I was unable to make the time to archery deer hunt during the bow season. I was bear hunting every day then. So I selected a Modern Rifle tag and used my bow anyway. Took this Mule Deer at 20 yards this morning. He ran exactly 75 yards with a double lung and part of shoulder blade. The 125 grain Viper trick drilled straight through. When the skin came off it looked like he was shot with a rifle bullet!

At impact he dropped his head and ran like he was sniffing the ground as a hound would. I thought he was going down within 20 yards because of his struggle. He somehow made it all the way to 75 yards. I happened to have my range finder to look back at were I shot from.

I still have to fill my Bear tag, but my wife took one for us so far. Those Viper Tricks Penetrate like no other broad head I have personal experience with. This is probably animal 12-15 now with viper tricks and everyone is a pass through. The exits look like the typical Slick Trick Slug holes. I was impressed again with the hole through the exit side scapula and the great penetration from my 60 Lb, 28.5" Switchback. He was on a side hill which is how I double lung hit and managed the scapula too. I've never seen a double lung and a scapula hit before!

Beautiful buck! Congratulations!

Awesome!

are ya saying the scapula doesn't cover all that much lungs? I"ve said that for years now, yet a high scapula shot on rifles seems to be the rage....

Good job, nice buck!

I've never seen both lungs hit straight through and a hole in the scapula with an arrow before.

With the nature of the floating scapula it can rotate in a large area being over the lungs, or not even close. It all depends upon how level the ground is or if one leg is in a hole or on a mound-rock-log, etc.

I also cannot explain the amount of meat trauma on the damaged scapula side front leg. That "arm pit" area was as blood shot as if a rifle bullet hit it. The Exit was several inches above that spot, yet it was just jello and goo in that arm pit!

Well Done JJ, great deer!

Nice buck!

Very nice!

Nice deer JJ. Congrats.


-Ken

I've hunted for more than 40 years with bow and gun.

Not to knock Slick Tricks, but the important stat with most of JJ's archery posts is how close he gets before shooting. Performance rises exponentially as distance decreases when bow killing is the game. JJ is hunter first; the hardware is secondary.

Correct me if I'm wrong, JJ

My only possible humble reply is thank you!

Great deer JJ !

Congrats JJ

That's a dandy buck for that part of the world, especially with a bow in those wide open spaces. Some seriously good hunting represented in your post and photo. Congratulations! You still have what it takes.

Well done and Congrats!!

JJ - nice buck and good job! I'm not sure what I'll be able to do this season, but my trip to Africa and pending December Bison hunt in Utah is more than I could imagine or give enough thanks for.

Congrats! I'm still shooting a Mathews Drenelin.

Thats why I"ve limited my archery shots to 15 yards or less on our local whitetails, any further and they can jump the string enough to make a bad issue.

Having kept it at 15, I have yet to miss or wound a deer..... all shots at that distance have been dead deer really quickly.

When I hunted in NC, a 20 yard shot was about as long as you could possibly get...then I moved out west, and was lucky enough to arrow a 98 inch Coues. Distance? 13 yards ... 0_o

A thicket is a thicket, I guess.

Nice buck