough, and it appeared through a few test shots that things were fine.  They were not fine and corkscrewed and hit 8" low and right at 45 yards.  Had I plopped those on my slick tricks, I'm sure it would've been just fine.  Penetration is great, but not if you hit them in the wrong spot or your arrows dont fly true.  These are all "my fault"... but running standard lightwight arrows are certainly more forgiving, and you'll hit more often where you're aiming. I also think the single bevel leaves a smaller blood trail...  Still on the fence about continuing to use these, I need a few more samples I think.  I do like being able to sharpen my own and get them RAZOR sharp.

Do you know what your total arrow weight is? I started around 530 grains and have since dialed mine back and removed the brass inserts to 470 grains using 2 blade 150 grain ozcut solid broadheads stropped hair popping sharp. The previous year i had some complete misses due to shooting 60lbs and having a heavier arrow. Now i'm using a lighter arrow and shooting 70 lbs. From your description of the hit you got 23-25" inches of penetration more likely than not hit a rib and slowed you down some. But glad it worked out for you.

Yeah, I think I'm probably similar.  I had this all down, but I've forgotten since I set it up.  I think we're at 9.1 GPI, something like 29-30" arrows.  273 grain of shaft then, 250 grain of broadhead and insert.  Add 20 grains for fletching and 12 grains for the nock.  I thought I was in the 530 range, but this is showing more like 550 grain range.

To your point, with the longer say 2" broadhead, I'm guessing you're about right at 2 feet of penetration, which is pretty damn good, and I'm nearly certain I would've hit a rib.  All of that definitely contributed to success here, but a more forgiving shot might have improved placement.  I'm mixed on my heavy arrow setup, versus the old 430 grain slick trick setup.  If I'm lucky enough to send this combination at another elk or two, I'll feel a lot better about my data collection.  I can confirm that my broadheads are RAZOR, leather stropped, sharp.  They also fly a heck of a lot different than similar weight field points.

[idaho guy]

just saw this well done! good story