Congratulations creamer
This time of year it gets really tough
Especially on a mature deer
Way to stick with it!!
This time of year it gets really tough
Especially on a mature deer
Way to stick with it!!
Creamer's 2023/2024 Season Journal
- Thread starter Creamer
- Start date
It felt like the stars perfectly aligned for this to happen, the way they came in and multiple deer that close both looking away at the same time. It was the perfect little window to get drawn at ground level that close. This is the second deer I've killed like this with a recurve and it's freakin intense.
The stars always have to align when you hunt with a real bow. They have to give you something or make a mistake every single time. It usually does not work out well unless they beg you for an arrow. Even when they do, we still have to do everything right. It is hard to fully appreciate the difficulty of killing deer at close range with a stick and string unless you have done it repeatedly and failed at doing even more. Close calls are what make bow and arrow hunting worth doing. Killing is always just icing.
Very well-put. I'm realizing each year hunting with a stick that this is very accurate.
@Boarhead here's a little broadhead post-mortem. This was the first deer I have shot with the Crimson Talon Cleaver 200 grain head. If you're not familiar, they are a pretty cheap head in the world of single bevel 2-blade heads ($10/each, $30/3). I was able to get these heads very sharp using a Stay Sharp Version C guide, combined with a 3-sided JewelStik and leather strop. My arrow setup was a full length Traditional Only 340 spine (320 grains), 3 5" feathers and an arrow wrap (roughly 22 grains total), stock inserts (14 grains), point collar (5 grains), 200 grain head (200 grains). Total arrow weight is roughly 560 grains. I'm going based off listed weights, I don't own a scale for weighing the arrow. The Stalker Wolverine I shot was 46lbs@28", I pull closer to 29" so I'd guesstimate I am pulling 48ish pounds. Shot distance was 12 yards, ground level. Entry was in the pocket tight to the leg line vertically up the body about 20% up from the bottom on the entry side, exit was higher (deer was slightly above me, but I suspect this was more a product of the deer rolling away at the sound of the shot) and punched through the off side scapula. Based on where the arrow was broken I am estimating 18" total penetration. Here's macro phone pics of the broadhead used.
This edge shows very little visible damage.
This edge shows a little chatter towards the wider portion of the head.
No point deformation at all.
From a durability standpoint, for a $10 head I think it held up really well. It's 100% reusable, and still feels pretty sharp. It can be resharpened and reused without question. The only downside, and I know these things can vary, was that the blood trail was garbage. This deer left very little blood to follow, which led to a trickier recovery than it should have been. Maybe the dry powdery snow made it tougher, but it was shockingly bad for a good arrow placement and a razor sharp head. Like I said earlier, this makes the 5th single bevel 2-blade deer I have killed and none of them have had good blood trails. The experience the past few years has me feeling like going back to a 3-blade next year.
This edge shows very little visible damage.
This edge shows a little chatter towards the wider portion of the head.
No point deformation at all.
From a durability standpoint, for a $10 head I think it held up really well. It's 100% reusable, and still feels pretty sharp. It can be resharpened and reused without question. The only downside, and I know these things can vary, was that the blood trail was garbage. This deer left very little blood to follow, which led to a trickier recovery than it should have been. Maybe the dry powdery snow made it tougher, but it was shockingly bad for a good arrow placement and a razor sharp head. Like I said earlier, this makes the 5th single bevel 2-blade deer I have killed and none of them have had good blood trails. The experience the past few years has me feeling like going back to a 3-blade next year.
Last edited:
I am really surprised that the blood trail wasn’t good. Looking at your entrance and exit wounds my thought is the blood trail should have been pretty easy, especially with a little snow. Maybe a 3 blade will help, but on a traditional bow I have always used 2 blade broadheads to make sure I have an exit wound. And blood trails have always been ok with a good hit. And you made a good hit for sure.
I guess what I am getting at is I am not sure a 3 blade will help. Sometimes things just don’t work like we think they should. Next time blood may be spraying like a garden hose with a 2 blade.
I guess what I am getting at is I am not sure a 3 blade will help. Sometimes things just don’t work like we think they should. Next time blood may be spraying like a garden hose with a 2 blade.I'm not a fan of single bevel heads, and even less a fan of tanto points on broadheads. They all work if we put them where they belong, but I like double bevel heads and pointy points. Tanto points deflect off of bone much more easily than sharp points which tend to penetrate and split bone more readily on direct bone hits.@Boarhead here's a little broadhead post-mortem. This was the first deer I have shot with the Crimson Talon Cleaver 200 grain head. If you're not familiar, they are a pretty cheap head in the world of single bevel 2-blade heads ($10/each, $30/3). I was able to get these heads very sharp using a Stay Sharp Version C guide, combined with a 3-sided JewelStik and leather strop. My arrow setup was a full length Traditional Only 340 spine (320 grains), 3 5" feathers and an arrow wrap (roughly 22 grains total), stock inserts (14 grains), point collar (5 grains), 200 grain head (200 grains). Total arrow weight is roughly 560 grains. I'm going based off listed weights, I don't own a scale for weighing the arrow. The Stalker Wolverine I shot was 46lbs@28", I pull closer to 29" so I'd guesstimate I am pulling 48ish pounds. Shot distance was 12 yards, ground level. Entry was in the pocket tight to the leg line vertically up the body about 20% up from the bottom on the entry side, exit was higher (deer was slightly above me, but I suspect this was more a product of the deer rolling away at the sound of the shot) and punched through the off side scapula. Based on where the arrow was broken I am estimating 18" total penetration. Here's macro phone pics of the broadhead used.
This edge shows very little visible damage.
This edge shows a little chatter towards the wider portion of the head.
No point deformation at all.
From a durability standpoint, for a $10 head I think it held up really well. It's 100% reusable, and still feels pretty sharp. It can be resharpened and reused without question. The only downside, and I know these things can vary, was that the blood trail was garbage. This deer left very little blood to follow, which led to a trickier recovery than it should have been. Maybe the dry powdery snow made it tougher, but it was shockingly bad for a good arrow placement and a razor sharp head. Like I said earlier, this makes the 5th single bevel 2-blade deer I have killed and none of them have had good blood trails. The experience the past few years has me feeling like going back to a 3-blade next year.
I took another run at some public coyotes yesterday. I took a gamble that the weather report was accurate and I'd have a dry window from 1-6PM. That was a major mistake. It never STOPPED raining, sometimes it came down hard on my long hike back into where I wanted to call. I made two setups and attempted to locate coyotes at multiple spots on the ridge where I know they frequent and I've located them before. I got nothing to locate, nothing responded. I wasn't all that surprised with the cruddy weather. The wind was really strong up high, also, so with the rain and wind noise I doubt anything heard me.
I'm not sure how much longer I'll be able to hold off on buying a new predator rifle. This heavy bull barreled .22-250 is like carrying a chunk of lead on a sling, and over that distance, it wears on me. I've been eye balling some of the budget-friendly options on the market in a caliber like .243. I pay attention when I'm in a sporting goods store at what ammo is in stock and easier to find. Last time I bought .22-250 I had to order online. .243 seems pretty commonly available.
Of course, one came through the general area I was in late last night after I left. My last setup was less than 200 yards from this camera.
And this morning, a few more.
I'm not sure how much longer I'll be able to hold off on buying a new predator rifle. This heavy bull barreled .22-250 is like carrying a chunk of lead on a sling, and over that distance, it wears on me. I've been eye balling some of the budget-friendly options on the market in a caliber like .243. I pay attention when I'm in a sporting goods store at what ammo is in stock and easier to find. Last time I bought .22-250 I had to order online. .243 seems pretty commonly available.
Of course, one came through the general area I was in late last night after I left. My last setup was less than 200 yards from this camera.
And this morning, a few more.
One of the good public deer I had a close encounter with last fall.
Bone on the ground somewhere.
Bone on the ground somewhere.
That’s as good of intel there is! If I were you I’d get after em before the squirrels do their thing or someone else finds em. Good luck if and when you go for a walk.One of the good public deer I had a close encounter with last fall.
Bone on the ground somewhere.
That’s as good of intel there is! If I were you I’d get after em before the squirrels do their thing or someone else finds em. Good luck if and when you go for a walk.
I'm not that big into shed hunting. I'll go, but I don't get too crazy about it.
Big_Holla
Senior Member
Think of it as more of a scouting mission for that buck. Who knows, you might stumble onto his bed and find both antlers there as well. Would go a long ways on patterning him next season. Good luck!!
Plus, how cool would it be to rattle him in with his old rack and kill him or at least kill him and mount him on a pedestal with the sheds.
JARHEAD
Active Member
And give it a few weeks and you'll be looking for a reason to get back in the woods
There's other reasons to not rush in just yet...
