2 Blade vs 3 Blade Shock Effect

[Bill Kissner]

This is not meant to be a thread about which is the better head. I am not a novice having bowhunted well over 50 years and had something happen last evening that I only saw one other time many years ago. In years past I have mostly used multi blade heads but have used 2 blade on occasion. I have been hunting this year strictly with 2 blade.

Last evening I shot a doe that was relaxed and not on alert by any means. The shot looked perfect, tight behind the shoulder and mid rib. The doe flinched but stood absolutely still as if nothing had happened. About 20 to 30 seconds after the shot she twitched her tail a couple times, reached down and took a bite, then walked about 40 feet and stood for another 30 seconds.

I was beginning to think my eyes had failed me and I had missed her altogether. She then got wobbly and lay down and was dead in seconds. Upon inspection, the arrow had entered as I had thought and exited behind the offside shoulder and about 3 inches above the brisket. It was obvious she did not know she had been mortally wounded and probably never felt anything.

Usually an animal jumps into high gear when shot and leaves full bore. My whole point of this is, do you think there is more shock effect from a multi blade and is felt more over a 2 blade that zips on through quickly without the impact being felt?

[Dirtybird]

Bill I had this happen to me twice last year with a wensel woodsman.  I was shocked, but either doe didn't go but twenty yards.   The one took one bound and just stood there as if nothing happened and then fell over.  And the other did what you just described, except I could see the blood pouring out of her.  Very interesting.

[dnovo]

I have only had this happen once. I believe that if the 2 blade hits just right, it goes between the ribs without contacting any bone and the animal doesn't react much.

[KHALVERSON]

ive experienced the same thing a couple of time over the years
seems to me a calm animal  quiet bow and super sharp broadhead may have more to do with it than broadhead style
just my .02
kevin

[Onions]

I have had this happen with many deer. Using both 2 blades and 3 blades. I think the three  key factors for this to happen is: the arrow  not hitting any bone, which would cause shock. A razor sharp head. Have you ever cut yourself with a very sharp knife? Usually you do not feel a thing.The last factor I believe is quietness of the bow. More often I have had this type of result with my longbow vs. my recurve.
jsut my two cents!
Congrats on the deer Bill!!

chris <><

[Looper]

Yeah, it all depends on what you hit. I've had the same thing happen, too. I once shot a big buck through the lungs and he took one hop and then just stood there until he fell over. The 2 blade head had slipped right between the ribs going in and going out. A 3 blade will increase the odds of hitting or nicking a rib, due to the width, but it can still happen.

[joe ashton]

I've had it happen often with woodsmans .  I agree that it probably is a very sharp cut on contact BH and not hitting bone shot from a well tuned quiet bow. I sure do like it....! No drama of the 'blood trailing'

[SuperK]

I have had it happen with both 2 and multi-blade broadheads.  This year 2 of my does have had exit wounds HIGHER on the body than the entrance wound!    :confused:   It seems they are getting more and more wired where I hunt.

[Trad-Man]

When I had the training wheels this happened all the time. My 500 grain arrow at 265 FPS zipped right through.  I'd shot dozens of deer that just went about their business and tipped over or lay down.  Unless I hit solid bone they never ran...just walked or stood there.  This was with 3 blade razor-baks.

While all of the posts above is a factor...I think the single biggest factor that makes all of the above possible is a well tuned set-up that creates a complete pass through.  Good arrow flight and a minimum of paradox make that possible.  The deer just don't "feel" the impact to the point where they are freaked out.

[8leg-lover]

Sounds like extremely sharp broadheads (2 or 3) blade are the culprit. Not that that's a bad thing. Especially since it sounds like the doe had no idea that you were there. I'm curious though as far as the missing the rib bone theory, did you check after you skinned the deer? Or do you still have her hanging? If you went in between ribs going in and coming out, I'm not at all surprised by her lack of reaction.

[AkDan]

I think it depends more on whats hit (ie bone)...and also the flight action is a reaction to the noise intially.  If they didnt hear a thing, and you didnt hit bone with a sharp head, you're right she likely never felt a thing.

I Havent had one fall over dead quite like that but I have had one walk off similar not acting like it was shot at all, no real reaction.    

I think it could and does happen with a multi blade also.  

Tradman's got it!

[Apex Predator]

I agree with your hypothesis, but if it took 50-60 seconds for her to lose consciousness, then I'd be really concerned.  If she ran out of there, she could cover 1/2 mile in that time.

[dave19113]

I had that happen last year with a doe. I shot her with a Grizzly El Grande. She walked away about 5 yards then fell over.

I think that is actually better in my opinion. If you look at how a deer reacts when hit with a firearm. The shock transfers through out the body; actually shocking the deer even if the deer is mortally hit.

A deer normally wont spook as much when there is no shock trama which means they will run less or resume what they are doing.

As for the two or three blade issue; from what I have seen a good solid 2 blade single bevel seems to cut better and if hitting a bone is more apt to break it.

Deer I have shot with 3 blade do create a slightly larger exit and entrance just as long as they dont hit bone. But they always respond to the hit.

I have never had 1 just stand there after a pass through hit from a 3 blade.

[dave19113]

Its kinda like when you have cut yourself accidentally with a sharp knife; you dont feel it right away. We as people understand what happened and react. Animals dont if they do not percieve a threat.

[Terry Green]

Its all in whether you hit a rib or not, thats the impression I have gotten from my experiences and others I've chatted with over camp fires over the years.....if had...it would have been a different story.  I've only shot one deer with a 2 blade....and I cut a rib in half.....I heard it snap, and he wasn't too happy about it.  Took off like a bat outta Haties for about 70 yards.

I've had those same type instances you had many many  times with 4 blades...I've even had them go right back to eating acorns.

Hit a rib, off shoulder,....different reaction no matter the head....and I also believe the sharpness of the head probably contributes also...as well as a quiet bow to stop it all from getting started in the 1st place.

That's my 2....      

[KentuckyTJ]

I am sure you are onto something Bill. My thought on your deer in this situation is I think if you inspect the ribs from the inside that the two blade head went in and maybe out also vertically between the ribs as well. That would even further reduce the shock effect not breaking any ribs.

Side note: A quiet bow has a lot to do with it also as well as the age of the deer as well.

[Bill Kissner]

I never checked if the doe had any broken ribs before taking her to the processor so don't know if that had any bearing. I have had several deer react slowly and trot a ways before dying but as I said, she never even lifted a leg to move for some time.

[getstonedprimitivebowhunt]

Happened a few times in my past..Made me think I missed ...NOT !!!

[JimB]

In over 4 1/2 decades,I've only had one encounter close to this.Last year I shot a quartering away doe antelope and got a pass through.Antelope are very high strung and usually run a long ways,like a race horse.

She took two or three jumps and slowly walked to a point 35 yds from where she had been hit,then lay down.Her head went down in a minute and never came up.I'd never seen anything like it on antelope.

As it turned out,what looked like a good double lung hit was a little low and just missed both lungs and was a liver hit.This doe had so little reaction that the others with her didn't even run.I had never seen that happen either.

A rib was cut in and out.The broadhead was a Grizzly,KME honed like a mirror.I believe the pass through was a big contributor and I think a polished edge also helped.I didn't get it at the time but after reading posts here,lack of sound probably helped also.

I was inside a plywood blind and the bow was quiet to begin with.

This was my shortest recovery on an antelope-35 yds and a liver hit.The only other liver hit I had traveled 200 yds but it wasn't a complete pass through-the fletch remained in for some distance.I remember Fred Bear stressing the importance of pass throughs,saying without one,an animal may travel 5 times as far.

I also am not convinced that number of blades would have made any difference in this case.

[kuch]

I wish it happened more often. i think there are other variables than just hitting ribs on the way in or out .Obviously how wired the deer is, but other factors such as Doe with little ones, noise of bow , just deer reacting differently to pressure. I haven't had one react like this for 6 years and my set up is way better tuned now. I remember feeling like " WOW that was awesome to see what is possible with a bow and arrow .....very ,very fast death"