The reason not to shoot damaged or short arrows

[kenhuntin]

You need to be thinking all the time

[MNBucKKiller]

OUCH!!!!

[mnnate]

I hope thats not your hand! Ouch!

[Fawkinnae]

Ken do you have any more details on what appears to be a fairly unpleasant incident. Tell me that's not going through bone. And I'm wondering just how damaged that arrow was. What kind of point on it? I'll be in the fetal position awaiting your report.

[kenhuntin]

No it is not mine. It looks like it missed the tendons on the poor fella. He should still have a hand to use after a little heal time. Fractured carbon arrows can cause a shard to go through a hand. Hollow Fiberglass arrows are not manufactured anymore because of this. I figured it good to display this photo even though it is gruesome in the case it may stop someone else from the same malady.I still shoot some old fiberglass but I inspect them all the time. What happened here I believe is the arrow dropped off the rest at full draw on this guy just before he released. His draw was longer than the arrow.

[kenhuntin]

Another look

[22lex]

That sent shivers down my spine looking at that picture.

One of the original man. of the fiberglass arrow was located in my hometown (AFC, now Strongwell). Years ago one of my buddies arrows blew-up while shooting target indoors. He escaped with only a deep gouge in his hand, but no matter what type of arrows I shoot I always inspect them because of this.

[schwinger]

I just picked up my old bow(and arrows) from my dads house this weekend, also grabbed an old one of his. I am looking to get back into bow hunting next year, and introducing my father-in-law to it as well.

These have been unused for almost 10 yrs I bet. Something like this never would have crossed my mind, so thank you, I will be giving the arrows a good look before they get used.


Man that looks painfull!!!

[Model12]

My friend had the same thing happen to him and it was a freak deal. He says the worst part of it is that the return surgeries are wrecking his hand. All was "fine" with the arrow in the hand as it didn't really wreck his tendons or go through any bone. However the splinters are nearly impossible to get and cause all sorts of issues every year. They have to keep going back in and getting them out as the inflame the tendons.
A tough situation to be sure. However, this is not the norm and I don't think anyone has anything to worry about other than checking arrows from time to time and not shooting too short of an arrow. An arrow rest w/some sort of "guard" is a good thing.
I have had the wind blow my arrow off the rest at full draw while hunting and the hoop that surrounds the rest, probably saved me from an incident. Be careful when letting down if your arrow falls off your rest. I guess if I didn't have some sort of guard, I'd probably tilt the bow to the side as to get the arrow well away from the hand and let it down as slowly as possible. Gotta have caution no matter what the tool is you're using.
I'm sure you've all seen it, but hit youtube for a fish hook removal. Similar graphic situation.

[Grute Man]

In many of these incidences, the nerve damage is far worse than any tendon/bone damage.  I've heard of people losing most/all use of that hand due to the nerve damage.

[HD]

This almost happened to me this year............ 

But mine was a carbon arrow, not fiberglass.

[Swany]

Yikes. Not good. Just another benefit to shoot a QAD Rest, or full containment rest I guess.

[HD]

This almost happened because of the use of an under spined arrow, it broke on release...not because it fell off of the rest.
The arrow was boarder line for my poundage of bow. In the fine print it says to go up in arrow size if you were between, or towards the end of the scale. This I didn't know untill after I did some research.....

I shot the same size arrows for over a year without any trouble.

[sconihunter]

This picture has been floating around the web for a long time....When I first saw it the caption said:  "this is what happens when your arrow falls off your fallaway rest"