I lost a shaft :(

[marsniper27]

Well I received my order from 3 rivers the other day which included my field point test kit.

Last night i decided i would try to bare shaft test my new gt 1535s. Since i only have 2 of each weight head i set up 2 shafts for testing. When i went out to start testing my brother in-law came out with his bow so i decided i would do some shooting with him using his arrows. Well we were having a lot of fun and by the time i got back to testing i was starting to get tired.

I started with the lower weights and started working my way up. When i got to 175gr I must have been very tired. I must not have held the bow straight enough or had a very bad release. When i released the arrow it veered to the left and into the grass! This went farther left then any other shot so i know it was me and not the gear. After over an hour of searching last night and losing light i gave up and went back out this morning, another hour in the increasing heat came up empty. I don't know if you have ever had a bare shaft end up in the grass but looking for a carbon stick with a dark steel point is not an easy task. The best bet is to notice the bright orange nock which is rather small and when in the shade of the grass is hard to notice.

Looks like my first attempt at setting up arrows didn't turn out to well. I also learned if you start to get tired STOP SHOOTING no matter how much fun you are having. Not only could you end up losing arrows it can become dangerous. I know i should of stopped sooner but was enjoying shooting with my brother in-law to much to stop.

Sorry for the long post im home alone and need to vent a little.

I think i need a metal detector    Should make finding those arrows much easier and a lot easier on the back.

Kyle

[Pete McMiller]

Kyle,

Yep, happened to me the other day too.  Put both a fletched and an unfletched (wood grain gold tip) into the grass.  My dog found the fletched one right away but lost interests in the bare shaft.  I had to get out the pitch fork and slide it under the grass until I found it - much further than I thought it would be.  I agree, when you get tired stop.  You will only get frustrated and develop bad habits.

The next day I got the mower out and mowed the grass behind the target down to 1".  Hopefully that will help.

[elknutz]

Make an arrow rake.  If you have an old hoe, jerk the blade off, leaving the hook on the end.  It works great for dragging through the grass about every 20".  If it slipped under the grass you will locate it no problem.

[marsniper27]

The yard is suppose to get mowed today so i hope that i can find it before it gets done. The pitch fork was a smart idea i might have to look and see if there is one around or something similair. I tried using a rake but didn't come up with anything.

[ChuckC]

Kyle. .  if it is in lawn,  figure out  "about" where it is and mark that area off.  Then, take off your shoes and walk back and forth, in a grid pattern just shorter in width than your arrow.  The arrow will be just below the grass and you will likely feel the "bump" with your feet.
Chuck

[marsniper27]

I will have to try it bare foot I will wait for the sun to dry the dew then will go give it a try.

[Night Wing]

If you have one or a friend has one, a metal detector will find the arrow's steel point in about 5-10 minutes of time.

[AZ_Shooter]

You could also try borrowing a metal detector.  The field point should make the arrow relatively easy to find.

[marsniper27]

I have tried to find a metal detector but no luck yet. Im headed out to try what chuck suggest walking bare foot.

[John Scifres]

I do the bare foot thing too.

[Dustin Waters]

if it is just your yard type grass take your shoes off and walk around barefoot.  Youll feel it under your feet.  If it is tall grass well then, right it off as lost.

[BA]

Man I hate when that happens!  My yard is full of arrows.  When either my son or I miss, we literally drop the bow on line where we think the arrow went and run to the last place we saw it.  The grass is so thick that barefoot doesn't cut it.  I like the hoe suggestion...

[marsniper27]

I just spent 40 minutes walking back in forth across the yard barefoot and nothing! I did find out that the yard is horribly uneven i know it was a little rough but this is bad. When we lost the larger wood arrows i could feel them with my shoes on but these skinny carbons are giving me a hard time.

The grass is probably 3 inches high on average with some dips at 4+. It is hot out so i am sitting in the air conditioning for a bit then going to try the pitch fork method.

BA We just found a old fiberglass arrow from last year last night still in the ground still in perfect condition.

Oh i didn't mention this is in the in-laws yard.

[ChuckC]

try aiming a judo or blunt tipped, fletched arrow to hit about the same as the bareshaft.  That is, if it went a foot left of the target, aim a foot left of the target.  Wherever that one lands is gonns be similar to where the other landed.  Then mark the line with a couple arrows and get back out there.  You will find it.
ChuckC

[marsniper27]

Unfortunately i don't have judo points or blunts. I am just starting out and only have field points. I am not going to give up yet.

[AZ_Shooter]

I have got to ask, how hot is it where you are in Canada?

[marsniper27]

right now in the shade 28.2 degress C so 82.76 F in the shade and the sun is bright so hotter in the open. I know that isn't incredibly hot but im more use to being outside in a t-shirt in the winter then in the heat.

[arky714]

It is 97degrees f in Bonnerdale Arkansas POP 123 90% humidity my german sherpard loves to find arrows he listens for a miss then he looks for arrows...have to give him misses to keep his instrest up..

[Bill Sant]

Don't know if it helps or not, but when I bury one in the grass it always seems like it is 10 to 20 yards further behind my target than I thought it would be.  So many guys start looking just feet behind the intended target.  Try to visualize the flight between you and the target and carry the same trajectory behind the target.  It might surprise you.  Good luck

[marsniper27]

I searched the whole yard. I really don't understand  how i haven't found it yet. I am shooting at a downwards angle the center of my target is only about a foot of the ground so it shouldn't be to far behind the target though i searched back about 20 yards anyway. It looked like my height was good on the shot just to the left i am more annoyed of not finding it then anything. And i don't want to leave it sitting in their yard especially with those 3 rivers points they are very pointy.

Arky that is hot the humidity here according to the weather network is 50%. I wish i had a dog like that i currently don't have a dog because im headed back to school which means an apartment and i like large dogs (dobermans).