Only carry 3 broadheads. Am I nuts?
Whitetail Deer
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Guys here's the situation. I got into bowhunting late at the ripe old age of 45 about 3 years ago, so I'm not hip to what the cool cats are doing these days.
I hunt whitetail on a hunting-specific farm I own in central Minnesota. It's only 90 minutes from the Twin Cities, so we're not talking the middle of nowhere here.
I was at the range the other day just final checking my 3 broadheads shoot well, and I was talking to this guy and his buddy who were all pimped out with everything Matthews probably including Matthews-brand underwear.
I finished up and Mr. Matthews #1 said to me, "Did you check all 6 of your heads?" Well, I said no, I only carry 3 broadheads.
He looked at me like I just said I was from the planet Zog and just landed on Earth. "Dude, that's risky. What if you miss or have to put a wounded one down?"
I had never even considered any scenario where I might miss more than 3 times and still have a deer standing in front of me. Or a situation where I'd be trying to ground pound one and miss more than twice.
Seriously. Is it really risky only going out there with 3 broadheads? I have to smile at the idea of zipping 3 arrows past a clueless buck and still having him standing there thumbing his nose at me. I suppose anything could happen. But the idea of trying to ground pound a wounded one, well does that actually happen very often that you're trying to jump shoot one to finish him off where there's a high chance of missing?
Thanks.
Grouse
Stuff happens. I would never hunt with less than 5 arrow/broadheads. Mr. Mathews makes a good point. Good luck!
I know the way a person plans things it’s insane to think why a person would need more than two....but then all of a sudden the weirdest things happen and I’ve been left with an empty quiver 3 times in my life. Once my first year whitetail hunting, once with caribou and once with moose. It’s a small price to pay for the extra insurance.
I have a 5 arrow quiver but would carry 6 if I could. My question would be why not?
My dad guided a guy caribou hunting some 20 years ago and guy pays what 6 grand at the time for a hunt and brings up 7 bullets for his rifle. You guessed it 6 shots later and my dad takes the gun and is laying the wounded bull down for the guy.
It’s always inconceivable till it happens. And even after sometimes it’s inconceivable that it happened lol.
It’s cheap insurance. I know guys will come here saying they’ve never carried more than 3 and that’s alright, so do whatever turns your crank. Crazier things have happened than needing a 4th arrow
When deer hunting I take three arrows. That's all that fits in my quiver. I once killed two does. One right after the other. I still had an extra arrow....
Good luck this fall.
I have shot a black bear 5 times. The first shit was good and it broke the far shoulder. The bear just kept rolling around and I kept shooting. I always carry 6 broadheads.
Strange things happen.
I carry 5. If they made a decent bolt on two piece quiver that held more, I'd carry more.
I've been in the situations that Mr. Mathews was referring to. More then once. The thing about killing stuff that doesn't start the day off intending to get killed is it doesn't always go as planned. Go prepared. Even whitetail stand hunting has things that can and will sometimes cause problems that require "bullets". I guess t depends on how many animals you have killed for the most part. and, where you kill them. Food plot shooting deer is one thing. Hunting deer in thicker cover that has no reason to stand and pose is another.
As Eric erroneously pointed out, Shit does happen. :^)
I have seen it all. There are days the best of us can use a bigger quiver.
If you wound one, the follow-up becomes a matter of finishing him off, or wasted game! Happened to me once. It wasn't pretty; the only thing that would have been worse was to not recover him. I used all five arrows. As Charlie said, "Stuff happens".
No you`re not "crazy"....3 is MORE than adequate for whitetail and 4 is enough for western hunts. 6 arrows when hunting whitetails is what I would consider "nuts". 90% of the time you put the same arrow back in the quiver and some seasons never even let an arrow loose. If you`re a discriminate hunter.
Wouldn’t say you’re crazy. But I’d still prefer to carry more. My recurves hold 4 and 5 depending on which bow I’m shooting. I don’t love the 4 arrow quiver even though I’ve only ever needed one. My last arrow is always a small game head and I prefer to have a previously shot broadhead for a coyote or something. That would change my quivers to 2/3 arrow quivers
I am quite the discriminate shooter. Using the example of putting the arrow back 90% of the time while deer hunting is pretty dumb though. You do that regardless of what you are hunting. Frankly, I do it a lot more elk hunting then I ever do whitetail hunting. That isn't what gets you in trouble anyway. Ever. It's the releasing of the arrow that sometimes make it apparent that more is being better prepared. To each their own is my way of thinking. But, carrying fewer arrows doesn't make you a better hunter. So, I fail to see the advantage of doing so.
Most I ever used was three. For some reason arrow number 1 exploded on me. The deer ran away and stopped. Shot number two spined him and shot three to finish off. Weird things do happen but I will be carrying three this year.
I carry 5 arrows while hunting 4 with broadheads and one with a g5 small game head or judo point. I wouldn't call you crazy for only carrying 3 that will work fine 99.9% of the time the question is when or if the .1% happens are you willing to miss out on a opportunity you most likely worked hard to get. Like the old saying goes better to have it and not need it then need it and not have it.
I shot 3 coyotes, a buck and nearly got a shot at a bobcat in one hour. Can't do that with a 3 arrow quiver. If the 4th coyote would have hung around a few seconds longer I would have shot it too.
Chances are, you'll never need more than 3.
That said, strange things do occasionally happen while bowhunting.
Personally I'd be comfortable with just three.
Three arrows helps you too make the first one count.Has worked for me 60 years.
carry only 3 broad head arrow and once in a while a Judo and in 40 years of bow hunting whitetails I have only ran out once and than I got down, touched up one of the broad heads and killed a deer with it. I have killed 3 deer on several occasions on one sit with just the 3 arrows I carry. You are fine with 3!! Shawn
I’d carry at least 4. A few years ago, I shot an elk quartering slightly towards me. He bedded down about 60 yards away. On my way out, he stood up and was able to get another arrow in him. I had another shot opportunity, but was didn’t shoot because I only had one arrow left and wanted to save it for a better shot opportunity. It expired quickly after that second arrow, but since then I always carry 4. Another time I was lowering my bow from my stand when it hit the ground, the nocks hit first and popped 2 of the 3 arrows out of my quiver; seconds later a moose appeared and was approaching my stand. I pulled my bow back up with one arrow in the quiver. Turned out the bull wasn’t legal. You just never know what can happen; you could fall and bend/break some of your arrows as well.
Carried 6 for 30 yrs never went past arrow two on a hunt. Last ten yrs it’s been a three arrow quiver and works just fine for me. Now this is whitetail tree stand hunting. If I were out west stalking etc... I would probably consider going back to 6 . Whatever works for you is perfect!
3, 4, 5, 6...carry what you are comfortable with. When I started back in '83, I had a 6 arrow bow quiver, mostly because that was the "norm". It wasn't too many years when I started carrying 5. Now I use a 4 arrow quiver, and have never wanted for more on a day outing. Of course I can obtain more at the end of the day in camp, truck, or home, just in case something unfortunate happens.
Where, or how you hunt should make no difference in the number of arrows you carry. Eastern tree stand or western spot-and-stalk...you shouldn't be shooting unless you are confident in the outcome.
I used to carry 1 small-game head, but gave that up. If I'm big game hunting I shouldn't be wasting time and making a commotion shooting small game. That was brought home many years ago after shooting at a grouse in a tree. My arrow stuck there about 15' up. Of course I went up to retrieve it. While up there, a 5 point bull walked right past the tree I was in. Never again.
3's enough until it isn't. I had to go deep into my 6 arrow quiver about 15 years ago when I botched the first shot - turned into a real rodeo after that. A 3 arrow quiver would have led to unnecessary suffering at best and a lost animal at worst. When I do that math, I just don't think it's worth it to only carry 3.
I only carry 4 in my quiver. The most I have ever used is 2. Of course, if you are hunting hogs you may have to take a few more.
3 on the bow, more back at the tent.
Whitetail 4, black bear 4, elk 5 plus 1 chicken arrow.
When hunting locally, I only carry a Tightspot 3 arrow. When I travel, I go with 5 or 6.
The lechwe in my pics in my profile . . . I shot him with all 5 arrows in my quiver and picked up an arrow that had already been shot through him and shot him with that one too. 5 arrows. 6 shots. 5 hits
I carry five. Used to be three deer arrows and two hog arrows. Lately I've been wondering if it shouldn't be the reverse. I've never spined a deer, but I have a pronghorn. Mercifully, he died as I was drawing for the coup de grace. I was glad, because I was nervous as hell as it had never happened before. All the deer I've missed hauled ass so no need for a second arrow, but you are hunting, so carry enough to get it done. As WV pointed out.......
my vote is a tightspot 3 arrow if i miss 3 times i should go home.
The point went by you in both lanes WV...as usual. The success rate on bowhunting is fairly low. On a quality whitetail deer probably 10%. Why carry 6 arrows when you keep putting a arrow back in the quiver....meaning....not shooting anything. If you need 6 arrows in your quiver to hunt deer maybe you should stay home...lol....ot take up golf.
Franklin, for the same reason you still carry auto insurance. You may not need it on the first 99 trips, but the 100th might be a b!tch.
It's a silly risk to only carry 3. What in the heck is the point of only packing 3? Two more weighs too much, puts your bow out of balance? Ever got excited trying to finish off a spine shot animal? Ever wanted to kill a coyote and a deer in the same sit? It's just dumb.
For Whitetail hunting two or three arrows is normally enough. For elk hunting I like to carry at least six, probably because I like to shoot at random groundhogs and grouse also.
Also, when hogs are present I like to have extra. One time when hunting public land in Oklahoma I had an entire herd of hogs filter by me. I think I had 5 arrows? I am did my quiver over a period of about 30 minutes as each group came by and then right at dusk hogzilla came out...we are talking pushing 4-500. Guess how many arrows I had? Zeeerrrrooo
30 something years ago, I emptied a 6 arrow quiver on a large doe. After I was out, she bedded 30 yards in front of me.
I shot 4 arrows to finish a buck that had gotten spined.
Those are the only two times I have shot more than 2 arrows.
Even whitetail hunting 2 miles from home I want more than 3. I'm fairly confident in my shooting, but bad things happen.
I’ve never shot more than 3 but I hate to miss out on a coyote parade because I was scared to waste arrows. I carried 3 for a long time but went to 5 last year.
Two years ago, I missed the same doe three times. I had arrow #4 on the string when she finally walked away (laughing). I carry 6 broadheads, sometimes 5 + 1 field point.
I used to carry 6 & broke that quiver. I now carry 4 at home. Out of state hunts I have a 6 arrow hip quiver I fasten to my pack. Always 6 out of state. I have emptied my quiver of 5 ONE time in 62 years (I started bowhunting in 1956) & had 2 shots a handful of times in that time.
I've seen my daughter empty a 3 arrow quiver twice in the same morning. If they made a 12 arrow quiver she would have it now! Ha! I personally carry 5 all the time, have never needed more than 1 thus far but you never know!
I always fill my quiver. Right now, that is four arrows. If I only had a three arrow quiver, I'd be fine with only three. But then, I really only hunt local and my truck with more arrows is never more than a half mile away.
If you have a six arrow quiver and only bring three with you...
Hunting WT I only take 3 arrows,,, But I have two extra heads in my pack. I can always change my head on one of the arrows I shot earlier.. If I can find it. :) When I back pack in I have a 7 arrow quiver . I take 7 arrows in. 5 have heads two don't... After camps setup I leave two arrows at camp and take five. But I always have 3 or 4 heads in my backpack. If I shot 5 arrows I think I would find a few and would just put a new heard on them... In all my years of hunting I've never ran out of arrows. Also we do on pack-in hunts quiver check on each other if our bows are straped on our packs. Ed
Reasons to consider more than three arrows..... 1.)Walking into your stand in the dark, you walk into a tree branch that you didn't see, and it raked an arrow or two from your quiver. 2.) Deflected arrows from branches that you did not see in the arrow's flight path. 3.) Secondary targets - coyotes, grouse, black bear (season is open during deer season where I live......and after the shot, you know what will happen.....that's when the big buck you've been chasing will show himself because he heard the commotion and got curious. 4.) A first shot not hitting where you were aiming 5.) Damaged arrows (maybe you fell crossing a stream on your way to the stand in the dark). 6.)Excitement 7.)The animal shouldn't have to suffer any longer than necessary....and if you can't finish it off quickly because you are out of arrows for whatever reason, that's on you.....meanwhile the animal suffers. 8.) any combination of the above...because when it rains it pours....and Murphy is always nearby....and there are other scenarios....but these are some of the more common ones that I have heard over the years.
Reasons to NOT carry more than three arrows 1.) Extra weight? (remember, most arrows probably weight between 350-700 grains)….did I mention that there are 7,000 grains in ONE pound? So each extra arrow is about 1/20th to 1/10th of one pound. 2.) Ego... 3.) Affects point of aim more on a windy day (when I hunt from a tree stand, I frequently remove the quiver once I am in the tree, and have a second arrow out of the quiver, by my side)
I have 4 arrow quivers on the bows that I hunt with. I kind of wish they were 5. I would feel better with 5 than 4.
It all depends on the hunting situation I'm in, for the most part I carry three(I have a 5-arrow quiver) when I'm spot and stalking or still hunting. When in a blind I'll have 5 arrows. Most are right, there are situations that can arise that may require more shots, but we always hope for the best outcome. To really settle ones mind, practice, practice , practice!! And don't take iffy shot's. This year I made two shot's with just three arrows in the quiver, first was a clean miss, second a dead deer, had one arrow left, and I didn't feel like I was taking a chance not having more arrows. Best of luck hunting!
One thing that should be clarified....who is using traditional equipment and who isn`t. If you are hunting trad I could see carrying more. Probably should of cleared that from the start.
I thought you were a better man then that Franklin. Nothing you say or do has zoomed by me. It was just irrelevant as to why someone would carry more then 3 arrows.
I generally carry 3 broadheads. It doesn't matter if I'm using a recurve or compound.
"If you are hunting trad I could see carrying more."
It shouldn't matter whether you shoot longbow, recurve, compound, x-bow, ml, handgun, or rifle; you should be equally confident in that first shot. If not, you shouldn't be shooting. You don't get a 'mulligan' because you're not competent with your chosen weapon.
I would also concur with Medicinemann. . . there have been three occasions that I have broken arrows or lost arrows while hunting. I lost one arrow in thick brush on a Colorado elk hunt. I broke 3 of 5 arrows in my quiver on two different occasions while walking into stands. Once on a prime November day. . . you can bet I didn't want to miss that morning hunt, and was glad I had two good arrows for that day.
If your property is 90 minutes from Minneapolis/St. Paul that would put you pretty to close to my property which is 45 minutes west of my house. If the deer numbers are what they are at my place I would say you are carrying three too many arrows ;)
3 broadheads and 2 judo points. I've emptied my quiver many times on grouse, only once on big game, a moose that charged me after a bad first shot and a follow up second shot.
Kn 40+ years, I never carried more than four arrows-three b-heads and one field point for squirrels or grouse. Never needed the third one.
You guys that carry 3 or more arrows are all amatuers. I learned a few tricks from an ol boy down south about shot placement and now carry only one broadhead tipped arrow. I do carry a full can of tracking spiders with me though and wait for a hard quarting away shot. :)
"hard quarting away shot." The Hamblaster!
Depends on the situation. If I'm only sitting for 2 hours in a stand that is 100yds from my truck, I usually only carry two good broad heads. If I'm spending the day in the woods, and putting on some miles, I carry 4 and a squirrel arrow.
I see that a lot of you folks shoot other animals when hunting deer or other big game. When hunting big game around home only 3, when on a backpack hunt I carry 5 in my quiver and leave 2 at base camp. I don't bother with coyotes or small game, so I guess that's why I don't carry a lot of arrows.
Is that why you carry more than 3 arrows???? Ed
Send a couple more arrows.It shows you care!
3 is enough in the field but nothing wrong with extra blades, heads, sharpening stone back at the vehicle.. I shot the same deer with 3 heads once. He finally ran on the third one. I thought I missed on at least one of the shots. I didn't. Pattern was about 3-4 inch circle around the heart. Long time ago, two blade Zwikeys out of a 70# bow...
I hunt with 4, 3 the same, and I carry one fixed blade (Slick Trick Mag) on the last arrow in case I hunt my blind and use the shoot through mesh.
I dont think you need more than 3, but I dont think it's an issue if you carry 2 or 10. I'd want more than one... but beyond that... personal preference.
Enjoy your farm. My spouses family lives in Lake Shore, up north of Brainerd, nice bit of earth you have there in the great state of MN!
If you miss three times at the same animal, it is a little irresponsible to shoot a fourth time, IMO. Go get your 3 misses and resharpen the broadheads. Hunting out west in the backcountrynis a different ballgame.
How do you make a 3inch circle around the heart retrieve your arrows and shoot again? Once upon a time....
I always carry 6 arrows. Compound or stick bow. For starters I have multiple tags. On more than a few occasions I've shot 4 deer in a sit. Triples happen fairly often and doubles happen at least once a season. I've also seen things go sideways and need follow up shots, and those follow up shots can often be very likely to miss, through brush, moving deer, extreme ranges. I once only brought 3 arrows. I shot a nice buck and watched him tip over. A doe came in 30 minutes later. The shot was a touch back. She stood on the other side of some brush and my follow up shot deflected. She walked out to 6"yards and bedded in the open where I could have shot but I was out of arrows. I waited a long time, quietly climbed down retrieved the arrow I had killed the buck with, wiped it off and snuck into about 50 yards and finished the bow. I could have done that from the tree even she bedded and ended it an hour earlier. I'll never carry 3 arrows again.
I carry four in my quiver. I slipped and fell on my back crossing a creek and bent three of them. Aluminum arrows of course. Bad thing about it is I didn't notice they were bent until after the crazy miss I had on a decent buck.
Hope for the best.... but plan for the worst.
You know...
The way some folks here are talking, you’d think that only a complete slob/moron would ever bother with more than one.
I wouldn’t stay home from an afternoon (or even and all-day-if-need-be) kind of a sit just because I only had 3 good broadheads on hand, but I’d most likely quit for the day if I got down to 2.
But you’d never catch me 6 hours from re-supply without at least a half dozen.
Just once, I had a 6-7 yard shot (maybe closer) that went 2” higher than intended and 1/2” too high to have an immediate effect. 2nd shot nearly made things much worse, but the 3rd was more immediately effective than anyone could ever hope or dream for with an arrow.
Just the same, I was damn happy to have 3 more on tap.
Killed 100 animals with a trad bow in the last year, and never needed more than 2. I guess everyone has different experiences.
Then again, I was hunting close to home mostly. Only been elk hunting a couple times. Carried 4 broadheads and a judo for grouse/stumping. Never dropped the string with the broadheads, but would have preferred more stumping/grouse arrows.
If I'm deer hunting and I see a coyote it turns into a coyote hunt and I'm slinging one at him or more if he has buddies. Have shot more than one deer on same sit, can Also shoot turkey while deer hunting. Have shot 2 P&Y bears within 10 minutes of each other (Alberta). So yeah I take more than 3 in my quiver.
If you are anticipating shooting more than one animal per sit, then I sure would take more than three arrows. Not an option hunting where I do for the most part. Once I kill one animal, I gotta take care of it right away because of the heat, other than the late season.
I carry 3 sharps, a used one for coyotes or maybe a woodchuck that's just begging for it, and a small game head. In Pennsylvania, the first deer needs to be tagged before you can shoot another one so multiples on the same sit are not normal.
My first deer with the bow back when I was 15 was a real rodeo. Spined him with the first shot, proceeded too shoot my other 4 arrows in a panic in his general vicinity in the brush. Climbed out of the tree, ran over toward him and had my bow jerked out of my hand because my bow rope was still attached. Picked an arrow out of the leaves and finished him. What a cluster that was. Think it was 5 years before I told anyone what actually happened, I was so mortified. My story was "Yeah I spined him on the first shot and had to finish him with anther one."
“Killed 100 animals with a trad bow in the last year...”
You must be in Hog Heaven down there, Paddy!