Just as I hit the release on a doe 25 yards away as she was quartering away, she took a step forward and turned left. I watched the arrow bury itself about 20" into her right ham at a 45 deg. angle to her body. I looked in horror as she ran into the woods with an arrow sticking out of her butt. I'm thinking lost deer, arrow, broadhead, and lighted nock. Waited 1/2 hour and went looking for blood. Thankfully I was using a 2 blade fixed head and it penetrated through the rear quarter, hit the main artery, went through the abdomen and just penetrated the off side mid rib. I found her 80 yards away. If I was using a mechanical, I doubt I would have recovered her, I would not have had 20" of penetration. I found the arrow still in the deer with no damage and still sharp.
While not the first choice there are some major arteries in the hams that will put one down. Looks tasty to me. Glad you recovered and just remember "that's hunting ".
There are huge benefits to both styles of heads, but penetration edge with the same EXACT set up does give the edge to fixed...and if you were shooting a 2 blade singe bevel even more so. I've been where you are as well...and it sucked but had a surprising happy ending. Congrats!
shot a buck last year. first archery deer ever. stop him in the lane 20 yards and never looked through my peep sight. horrible shot! went clean through his hips and dropped him, he got up and went 30 yards and was dead before I could get down. bad shot but hit something good. it was a expandable.
If you hit the femoral on entry (and certainly looks like you did) you could have been using a field point and that deer would have gushed and been dead w/in 100yds. I've used both, and both have +/- ; but a "fixed vs. mechs" has no place in this story. Hit one of the largest arteries in the animal = Dead deer quick.
in this post we should take less time talking about what broad head would do what and more time talking about you shooting a deer in the cheeks lol. seriously tho man you got lucky and sometimes its better to be lucky than good congrats
Don't recall what season it was, but there's a staff member here that accomplished the same rear ham artery kill on camera.
