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To understand the importance of proper shot placement and recovery techniques, it is helpful to know how arrows and bullets differ in the way they impact and kill an animal.

  • Bullets kill by high-energy impact that crushes tissue and bone; bullets may knock down an animal or incapacitate it by breaking major bones; this reduces the animal’s chance of running away.
  • Broadhead-tipped arrows deliver a low-energy impact that kills by cutting vital tissues. Because impact alone won’t knock down an animal, the arrow must be placed properly for a quick kill and easy recovery. A poorly placed arrow will have little immediate impact, making it difficult, and perhaps impossible, to recover the animal.
  • In addition, arrow wounds are generally less painful and generate less fear and panic than a comparable bullet wound. This is important to remember because patience in the recovery process often means that an animal — if mortally wounded — will die relatively close to where it was hit if it isn’t spooked.
A broadhead piercing arteries and veins
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