NEVER AGAIN || Light Arrow Build Gone Wrong

NEVER AGAIN || Light Arrow Build Gone Wrong. In this week's video, I go over my experience with my whitetail arrow build and the unfortunate outcome I experienced during my Kentucky Whitetail hunt with my lightweight hunting arrow. With a hard lesson learned, I started questioning mechanical broadheads vs. Fixed blade broadheads and Heavy Arrows vs. light arrows for whitetail hunting.
Based on my experience, I built a heavier FOC Arrow for whitetail hunting and added an Iron Will Wide Broadhead to complete my new whitetail hunting arrow. NO MORE MECHANICAL BROADHEAD. #deerhunting #hunting #archery #archeryequipment

[@Futurase1]

Just a piece of advice. You can't let 1 bad scenario make your mind up. I can preach both sides of the argument. Which would you like to hear? Serious... I prefer a 430-450 grain arrow. I use RIP TKO. I use Grim Reaper but I use Fatal Steel not the Whitetail variant. You can take 20 shots at deer and no two will be the same as you know well. Don't let 1 bad outcome drive you up the wall. If you hunt... IF YOU HUNT this happens. IF YOU ARCHERY HUNT this happens. Heavy arrow guys act like 600+ grain arrows are like hitting the animal like a 338 Lapua. Arrows poke Holes. Rifles deliver sledgehammer force. You have to accept this.

[@forgerat]

Your arrow had nothing to do with losing that buck. You missed his vitals. Heavier won’t make you miss less.

[@MichiganAmBushOutdoors]

I never said it did, buddy, and I'm pretty sure I stated that a few times. All I said is I built a heavier arrow to increase my chances of success in the event I miss my mark by a few inches.

[@forgerat]

@@MichiganAmBushOutdoors my comment was more toward the guys crapping on expandables and tight pin gaps. Next time you may sail an arrow thru the liver of a deer by missing to the other side and have to pray that a dog can find it because you get no blood on the ground. That was my experience with tooth of the arrow heads which is why I switched to a big cut mechanical. I think both have strengths and weaknesses. The number one most important thing is accuracy. Not foc, heads, weight or momentum. It’s putting a hole thru the lungs of the deer.

[@Matt_hasshots]

​@forgerat foc directly contributes to better accuracy and more stable flight which makes the arrow hit more square which delivers more energy to the target soooo foc is pretty high on the list

[@MichiganAmBushOutdoors]

@forgerat 100% agree, but it doesn’t always work like that in the woods as much as we all hope it will. And to your point about big cut, that’s a valid point, and I agree. That’s why I went with the wide series. I figured it was the best of both worlds.

[@forgerat]

@@MichiganAmBushOutdoors I hope it works out great for you.

[@GarrettOutdoors]

Your exact experience (minus the SEVR), mine was the deadmeat v2, is what I had last year on my buck. This year, shooting the same arrow, but with QAD exodus... Watch all of the videos online. Best penetrating broadhead of all time, and still has a great cut. (527 grains, 29 inch) (I'm 30 inch draw and shooting 70 pounds).

[@MichiganAmBushOutdoors]

I remember you mentioning this on the light arrow build video. It was a bummer and a hard lesson learned on my part, and one that I won't forget.

[@jeffevans4598]

I lost a buck years ago in a similar way, shooting a fixed blade and it really hurt. I think we all second guess our setup when we get a bad result. While a fixed blade, especially one like the iron will will have a much better chance of penetrating a shoulder, if you hit the heavy part of the leg bone I’m not sure any archery setup will go through that. On the other side of it a mechanical is better if you happen to hit back near the guts if it has a larger cut. Most trackers and study’s show mechanicals have a higher recovery rate overall. Much like the light vs heavy arrow the broad head choice is a compromise. I’m tuned for fixed blades but carry mechanicals as well. The only thing I know for sure is there is no setup that’s best for every situation and all we can do is shoot what we feel is best for us. Best of luck this season.

[@MichiganAmBushOutdoors]

Thanks for the comment. I've read so many mixed reports about fixed vs. Mechanicals, and I agree-it's all a compromise. And yes, a bad experience can shift years of confidence, and you start immediately second-guessing everything. I’ll run this for now as I feel like the Iron Will wide series has the best of both worlds, but time will tell.

[@papajohnsy6659]

Terminal ballistics evades many. A deer is at most 12-14 inches wide through the ribs, and that's at the back of the ribs where it's already easier to go through. The scapula is a couple millimeters thick, and the 2 hardest things to get through on game are the hip joint and the front shoulder joint where the scapula and leg bone meet. If you really did hit the scapula and didn't get through it, you've basically told me your arrow couldn't penetrate the equivalent of a grey squirrel. The only thing past the scapula that can stop an arrow is the spine, and spine hit deer don't go anywhere. I can almost guarantee you didn't hit the shoulder blade, as I've gone through it with a 410gr arrow and a sevr 1.5 at 283 fps. Almost identical to your setup. That arrow lodged itself 3/4 of the way into the spine and that deer dropped in it's tracks. You hit the leg bone itself, and with the density, shape, and lubrication of and around that bone there's no guarantee you get through it with anything. Even rifles can deflect off of that bone and the joint above it. The other thing about that bone is that it's at the very front of the lungs, if you hit there you're already missing or almost missing the vitals. We've been told our entire life that we need to hug the shoulder tight, but a shot into the rear portion of the lungs kills deer just as dead. Heavier arrows afford less accuracy in hunting scenarios, in regards to animal movement, yardage estimations, wind drift, and fixed heads are less forgiving of the awkward positions we often find ourselves in when shooting. I'm glad that you've at least made the effort to practice in more realistic hunting lighting, I hope it goes better next time but I doubt this new arrow setup changes the outcome of that shot much.

[@joelculpepperoutdoors4262]

Hey man. I hate to hear about your loss but I think you’re taking the wrong approach. I know a man who limits out every year(12 deer in our state) with a 375ish setup and Grim Reaper 4 blade expandables. He shoots 29” and 65 lbs. In a shoulder shot with a bow, not scapula, but true shoulder, an arrow stands no chance regardless of weight, broadhead, speed, etc. On a scapula shot, an argument can definitely be made for a heavier setup. I shoot several setups from 400-440 grains in weight and I know I can get pass throughs all day. That said, I believe you would be better served to practice with both eyes open rather than change your setup. A lot of archers(myself included) do this to get a better field of view. Just my opinion. Hope you have a successful season and you put one in the zone on that deer next time!

[@MichiganAmBushOutdoors]

Thanks, man. I'm keeping my fingers crossed. I will be practicing in low light with both eyes open a lot from now on.

[@malcolmjohnson5941]

A deer shoulder bone would be pretty easy to penetrate. But you have to go above the 650 grain bone breaking threshold. Most people including me are not willing to shoot that heavy of an arrow. Adding that little bit of weight to the arrow will make a negligible difference. I think the best compromise is to shoot a mid weight arrow with a pretty efficient broadhead.

[@papajohnsy6659]

An elk scapula is thinner than an antelope rib. If someone thinks a heavier arrow helps you get through a whitetail scapula then that's a bit telling.

[@James.712]

The 5% difference in momentum is moot - the variable with the most significant impact is switching to the fix blade - that force data really speaks for itself. I really think you could've stayed in that 420-440 range as long as you stick with the fixed blade yet compromise a bit on the speed vs foc. Good luck this season buddy!

[@MichiganAmBushOutdoors]

Thank you, and good luck to you as well. Most people I spoke to said 450-475, so I figured 470 should do the trick.

[@turtleman5111]

Nahh, I was shooting my stock Headhunters( about 413), w/ my Xbow. I killed some, but then I started watching these experts talking about arrow weight. So, I went up to about 535, 2219's, with inserts etc, and I got a pass-thru EVERY dam shot since! It was crazy. I could just feel the power leaving the bow. Fixed+ mechs too. Now, I went down to a 502 grn Zombie Slayer this yr, because my FOC went up from 13 to 19, and get a hair more speed. They feel powerful, I will find out Sat! Hopefully. Hey, good luck everybody, but heavier is the way to go! You mite lose a few FPS, but the MOM goes up exponentially more!

[@MichiganAmBushOutdoors]

Thank you! Good luck this weekend.

[@dennislappert9575]

Well presented and critical info! Thx…

[@MichiganAmBushOutdoors]

You're welcome and thanks for watching!

[@PoeOutdoors]

It’s ok to blame the mechanical head, they suck. There are too many variables in bowhunting to introduce a broadhead with moving parts. It’s not a contest of the guy with the fanciest toy wins, we’re taking the lives of animals. They deserve the most robust, well tuned setup possible.

[@tonyt132]

I shoot same arrow with a Iron Will wide.490 grains total. Works great... your gonna love it!

[@MichiganAmBushOutdoors]

Thanks, man! I was surprised by how well they flew.

[@D18Y]

Bow hunting is on the single biggest mind F I’ve found. The real goal is to find a set up that drives you the least crazy. Whitetails don’t really require much more than 425-475 grains to kill, but the distances are more complementary to 500+ grains. Larger game, like elk would be better suited for 500+ grains, but may require shot distances where 450 grains or less make the most sense. It’s all about trial and error, pass and fail. When you find the optimal setup for any game, let the rest of us know.

[@MichiganAmBushOutdoors]

I'm still searching, but when I do, I will let you know.

[@D18Y]

@@MichiganAmBushOutdoors I’ll watch for it. Good luck for the rest of the season brother.

[@MichiganAmBushOutdoors]

@D18Y thank you!

[@TheNewBowunter]

I won’t use a sever…small cuts….and terrible blood trails… Megameats and on my sticks now.

[@MichiganAmBushOutdoors]

I've always had good blood trails with sevr when I hit the lungs.

[@jons7e]

90% of penetration is the broadhead and how sharp it is with any bell curve arrow on the market. FOC % and all those nuances is not the make or break

[@MichiganAmBushOutdoors]

Hopefully, I won't have any issues then.

[@colinselvig9635]

Left eye dominant, have you thought about going left hand bow? Shoot with both your eyes open?

[@davidholliday2703]

I am sorry you lost that buck. What happened to you happens to a lot of bow hunters if they are honest. As the saying goes, you messed around and found out. I think you will fare better by increasing your mass and f.o.c. and a fixed head. I have read some of the comments. The heavier setups are such occasions as you experienced. I would go even heavier with a quality single bevel and even higher front of center. Make sure your broadhead is razor-sharp. Just my thoughts, but you got to do you.

[@MichiganAmBushOutdoors]

Thank you.

[@willknott4796]

Sorry to hear that man. You are on the right track though now. Iron will all the way. N these comments are amusing 😂

[@MichiganAmBushOutdoors]

Thanks, man. Yes, that they are.

[@dusty_leatherworks]

Ha...guess Ranch Fairy ain't so cra...cra...might wanna catch the Fairys new momentum video with ol Ed...just saying. 🤷‍♂️

[@MichiganAmBushOutdoors]

I'll check it out. Thanks for recommending it.

[@Orr_s]

Enjoying the content, can you review the TAC driver 2.25” vs the DCA Super Sabre mini…ease of fletching, characteristics and stabilization of broad heads. Sorry to hear about your animal, but at least it wasnt definitely wounded that you know of, i shoot a 470 grain VAP SS at 29.5” draw and 72#. With an ethics insert and collar which i love the collar, comes to 65gr total up front plus the head…Jus recently switched back to fixed blades just because…fixed or mechanicals both, can either be a benefit or a negative, it all depends when you’re partying with animals

[@jshobe393]

For what it’s worth, I’ve done my own testing with these two vanes in both 3 and 4 vane. I settled on the mini sabres 3 fletch. I felt my groups were consistently better with grim reaper micro hades broad-heads with this setup. Noise was similar with all of them but the three fletch was probably quieter. The Sabres are way easier to fletch but that being said, the tac vanes aren’t as hard as everyone says they are to fletch. Just killed my bull elk with the mini Sabres and micro hades Broadhead.

[@Orr_s]

@@jshobe393 this makes me so happy to hear because im shooting Hades Pro 3 blades for whitetail. So not nearly as far shots…Just ordered the mini sabres and i dont think the Tac driver 2.25” were as good at stabilizing than my pm23, 4 fletch was. And whole reason i switched was i wanted less weight in my setup and of course less weight in the back half especially since i like running lighted nocks. The height is the same on tac 2.25” and mini sabre…but im thinking that shape of the sabre will work nicely. For me with the Tacs, i did everything they instruct you to, and then some with my Bitz and these things were a nightmare to fletch and get to adhere correctly on the shaft of my VAP SS. And ive fletched a decent amount of arrows. I even sanded down my clamp and cut the front half off to make certain i was lined up flush…i have an AAE receiver on my bitz too. The helical clamps on the bitz seem to be a lot more wacky as far as tolerances go so i took someone else tip and sanded it flush where the vane sits and cut the top half

[@jshobe393]

@@Orr_s interesting. I’ve listened to a few podcast with the owner and engineer behind the Sabre design and it’s hard not to get behind them after hearing what he has to say. The minis are great for the smaller fixed blades and mechanicals. I’m running a match grade Easton Axis LR 4mm with podium archer titanium two piece inserts plus my micro hades. On the back end I have a 4mm halo nock and three mini Sabres. It’s a great shooting setup for me. 450gr 15% FOC.

[@Orr_s]

@@jshobe393 we have very similar setups, so im glad to hear. Mines around 465ish and will go up about 3 grains after i fletch these 3 mini Sabres on when they come in. And i ordered his alignment tool way back when, years ago before he launched his own vanes. Good luck this year, and thanks for your service as an officer, its wild out there nowadays

[@MichiganAmBushOutdoors]

Thank you, and I appreciate the kind words. I can see about testing them out. I'll play with different fletching configurations to see what's more forgiving.

[@jeradlene1732]

You think that's gonna go threw a shoulder then

[@MichiganAmBushOutdoors]

I can't say for sure, but I believe it's got a better chance.

[@jeradlene1732]

@@MichiganAmBushOutdoors pretty much nothing is going threw a shoulder just about everything will go threw a scapula let us know how it goes good luck hunting

[@MichiganAmBushOutdoors]

@jeradlene1732 I will do. Thanks for the comment. That makes sense.

[@timbow50]

Bummer deluxe! I try to get everyone I can to use quality fixed blade heads. People like you that know how to tune a bow and arrow setup for any head should IMO be using fixed. I have never in over 50 years used anything but a fixed of various designs. I get pass thru hits nearly every time on deer and on pigs the head is sticking out the far side most of the time. I only draw 62#’s at 28” with a 416 grain finished arrow. They have 175 grains head and brass insert weight. I’m getting 268-270 fps. I’ve blown thru two mature bull elk with this setup. I have 100% confidence in my arrows.

[@MichiganAmBushOutdoors]

Thats great to hear. All I'm hoping with this setup is to increase my success rate and decrease missed opportunities like the one I experienced.

[@BarefootDave_]

Tight pin gaps are sexy for TAC but limiting your shot opportunities is the trade off. Sorry to hear that it cost you a big buck.

[@MichiganAmBushOutdoors]

Thanks, man. Hopefully, I'll catch up with him later.

[@BarefootDave_]

@@MichiganAmBushOutdoors hope so! 🤞🤞

[@ShotzzVII]

Everyone’s a mechanical person until they aren’t

[@MichiganAmBushOutdoors]

Thats is 100% true. I'll still run them, but I'm not sure I will for whitetails anymore.

[@deanbrantley]

I have Sevr 1.5 and a host of other heads. Recently watched a broadhead test from some guys I believe is Bow Only Outdoors where they shot 3 animals with each head. Slick Trick then I think 3-4 other mechanicals. Failures and deer loss didn’t show up until mechanicals were introduced. Just food for thought.

[@MichiganAmBushOutdoors]

I think it was the combination of the mechanical and the light arrow.

[@justinrodabaugh3746]

They also happened to be poor shots and the guy in the video said so himself. The hunting public guys have lost animals with their heavy cut on contact setups as well which always comes down to accuracy wins 10/10

[@MichiganAmBushOutdoors]

This is true

[@calebsmith1454]

You need to watch videos on single bevel. I would send those back and get single bevel, they go through bone way better like a screw

[@MichiganAmBushOutdoors]

I've watched many on both the doubles and singles, and the Iron Wills perform very closely when penetrating bone.

[@michaelbushey2787]

We tried to warn you that, that's too light of a set up buddy. Smh

[@MichiganAmBushOutdoors]

Trust me, I wish I would have listened 😒

[@urbanarcher3535]

So wait, you took a 418g arrow to the field? Sounds like you were trying to zig while everyone else has been zagging just to get some arrow build video clicks. Plus you’re still worried about speed because you only increase 50g and some FOC. Aren’t the modern bows fast enough bro I see you have the new Mach 30…. I mean maybe you have a super short draw length or something. The archery shop guys were right, 475g minimum. Think about it being a moving skeleton covered in hide and hair, then consider what will be making contact first. Fixed blade for me all day backed by 575g of Victory RIP SS!!!

[@MichiganAmBushOutdoors]

My draw is 27.5 lbs, and I ordered a 70-lb bow. A 470-grain arrow shoots 264 fps. Again, I was building it for speed, not “clicks,” but thanks for the constructive comment.

[@jakewatts3341]

To claim that less than 418 light just for shock factor is interesting when there are other archery influencers shooting sub 400 at pronghorn and sub 500 at water buffalo. Not saying it's the smartest, it's just not as against the grain as Urbanarcher seems to think. Sounds like you learned from your experience which is more than alot of people do

[@MichiganAmBushOutdoors]

Thanks, man. There's a lot of keyboard warriors out there.

[@urbanarcher3535]

@@MichiganAmBushOutdoors Speed is obsolete with modern bows there all fast enough, you were chasing a ghost! 418 is very light and the animal didn’t deserve that. If you’re 15y on the ground perfectly broadside and make the right shot then sure it’ll zip right though! But as you stated that’s not reality, last light or the animal moves or you make a less then ideal shot. Why even go down that road is my point. Don’t get me wrong there’s tons of people shooting light arrows and mechanicals right out of the package never even practiced with and killing deer all day. But they’re clueless or just don’t care. You set out to go that light on purpose chasing a few fps. The reason I go fixed and heavier is to put a few more odds in the archer’s favor when something goes wrong or changes. No keyboard warrior here just call things as I see it. Everywhere you look everyone’s going super heavy with a single bevel and it appeared that you purposely went light to be different and you got burned. You seem cool and I think it’s legit you put your experience out there so hopefully others learn.

[@jakewatts3341]

​@urbanarcher3535 I've heard the same argument made for shooting mechanicals and pulling away from the shoulder. I agree with you though, I shoot a fixed for many reasons. Durability being the biggest, penatration pretty close after. Like you said, lots of respect goes out to the folks putting they're journey out there for others to learn from