East vs West

[Russell Southerland]

I've seen a lot of threads on shot distance and 'recovery' that differ greatly at times on east vs west.  Such as, "I've seen, most of my animals go down in sight" from westerners than have never hunted the east.  So, let's see some of those eastern thickets where you might hear them crash, or maybe not, but you aren't going to see them go down 'in sight' regardless of lethality. 

[Michael Guran]

Here’s a photo from last weekend’s stump shooting session.  No way you are seeing a deer or bear go down in this waist high foliage.

[woodchucker]

We hunt mountain deer...
If he runs down the mountain, he's out of sight in about 30 yards.
It's mostly hardwoods & mountain laurel. Unless you're in the Hemlocks, you can't see much more than 50yds.

[Sojurn]

In East Central Minnesota it's swampy, or heavily wooded.  Unless you're hunting a field edge or a meadow, if they run at all the majority of the time you lose sight of them in about 20 yards. 
  It's thick here. 

[Orion]

How about the Upper Great Lakes -- northern Wisconsin.  this is dragging through an opening.  I don't usually see them go down even within 30 or 40 yards. 

[LookMomNoSights]

Overwhelming majority of my hunting has taken place in New England states.  Things are thick, really thick.  Unless you get lucky at the edge of a newer timber cut,  "down in sight" is a rare thing.  All my stands and ground blinds, I'm not shooting more than 30 even if I wanted to,  setting up for shot opportunities in the 15 to 20 range.  There's just too much growing in the woods.  Heck,  lots of spots I could arrow a deer,  it go 10 yards and get caught in a bear trap so he couldn't walk any further and I still wouldn't be able to see what happened 
Always shooting through holes around these parts.  Always a split second to make it happen before your view is obstructed.  Not complaining, it's all a blast 

[Pine]

Here in Michigan, it's hard to even see further than 15 to 20 yards in the woods.
Makes me wonder why some people think they need a weapon that can shoot over 100 yards. 
My brother-in-law once said about deer hunting here "First they surprise you, then you surprise them "

[Terry Green]

Yes, I'll show a pic.... But I'm going to preface it 1st with this.....

I have never killed an animal with a narrow 2 blade and I don't think I ever will unless I get gifted for an Asiatic Buffalo. From bunnies to 2000# American Bison with 3 and 4 Blade heads.  I have killed 5 animals with WIDE 2 blades, one from each of the following, Large Bone Buster Abowyer, Ace Super Express, Zephyr Sasquatch, Custom XL Original Silver Flames, and a Battle Axe.  All else multiblades, mostly Zwickey Delta 4 blades, several including the Bison with Wensel Woodsmans, a few VPAs, and one Simmons.

I am on the EXACT same page as Cory Mattson when it comes to Bheads, he ran a hog lease for YEARS and took notes on all hits/recoveries and he banned two blades from the lease after he saw enough data.  I've been on and ran bunches and bunches of group hunts and took notes myself and  came to the same conclusion. 

I pass though 90% of the animals I shoot through giving 2 holes and 75% are complete pass throughs.  Either I peg the off side leg bone/shoulder(which results in quick DL kill anyway) or I'm shooting hogs from a tree stand and the arrow passes through but hits the ground on the opposite side because they aren't as tall as a deer and they run off with my arrow(this would happen also with a 2 blade).  I've never had an issue of not getting two holes unless its the issue mentioned above on the off side stoppage. I might have even gotten two holes on the Bison but I pegged a rib on the off side as it was scratched up really bad and also nicked.

I always encourage those that come on hunts with me to use multi blades or wide 2 blades, but it's just a recommendation.

Now, here's some pics of where some of my critters run in TX....

Look behind me, that is what I dragged this javie out of last year....

And this is where one of my javies ran into this year....

And look behind the other javie I killed this year....

This is where this hog came from and ran back to, and this is considered OPEN where we hunt in TX.  That light area upper right is a stock pond between the prickly pears and those far off trees.

This one one of two hogs that charged me on this hunt and this one was shot at night, while Michael Langahans was holding a flashlight on him and he tried to leave this small opening in the brush, and he dropped right where he lays...

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*** I'll be back after supper with some GA, AL, FL and SC pics. ***

[Terry Green]

I can't believe I found this one...  It's Don Wilson taking the pic, Michael Langahans holding his flashlight with me about to draw on the charging hog in that little opening, only Don's flash canceled out the flashlight beam in the pic.... Man I'm so lucky to have all these years of so many hunting pics.

Two more TX pics coming up... then other states as stated....

[Terry Green]

TX....

[Terry Green]

GA....

Drug this one out for a pic to the opening of 'Little Cambodia' my friend Keith dubbed this laurel thicket...

Drug this 10 year old sow out to this old logging road for the pic, she was in that white pine thicket behind me where I shot and found her.....

Honeysuckle thicket within a thicket.....

SC..... another drug to the opening for the photo...

AL..... Quail....

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 **** These next two will qualify for what to expect in SC, FL, and GA in the swamps.... ****

[Terry Green]

Typical Cypress Swamp, SC, GA, FL...

This was the 3rd Hog that has charged me I shot.... Was with Curt n Cade....

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**** So as you can see, I like running big nasty Broad Heads through them as I want to let the air and blood out of them right now****

[Wudstix]

I've hunted some mature hardwood in PA that was "wide open' and some thickets that if you stumbled you wouldn't hit the ground.  Same in TX open areas with 50-70 yards visibility and stuff that 10 yards is a long shot.  Been in places that you couldn't draw your bow.  It's hard to beat big three blade heads, or Centaur and Ribtek 190's.
 

[Cory Mattson]

Interesting
I never thought about east and west before but yes I’ve seen all of the animals I hit fall. This includes multiple Elk which seems crazy to me. Mule deer too. A bunch of em. All I can remember now.

Here in the east the results have varied a lot along the learning curve mid 70s till now. What we did see starting a little over twenty five years ago is that we hear most of our animals crash. And we see a lot crash. Probably 40% we see go down in varied covers that are pretty thick. I don’t have pics of the cover because I take a picture of every animal as it lays when I walk up then immediately text some friends. This doesn’t show the cover really. THICK Deep South and I’d include a lot of Texas in this yes it is so thick most of our covers the animal is out of sight in ten yards but we hear most of these crash. 80%. We expect to hear them crash.

Yes we have a lot of data. Much of it started in the early 90s when we hunted Texas every year. Results from our groups and hundreds of other bowhunters each week most years multiple weeks. We almost opened our Savannah River Bow Zone in Texas we had several ranches that wanted us but we ended up closer to home.

We’ll cover broadheads elsewhere, much to share. Covered up at work right now.

Good Hunting <><
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[Terry Green]

Here in the east the results have varied a lot along the learning curve mid 70s till now. What we did see starting a little over twenty five years ago is that we hear most of our animals crash. And we see a lot crash. Probably 40% we see go down in varied covers that are pretty thick.THICK Deep South and I’d include a lot of Texas in this yes it is so thick most of our covers the animal is out of sight in ten yards but we hear most of these crash. 80%. We expect to hear them crash.

We’ll cover broadheads elsewhere, much to share. Covered up at work right now.

Good Hunting <><
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Yep!

[smokin joe]

I love these photos of the thick stuff where it is tough to see very far. It makes me want to go back to that thick cover in Texas ASAP.

[Sam Spade]

Uh, yeah, that's thick. Not the 'golf course' terrain we have here.

[Mike Malvaini]

Uh, yeah, that's thick. Not the 'golf course' terrain we have here.

Yep! 

[GCook]

I wish I could hear well enough to hear them crash.  Most of the time it's to much brush to see them where our place is.  Oak shinnery mostly.  But some tall buffalo grass as well
 I use wide two blades to get as much blood on the ground and brush as I can.  Every now and then you get to see one go down.  But it's the exception.  Still cool when it happens though. 

[Ryan Rothhaar]

The elk I've killed were all either in oak brush or thick dark timber, so no visibility over maybe 20-30 yards. I saw both my antelope go down, but you'd either have to hit one pretty poorly or have a hillside or swale NOT to see a goat fall given where they live. I did see my moose in BC go down, but I was in hot pursuit on that one  .

Here in the Midwest in the type of cover I hunt whitetails I see about 1 out of 5 or so go down. Hear most of them crash.

R