Crossbow at close range

[Beagle1]

That’s an interesting way to hunt. Update us after you’ve hunted a bit out of it. I am curious how the deer will react to the blind when the windows are down and you are in it.

 

[Gnome]

I’ve used a similar setup years ago, though with an Excalibur and Rage broadheads. Shot placement remains critical.

I ended up hitting bone near the shoulder and had to finish the buck with a knife.

 

[North of 60]

I once lost a nice 8 point buck due to a 4 blade broadhead about 25 years ago and have been using long (3:1) sharp single bevel 2-bades since then for that very reason...they will bust through scapulas or ribs for a complete pass through. The only times i haven't gotten a complete pass through using 2 blade are high hits into vertebrae (spine shots).

 

[Annapolis]

With a Ravin R10 at very close range using a Ravin expandable broad head, is it pretty reasonable to expect a pass through pretty much anywhere I hit that’s in the right neighborhood? (I mean maybe not going through both shoulders, but even if it hits one shoulder?) It just seems like it snacks targets with such authority…

 

[Glendon Mullins]

Based on the way he said he's setting up, I am guessing this is a neighborhood (urban archery) type hunt, where he is literally hunting in someone's yard. The deer should be used to human activity, smells, and such. don't overthink it, I know a few buddies in virginia that do these type hunts and have alot of success etc.

 

[North of 60]

I'm not 100% sure with that particular broadhead, however to be safe, if i were you, i would do my best to not hit the the equivalent of the human humerus (upper arm bone), or scapula (shoulder blade).

And if the deer is 5-10 yds away with an Xbow, waiting for a broadside shot hitting behind the shoulder or quartering away shot seems doable to me, especially if not spooked.

Be sure to watch the wind.

 

[Annapolis]

Absolutely—to be clear, I’d never aim for that kind of shot, and I pass on marginal shots, always. (Just not a point yet where I feel comfortable taking any shot I don’t have extremely high confidence in.) This is just an academic question—when I hear that bolt smack the target and see how far it penetrates, it just seems like it’s make short work of scapulae, but perhaps not.

Backyard is correct—in a completely legal scenario. The deer don’t seem to spook easily.

 

[North of 60]

Just remember the larger the diameter of a broad head and more blades increases resistance in general, and especially when hitting bone.

The reason i've mostly used long sharp 2 blades for a long time to increase the margin for error and more reliable penetration across recurves, compounds, and Xbows .

Like you said, wait for good shot and you'll be fine...and the hardest part will probably be finding your bolt if you don't have a lighted nock.

 

[RobertLosekamp]

My experience is running 50-200 punching the lungs. This one was shot with a 150gr swhacker from a Wicked Ridge M370 at about 30 yards from a 10ft elevated blind. Blood trail a blind man could follow.

 

[Annapolis]

Appreciate you sharing that.

I'm a little embarrassed to admit it: had a perfect shot opportunity just a few hours ago and I didn't take it.

Light wind (almost nonexistent, though occasional gusts to 8mph) right in my face, the sun behind me, so I felt nearly invisible in the blind. Doe was standing almost perfectly broadside ever-so-slightly cheating away, just 12 feet away from the tip of my broadhead. She gave no indication of knowing I was there, even when I switched off the safety. My heart was pounding. But there was another doe with a spotted fawn just a couple feet beyond her, and even when I was reasonably certain I could take the shot without any risk to them... I just couldn't shake the fear that my bolt might pass through her and hit one of them. I don't yet have the experience I'd need to feel comfortably--re: knowing what a bolt is likely to do after passing through a deer.

Man, when all three of them calmly wandered off after a minute, the adrenaline let-down was rough, let me tell you. But I'm taking it as a good sign now--a sign that I made the right decision for me, ethically--that I'm not kicking myself. I'm a little disappointed, but I feel like I'd do the same thing if the same situation happened again.

These deer are here all the time, in various combinations, so I'm sure I'll get another chance soon. But damn if it wasn't the perfect combination of factors... Even the temperature is finally dropping to a point where I'm less worried than I was about making a super-fast recovery. (It was about 75 degrees today--still a touch warm, but at least no longer in the low 80s like it has been.)

So it goes.

 

[RobertLosekamp]

But there was another doe with a spotted fawn just a couple feet beyond her, and even when I was reasonably certain I could take the shot without any risk to them... I just couldn't shake the fear that my bolt might pass through her and hit one of them. I don't yet have the experience I'd need to feel comfortably--re: knowing what a bolt is likely to do after passing through a deer.

You made the right choice, another opportunity will present itself soon enough. At that distance it's hard telling what the bolt would do but I imagine it'd have no trouble carrying enough energy to wound the fawn. Best to let it go than deal with the regret imo.

 

[North of 60]

Good choice Annapolis! They will be back and we want pics

No shot is better than a bad shot...same as in business - no deal is better than a bad deal.

 

[Yoder]

I killed three with my crossbow in the last two years. All with Deadmeat 125's. My crossbow is really loud, and deer don't even flinch at 40 yards. It's 380fps, so yours is even faster. Close up, it's almost like a rifle. It will go right through the shoulder. I hit a doe high shoulder at 30 yards, she dropped in her tracks. Broke the shoulder and stopped in the spine.

 

[Annapolis]

Worked beautifully. Quartering slightly away, 12’ shot, deer ran maybe… 20’ and was dead in an instant. Couldn’t have asked for a faster, cleaner, more humane kill. Thank you all for your advice! Heart and at least one lung from what I could tell.

The bolt was easy to find in a pile of brush about 15’ past the impact site and it was clear that the broadhead did deploy.

This was my first deer that I field dressed by myself and I definitely made a couple educational mistakes, but managed not to puncture the stomach or damage any meat or injure myself. If it were colder out I probably would have waited a while longer to calm myself down so I could approach the work more methodically. But with temps in the mid 70s I was worried about bloat/meat spoilage. Got the deer to the processor’s cooler in under an hour.

 

[North of 60]

Watch out as you may be hooked

 

[Annapolis]

Watch out as you may be hooked

Oh yeah. This particular location was, for me, a one-time deal (definitely for this season, maybe forever). But I will say, it’s given me a deep respect for the modern crossbow. At least at that kind of (usually impossible) range, it was just as lethal and humane as a rifle.

 

[KHNC]

37 yd recovery . Gravedigger hybrid mechanical.