Best broadhead for blood trails

[HunterHawk]

Plenty of what broadhead threads, but I'm truly curious what broadhead you guys seem to get the best blood trails with for heart/lung shots..

When I hunted with a pully it was hands down a Spitfire.

I have shot elk, deer, and javelina now with
Iron will-elk poor blood trail, high lung and barely poking out opposite side shoulder blade (so kind of expected)
Cutthroat 3 blade- non existstant but high lungs.
Javelina-magnus stinger pretty decent.
Deer- (several) pretty decent trails all good to decent shots but not amazing blood trails.

I know I probably won't have as good of blood trails as I did with the Spitfires but I'm hoping for the best blood trails I can get.

This year I'm thinking Simmons Land sharks, VPA 3 blade, Stingers 2 blade with the bleeders, and I also bought the single bevels...

I don't want this to be the what broadhead is best, I want real life... heart/lung/whatever best results you have had.

Can't wait to get out there this time and this is just something I have been thinking about while I wait for vacation to kick in!

Happy hunting!
Craig

 

[dreamingbig]

I had a buddy shoot a bull with a shwacker this year and the blood trail was amazing. Double lung hit and the blood poured out.

I shot my elk with a RAD van dyke titanium 3 blade and while it died in 50 yards the blood was minimal. Shot was through golden triangle on entrance and mid lung on exit.

I shot a deer using the same head and blood trail was better (high lung to low front and thru the heart) and deer still died in 50 yards.


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[lelliott8]

I had a buddy shoot a bull with a shwacker this year and the blood trail was amazing. Double lung hit and the blood poured out.

I shot my elk with a RAD van dyke titanium 3 blade and while it died in 50 yards the blood was minimal. Shot was through golden triangle on entrance and mid lung on exit.

I shot a deer using the same head and blood trail was better (high lung to low front and thru the heart) and deer still died in 50 yards.


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Trad Bow?

 

[CJ_BG]

For trad bows the iron will wide, vpa omega, and one of the big simmons are likely your best bets. Blood trails are wildly inconsistent though, and I wouldn't condemn a head based on a couple blood trails. That said wider cuts with sharper blades typically produce more blood

 

[Shawn Hultquist]

My best blood trails have come from 2-blade heads. The 3:1 three blades are not as dependable for instant blood trails compared to two blades. The three blade heads for still kill the animal just takes a little work to pick up where they ran too.


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[mtnbound]

Plenty of what broadhead threads, but I'm truly curious what broadhead you guys seem to get the best blood trails with for heart/lung shots..

When I hunted with a pully it was hands down a Spitfire.

I have shot elk, deer, and javelina now with
Iron will-elk poor blood trail, high lung and barely poking out opposite side shoulder blade (so kind of expected)
Cutthroat 3 blade- non existstant but high lungs.
Javelina-magnus stinger pretty decent.
Deer- (several) pretty decent trails all good to decent shots but not amazing blood trails.

I know I probably won't have as good of blood trails as I did with the Spitfires but I'm hoping for the best blood trails I can get.

This year I'm thinking Simmons Land sharks, VPA 3 blade, Stingers 2 blade with the bleeders, and I also bought the single bevels...

I don't want this to be the what broadhead is best, I want real life... heart/lung/whatever best results you have had.

Can't wait to get out there this time and this is just something I have been thinking about while I wait for vacation to kick in!

Happy hunting!
Craig

I would stay with the Iron Will you got full penetration and went through 1 shoulder blade. It's all about shot placement.

 

[North Idaho Stickbow]

I’m in the camp that I don’t think you can pin a blood trail on a broadhead. There’s so many variables to a blood trail and I feel like they’re so unpredictable with broadhead, hit placement, what the animal does after it’s hit, what that particular animal’s vitals are like, etc.

At this point, I like a broadhead that I can sharpen easily, and that is more likely to get me a pass through more than anything else.

 

[dreamingbig]

Trad Bow?

Sorry. I didn't pay attention to the trad forum. My apologies. I was on my phone.


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[bowhuntercoop]

It’s all where ya hit em. I shot a pig with a vpa 250 grain single bevel last week and the blood trail was amazing. Shot a deer with the same head 2 days ago and had zero blood. Died insight so didn’t matter but it was a high lung hit as well.

Vpa 3 blades are my favorite followed by their single bevel. I’m a firm believer evrery animal is different and the head doesn’t have as much to do with it as the shot location.

 

[Beendare]

IME, the blood trail has more to do with shot location than the BH itself.

So for example; I've seen great BT's from low shots..or a pass through with a low exit- no matter the head design. High shots...especially ones without a pass through....much of the blood stays inside the animal.

I just shot a bull [elk] with my compound and a 3 blade Thunderhead mid body [pass thru] right behind the shoulder...and there was no Blood trail to speak of- only a couple drops, all of the blood stayed in him....but the bull died in 25 yds...so there is that.

I shoot 2 blades in my recurve and have had great blood trails on the right shot lower 1/3rd...but more importantly, the tapered design 2 blades penetrate without the animal knowing they have been shot- in other words, little shot reaction equates to shorter recoveries.

FWIW,
Many factors involved in recovery distance...including bow noise...and whether the animal spotted you on the shot...but the COC BH's overall have had short recoveries for me- most critters fall over in sight.

 

[Tegr0429]

I ran the Simmons tree sharks last year. I had a hard time keeping them sharp. It seemed like they would dull over night. I used the rada wheel sharpener like the guys over at Simmons suggested.
Shot a turkey with a three blade cutthroat and it looked like I had heart shot a deer with a huge expandable broadhead and a compound, blood everywhere. With that being said, I’ll be running the cutthroats due to their edge retention over the Simmons.

 

[Shawn Hultquist]

If you make a high shot it takes a while for the bucket to fill up and overflow out the entrance and exit. Each animal has different vitals locations. I shoot deer and pigs low and have instant blood trails. Elk and bear are a little higher. So it takes a while for the blood to flow and pick up the trail. Shot placement is key.


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[Wilderlife]

I've only ever killed animals (both trad and compound) with two blade broadheads. some of the blood trails have been insanely good and others have been difficult to find. I never choose a broadhead based on potential blood trail as I'm red/green colourblind and have a hard time following a blood trail that isn't super obvious anyway.

The overwhelming majority of animals I've killed have died within sight so I normally just walk up to them after they're dead, rather than try to follow a trail I can't find.

 

[GreenNDark Timber]

My 3 favorites in no particular order are:

1. Zwickey Delta 2 or 4 blade
2. VPA 1-1/4" 3 Blade
3. Snuffer 145gr or 160 gr

 

[jimh406]

The most important thing for me is to have full penetration. It doesn't help to have a bigger cutting surface if the arrow and broadhead won't go through the animal. It's hard to beat a two cutting surface head like the Bear Razorhead.

 

[SDHNTR]

One that cuts the arteries off the top of the heart.

 

[Tegr0429]

My 3 favorites in no particular order are:

1. Zwickey Delta 2 or 4 blade
2. VPA 1-1/4" 3 Blade
3. Snuffer 145gr or 160 gr

What’d you kill your goat with?

 

[GreenNDark Timber]

What’d you kill your goat with?

VPA. 250gr

 

[yttm34]

Iron will broadheads are my preference (fixed blade) and I'm unlikely to change any time soon.

 

[GreenNDark Timber]

While I agree that shot placement is the single biggest factor, there are also variables that are just beyond our control and every blood trail is different.

These two bucks were as identical of shots as you could possibly get.

- Both 4-1/2 yr old bucks
- Both shot the 1st week of November
- Both bucks were alone and cruising for does.
- Both stopped for the shot on their own.
- Both shot between 10-12 yds away and broadside
- Both shots entered left side of the body and exited right side
- Both shot from the same height tree stand (Lone Wolf hang on with 4 sticks)
- Both shot with the same broad head, a shaving sharp VPA 1-1/4" 3 blade head
- Both complete pass throughs
- Shot placement, as you can see, was as near identical as you can get. Center of the heart

The first buck sprayed blood from the impact location to where he dropped 50 yds away. I had to walk to the side of the trail to keep from getting my boots and clothes covered in blood. Arrow was completely covered in blood.

The second buck didn't bleed a drop for 100 yds until he stopped, he then slowly walked another 50 yds before dropping. Arrow was almost completely clean with no blood on it.

All that being said, I like to play the odds and shoot the biggest cutting head I can confidently get a complete pass through with and make sure it will shave.