# What am I doing wrong.... any advice please!



## Texas1966 (May 26, 2010)

I spent the better part of this week in the woods with my crossbow. I've hunted the early bow season the past 4 years using fixed broadheads and have had a lot of success. I switched to expandables this year and have had nothing but misery. I shot a doe early but expandable opened early and went off course through very top of back, I found a few drops of blood but no deer. I searched yesterday for 3 hours and over 6 hundred yards of blood trail through think woods with no luck after shooting decent 8pt at 20 yards. I'm cut form one end to the other from sticker vines. Blood trail got smaller and smaller and then rains came in with cold front and washed away any chance of finding it. I'm sick about leaving wounded animals, never happened to me before. Could not believe he ran that far. Any advice or experience in what I might be doing wrong? 
Thanks very much for your time.


----------



## rebelangler (May 21, 2004)

Stick with the fixed blade broadheads on a crossbow. the force generated on departure has a tendency to open them pre maturely. With a fixed blade you dont have anything to worry about..good luck in which ever you decide.

my .02
brian


----------



## Texas1966 (May 26, 2010)

Will do,no more expandables for me. Thanks for reply.


----------



## SV_DuckBuster (Sep 18, 2007)

Fixed blades for sure. 
Not sure how long you waited before trailing the deer so I'll just throw this out there as a piece of advice. If you don't make a good shot, wait a while before trailing the deer. If you start trailing a poorly shot animal too soon, you are just going to keep pushing them away from you. Let em lay down for a few hours and you might have a better chance at recovery.


----------



## slabnabbin (May 25, 2010)

I have heard several horror stories about expandables in crossbows. I shoot them out of my compound. My dad is shooting the rages for crossbows without any problems but I would suggest sticking with fixed blades. Good luck


----------



## tarpon8it (Oct 1, 2009)

rebelangler said:


> Stick with the fixed blade broadheads on a crossbow. the force generated on departure has a tendency to open them pre maturely. With a fixed blade you dont have anything to worry about..good luck in which ever you decide.
> 
> my .02
> brian


I like the option of staying with mechanical broadheads and shooting a compound instead.


----------



## extgreen (Oct 26, 2011)

Just my two cents, but this is my first year shooting a compound and using the rage 2inch expandable. and I've found that with the o ring i have to really pay attention to details. I usually shake my arrow after i set the blades just to see if the blades are solid. I have only shot one deer with a bow but man I could not believe the entry wound on that deer. I mean i could stick three fingers in it with no problem. And the doe only went about 20yds. but on the same note, i'm with the other guy when it comes to using them on a crossbow. probably not a great idea.


----------



## NOFNSUZIES (Mar 20, 2007)

Just curious, but why did you want to switch to expandables after having 4 years of success with the fixed?


----------



## muddyfuzzy (Jan 2, 2011)

i have shot NAP spitfires out of my tenpoint since day 1 with tremendous results, even on high angle-quartering away shots. no deployment issue what so ever, i recommend you try them.


----------



## stxhunter (May 19, 2006)

Just curious, what expandables were you using?


----------



## TunaTango (Dec 6, 2009)

rebelangler said:


> Stick with the fixed blade broadheads on a crossbow. the force generated on departure has a tendency to open them pre maturely. With a fixed blade you dont have anything to worry about..good luck in which ever you decide.
> 
> my .02
> brian


Your correct sir, crossbow's generate a ton of force/speed so a good fixed blade will work great. I use G5 Montec's or 2 blade Stingers and have had no issues.

I do however use rage 2 blades for deer in my bow and they work great but for hogs I use the G5 montec's.

I've wounded 2 deer in my life and I know how you feel man...It just plan sux. Every hunter I know has lost a deer with a bow or gun, it just happens. Learn from it and get back out and try it again
my .02


----------



## muddyfuzzy (Jan 2, 2011)

TunaTango said:


> Your correct sir, crossbow's generate a ton of force/speed so a good fixed blade will work great.


i disagree, my total arrow weight with a 100 grain NAP spitfire is 426. i get about 310 fps out of my tenpoint turbo with 180# draw weight. verticals like bowtech 350's and cpx invasions, pse omen and others can get those same velocities out of a similar weight arrow so the failure is not one of the crossbow but rather the head in question.


----------



## Chunky (Oct 15, 2006)

I don't use expandables because I have seen to many fail. I know that many people have had great success with them, and I also know that they have gotten much better from the early prototypes. Still, I recovered a doe last year (very luck) as the head did not deploy at all. O-ring still holding the blades in place and it was like shooting her with a field point.

If you followed blood for 600 yards, I doubt you were looking for a dead deer. Almost all of the time, a heart/lung shot deer will be found in the first 200 yards (in my experience). Even a liver hit deer will bed up and die in less distance than that, if you were not pushing him to soon. Your deer may very well be alive and well, I hope so.

We all make bad shots on occasion, feel bad, then get back out there. I am sure you will get the next one...good luck.


----------

