When I shoot a buck with my bow and it goes on the wall, I always lay an arrow across the rack. I think it looks cool, and it lets people know it was a bow deer, which is very cool. But...unless the arrow is damaged, I have used a different arrow/broad head for the display. You know how we always have a couple leftover carbons or old broad heads from our previous batch of arrows... Do you think that takes away from the authenticity? Maybe I'm just being cheap. I'm curious as to how many of you retire the arrow/broad head for the sake of the mount.
Nope! Ive killed 7 deer with the same arrow and the same broadhead. I hunt muddy and rockless river bottoms. After the arrow passes through the deer, I pull it out of the muck, clean it up, sharpen the head and it goes back into service. Its just a tool, I also don't retire my hammer or saw when I finish building something.
I get what your saying and I have hung up broken arrows that killed bucks next to the buck or in the rack. If it's a pass through or arrow isn't damaged its being used as long as possiable. You know you killed that deer with a bow, I wouldn't put a different arrow in the rack if it didn't kill the buck, but that's just my .02$
I don't need to display the arrow for people to know that I'm a bow hunter. They figure that out when I talk smack about the local gun hunters. I've never killed seven deer with the same arrow and broadhead but I have killed four or five. Like DIY_guy said I grab my arrow and sharpen the broadhead and away I go. Now rabbits on the other hand. I've killed dozens of those suckers with one arrow.
I think that's a good idea. It all really comes down to how you feel when you look at your trophy on the wall. My very first buck I shot with the gun when I was a kid I kept the 2 gunshells that I shot it with and glued them to the plaque that the antlers are mounted on. Its all more of a sentimental thing. I know my first buck that I decide to do shoulder mount on i'm laying the arrow I got him with on the antlers like you do.
I inspect, clean, resharpen and reuse. I don't put them across the antlers but that's just my personal preference.
If my wife would let me hang them in the living room, I might keep the arrow. Really only killed one buck with a bow and the arrow got snapped in two so retiring it wasn't a debate.
Wow, that surprises me. I would have expected different responses. I personally thing an arrow across the horns adds to the mount. Then again, I have 7 head mounts(4 bow and 3 pistol), and I think the arrows set the bow bucks apart.
I get what your saying and I have hung up broken arrows that killed bucks next to the buck or in the rack. If it's a pass through or arrow isn't damaged its being used as long as possiable. You know you killed that deer with a bow, I wouldn't put a different arrow in the rack if it didn't kill the buck, but that's just my .02$
I typically keep using them however in the past on occasion I have kept the arrow for the mount. I typically write the gross score and date on the fletchings.
My robin hoods though. I threw the two I have up on the antlers. I think its bad luck to take them apart.
I think if you are going to display the arrow with the mount it should be the arrow you killed it with.
WOW!. Im so sorry to hear this type of thing. It saddens me to learn there are still submissive men out there. "If my wife lets me."
You must be one of four things: 1. Single 2. Married to the most awesome woman in the world 3. Rich enough your wife just keeps her yap shut. 4. Married to the worlds most desperate woman.
That would only fix the hanging of trophy mounts, he was talking about "submissive husbands/men" Show me a husband that is not at least periodically submissive to their wife and I'll show you cold fusion.
This is what I was getting at... I have done it both ways, but when there is a cracked arrow, or older broad head I'm not using anymore, it's pretty tempting to swap them out.
I use arrows for hunting until they are no longer useable. I used the same arrow to kill 7 deer and 2 black bear.
