Did wood arrows ever fail you?

[NBK]

Seems like there are some never ending debates... Recurve vs. longbow, glove vs. tab, split vs. three under etc., and I know that the wisened vets out there just shake their heads when they see another post like them.  This isn't intended to be like that.
What I'm looking for is some honest experiences where a wood shaft failed you.  There have been some GREAT threads recently about arrows (thinking about Ferrets elk arrow post) and EFOC etc. and yet I've never read once where someone has said "if I'd only been shooting carbon".  So are there any?
Have you ever put a wood arrow tight behind the shoulder and NOT gotten the penetration you needed?  Ever been on a back country hunt in foul weather and warped shafts?  Ever slip on a rock and break some shafts in your quiver?
If you have a story I'd love to hear it, or if you been hunting with wood for years and have never had an issue, I'd like to hear that too.  Thanks.

[moebow]

" or if you been hunting with wood for years and have never had an issue, I'd like to hear that too"

Yep.

Arne

[NBK]

Arne, why doesn't that surprise me!    

[PRK]

I'm going on 29 yrs with wood and never had them fail me on game. With that said I break an awful lot of them by setting "make it or break it" practice  shots and the iron bear at a 3D shoot can be tough on them.

[rice]

Back when I was 12 years old(60's), my buddy and I where out rabbit hunting and a thunderstorm came up. It started hailing really bad so we ran for the nearest tree. Oklahoma prairie, nearest tree was quite a distance and was small with low hanging branches. I was wearing a back quiver, and yep you guessed it, I ran under the tree and caught 10 cedar arrows on a low hanging limb and broke every one of them.
So ya, that was a "Fail" more on my part than the arrows.
Other than that, wood always treated me well.
But for the past 8 years I have been shooting carbons. I'm frugal and was breaking too many woods on rocks while stump shooting. A dozen carbons last me a lot longer than a dozen woods in the rocky hills of S.E. Oklahoma where I know hunt.

Chris

[joe skipp]

Started with POC...too much breakage when roving and stump shooting. They did smell great though when broke....  

Switched over to Forgewoods in the seventies and loved them...until they went out of business. I then went to aluminum and began shooting ash again in the 80's. I came full circle recently shooting Sikta spruce for turkeys, Superceeders and Doug fir for deer along with the ash.

I'll continue to shoot aluminum from my longbow. I just love the way they fly. For quietness and that "ol time feeling", tough to beat the woodies.

[NBK]

Thanks Joe.  You're gonna convince me yet!

[Blueridge]

no problem in 20 years on game. shoot GT's now though.

[stabow]

Got tangled up and fell broke 4 out of 6 arrows I still had 2 arrows to hunt with.......

[bluegill]

Never had a wood arrow fail me but I failed several over the years.....  

[Biathlonman]

Great thread, debating the carbon vs. Surewood myself for this fall's elk hunt.

[NBK]

Same boat Brad.  By the way, that Whip with your name on it is treating me REAL well!

[Dendy Cromer]

Wooden arrows have always done a super job for me. I'll still drag out the carbon now and again, but i always feel like i'm cheating. I've never been in a situation where i have felt like carbon or aluminum would have done a better job had i been shooting them at a particular animal. Cedar, lodgepole pine, and most recently- Surewood firs, all work very well for me.

[redpepper49]

Not had any fail me on game. Had some at a shoot to get too much moister[not sealed good] they turned into wet noddles. Have had better luck with douglas fir [SURE WOOD SHAFTS]

[dnovo]

I've been shooting woodies for 30+ years and have fallen down, dropped bow with quiver, dropped bow and quiver from treestand, fell over a log in CO mountains with longbow with bow quiver and 6 woodies. Never have been able to hurt them that way. I've never shot carbons and don't plan to. I have shot aluminums a time or 2 over the years. Can honestly say I've never had woods fail me. Only time I break them is game breaking them from falling on them.

[macbow]

No problems shooting at game. Stumping very hard on wood.
Biggest loss, fell out of the back of a pickup in Utah.  Back quiver and wood arrows. A few,made it.

[centaur]

"Have you ever put a wood arrow tight behind the shoulder and NOT gotten the penetration you needed? Ever been on a back country hunt in foul weather and warped shafts? Ever slip on a rock and break some shafts in your quiver?"
No, no, and no.
I'm sure there are times that wood arrows have failed, but with the exception of breaking several while stumping, I have never had a problem. I have had a few that did not listen to directions and missed what I was shooting at; just last week, my arrow failed to hit a big color phase black bear. It couldn't have been me, I was only 10 yards from the bruin, so it must have been a contrary arrow.

[joe skipp]

Have you ever put a wood arrow tight behind the shoulder and NOT gotten the penetration you needed? Ever been on a back country hunt in foul weather and warped shafts? Ever slip on a rock and break some shafts in your quiver?

NO...wood arrows, especially the ash hit the animal with a SOLID THUMP and the weight usually pushes the arrow up to the feathers.

Never had arrows warp on me on any hunts. Build them right and seal them properly, no problems.

Slipped and fell a few times with arrows in my backquiver...no breakage. Took a fall in Canada when I was using a bow quiver, landed on my bow, weight on the arrows...no breakage.

If I had aluminum on that second tumble in my bow quiver...I know a few would have been bent.

[jsweka]

Wood arrows have never failed me. Now my own shooting ability......

[Orion]

Have been shooting woodies for more than 50 years.  Never failed me.  I've failed them a few times though.  

Most folks who question wood are new to traditional archery and certainly new to studying/learning about its history.

Wood shoots as good as the other materials, but can do something they can't. Try to get an emergency fire started with aluminum or carbon arrows as tinder.