Lost arrows

[buckeyebowhunter]

Gosh I despise losing arrows especially in my yard, but also while hunting. One time a few seasons ago while hunting with my dad I took an up hill shot at a deer as we were leaving the area where my stand was positioned. I missed just over its back so I thought should be easy to find the arrow. My dad and I searched for at least an hour, sweeping leaves off the forest floor and everything. Extremely pissed at this point I decided to call it quits. We took a 90 degree turn from where the deer was when I shot and began exiting the woods; low and behold about 30 yards ahead lay my arrow. Needless to say we looked at each other in disbelief. How could a broadhead tipped arrow end up 30 yards to the left of where I shot? My only conclusion to this day is that a ghost moved it there    

[JoeArizona]

When I shoot short the arrow always ends up completely hidden after sliding under the grass.  Fifteen minutes of shooting followed by 2 hours of fruitless searching.
Then the dogs find it a week later.
I can't believe how excited and satisfied I feel at getting that rusty tipped, fletchless, dog chewed, nock missing, piece of carbon back.
Priceless!

[TraditionalGuy]

Originally posted by Orion:
Yep.  Looked for an hour and a half for a $10 carbon I lost at a shoot last weekend.  I usually shoot woodies, and while I put a lot of time into making them, they don't "cost" as much as carbons. Might not have looked as hard for a woodie.  Didn't find the carbon.  Did find the poison ivy though.      

I must be buying the wrong arrows. Mine usually run about $15 per. Every time I lose one, I say to myself, "nice job losing $15 pal". I too check the lost and found bins at my local archery clubs and know exactly which arrows are still out there.

I am currently looking for one I lost a couple of days ago behond my 3D target. It caromed off a rock and I probably won't find it for a while but I'll always have an eye peeled.....it's crazy!

Update: found it!

[McDave]

I bought some VAP arrow shafts and made a dozen arrows.  Most expensive arrows I've ever shot.  First time out on the range, I skipped one off the top of a target bale and it drifted 50 - 80 yards back of the target into some weeds. I've been back 3 times looking for it, twice with my metal detector.  Found 8 or so other arrows, but not the one I lost.  The difficulty is that the weeds are high and it's hard to get the metal detector close to the ground, and there's not much metal in the VAP's to pick up, so I think all I'm doing is finding other people's arrows. I've seriously considered bringing my weed wacker from home and weed wacking the whole lot, even though I know that would be a ridiculous waste of time even for a $15 arrow, but that's how much it bugged me to lose that arrow on the very first shot.

[nineworlds9]

Trying orange, yellow, chartreuse, and even pink I still haven't found a fletch color that is totally 'loss proof'..depending on the time of day and light they all seem to find a way to blend in.  Add to that the way field point arrows have a knack for going under the root layer of grass or under leaves..frustration!!!

So far the most loss resistant arrows for me have been ones tipped with judos.

[SuperK]

Now that's funny, NBK!  

[Archie]

Once I shot an arrow with a broadhead in my suburban backyard, to see how they were flying... and they weren't flying well.  It missed the target and disappeared in the direction of my neighbor's back yard.  There's a lot of open ground, and no one was in danger of being hit, but I did NOT want the neighbor finding the arrow.  I spent probably 2-3 hours digging around, using a rake, tearing up my grass, sneaking around the neighbor's yard... and finally had to give up because it was dark.  The next morning I went out at dawn and started again.  After about a half hour, I found it.  

That was nerve-wracking.  I could just feel a lawsuit breathing down my neck as I looked for that thing.

[M60gunner]

I am with the rest of you guys. When I lose an arrow I know that it will more than likely be broke. Our range is in the mountains and the terrain is not arrow friendly. I try and keep in mind what one of my fellow club members said to me after spending time helping me look for an arrow, "arrows are expendable ammo" lose one, make a new one. Of course that can only go as far as my budget but I keep buying shafts for the wife and me until she retires in Nov.

[bowhuntingrn]

Only one I ever lost was a complete pass through on a doe. It was an evening hunt and was dark by the time I got out of the stand to track. It was a good hit and I had a great bloodtrail, found her in short order. Went back the next morning with my dad to look for the arrow to no avail. Hunted that general area for several more years, always keeping an eye out as I traveled anywhere near there. I never will quit looking for that one, but if I have / had to lose one...I just chalk it up as a sacrifice to the "archery gods".

[Oregon Okie]

Like a wise archer told me once... A lost arrow still has shots left. If you break one at least you know it's done. That lost one still has work to do.
,,, speaking of that I have to go see if anyone found the one I lost at the range last week... I had an hour to shoot and spent 45 minutes looking for one arrow.

[Sam McMichael]

It used to bother me a lot, but with experience I got over it. I still will look for quite a while but don't worry over it. If cedar shafts left in the woods would sprout into cedar trees, there are several properties in Middle Georgia that would have dense cedar forests on them.

[damascusdave]

As I have aged I have got a lot smarter about what I am shooting when there is a possibility of losing an arrow...my hunting arrows are about 160 bucks a dozen...my 3D arrows are 60

DDave

[UrbanDeerSlayer]

If I leave my wife at home I almost never have to look for arrows :-).  Take her with me and im ordering her another dozens arrows, yeesh.

[Gen273]

Originally posted by PERUN:
but the feeling when you find an arrow

I hear you man!!!

[halfseminole]

I keep feeding my pumphouse arrows.  I should wrest a few from it.  They're as good as lost in there with the black widows.

I lose as many as I make, I swear.  I hope I get better with practice...

[McDave]

The odd thing to me is the number of times you'll find an arrow that was lost some time ago that's more or less in plain view. Happened to me this morning. We were searching around in the brush for a friend's lost arrow, when he reached down and picked up one of mine that I lost months ago.  I don't remember this specific arrow, but it is a place I have lost arrows, and I've never given up on a lost arrow until I've gone back more than once for longer periods of looking when I'm not holding people up.  I've found other people's arrows the same way: just look down and there it is for anyone to see.

[atatarpm]

I've lose one in all 50 states. I am begining to think it's just part of the game. After I've hunted for longer then it would take me to build another I just build another.

[elknutz]

I lost one here, but I really didn't go look for it.
 

[elknutz]

I did get him with the 2nd shot.  I find you can often get a 2nd shot on fake elk when they are standing in a river.