I use Rocky Mountain Broadheads, punch clean through, leave massive blood trails.

My buddy had one bounce off a turkey last spring.....I never cared much for mechanicals anyway. Just one more thing to go wrong.

I bought some Rage when they first came out because of the hype and tested them, quickly sold them to someone else.

The other video compares mid tier heads, pretty much pointless.

Penetration starts with a tuned bow, this sounds elementary but probably 80% of bows in the field are not tuned to the arrow's spine and fly off center so hit off center losing penetration. Second is a good head like a slick trick that will penetrate and cut a big hole.

Kent

I do not believe in so called "Mechanical Broadheads" you loose too much energy trying to deploy them. I like the Slick Tricks I've been using.

I’ve never had a problem with Rages.
I use the hypodermic 100 grain.
I’ve shot about 20 deer with it and blew through all except for 2 and those 2 were big bodied bucks.
Even at that I’ve never lost a deer to a rage.
All have been recovered within 60 yds with the preverbial red carpet trail to them.
I’ve tried slick tricks but the blood trails were miserable about 70% of the time.

A 2 blade rage won't out penetrate a slick trick, not even close, and has less cutting surface.

I can kill a deer with anything, I could kill an elk with a rage if forced to, but on average they would not go down as fast and more likely to wound rather than kill.

Kent

I've killed probably a dozen or so deer with the rage broadhead. Never a problem. Before that, I was using Thunderheads. Couldn't find replacement blades, so switched. When I started bow hunting in the mid 70s I used Bear razorheads. If I was going to bow hunt game bigger/tougher than whitetail, I'd use something like the Bear.

no mechanicals for me. Tried them early on and had such mixed results it wasn't good. Took me 8 plus hours to find one buck center lung punched.

Fixed heads work so well. COC heads penetrate even better.

Nothing broken. No need to fix. Think Sharpsman had a thread on a long run deer with a rage of his sons a while back that I didn't get to comment on...

I'll even go further out on a limb, lots of COC heads need sharpening. If you are to lazy or don't know how then maybe bow isn't for you. Dang I"m getting old. LOL.

Not sure where bear is now, but old ones were too soft and tips curled on bones. We swapped to Zwickey right quick in those years and can't recall an issue with them. I"ve seen tips snap on hard rocks or such but not on deer bones.

Slick Trick makes a replaceable head with COC blades thats worked REALLy well the times I"ve used it. One arrow went so far though we never could find the arrow back...

Mechanicals are illegal in Idaho.

Never had a problem with the 100gr. Muzzy 3-blade! Every deer has been a complete pass thru with an easy blood trail to follow. Can't see spending $15 a head for the new fangled mechanicals!

I'll stick to what I know works!

Elk Country

Have you hit a big buck or bull in the shoulder with them? A slick trick or muzzy or Rocky M R will penetrate through and through.
I admit to watching hunting shows on TV at times and on several occasions have seen expendables fail to give good penetration and a few animals lost or not found in time to eat. I expect they would be fine on broadside rib shots.

I have seen 2 cases where the arrow was on perfect course toward a deer when the expandable caught a stem of high grass or such and did a sudden nose dive.

Good.

Jeff, come to think of it, I never found the arrow of the first bull I shot. Thanks for your post, for it reminded me of something I otherwise would never have remembered to think about again.

I did use some small bladed Rocket expandables and flew one through a herd bull short ribs and liver but quit them after passing on a small 4x4 in a low marshy draw where the 3-4 ft tall pale purple flowers were real thick between me and he when I figured the arrow would never make it to the bull.

Take care up there, Mr.

I can't tell for sure in the video, but it looks to me like heavy bone was hit. A few inches back and probably would've been a different out come.


As far as the mech. failure vs. fixed failure discussion, it's not hard to find plenty of stories of failed broadheads in both camps. Seems that if a guy hunts long enough he's going to see some crazy things that will make him scratch his head. BUT in most cases, shot placement is as much or more to blame then the actual broadhead used.

I've shot my last three mule deer with mech. and have actually been amazed at the penetration I've gotten. Not sure I am ready to hunt larger critters with them yet, but if it was all I had, I'd hunt and just be picky about my shots and be very sure about my shot placement.

"A slick trick or muzzy or Rocky M R will penetrate through and through."

My only experience is with the Muzzy and the Slick Trick but I prefer the Slick Trick because it has 4 thick 1 1/18" tall blades that don't bend when they hit bone. They also shoot just like target arrows in my crossbow so it makes sighting in easier.

Good shooting is a must, which we all agree on. Some things, such as unanticipated animal movement or thin stems or vines blending in to the animals side in reduced light are beyond our control.
My 90 gr old muzzy 4 blade penetrated the breast bone of a black bear standing up and warning me away. It was a complete pass through exiting the back through ribs and back strap and stick into the steep hill behind it.

The first bear I ever shot turned and hauled ass angling away as I swung past and let fly. The RMR went in through the front edge of a rear ham and angled forward through the guts, stomach, liver, lungs, heart and stuck 8 inches out the far side of the off side shoulder blade. It made it about 30 yards before piling up and giving the death bellow.

Rage heads will prematurely open in flight. I suspect that's what happened in the vid.

I was using Ramcats for the last 7 years. Always had great penetration and good blood trails on my sample of around 60 whitetails. Blades werent real durable but that was only bad thing i found with them. Used the last 3 I had this season and couldnt find any locally, so switched to slick tricks. Have shot 3 deer with them so far and everyting seems good.

Early on, I saw a mechanical broadhead a friend shot a deer with that didn't open. I decided then that I would stick to the traditional broadheads. I never had a problem with them cutting or penetrating, so there was no need to change what I was using.

I don’t aim for shoulders so no I’ve never had to worry about it as for shooting them in the shoulders with a fixed blade and them blowing through and through........your gonna have to try better than that with me.

I'm going to try magnus stingers next year

I'm not as good a hunter as you are. I was never able to get a bear, whitetail, muley or elk step out into the open and pose broadside for me or I would drill them all broadside behind the shoulders also.

The first bull elk I killed was about 40 yards and hauling ass through big timber. The arrow did hit just behind the shoulder, though I never saw the flight or hit, and after finding a blood trail i forgot to go back later and look for the arrow which completely passed through.

The first bear i ever killed was hauling ass and angling away. It was, by the grace of God, drilled through the heart also. I wish i could get those perfect broadside shots as you do, but you wouldnt have eaten a lot of the game I got to eat.

I don't really care what you shoot. The fire is great in that one can learn much from the experiences of others. My statements aside, you're also welcome to cast aside the experiences of others posting on this.

The expandables sell because folks on TV push them and because there is a sucker born every 30 seconds.

Good luck.

I've had excellent results with Magnus Stingers on deer.

Elk and bear hauling ass through the timber at 40 yards with a bow? LOL... ok.

Nope, bear was about 20 yards. It was coming down the trail I was stalking up. I didnt want it to get closer as I was downhill from it. I raised my Browning XLM and it stood up to look me over. As I drew back it bailed off the trail down toward the draw we were above. I swung through and released. Lucky shot or just blessed.

If you shoot at a lot of running jackrabbits in west Texas you can get pretty good at it after a few years.

PS. I got my B and C muley as it was running full out through thick mesquite trees also. I hit it 2 of 3 shots with a Browning Short track 308 I had never fired before.

You think all those Mexicans killed at the Alamo and Indians attacking Daniel Boones fort were just standing still waiting to be shot?

Running animals.......lol
No wonder.

Like I said. I'm not as good a hunter as you.

I would bet though, that Rost has killed more deer with a bow than you and I both have.

There used to be a dentist and his brother in Mt years ago in the early video hunting days who filmed a lot of archery kills on running, driven deer. Those guys were good at nailing deer running through thickets. I could never figure out how they did it and with recurve to boot.

BTW, I'm not good with a bow, Tom, but this guy is.

Lots of good shots out there. Most have the good judgement and common sense not to shoot at big game like a bull elk running through the timber at 40 yards with a bow & arrow.

Not exactly broadside.

Unless they are good.

20 yards and broad side doesnt require a good shot. It takes a good hunter, and I'm not, so I have to be a good shot.

It doesnt require the stuff it takes to make 800 yr rifle kills.

If I werent a good shot, the pack rats would be eating this rack.



where to upload pictures

I rarely shoot past 35 yds and as a matter of fact I can most of my critters have been shot between 25-30 yds.
Standing still....,
I don’t take running shots nor do I take a shot at walking animals.
They must be standing still or they get a pass.
Like I said my arrows with hypodermics almost always blow through.
I aim for lungs only.
I like the red carpet blood trails I get with them.
Call me names or whatever I don’t care, it works for me.

Confusing... earlier in the thread you stated you aren't a good shot with a bow?

But he blames it on the mechanical broadheads.....

When did i call you a name, Tom. I said you were a better hunter than me. I dont hunt well enough to be able to pass on less than perfect opportunity. You hunt well enough to be able to take the dreamed of shots.

Tell MOG im a little good but if i could afford the arrows i would be real good..
He wants to parse words. If i didnt know better id think he were jealous or possibly even a dimocrap.

I killed a lot of deer and one herd bull elk with the little Rocket expandables. In fact, one year I got 3 10 pt whitetails with them. But after seeing two Pros on TV have their arrows pulled down by weeds/grass/tall flowers and passing on a 4x4 raghorn due to high marsh flowers covering him i got the message.

Dimocrap? You're the one that changes his story to suit the narrative. If that doesn't work then you get defensive and get personal in the discussion.

In .30-06, I faver 180's. F**k the premiums.

Pardon me MOGC, I should have explained the obvious to you. I'm kinda good but I'm not real good, like Tim Wells. Sheesh. Sorry I started the thread. I didnt really set out to get under your skin.

No wonder there are so many lurkers and so few thread posters. Instead of trying to learn from others experiences there are always those with sensitive toes.

Good night and good luck on your future hunts.

I also do not shoot through weeds/grass/branches/leaves or flowers......it increases my odds of an arrow getting to its intended target.