How big are animals, really?

[Blockcaver]

The arrow that I shot my polar bear with (9’ and 25-5/16” skull) has frozen blood on it from the tip of the broadhead for about 28” to the back end of vanes. The arrow just had the nock end sticking out of hair and the broadhead buried in the far shoulder. Was virtually broadside at the shot.

Shot with a 65# compound at 29-1/4” draw with one of the evil 3-blade over-the-top 1-1/2” Spitfire broadheads NAP has made for 25 years. The Inuit guide said they had never seen a bear go down so fast….a few seconds.

 

[Formidilosus]

View attachment 1029280
This ^ one was about 42" wide through the chest. They say 2,000# on the hoof but that seems high.

View attachment 1029281

This one was about the same. I'm 6'3 230# here, my buddy is 6' 180#, we are both right up against the bulls....no sitting back six feet behind them.
These Buff are in a whole different category; 1 1/4" thick overlapping ribs, heck you have to shoot through a hide that 1 1/2" thick, then 8" of muscle before you even get to the ribs......

Real question here: you stated 42” wide through the chest. Your arrow is wider than the buff, and both the bows from cam to cam is significantly longer than either animal is wide through the chest; is your bow a 50+ inch ATA model?

 

[Beendare]

Real question here: you stated 42” wide through the chest. Your arrow is wider than the buff, and both the bows from cam to cam is significantly longer than either animal is wide through the chest; is your bow a 50+ inch ATA model?

Those are older long axle bows from the early 2000's....I couldn't tell you the axle to axle as that hunt was 20 years ago but they are a lot longer than the bows today.

I see where you are going with this....one really has to see one of these up close on the hoof to get the full picture on how big they are. 42" might be a bit an exaggeration....but the big ones like these gotta be 40". As you know the width of these critters looks a lot different laying on the ground compressing the chest.


We rolled one upright for photos and I remember holding one of my 30" arrows over its back and the arrow was 8-10" short of the total width.

 

[vingiu]

This emerging discourse of necessary penetration depth has been awfully entertaining to follow.

I’ve worked as a carpenter for a good long time, and the eyes still lie when I’m estimating anything over hand spread. People are, by and large, awful at approximating measurements, even with a reference item close by. Same goes for estimating verticality and roof pitch. Very few professionals ever get the eye for it.

For reference: your kitchen countertops are 36” or so tall, standard size. Your coffee table? likely 18”, same as a kitchen chair. An elk on its side might be as tall as that —likely less. Any more than that, you’re looking at a barrel-bellied horse. And knowing the square-cube law, we know its weight will grow significantly faster than its dimensions. Big game dimensions are much, much smaller than most of us would assume.

 

[HunterGatherer]

36, 24, 36, but only if she’s 5’3. Baby got back …