Blood isn’t the only substance you can find on a spent arrow. Look for tallow or dark particles, which can explain what your arrow came into contact with as it entered or exited the deer.

deer runs. The amount of penetration remains at the point where the blood surrounds the shaft.

Exceptions do occur, however. One is when the arrow passes through the abdomen. Abdomen shots often usually result in less blood and more tissue on the arrow shaft.

Another example could be debris that an arrow hits after it passes through the deer. Foliage could wipe an arrow and remove some blood, making it more difficult to determine the amount of penetration.

Veteran bow-hunters are aware that it does not take a pass-through to recover a deer. Most adult deer are about 14

inches wide at the shoulders, give or take a couple of inches. Therefore, less penetration is enough to take out both lungs. Equally important is the abdomen. You need very little penetration to reach organs that would allow you to recover the animal, providing of course you track the deer properly.

Whether or not an arrow passes through completely, it’s important to note the distance an arrow is carried. Muscle and bone will often retain the arrow, sometimes for a considerable distance. However, these wounds could result in a broken or bent arrow and provide conclusive evidence that is necessary as the tracking continues.

Bends & Breaks

While any wood, carbon or aluminum shaft could break, aluminum shafts are often bent when they’re found away from the hit site. However, each tells a story at the damage point and helps you to determine the amount of penetration.

Cleanly broken arrows usually indicate penetration up to where the shaft broke. It’s also true that the arrow has probably lodged in something solid. If you find a piece of the broken shaft, it is usually the nock end of the arrow. For instance, an arrow could enter high in the back with the broadhead burying into loin and bone. The shaft is broken if it encounters a tree or other debris as the deer runs. The same theory applies if the arrow hits the shoulder, neck or hip. This could occur moments after the deer is hit, or much later. The arrow usually breaks just under the hide at the entrance hole.

The calculation is simple. You measure the amount of arrow (nock end) you find and deduct this from the total length of your arrow. The difference determines the amount of penetration. Arrows seldom make an exit hole

 

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