Wierd Archery Shot!

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Bow season here in Florida is just around the corner. Yesterday, a friend and I brushed the cob webs off our bows and went out for a tune up on a 3D range. I was actually shooting pretty good for barely having touched the bow in months.

We had started off with some spot shooting to make some bow adjustments and moved on to the 3D targets. We had shot about 8 animals when we got to the end of the line where we found a big whitetail buck standing broadside at 42yds. Between us and the deer were several small pine trees and since we were both shooting at the same time, the kill zone was getting crowded by the right pine for me.

No problem I thought, I'll just slide it right alongside the tree and put it right in the pocket!

The shot immediately reported with the loud metal crack of my 2213 clipping a solid object......Damn it!
That arrow's ruined!

We headed down range to retrieve the pieces. What I found was a shot you could never reproduce in a million shots....... the shaft just barely clipped the left side of the pine sending the trailing end of the shaft into the tree. The section of the shaft at the fletching broke in  (2) places. One about 3" from the nock and another about 3" ahead of that, just in front of the forward end of the fletching.

The 3" center piece went spinning off to the left at a little less than 90 deg. and impacted a small pine about 3 1/2 feet to the left. The incredible part was that this piece hit the pine ass backwards, straight on and actually embedded into the tree!

It took me a minute to figure out just what had happened and locate all the pieces. I don't think I have ever seen anything quite like it.

Looks like it's time to build some more shafts!

Larry S. 

Primos Bow Sling Review!

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If you do a lot of bow hunting you know what a beating your bow string takes. In no time your your string will begin to show wear and tear and the form of frayed strands. You can keep it waxed to help it, keep water and grit out but once its frayed there is no going back. A new string is a price proposition.

I have been mildly looking for a solution, outside of a full case, that will help the situation. I wanted it to be simple, attach quickly and be something I can just toss my bow in the back seat with. When I get back to the truck after a hunt I'm ready to get gone. I have so much gear to wrangle as it is, anything new has to really be worth the effort.

I decided  to give the Primos bow sling a try. It seems to fit the bill. I doubt I would use the sling feature as I already have a ton of stuff draped over my shoulders. I am looking for string protection, mostly in the truck but I might leave it on all the way to the tree as it is designed for. After all, you really rarely walk up on a whitetail in the woods that you could get a shot at.

The following are some of my observations on this product both pro and con:

My first thought when I opened the package was that I was going to have to let this thing air out for a while before before taking it into the woods. It has a pretty good odor to it.


The camo color I chose was realtree hardwoods AP Green but that is not to important. It appears to be well made and I see no weak points to pick on at this time.

The cover installs in seconds and has three button snaps that close it around the string. It also has a bungee cord w/ pull strap to secure it around the cams. It attaches securely. I don't see myself using all the straps and snaps when just in the truck.

I do not see the shoulder strap all that practical particularly for me. If I had a climbing tree stand on my back I expect the bow would be clanking against it. However, I typically hunt from fixed position stands anymore so that's not much of an issue.

The cup material that cover the cams seems like a good choice but it is a little noisy. That would only be a minor issue if you used it as intended and kept it on all the way to the stand.

The cover is very light weight, compact and protects the string and cables and I would recommend the product for anyone looking to protect the only really vulnerable and critical part of your bow.

Best of hunts,
Larry S.

Robin Hood!

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For all of you that don't know, Archery season opens here in central Florida this weekend. I just built a brand new set of arrows  for the occasion. One dozen finely tuned meat missiles. I weighed each and every component on a grain scale and matched everything together, ground off tiny amounts for exact weight and added small set screws to the back of my inserts to bump up my f.o.c. a little. All dozen arrows finished out to within 1/2 gr.  of each other. It was really quite a bit of work.

Last night I decided to shoot a little with my broadheads and see if I need any last minute adjustments. Usually I pick different spots when shooting broadheads and only shoot one arrow at any one target so I don't ruin an arrow....you probably already figured out where I'm going....a robin hood!

Well, I'm not sure whether I should be glad or sad about this. I guess I'm out a brand new XX75 either way. Actually quartered the alum. uni-bushing! I found one of the pieces, you can see it in the lower photo.

If I can shoot like this when I get out in the tree I guess it will be worth it!

     

Most people have converted to carbon arrows at this point but it's hard to beat the Easton XX75 and XX78. I used the Pinwheel archery program to fine tune my shaft size and the 2215, while a little uncommon, was right on the money. The aluminum shaft is typically twice as straight as carbon and half the price (or less) of quality carbon or carbon/alum., etc.. I personally prefer XX78 but they were not available in 2215 so I went to the XX78 CAMO HUNTER. They even come with uni-bushings for easy nock adjustment.

Steve Kelly, Owner of American Sports in Havana Illinois, did call me a dinosaur when I had him build me a few last year when I ran short on a hunt there but why fool with something that works so good.

I took a gobbler, (2) hogs and more than a dozen whitetails last year with these aluminum shafts. Hard to argue with that!

You'll notice in the picture I'm fletched these shafts

with AAE's new Maxi-Hunter 2.2 vanes. They are

2.125"l.x.59"h. and control my muzzy's just fine. I

prefer them to blazer types as they are a little more pliable and are ribbed to create a little more drag

for stabilization. They are far more durable than the

standard AAE 4" vane. I can shoot clean thru a "Block" target and the vanes look perfect!

Good luck and send me some harvest pictures!

Larry

P.S.

If you doubt the effectiveness of a Muzzy have a look at my Muzzy vs. Deer Spine post!
http://trophy-hunting.blogspot.com/2010/02/muzzy-vs-deer-spine.html

Below are a couple of links to Amazon with pretty reasonable prices on these shafts and fletch if anybody needs some.

Potential Illinois State Record Non-Typical Taken

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It looks like Illinois could have a new state record non-typical whitetail!

The buck was taken by Chris Kiernan in Kendall County Illinois on November 1, 2009 with archery gear.

The story is pretty unusual as you will see and just goes to show you can never know just what a deer is going to do!

The hunter had several encounters with the buck before finally killing him in a woodlot. He had been hunting him from around the edges of the woodlot not wanting to take a chance on bumping him by jumping right in the middle of the woods. On Nov. 1 st. the hunter received numerous reports that bucks were on the move and he decided to step up the pressure and move into the woods.

He entered the wood lot from the down wind side and picked out a tree 30 yds into the woods. Just after getting into the tree he spotted the big non-typical step out of the corn and into the woods. The buck bedded down for an hour and a half at less than 70yds. Eventually, a small buck chasing a fawn caused the buck to stand up. The hunter grunted several times and the deer moved his way stopping broadside at 44yds.

The hunter took the shot but hit the deer a little bit far back. He was shooting a striker broadhead. The buck hunched up and moved off into a thicket.

It was 3:00 pm and the hunter decided to stay put until dark. This turned out to be a crucial decision as he eventually spotted the buck with his binoculars, standing at 80yds. He eventually moved off out of sight.

As dark approached the hunter was about to get down when several deer moved thru the woods towards the cornfield. Shortly afterwards he heard the sound of another deer moving his way and it turned out to be the big non-typical! Still on his feet! He passed by at 35yds and the hunter put a second shaft into him and the brute was down!

The Trophy has 37 scorable points and measures 268 1/8". The current state record is 267 1/8". The most notable dimensions is his 22" inside spread and nearly 90" of  non-typical bone.

The deer will have to be panel scored to be officially recognized as the new record and that should happen in March of 2011.

You have to keep an open mind when considering what a crippled deer is going to do and don't fool yourself in thinking you have one all figured out. Obviously, the arrow zipped thru soft tissue without hitting and bone and the deer didn't know what had happened. Who would have guessed he would have come back to the same spot he was shot just a couple hours earlier.

 Amazing!

Bow season is just around the corner.

Good luck,
Larry S.





Update: 12-20-11

As with all internet stories, the facts are up in the air on this but Kiernan has been charged with taking this deer illegally. The following are the details of the arrest. Hopefully, the true facts of the harvest will be learned in the near future.

"IDNR Conservation Police Make Arrests in Deer Poaching Case



Giant buck valued at $35,000


SPRINGFIELD, IL - Charges have been filed against three individuals after an 11-month investigation by the Illinois Department of Natural Resources (IDNR) Office of Law Enforcement in a deer poaching case. The three men were cited for numerous Wildlife Code violations including the illegal take of a potential state-record whitetail deer, and now face charges through the Grundy County State's Attorney's Office and the Sangamon County State's Attorneys Office.


"Our Conservation Police Officers are tasked with the mission of protecting the public and our natural resources and they do it effectively and vigilantly," said IDNR Director Marc Miller. "I am proud of the hard work of the IDNR law enforcement staff and have a warning to those who choose to hunt illegally: We are watching."


"The IDNR Office of Law Enforcement has zero tolerance when it comes to poaching matters," said IDNR Conservation Police Chief Rafael Gutierrez. "Our Conservation Police will continue to protect our natural resources so that legal sportsmen get every opportunity they deserve."


The investigation focused on the unlawful harvest of a 36-point non-typical deer scoring 261 5/8 and valued at $35,000. Charges were filed after a thorough investigation with assistance from the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources, Wyoming Game and Fish Department, Alberta Sustainable Resources Department, Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, Missouri Department of Conservation, and Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks.


The following individuals were cited on charges related to unlawfully taking a total of 24 deer in Illinois and Canada over a 10-year period. Specific charges were filed as follows:


Christopher Kiernan (age 45, of Minooka, IL)
11 counts of hunting without permission of landowner and being an accessory to the charge
19 counts of unlawful possession of illegally taken deer
5 counts of hunting with invalidated permit
5 counts of unlawfully taking of deer
2 counts of falsifying harvest records
1 count each of: Failure to report harvest on the same day as killed, Fail to tag deer as required


Garret Armstrong (age 31, of Avon, NY)
9 counts of hunting without permission of landowner and being an accessory to the charge
8 counts of hunting with an invalidated permit
4 counts of unlawful possession of illegally taken deer
2 counts of unlawfully taking of deer
1 count each: Failure to tag deer as required,
Failure to report harvest as required
Falsifying harvest record


Larry Smith (age 49, of Williamsburg, Ontario, Canada)
1 count each of the following:
Hunting without permission of landowner
Hunting with invalidated permit
Failure to tag deer as required
Unlawful possession of illegally taken deer
Unlawfully taking of deer
Failure to report harvest as required
Falsifying harvest record"

SOURCE: CHICAGO SUN-TIMES

Muzzy vs Deer Spine!

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I promised to post these pictures of a section of whitetail deer spinal column.

I think it makes for a strong case for quality, well engineered broadheads of fixed or replacement blade design.

You will not see an expandable blade broadhead do this!

You can see in the picture above that the blades have been bent together a little bit but the did not break. They are shaped more like an "X" rather than a "+". Completely severed the spine!

The Following is a post I made to "Kisky's Whitetail Freaks Forum" http://www.kisky.com/forum/default.aspx?f=11&p=2&m=151307

“A lot of guys won't like this but do yourself a favor and steer clear of expandables. a pile of deer have been killed with them but a pile more have been lost. More often than not, you will not get a pass thru. without a low exit hole your blood trail can be weak to non existent. Quartering shots can be a problem with many expandables. i have heard of many instances of broken parts and structural failure with these also. If you have a perfect broadside shot and punch him square in the ribs, most any broadhead will do but that is not the real world.
A friend of mine owns an archery shop in Illinois and he shoots expandables buts admits he don't get a lot of pass throughs. His reasoning for overlooking this important factor was that the woods there are open and you can usually fan out your search and find him. I want a blood trail and the best trail comes from a pass thru. Besides that, ask an expandable fan what happens when heavy bone is encountered. I have shot completely thru several deer spines, you'll never see and expandable do that.

If you want some more convincing, take a piece of fresh deer hide and try to push an expandable, a cut on contact and a replaceable blade style head thru it.

I have taken 74 deer with a bow and untold # of hogs. I shoot a muzzy (4) blade 100 gr.. You will never see one of these fail! You might get a crack in a blade once in a blue moon but it will be in tact. I have only seen (1) or (2) bent ferrules.

"G5-Montec" and Snuffers are great also! you won't go wrong with them but you have to develop a method to sharpen them and they have to be absolutely as sharp as possible. This is a mistake many make. They don't realize just how sharp the blades need to be. If not razor sharp the head has more of a tendency to push everything out of the way rather than cut it's way thru. I also recommend staying away from heads with blade configurations that are not swept back with enough angle. In other words, the less the angle between the cutting edge and the target, the more the blade is pressed thru rather than cut it's way thru.

There are many other good heads but if you stick to models like the three i mentioned, it will be the best you can do.

Have a look at my site, http://trophy-hunting.blogspot.com/ , I'll post a great picture of one of my Muzzy's sticking clean thru the spinal column of an Illinois buck!

Good Luck! Larrysdd"

Choose your broadhead carefully, its one of the most important choices in gear that you can make!

Best of Luck, Larry