Magnus Stinger Blood Trail

[SpurChaser]

I shot a buck on Friday the 13th with a Magnus Stinger 125gn broadhead. My question / concern is the amount of blood that was left on the trail. This was different than any other deer I have ever shot with a bow. He didn't run off. The arrow punched both lungs perfectly, he took a few steps and stopped. After looking around for a couple seconds, he walked about 50 yards and laid down. There was zero urgency in his walk, it was like he was on the way to the next feed tree.

The question is, was the lack of blood trail from him not running away pushing the blood out of the wound channel, or could it be from something else?

 

[redblood]

I shot a buck on Friday the 13th with a Magnus Stinger 125gn broadhead. My question / concern is the amount of blood that was left on the trail. This was different than any other deer I have ever shot with a bow. He didn't run off. The arrow punched both lungs perfectly, he took a few steps and stopped. After looking around for a couple seconds, he walked about 50 yards and laid down. There was zero urgency in his walk, it was like he was on the way to the next feed tree.

The question is, was the lack of blood trail from him not running away pushing the blood out of the wound channel, or could it be from something else?

I SHOOT 125 BUZZCUTS. I RARELY HAVE TO FOLLOW BLOOD TRAILS AS THEY GO DOWN IN SIGHT. DID YOU FIND HIM?

 

[philsanchez76]

ive used Magnus stinger 150s exclusively for 5 seasons now. the warranty is awesome. if one hits a rock and gets bent, they'll just mail you a replacement. its amazing. I usually get great blood trails from them. that said the few times I didn't it was usually a high lung shot. cavity has to fill all the way up before it starts coming out real good. if they're super sharp the deer dont really know what happened till its too late. most of them dont really run. they just trot off an fall within site.

 

[jc0313]

I've had a near identical experience to the one you described with the same broadhead. Double lunged a buck from 7 yards and he went 40 yards looked around and fell over. There wasn't much of a blood trail at all.

 

[ImThere]

Usually when I see the arrow zip cleanly through them they don't seem to react and usually fall within sight.

 

[Ski]

If you don't hit heart or other major muscle there might not be much bleeding on the outside. A lot of double lung hit deer are dead before blood fills the cavity enough to pour out the hole. They're still bleeding but it's all internal. When I hit deer behind the shoulder in the ribs only, I don't expect a blood trail. But the deer still dies in sight.

 

[SpurChaser]

I should have mentioned in the initial post that yes I did find him. Could see him before I even climbed down from the tree. Thanks for the input everyone. Glad to have a group with such knowledge.

@Ski that's a good point. His chest was completely full of blood, and thinking back on it, it was a little higher lung shot than I normally like. That very well could be the science behind it.

 

[LenS]

Just to echo what Ski already said, that sounds like a classic high lung shot. I've shot them a bit high when they left zero blood trail. But then go to clean them and a gallon of blood has pooled in the chest cavity.

 

[tree_ghost]

I've had a near identical experience to the one you described with the same broadhead. Double lunged a buck from 7 yards and he went 40 yards looked around and fell over. There wasn't much of a blood trail at all.

My experience also with the buck in my avatar. 15 yards Shot, arrow zipped clean through, he bounded twice then stopped and looked around for about 20 seconds. He then mule kicked and ran 40 yards and fell over. No blood

 

[Lost Lake]

Not at all unusual. I've shot deer that act like they didn't even feel the arrow slip through them, and then fall over dead 30 seconds later. One buck jumped a little and went back to feeding on persimmons and then got wobbly, spun a circle and went down. Sometimes you just can't predict how they'll act.

 

[RUGER]

Yep a high lung shot that doesn't bust ribs or anything won't bleed outside much and the deer will normally not show much of a reaction other than maybe a mule kick.
I shot a doe one time that mule kicked and then started walking just as you described and even stopped and ate a couple leaves off a sapling. Then wobbled and died.

 

[@fulldraw]

My take is that a lot of these fixed blades are super sharp. I sharpen my own VPAs. I personally think the sharper they are the cut is cleaner, making the deer not feel the pain as much. They bound a little or not at all. With less sharpened blades they rip and tear causing more pain. Deer react my running. This is just my opinion. I'm probably way off but since I've started sharpening my own the deer haven't run off.

 

[squirrel_hunter]

I watched video on u tube. Guy said not much of a blood trail. But fell in sight of him. I was fixing too order some black hornet 100 gr 4 blade. But may hold off on getting some now. I have QAD Exodus 100 gr ordered.

 

[Ski]

I watched video on u tube. Guy said not much of a blood trail. But fell in sight of him. I was fixing too order some black hornet 100 gr 4 blade. But may hold off on getting some now. I have QAD Exodus 100 gr ordered.

I wouldn't get hung up on which heads leave good blood trails. They all do and they all don't. It's everything to do with shot placement. I've shot several bucks with Grim Reaper WTS heads and didn't get a blood trail but watched them fall over dead. They were double lung behind shoulder. I shot one buck in the heart with same head and he sprayed 4ft each side like somebody had a paint sprayer until a tree to the forehead stopped him in his tracks. The head doesn't make the blood trail. The shot placement does.

I hit a deer low and forward once, cutting through the flappy part of his brisket that protrudes out of his chest in front of his legs. Nothing but flesh and that deer left a blood trail Stevie Wonder could follow. Not a chance he was going to die but boy he bled like he was dying.

 

[recurve60#]

I should have mentioned in the initial post that yes I did find him. Could see him before I even climbed down from the tree. Thanks for the input everyone. Glad to have a group with such knowledge.

@Ski that's a good point. His chest was completely full of blood, and thinking back on it, it was a little higher lung shot than I normally like. That very well could be the science behind it.

Sometimes they dont feel a cut on contact broadhead and dont react much.
I switched to 4 blade cut on contact though for the reason you asked about blood. Lots of blood now, lots.

 

[SpurChaser]

My take is that a lot of these fixed blades are super sharp. I sharpen my own VPAs. I personally think the sharper they are the cut is cleaner, making the deer not feel the pain as much. They bound a little or not at all. With less sharpened blades they rip and tear causing more pain. Deer react my running. This is just my opinion. I'm probably way off but since I've started sharpening my own the deer haven't run off.

I'm really glad to hear this. I shot some NAP mechanicals last year, and had good results, but wanted to switch to fixed blades just to see if there was a difference. I sharpened these Magnus heads myself and it's comforting to know that he acted the way he did because of a sharp broadhead. I'm planning on sticking with these as long as I can. They're hard to find now that season is here, so evidently I'm not the only one that likes them!

 

[CharlieTN]

The doe I killed on opening day was shot with a 100gr Stinger. She was quartering away so the entry was back on her left side and it exited just behind her right front leg, so it went diagonally through her, exiting through a rib. The shot was a bit high with the exit about halfway up her body. She mule-kicked then bounded off like she had been scared. It caused me to think I might have missed at first. She went 60 yards with a spare but traceable blood trail.

Even when I found her on her side and opened her up, her chest cavity was full of blood. Very little had made it out of her because of the higher exit. Low exits allow a lot more blood to exit.

One other thing that could be a culprit. If the broad head is a bit dull, it will actually tear it's way through. This trauma to the body and blood vessels will cause the deer to clot up faster than a razor sharp cut where the body doesn't notice the trauma. That's why people can receive horrific wounds in battle but not bleed out, but a surgeon cuts a vessel and it will absolutely pour the blood out.

 

[bowhunterfanatic]

I wouldn't get hung up on which heads leave good blood trails. They all do and they all don't. It's everything to do with shot placement. I've shot several bucks with Grim Reaper WTS heads and didn't get a blood trail but watched them fall over dead. They were double lung behind shoulder. I shot one buck in the heart with same head and he sprayed 4ft each side like somebody had a paint sprayer until a tree to the forehead stopped him in his tracks. The head doesn't make the blood trail. The shot placement does.

I actually disagree with this to a certain extent. I've tracked / trailed a good number of deer shot with a bow using a litany of different heads and the two big things I've noticed are:

1. A big entry hole helps. It just makes sense that in a case where you don't get full penetration, lots of times due to a quartering shot, that a bigger entry hole will allow more blood to come out of it.
2. A 2+ inch cut will often times produces a better trail than a smaller diameter cut.

I agree shot placement is the most important factor, but I think the head also plays a role.