Broadhead effect on blood trail - exodus vs grim reaper experience

[Erussell01]

Sharpest blades out of the box by far, love those. I shot a doe way low because she didn't even flinch at the shot and then just trotted off without tail-flagging. I thought for sure it was a miss in the low light since it made zero impact noise and I could see the lighted nock still flying like a dart past the doe into the ground. Walked over to grab my arrow and it looked like a massacre. Easiest track job I've ever experienced.

They have a really nice big cut and they sure fly good in my experience. I like that I can get them locally too. I always have a couple different heads in my quiver and those always have a place in there for me

 

[Wellsdw]

I really don’t believe brand/style have much do with blood trails. I get to see alittle of everything with a dog, and my perspective Is find something that flys straight and gives you the best possibility of an exit hole on a marginal hit from a recovery aspect. Folks blame broadheads on factors outside the control of themselves or the heads. And companies know this, and market accordingly. $hit happens. I tracked this deer last night with two gaping holes in its chest, with phenomenal shot placement. Almost no blood until the last 20 yards, then absolute slasher film blood. Shot with some kind of mechanical. Guy works for a very large successful archery shop with top dollar equipment, so I’m sure they weren’t Walmart specials. Deer went roughly 125 yards into a waste high bean field. Shooter was unsure if direction of travel.

 

[pilgrim7]

All things (including shot placement) being equal, 3 or 4 blades should equate to more blood than than 2.

I went down the foc rabbit hole and have been shooting 2 blade single bevels (grizzlystik) for the last 3 seasons. Around 600 grain total arrow weight, 70 lbs at 29.5 draw. I have certainly noticed markedly less blood on the ground than I was getting from 3 blade muzzies on my lighter set up. Admittedly small sample size of 6 whitetail and a muley with the 2 blade heads.

I shot a doe last week that hardly bled at all til she bedded down. Absolutely destroyed the lungs but very little blood. I stumbled across her after following tracks and kicked up leaves.

The upside has been penetration. The mule deer was a frontal shot from about 8 yds that broke the head off the femur. The arrow was hanging by the fletchings. Last year I put one through the shoulder of a whitetail on a quartering to shot and the arrow still exited.

I know this is all anecdotal, but for me, the penetration advantage hasn't been worth the tradeoff in trajectory and lesser blood trails. I'll probably drop down closer to 500 grains and at least some bleeders next season. Tinkering is part of the fun for me. Shoot what you are comfortable with.

 

[Erussell01]

I really don’t believe brand/style have much do with blood trails. I get to see alittle of everything with a dog, and my perspective Is find something that flys straight and gives you the best possibility of an exit hole on a marginal hit from a recovery aspect. Folks blame broadheads on factors outside the control of themselves or the heads. And companies know this, and market accordingly. $hit happens. I tracked this deer last night with two gaping holes in its chest, with phenomenal shot placement. Almost no blood until the last 20 yards, then absolute slasher film blood. Shot with some kind of mechanical. Guy works for a very large successful archery shop with top dollar equipment, so I’m sure they weren’t Walmart specials. Deer went roughly 125 yards into a waste high bean field. Shooter was unsure if direction of travel.View attachment 617376

Dude that dog is a stud and so is the buck. How old is your mal?

 

[Erussell01]

All things (including shot placement) being equal, 3 or 4 blades should equate to more blood than than 2.

I went down the foc rabbit hole and have been shooting 2 blade single bevels (grizzlystik) for the last 3 seasons. Around 600 grain total arrow weight, 70 lbs at 29.5 draw. I have certainly noticed markedly less blood on the ground than I was getting from 3 blade muzzies on my lighter set up. Admittedly small sample size of 6 whitetail and a muley with the 2 blade heads.

I shot a doe last week that hardly bled at all til she bedded down. Absolutely destroyed the lungs but very little blood. I stumbled across her after following tracks and kicked up leaves.

The upside has been penetration. The mule deer was a frontal shot from about 8 yds that broke the head off the femur. The arrow was hanging by the fletchings. Last year I put one through the shoulder of a whitetail on a quartering to shot and the arrow still exited.

I know this is all anecdotal, but for me, the penetration advantage hasn't been worth the tradeoff in trajectory and lesser blood trails. I'll probably drop down closer to 500 grains and at least some bleeders next season. Tinkering is part of the fun for me. Shoot what you are comfortable with.

I've honestly never shot a 2 blade fixed other than 1 magnus with bleeders. I will say the deer didn't even react to the arrow going through so there is also something to that side as well.

 

[Wellsdw]

Dude that dog is a stud and so is the buck. How old is your mal?

He’ll be 5 in May…. If the wife doesn’t kill him. Good dog but 100% mal

 

[98XJRC]

I tried to go down the 650 grizzly stick arrow setup and couldn’t justify the trajectory as I enjoy shooting long range in my yards. I settled on a setup around 500gr with a 125gr Kudupoint single bevel. I’ve had tremendous success with the head and non of the 3 bucks shot with one have traveled more then a hundred yards after the shot.

First buck shot left dime size drops sparsely, but the shot was a high lung shot. My flashlight died and I was left with my cell phone light to get out that night. Found him 20 yards from where I had needed to stop the next morning. Both lungs where absolutely destroyed from the single bevel.

Second buck I switched to the Kudupoint Contour plus (with bleeders) double lung shot mid body and left a really nice blood trail with consistent quarter size drops. He died in sight so I knew exactly where he lie, but wanted to confirm blood trail with the bleeder blades.

Third buck I shot from an elevated position with a quartering to shot. I shot through the right scapula. Blood trail began at the shot site with dime to nickel size blood every 4-8 feet. Arrow was found 20 yards from impact showing complete pass through and was held up by the fletching exiting out the bottom of the chest cavity. Blood really didn’t increase from there but remained consistent. He died under 80 yards from where shot.

I’ve come to know what to expect with the single bevels, meaning not having exceptionally strong blood trails. However if I put that arrow anywhere in that chest region I’m going to have a clean harvest and most likely a relatively short track.

 

[Erussell01]

He’ll be 5 in May…. If the wife doesn’t kill him. Good dog but 100% mal

Maligators gonna maligate apparently

 

[Erussell01]

I tried to go down the 650 grizzly stick arrow setup and couldn’t justify the trajectory as I enjoy shooting long range in my yards. I settled on a setup around 500gr with a 125gr Kudupoint single bevel. I’ve had tremendous success with the head and non of the 3 bucks shot with one have traveled more then a hundred yards after the shot.

First buck shot left dime size drops sparsely, but the shot was a high lung shot. My flashlight died and I was left with my cell phone light to get out that night. Found him 20 yards from where I had needed to stop the next morning. Both lungs where absolutely destroyed from the single bevel.

Second buck I switched to the Kudupoint Contour plus (with bleeders) double lung shot mid body and left a really nice blood trail with consistent quarter size drops. He died in sight so I knew exactly where he lie, but wanted to confirm blood trail with the bleeder blades.

Third buck I shot from an elevated position with a quartering to shot. I shot through the right scapula. Blood trail began at the shot site with dime to nickel size blood every 4-8 feet. Arrow was found 20 yards from impact showing complete pass through and was held up by the fletching exiting out the bottom of the chest cavity. Blood really didn’t increase from there but remained consistent. He died under 80 yards from where shot.

I’ve come to know what to expect with the single bevels, meaning not having exceptionally strong blood trails. However if I put that arrow anywhere in that chest region I’m going to have a clean harvest and most likely a relatively short track.

Do you feel like you'd have had different results at all with something like a 3 blade fixed? I have some single bevels coming for my recurve so I'm curious to see what your thoughts are. What did you use before?

 

[coast range]

Yeah killed lots of elk with the same exodous. Give it another shot they are good heads.


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[roosiebull]

The trends I’ve seen…

All things the same, bigger hole=more sign to follow

A 1.5” 2 blade leaves more blood than a 3/4 blade with equal cut surface (cut width matters)

Sharp and edge retention matter, and chisel points leave a bigger entrance than the same diameter coc

I do think blood trails are variable, but I prefer to cut bigger holes, I have been all over the board and I don’t like little 2 blade 1” heads, I have watched elk take a long time to die with them (have also seen them kill fast)

I like that 1.25” 3 blade or 1.5” 2 blade dimension the best, like QAD exodus or GK xl… I wish there were more 1.5” 2 blades like the GK xl, preferably a tool steel 1pc short profile… it’s all I’d shoot for everything

 

[fatlander]

Of the hundred or so animals that I’ve taken with a bow and arrow I can definitely say that greater cutting surface puts more blood on the ground than less. There’s been some outliers, but overall, the bigger the cut the more blood you’re going to see.

With that said, hitting animals in the pump house is the number 1 factor in killing and recovering them. You can argue yourself one way or the other until the cows come home, but if you put an arrow through both lungs and/or the heart, you’re getting your critter. If you hit them somewhere other than both lungs and/ or the heart, it gets dicey. Whatever you’re most confident in, take in the woods.

I’ve got a mixed quiver of QAD exodus and grim reaper fatal steel.


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[98XJRC]

Do you feel like you'd have had different results at all with something like a 3 blade fixed? I have some single bevels coming for my recurve so I'm curious to see what your thoughts are. What did you use before?

For the first 2 bucks I believe I would have had a similar result with maybe slightly more on the first buck. Being a high lung shot the blood pooled up inside of him. I question what the result would have been shooting the 3rd buck in the shoulder with a standard 3 blade broad head. I’d like to think I would have had the same result, but honestly I don’t have enough experience to say one way or the other. Compared to many on this forum I am extremely new to hunting with only 4 years under my belt.

Prior I was shooting a rage mechanical for the first season.

 

[Wellsdw]

My tracking experience is entry holes kill, exits recover. Most of my tracks this year were big mechanicals with poor penetration . One issue I do have is folks listen to cam Hanes or someone and believe their 400 gr arrow with 27” draw and 60 lbs will do what his bow will. That said I have no way of knowing mechanical to fixed ratio in my area. Fwiw I shoot Sevr and viper tricks.

 

[Erussell01]

Another data point for the exodus. 10 yard shot from a tree. Entered in the deers right side as tight as possible to the crease and exited the left about 1 inch back from the crease. Short track job, 25 yards tops. Deer was dead in 3 seconds with both lungs deflated. Blood didn't start for the first 10 yards but then was coming out of nose mouth and both holes. Not a ton of blood in the snow, but blood 4 and 5 feet up the trees. From spraying out of the mouth. The deer hit a fallen pin and expired before it could go far enough for the blood to really get going in this case.

 

[Beendare]

Do you all believe the type of broadhead used has a major impact on blood trail, or do you believe it's all about placement?

After using every BH design over 4 decades, I’m in the shot placement camp.

 

[Devin1214]

Shot my buck this year with an exodus on a 4mm arrow, complete pass thru and the arrow was buried probably 6 inches in the dirt. He didn’t go 60-70 yards and he piled up. There was very little to no blood up until I got pretty close to where he died. Either way I was impressed and I’ll definitely be using them next year.

 

[AkRyan]

Taken multiple deer with both styles and it's 100% placement. Do NOT write off the exodus head it is literally one of the top 5 best options around and has been since it was released. My wife is heading out to get her moose this weekend and she will be shooting the exodus.

 

[Erussell01]

Taken multiple deer with both styles and it's 100% placement. Do NOT write off the exodus head it is literally one of the top 5 best options around and has been since it was released. My wife is heading out to get her moose this weekend and she will be shooting the exodus.

I really like the design, I just need to shoot more with them to see how the blood trails are on average. This most recent deer didn't bleed much at first either, and with such a short blood trail it didn't have time to even out. It went from not much to all the blood a person could want to dead deer in a very short distance lol

I did shoot through the shoulder with it and the arrow was buried in the dirt 10 yards behind I'm a shoulder shooting son of a buck apparently, i cant help myself. I hug that crease tight tight.

 

[Erussell01]

Of the hundred or so animals that I’ve taken with a bow and arrow I can definitely say that greater cutting surface puts more blood on the ground than less. There’s been some outliers, but overall, the bigger the cut the more blood you’re going to see.

With that said, hitting animals in the pump house is the number 1 factor in killing and recovering them. You can argue yourself one way or the other until the cows come home, but if you put an arrow through both lungs and/or the heart, you’re getting your critter. If you hit them somewhere other than both lungs and/ or the heart, it gets dicey. Whatever you’re most confident in, take in the woods.

I’ve got a mixed quiver of QAD exodus and grim reaper fatal steel.


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I just wish the fatal steel was 1.5 inch in the 100 grain. I can't justify shooting them at deer when I have fixed heads the same size that fly to point of aim at the distances I hunt deer. Maybe I should reconfigure my setup to run 125s and solve my mental issue Lol