GRANT: As the opening day of Missouri's archery season approaches the entire GrowingDeer Team
has been slinging a bunch of arrows.
GRANT: Last summer, we shared the results of a really cool experiment that showed how
much a deer could drop once they heard the bow fired.
GRANT: Our friend, Darren Cummins from Pennsylvania, designed a very sophisticated piece of equipment
that, simply put, it hears the bow fire, calculates a deer's reaction time at 20, 30 and 40 yards
and then drops a deer when that sound reaches a deer and it's had time to react.
In this case a water-filled balloon.
GRANT: I was very interested in this subject because we've shared several hunts that showed
deer responding to the sound of a noise and dropping several inches before the arrow arrived.
We’ve tested multiple bows, different draw weights, different weight arrows and discovered
that even at 20-, 30- and 40-yards deer can react even with fast bows and drop several
inches before the arrow arrives.
GRANT: It dropped.
GRANT: This information made a huge impact on me, so I've been working to have as quiet
of a hunting rig as I can.
GRANT: This year, I've reduced a draw weight on the bow I'm using, using a heavier arrow
and a few other odds and ends to decrease the overall noise resulting from a shot.
One of my areas of prime focus was the arrow.
GRANT: The entire GrowingDeer Team is super excited for the start of deer season, so we've
been shooting a lot, and while we're shooting, we've noticed a bit of difference between
how my arrows are penetrating and how Tyler's arrows are penetrating.
So I want to tell you the setup.
I'm shooting 28 1/4 inches at 52 pounds and I'm shooting a Bloodsport 350 Evidence, the
micro diameter shaft.
Tyler what are you shooting?
TYLER: I'm shooting a 30-inch draw length, 65 pounds, the Justice, which is not a micro
diameter, more of a fatter arrow, 300.
GRANT: So, we want to compare penetration because it's my theory that a micro diameter
arrow even with a little bit lower draw weight will get about as good if not better penetration.
GRANT: We got brand new Morrell High Roller Targets, super quality.
Not saying this is the same as a deer, going through muscle tissue with liquid, body fluid
in there, but at least we're comparing apples to apples.
GRANT: Good arrow penetration is important for any deer hunter.
The goal is maximum hemorrhage.
That allows hunters to be extremely humane when tagging a deer.
This same principle results in an easy recovery of the critter.
GRANT: A pass-through shot, especially with the Bloodsport arrow, is always great because
the way the Bloodsport is designed it lets the hunter interpret where the shot was and
lets them know where to take up the trail or back out for a while.
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GRANT: I want to state upfront.
This is not a scientific test, so before I get a bunch of hate mail, there's no regression,
there's no coefficients.
We're just a couple of hunters out here that we noticed something while practicing together.
GRANT: So, we're 20 yards away.
We're not worried about accuracy.
We're just trying to shoot two to three inches apart in the new target.
We don't want to shoot side by side because if we do that foam may be a little condensed
from one shot to the next.
So we'll shoot two to three inches apart, shoot around the target, different corners,
as we go through the test.
GRANT: I'll shoot first, then Tyler can just shoot a few inches away from my arrow.
GRANT: All right, Tyler.
GRANT: The arrows we're shooting are about the same weight.
Tyler's all rigged out is 459; and mine rigged out the same is 479.
But I don't think 20 grains at 400 plus grains is a big difference.
GRANT: So, it looks likes Tyler's is about an inch more, but his arrow is about two inches
longer.
So, the only way to get an accurate measure is for us each to pull our arrow, and we'll
put our thumb right here at the edge of the target.
Don't let it slide.
And pull it out and then we'll measure the amount of penetration.
GRANT: Tyler, grab that arrow.
GRANT: So, just a quickie look.
We can do this.
Just stick ‘em right there and right there and Tyler got I'm going to say close to an
inch, about an inch more.
Remember he's shooting 65 pounds, a little bit plus.
I'm shooting 52 so 13 more pounds.
You would expect a little bit more penetration on 13 pounds, but would it had been more if
he'd a been shooting the same skinny diameter, micro diameter as I was?
So, we'll figure that out when we both shoot each other's arrow.
GRANT: All right, let's measure these and see what we got.
So, from the thumbnail - nine and an eighth.
Yep, and about eight.
An inch more for 13 pounds more draw weight.
GRANT: Tyler and I have each shot our own arrow, but now we've swapped arrows, and we'll
compare penetration based on what we already shot.
I'll use Tyler's arrow and Tyler will use mine.
GRANT: Tyler's arrow, larger diameter, out of my bow.
We'll do a measure and compare it to what I shot with my first arrow.
So, my arrow has a smaller diameter than Tyler's.
I had eight inches of penetration.
With Tyler's arrow, I got seven and a quarter.
So, not a lot but three-quarters of an inch of penetration into the High Roller Target.
It might've been more of a difference going through a deer because you got all that body
fluid, a little bit slicker than this foam.
We don't know that for sure but certainly lost a little penetration with the larger
diameter arrow.
GRANT: We wondered if the trend would be the same when Tyler shot my arrow compared to
when he shot his arrow previously.
GRANT: The trend remained the same.
Tyler got three-quarters of an inch more penetration from my smaller diameter arrow than he did
with his arrow.
The results made sense and they weren't really surprising.
Just think about it.
It's much easier to stick a pin through a piece of paper than it is your finger.
Smaller diameters are gonna penetrate a substance much easier than a larger diameter.
GRANT: There are many factors of penetration in a critter versus a target.
On a critter, you might hit bone, or a really thick hide, or a hog that just wallowed in
mud or something like that.
But overall a smaller diameter arrow, all else being the same, is going to give better
penetration than one with a larger diameter.
GRANT: There are some other considerations that might tip the scale in favor of smaller
diameter arrows.
For example, with the smaller diameter, there's less surface area; therefore, less resistance
and less noise generated when the arrow is flying downrange.
GRANT: I'm not advocating for most whitetail hunters, especially let's say in the central
and eastern states, to take longer shots.
In those areas, whitetails have a lot of hunting pressure and they seem to become conditioned
to reacting to an archery shot.
GRANT: Many western game species live in areas where hunter density - the amount of hunters
per square mile - is much less than the average range where whitetails are hunted and, in
this case, it seems they don't get conditioned to reacting at the sound of a shot.
GRANT: Is an additional three-quarter of an inch of penetration going to make a big difference
when trying to tag most big game species?
Probably not.
Like most hunters, I like gathering as much information as possible so I can make good
decisions before season and during the season.
GRANT: I believe there's another very important take away from our observations.
A lot of guys I know are practicing with the heaviest draw weight bow they can shoot several
times in a row.
That sounds good in a practice situation, but it's not the same as sitting in a cold
treestand for two or three hours and then trying to pull the bow when you haven't been
moving for a long time.
GRANT: A very important takeaway that my bow, set at 13 pounds lighter than Tyler's bow
and about an inch or so shorter draw length, got almost the same penetration just because
I was using a smaller diameter arrow.
A lighter weight bow makes it easier for hunters to practice more; it's probably a lot quieter
than one that's heavier and allows hunters to stay at full draw longer in case the shot
isn't developing as they thought it would.
GRANT: Ultimately if we are enjoying the hunt, putting some venison in the freezer, it's
all good.
GRANT: If you enjoy these types of hunting tips, please check out our quick tips playlist.
If you like this type of content, please subscribe to our channel and click the bell icon so you will receive
notifications every time we release a new video.
GRANT: Maybe season has already opened where you hunt or you're still going out behind
the house and doing some practicing.
Either way, I hope you get outside and enjoy Creation.
But most importantly, no matter where you are, take time every day to be quiet and listen
to what the Creator is saying to you.
GRANT: Thanks for watching GrowingDeer.