Contributors to this thread:
what does everyone do with their hunting arrow after it's been recovered from a shot at an animal - l cringe at the thought of putting it back in a quiver unless it has no foam in the hood
In pretty short order the arrow is dried and I almost always put in quiver rather than risk injury. In very rare instances when the BH is extremely dirty/bloody I'll take it off and put it in an emtpy sandwich bag or empty energy bar wrapper, etc. in my pack and put the arrow in my quiver.
I may wipe the blood off first but I put it back in the quiver. IMO it is to dangerous not to. I had a friend carry one out, drop it, had when it landed nock down and walk into it. Came within 1/8" of cutting his femoral artery. Doctor said he would have never made it out of the woods if he had cut it. That may be the extreme but they can cut you, your equipment or someone else.
Back in the quiver, hopefully dripping with blood.
From a safety standpoint, walking while carrying an arrow with a broadhead is really not the best idea.
The foam in my quiver is generally crusted with dirt and blood. It gets cleaned off when it rains, as I generally carry my bow in such a manner that the quiver is pointing down.
I generally don't even clean the arrow to reuse it either. Knock off any big pieces of fat or hair or congealed blood. Sharpen the head or replace the head. Spin it and shoot it to make sure it's still true, then shoot it into another animal.
Shoot, check, sharpen, and repeat
Another great use for wet wipes. A couple of wet wipes before the blood dried and it is good as new.
is the space in the quiver where this 'dirty' arrow is placed segregated or do you later put another clean/razor sharp broadhead there to contaminate & dull it?
Bake has it right! I do the same. Shawn
Right back in the quiver. I don't clean them. I like the dried blood look.
"dirty" arrow? contaminated? by a little blood? (well, sometimes a bit of gut juice too, but honestly not often....)
Just knock the chunks of whatever off it, wipe it in the grass if you like and stuff it back into the rotation.... I shoot two blades mostly, so I can wipe em on my pants leg to get most of it off.....
Somebody is yanking our chain I'd guess.....
Arrow goes back in the quiver. I save the arrow and put it with the animal after it is mounted and hung on the wall. I sharpen and re-use the broadhead.
NOT overthinking & not pissing in anyones cheerios - simply wondering how many people stuff broadheads back into their quivers and then dull the next one by putting it in the same place - if that's your gig so be it
I can't save the arrow and place it with every animal Scott. I'd have way too many doe heads and pig asses on my wall ! :-) About every ten years I might shoot something I want to mount, but I don't know where I would put it. Something else would have to go. I'm not bragging BTW, I just don't have any more room.
As for the bloody arrow, just shake the crap off and stick it back in my FOAMLESS quiver.
been putting the dirty arrow back in the quiver for 20 years never noticed it dulling my new broadhead.
Shoot, wipe off the big stuff, back in the quiver.
Resharpen at camp and right back in the #1 spot. I hate retiring a lucky arrow.
Once on a javelina hunt involving predator calls, caves and 4 buddies I reached the point if picking up an arrow, beating the head straight with a rock and continuing on.
At $20/ arrow, you damn sure Im putting it back in my quiver
I use an over the top expandable so my blades aren't going to get dull when I shove them in the bloody hood foam of my quiver. But when I did use fixed heads I did the same thing and never had an issue killing the next animal with my broadheads.
Carry it out in my quiver, then into my "retired arrow" box when I get home.
I'm 65, and that box has a lot of arrows in it! It's kind of a "history of broadheads" display...lol.
I've never reused an arrow/broadhead...just my thing. Truth be told, now at my age I'm glad I did it. I can relive every experience.
Can't help but laugh! Have never even considered such a thing as carrying an arrow after it's been shot through an animal while I have a perfectly good quiver which is made for doing so. As far as using a hood with foam in it, I don't use one of those either my hood is foamless because of the obvious reasons stated above which is the foam will definitely dull your broadheads all on its own without the dirt.
goes back in the quiver. blood or no
Doesn't everyone just put it back in the quiver?
"Doesn't everyone just put it back in the quiver?"
Apparently not.
Foam is cheap. Broadheads and replacement blades are cheap. Injuries are expensive.
It goes back in my quiver immediately for those reasons. I'd rather by a new pack of broadheads than a trip to the ER.
I think to answer your question, EVERYBODY puts their dirty arrows back in their quivers. You are not going to ruin the next by doing so. I have one arrow that has killed 8 turkeys with the same expandable BH and all I do is wipe it down, clean the head to operational status and re shoot it....not a big deal. I will continue to do so until it warps to badly or the head falls apart. Same with big game shafts and heads. I need to go take a shower now...
I can't believe we are even having this discussion...lol!! It is definitely time for everyone to get back in the woods!!!
I usually take the bloody arrow and shoot it into a tree as a monument to the animal I've just taken.
Jk, it goes in my foamless quiver. Wipe the blood off at home and reuse.
Absolutely not OH. Carry it in your teeth. No reason to risk making it dull in your sheath.
I leave the whole arrow and broadhead bloody. Especially if the head is undamaged. Re-sharpen the business edge. Put it as my first "grab" arrow in the quiver for the next encounter...I want to recognize that arrow.
Got a bull elk and a wild hog with the last one, unfortunately the head didn't survive the hog.
Best of Luck, Jeff
"My OCD goes only so fa'......"
