Archery Elk shoulder blade shot

[HiMtnHntr]

I shot a cow at 20 yards with a muzzy 4 100 and got a complete pass through, dead centered the shoulder blade. I was shooting a bowtech tomcat at the time, 70 lb, 29” draw. No idea on arrow weight, whatever they had at sportsman’s warehouse at the time.

 

[Magma]

I would think a shorter arrow would cause less drag and will get through quicker.
but a hole in both side is a hole in both sides regardless..
the deer body width iswhat come into play.
now if your talking complete pass through. Then yes. A shorter arrow would.

 

[5MilesBack]

~4" penetration, blood stopped right where my fingers are. The arrow bounced out at the shot location, chunks of bone were clearly visible on the head, pretty sure I hit leg bone since I've seen longer range shots break holes in bones much thicker than a scapula.

Or, it might have hit near the knuckle. I hit a big bull square in the knuckle one time at 17 yards and got even less penetration than you did. I also shot a big bull quartering away at 54 yards with a mechanical that completely blew through the offside humerus bone, and was laying in the grass about 20 yards beyond where he stood.

 

[ResearchinStuff]

Or, it might have hit near the knuckle. I hit a big bull square in the knuckle one time at 17 yards and got even less penetration than you did. I also shot a big bull quartering away at 54 yards with a mechanical that completely blew through the offside humerus bone, and was laying in the grass about 20 yards beyond where he stood.

Could be. The way things played out my hunting buddy was blocking the big shot lane the way he was walking and hadn't drawn his bow. I shot through a very small gap about halfway up his body when the fur color changed from brown to yellow. Really wish I'd waited a half second longer.

 

[Beendare]

Thanks for the reply, what is your DL


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30”, so yes I have an advantage with a longer power stroke…but still not even close to 5miles back.

 

[Marble]

Bull
40 yards
31”/520 grain arrow/70#
Rage hypodermic….

I popped over a hill to a bull bedded at 40. I had on a 2 blade kudu broadhead but got sketched out shooting that far because my bow hadn’t tuned great so I swapped to a rage and hammered the shoulder. I chased him 5 miles until he finally outran me. I’ll always wonder if the 2 blade would have got him

It would have. I've put those kudu points through spine, double and single shoulders. This one below went through one shoulder blade and almost through this tree.


72#
DL 29
TAW 512
20 yards shot
Cow
Kudu 125

They are a great head.

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[BadEarth]

It would have. I've put those kudu points through spine, double and single shoulders. This one below went through one shoulder blade and almost through this tree.


72#
DL 29
TAW 512
20 yards shot
Cow
Kudu 125

They are a great head.

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I had a feeling i would have punched through with it.. I killed a bull with a kudu the next year and quartering toward me it went in behind the shoulder and broke the opposite back leg. They’re awesome heads

 

[Fullfan]

19 yds
76#
451gn arrow
125gn IW double bevel.

Knocked the bull down, good blood for 300 yds, then it was tough going for the next 600. Never found the bull.

 

[Fetty Wapiti]

Bull and cow

760/28/53

Zwickey Eskimo

 

[WAKAN]

2022 Bull 35 yard follow up shot after he stopped and turned from a 7 yard frontal. Was probably dead on his feet, but had a hole to point of shoulder so sent another. Arrow blew up front shoulder right and the socket, breaking front leg and stuck just through offside shoulder taking out heart and lungs. Sharpened up the head and shot 2023 bull with it this year

Bull
Yes
Fixed - Valkyrie
510gr, 29” 70lb

 

[Maverick1]

Hey all, looking to compile some anecdotal information about shoulder blade shots from others who have harvested elk…if you’ve shot an elk in the shoulder blade, NOT the leg bone(of course you’ll only really know which if ya recovered but you get the idea….please answer the questions:

1: cow or bull

2: did you get through the blade to vitals

3: type of broadhead, fixed or mechanical (not brand)

4: arrow weight/draw length/poundage

The simpler the answer the easier to follow…

Good example answer:

Bull
Yes
Fixed
430/31/73


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1: Bull
2: No
3: 4 blade fixed
4: 425 gr/26.5”/84 lbs

 

[switchbckxt]

Bull and cow

760/28/53

Zwickey Eskimo

Did you get thru shoulder?


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[Mikido]

Man….just don’t do it.

Nobody asks “hey ever lose a heart shot bull?”

Keep your odds high. We’re hunting for fun, not sustenence.

 

[Ranger 692]

Bull, nope, tracked for half mile before slight blood drip went away if I had no snow probably would’ve been a 100 yard trail it was that slight. Never recovered arrow, didn’t appear I penetrated much at all though. Looked for days and went back a week later looking for birds did a mile grid and nothing. Had a small window to shoot and I released a millisecond too early. 125 gr QAD Exodus Victory Vap TKO total 420 grains. Still haunts me to this day

 

[Magma]

I killed bull at 43 yds hit square in shoulder..
Broadhead lodged in off side.. No pass thru.. Arrow snapped when he ran..

Bull ran 70 yds, stopped to our cow call, fell over dead in sight..

 

[switchbckxt]

Man….just don’t do it.

Nobody asks “hey ever lose a heart shot bull?”

Keep your odds high. We’re hunting for fun, not sustenence.

Yep, couldn’t agree more. This thread is not to encourage elk shoulder shots…which I think most would agree is a low percentage shot. Lots of the stories here, and most shoulder shots in general, are shots guys wish they could get back. This poll is only about collecting information from hunter experiences.

Thanks to all who are contributing, i know it can be especially tough to share bad experiences but I appreciate the feedback


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[Hnthrdr]

Man….just don’t do it.

Nobody asks “hey ever lose a heart shot bull?”

Keep your odds high. We’re hunting for fun, not sustenence.

Completely agree, I think or hope most guys aren’t trying to punch a shoulder. My case was bull probably wasn’t as broadside as I thought. Game of inches often, and sometimes that arrow is a tad right/left up down. All my archery shots usually happen fairly quickly… Wish it was more like the 3d targets I shoot.

I will say one frustrating thing is when you have a marginal shot, and don’t recover it’s devastating. Then you watch some hunting influencer shoot a bull in the ass and some how it tips over in sight…

 

[wapitibob]

If I ever hit a shoulder or leg again, I hope my arrow bounces off like it did the first time.

 

[Mikido]

Look, the internet rarely admits the bad. One deer season, I intentionally killed a doe through the shoulder. The next 4 animals I didn’t recover. Thankfully 2 of them the arrow bounced off. Won’t take that shot again.

For every antidotal killed shoulder shot, there’s 10 lost animals. Great thread!

 

[switchbckxt]

Look, the internet rarely admits the bad. One deer season, I intentionally killed a doe through the shoulder. The next 4 animals I didn’t recover. Thankfully 2 of them the arrow bounced off. Won’t take that shot again.

For every antidotal killed shoulder shot, there’s 10 lost animals. Great thread!

Yeah everyone wants to be an internet star. All I care about is recovering elk. For the purposes of this poll, the elk that weren’t recovered are just as important as the ones that were.

If anyone following this has shot an ELK, in the shoulder and didn’t recover it, please chime in with answers to the 4
questions….no judgement/finger pointing as no hunter is immune to a possible split second poor decision. The larger the sample group the more powerful the data……thanks all.

For those following (if any ) I will update the thread with a review of the data as we get more/enough


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