Elk shoulder blade
- Thread starter elknr
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elknr
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Has anyone ever pierced an elk shoulder blade?
with FMJ s or different?
wweaver79
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No way a head that wide was going through that particular piece of bone, way to much blade angle for any chance. I have not hit shoulder blade on the two bulls I have killed with my bow, got lucky and both were slam dunk under 30 yard shots. That bull would have lived just fine with that head buried in there like that I bet, pretty awesome you found him again.
c3
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The bottom edge of an elks scapula is about 3/4" thick. The closer you get to the humerus bone in the 'V' the thicker it gets. There is no poundage or arrow head that will get through that portion of their 'shoulder'.
Don't ask me how I know this in great detail, but when you shoot one in that lower edge of the scapula really close to the joint with the humerus, it makes a very distinct sound the says your done for the season in a nano second
I have video later in rifle season on private and again the next summer to prove it, if any one actually cares.
Good on you elknr for bringing him home and sharing your pics !!!
Cheers, Pete
Don't ask me how I know this in great detail, but when you shoot one in that lower edge of the scapula really close to the joint with the humerus, it makes a very distinct sound the says your done for the season in a nano second
I have video later in rifle season on private and again the next summer to prove it, if any one actually cares.
Good on you elknr for bringing him home and sharing your pics !!!
Cheers, Pete
DJ1
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Very cool that you got another chance at him. The shoulder is something to avoid especially on elk and moose! Congrats
elkassassin
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Grouse Legs
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How’d you get two bull tags? Must not be in Colorado.
elknr
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I didn’t Wyoming you can hunt archery and rifle if you don’t kill one.
freaknasty
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you couldn't have hit it in a worst spot
glad you got redemption. congrats nice shed to boot
glad you got redemption. congrats nice shed to boot
MtnHillbilly
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My brother did on a 4x4 with a long bow at 15 yards! Knocked him right over and he never got up!
Beendare
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I’ve shot through the scapula on a bull. Downhill of me at 12 paces slightly quartering to, 70# compound, 440g tuned arrow with a 3 blade COC head. The arrow was a pass thru.
The best part was the bull just stood there, even through 1/2” thick bone he never knew he was hit, spun then tipped over right there. This is the low exit side.
The best part was the bull just stood there, even through 1/2” thick bone he never knew he was hit, spun then tipped over right there. This is the low exit side.
HntHrdr
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Buddy shot a bull in the shoulder a couple years ago with a sevr. Never found the bull( looked for 2 days) In a wild chance of luck. I found it next spring Turkey hunting. We found the shoulder blade with a hole punch but didn’t get good penetration for a quick kill. Shooting a heavier arrow with good Foc and bomb proof fixed blade will really help get through bone.
Beendare
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Guys choose their BH like its a decal on your truck. Nope. Its best to match your BH to your arrow for best performance.
An inefficient mech head like the one above benefits from more arrow behind it.
The efficient 2 blade and tapered 3 blade cut on contact designs penetrate effortlessly And are less dependent on arrow weight.
Then there is tuning for perfect arrow flight….you still have to BH tune with mech heads…poor arrow flight is a performance killer. Personally, i think mech heads get a bad rap since very few guys tune for them ( paper tuning FPs is only 1/2 the process) and they dont know they have a tiny wobble.
I’ve seen many mech head guys that had poor arrow flight…with poor penetration and blame it on the head….simply because they assumed their mech head flies like their FP’s.
An inefficient mech head like the one above benefits from more arrow behind it.
The efficient 2 blade and tapered 3 blade cut on contact designs penetrate effortlessly And are less dependent on arrow weight.
Then there is tuning for perfect arrow flight….you still have to BH tune with mech heads…poor arrow flight is a performance killer. Personally, i think mech heads get a bad rap since very few guys tune for them ( paper tuning FPs is only 1/2 the process) and they dont know they have a tiny wobble.
I’ve seen many mech head guys that had poor arrow flight…with poor penetration and blame it on the head….simply because they assumed their mech head flies like their FP’s.
HntHrdr
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Beendare,
Completely agree with you, my first foray into archery I slapped a mech (sevr) on my gt hunters and made a decent shot on a elk with very little penetration but it hit heart, game over. After that I really dove into broadheads and arrows, and BH sharpening …. Not cheap haha and now I have a box of 7 or so different types of fixed blades. I hate to say it but I settled on ironwills… damn them for flying so well with my setup. Achieved a full pass through like it was nothing at 40 yards and will never go back to mech’s for elk… for antelope or deer maybe. But like you said. There is a lot more to it than meets the eye
Completely agree with you, my first foray into archery I slapped a mech (sevr) on my gt hunters and made a decent shot on a elk with very little penetration but it hit heart, game over. After that I really dove into broadheads and arrows, and BH sharpening …. Not cheap haha and now I have a box of 7 or so different types of fixed blades. I hate to say it but I settled on ironwills… damn them for flying so well with my setup. Achieved a full pass through like it was nothing at 40 yards and will never go back to mech’s for elk… for antelope or deer maybe. But like you said. There is a lot more to it than meets the eye
DJ1
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Agree with both of you. I’ll take it one further, I would say a majority of archers don’t tune BH’s (mech or fixed). I found a great fixed head that was easy to tune, subsequently bought out and discounted by competitor. I bought about 8 to 9 packages when I saw them for sale on the net, so should be good for a few years. Killed 2 moose, one complete pass through and many elk with 100 gr.
DJ1
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No problem, Rocky Mountain Titanium 100gr. The titanium feral and no welds, I never had tuning issues and always flew like darts. If I had to change now, I’d try the VPA’s 3 blade unvented. I tried a buddy of mines and they flew great as well. Just one guys opinion. ?
Beendare
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I like 2 blades and Fixed COC heads because I can BH tune wih them and test shoot every hunt arrow and run them on V shaped chock sticks and in my quiver KNOWING they shoot perfect.
Mech heads work fine with enough arrow weight but they are a more involved process for me to tune. With the extra resistance on impact that arrow cant wobble and works better with 400g -450g or more of arrow behind it.
A mech head guy needs to BH tune ( shooting Bhs and FPs to the same POI…or at least bare shaft tune with FPs, though this isnt a 100% guarantee your BHs will fly perfect.
Hey, we work too hard for shots with a bow. Ive seen apx 50 elk shot with mech heads either guiding or calling for friends …and about 1/3rd of those arrows didnt fly perfect- guys screwing them on without testing <face palm>
Most mechs are longer than FPs…and they have tiny fins…it stands to reason they might not fly like an FP without tuning.
That said, smack a bull in the thickest part of a big bone and its an iffy proposition. This one work for my buddy but it took a few more arrows
.
Mech heads work fine with enough arrow weight but they are a more involved process for me to tune. With the extra resistance on impact that arrow cant wobble and works better with 400g -450g or more of arrow behind it.
A mech head guy needs to BH tune ( shooting Bhs and FPs to the same POI…or at least bare shaft tune with FPs, though this isnt a 100% guarantee your BHs will fly perfect.
Hey, we work too hard for shots with a bow. Ive seen apx 50 elk shot with mech heads either guiding or calling for friends …and about 1/3rd of those arrows didnt fly perfect- guys screwing them on without testing <face palm>
Most mechs are longer than FPs…and they have tiny fins…it stands to reason they might not fly like an FP without tuning.
That said, smack a bull in the thickest part of a big bone and its an iffy proposition. This one work for my buddy but it took a few more arrows
.
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AZGuy
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I killed a mature bull at 21 yards in 2012 thru the shoulder. I was shooting Easton ACCs with shuttle T broadhead, I was impressed.
