Broadhead for elk

The truth is, any sharp and strong broadhead will work as long as it hits where you aim. You want a broadhead that you are 100% confident will do its part if you do yours. QAD Exodus keeps being mentioned because they are the definition of what you are looking for. Tough as nails, dependable performance, and economical. There are some other brands mentioned above that are just as good or better. The Lusk reviews aren't an end-all-be all, but they do a good job at exposing weaknesses in certain brands and designs. Montecs will work, but they do have a reputation for being less sharp and for less-than-optimal blood trails. I have never used them, so I have no personal experience to offer, only what I have heard from buddies.
 
I've shot montecs for a number of years and killed quite a few bulls with them. Never had one fail on me.

Are there better heads on the market? Probably. Do montecs work? Yes sir they do.
 
Thank you all for the replies. Any thoughts about the striker v2? I hear it’s similar to the qad
As you can see, tons of different opinions. I’m with Billy Goat, you either have to try or be unlucky to have the broadhead become a factor, make sure they shoot well and aren’t dull and you’ll be fine, it’s easy to overthink, but not the crisis people make it out to be.

The exodus swept is certainly the easy button, it will shoot well and will not fail in any way

I shot several bulls with muzzy back in the day, but have used a bunch of others with good success. I did have a very beloved head fold up on me like a Walmart lawn chair, and saw some old satellites shed blades years ago, but besides that, broadheads have never been a factor

I don’t love the montec, but they will kill elk as dead as they get. We have so many good options now, it’s hard to make a bad choice. You can make anything a rabbit hole with archery, but just keep it simple, you’ll be fine
 
I’ve used and killed elk with Bear, muzzy 3 and 4 blade, cutthroat, and QAD exodus. Shot muzzy broadheads 1994-2012. Also shot Slicktrick, VPA, Simmons, Magnus, Helix, and Kudu. My preferred broadhead now is the QAD exodus swept. My other choices would be Tooth of the Arrow and Magnus. I’ve also discovered over the years that I prefer a 3 blade over 2 or 4 blades. If I was trying to shoot a cape or water buffalo then I would shoot a 2 blade but for everything else I’ll use a QAD.
 
Common theme popping up here. I was using montec then switched to iron will with impact collars. For whitetail I use Exodus exclusively. The blood trail difference on elk from montecs to iron wills was significant.
 
I agree with most all the above the QAD Exodus are probably the gold standard.

But if you’re struggling with flight, Slick tricks are hard beat and I can’t always give a great reason why; they just shoot. The viper tricks have been my go to for years.
 
The BEST broadhead is really only 2 things. 1. Sharp 2. Well placed. We can go around and around but those are the only two things that matter. Hit a bull in the lungs and he is dead in around 20-40 seconds
 
I've been shooting muzzy 3 blade 100gr broadheads since about '06. Still have 5 of the original 6 bodies, just replace the tips/blades. Shot from my 57# 27.5" bow have ran them through 7 elk at ranges from 24 to 56 yards (all pass through) and a pile of deer over the years.

I am not sure how you quantify "the best" broadhead but for the quality and price point for a six pack these days, still a great choice.
I've had my IW of 4 or 5 years and no rust on any of them. Which i find odd.

I'm not a fan of any broadhead for elk with thin type blades that are sort of like a razor blade. The downfall of these is strength when striking bone and losing their edge as they go through an animal. The IW and Kudu haven't done that. They have all come out super sharp and still ready to keep using. So long as my arrow survived...

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I used the Montec my first year archery hunting. Killed a bull with it, but was never really impressed by the sharpness (more like lack thereof). They do fly well though.
 
Fixed heads I like small and compact. Tooth of the arrow and qad’s are hard to beat. Couple of my buddies without my draw length and poundage kill elk with Kudu single bevels can’t argue with success. Some very efficient sevr kills in my hunting party (blood trails phenomenal with short tracks) last one was a frontal crazy blood made it like 30 yards. That is if you open up to expanding heads I’m going back to them this year with hybrid design seems best of both world’s. Might give the Terra firma gladius a spot in my quiver reviews look great. I like have a fixed option with expandable in my quiver. Now if some one would bring back trophy taker ATac and make it quality like before it got sold to Arcus or which ever investment group ruined them. I bought new ones tolerances were shit. But in its original form best flying fixed head no question devastatingly efficient holes with my set up
 
I’ve killed elk with Montecs, Grim Reaper 3-blades, QAD Exodus, SEVR 1.5 and 2.0, and others, and my favorite has been the 1” Tooth of the Arrow 4-blade. It flies exceptionally well, is tough as nails, is sharp, and it leaves a nice square hole right through the critter
 
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