Broadheads for Elk

[eltaco]

A lot of good discussion here and anyone reading the posts will gain valuable knowledge that can be used to make important equipment decisions. I was in an archery shop a few weeks ago and the owners were discussing how legalization of mechanical's in Oregon is going to make it so much easier for newbies, since they "won't have to worry too much about tuning their bows with mechanicals." In my opinion, there is no substitute for finely tuned archery equipment. The most expensive bow, arrow and broadhead combination not in fine tune is subject to performance uncertainly on large mass animals no questions.

I agree with that, but I’ll say the benefits are still there with a perfectly tuned bow. Take a perfectly tuned bow, and throw a glove on, or stand on a sidehill, or shoot from a sitting position and shoot that same bow through paper. The effects of grip torque or anchor differences based on a variety of conditions will show up in tune, and affect arrow flight down range... most specifically with a fixed head.

I love fixed heads, have shot mostly them since beginning archery. That said, there’s certainly scenarios, even with a well tuned bow, where less directional input from the front of the arrow proves beneficial.

I’m still not certain which direction I’ll go this year. I’ve had great luck with QAD Exodus fixed heads, but I’m becoming a believer in the Grim Reaper mechanicals as I gain more experiences in the field with them.

 

[wind gypsy]

In relation to this topic - what is peoples take on how a 1.5" 2 blade mechanical like the SEVR compares to a small fixed blade like Iron Will or Slick Trick viper trick as far as killing abilities? The fixed with bleeders have more total cutting edge but a smaller diameter..

 

[ndbuck09]

Sure wish Ironwill would just make a 1.25" head with their .75" bleeder (if Ironwill sees this, I would love to test such a creation for you and I'd even pay to test em!)

 

[Kevrod3]

I shot Slick Trick for my first two bulls, not a lot of blood... lost one bull, found the other. They are scary sharp, but for some reason they don't lay much of a blood trail. I was thinking of going with Rage NC but now with all the good reviews on the QAD Exodus I think my son and I will be using those. The slick trick did shoot as well as my field points (accuracy wise)as any fixed blade ever has. Hoping the Exodus does too.

 

[sf jakey]

Exodus is the best flying fixed head I have used. I also moved to them from ST. I still don’t get great blood trails from the exodus, so I am considering a mechanical, but I am having a hard time giving up the reliable, indestructible nature of the QAD.

 

[87TT]

I can only get the QAD to fly decent out to 40. The Slick Tricks and Kudupoints so far are flying good out to 80. The Muzzy MX3 flew good for me too but I like the thicker blades.

 

[New2elk]

Not near as knowledgable as most people on here especially when it comes to elk, but most are negative towards the mechanicals because of failure. But even if they dont open(have never had one fail to open on whitetail) isn't it still going to give you close to 1.25"-1.375" cut? I get it's only the 2 blade instead of 3 or 4. But if you have the same head weight and total arrow weight, even if that 1 out of 1000 fails,still should be a good chance of a kill.

Sent from my SM-G960U using Tapatalk

 

[dukerugger25]

I switched to fixed blades when I started hunting in Idaho and have been very happy with solid legends. They are not cheap, but compared to the $ and time we spend getting ready to take that 1 shot each season, worth every penny to me. Super easy to sharpen up, don't rust during late season and almost unbreakable. I've taken three animals with the same head.

As stated numerous times already, having a properly times bow is crucial when shooting fixed blades. Another trick I found though is switching to 3"+ vanes. The longer vanes really help stabilize the arrow better than shorties in my testing.

 

[87TT]

I have question. What is considered a good blood trail? Is it a constant trail of drops, inches or a foot apart? Large puddles on every jump that slow down to the constant drops of blood? Or a spray of blood all the way to the dead elk?

 

[sf jakey]

I have question. What is considered a good blood trail? Is it a constant trail of drops, inches or a foot apart? Large puddles on every jump that slow down to the constant drops of blood? Or a spray of blood all the way to the dead elk?

To me it is a trail that leaves more than a miniscule drop here and there, requiring a hand and and knees search and turning over leaves in the hoof tracks of a running or walking elk. It gives enough blood to follow, and steadily increases over time and distance. I have found that a fixed head in big fat mature bulls will close up rather quickly even though they are bleeding out inside, unless you take out some major veins or arteries in the lungs, which doesn’t always happen. A center punch of both lungs won’t guarantee a major vessel is severed, so you don’t get massive trauma and bleeding immediately. The bull will die, but I have seen them go a long way. To me, a larger cut will allow more bleeding externally initially, making the first blood more intense. Shoot a bull with 30 cows around, and watch them all blow out in the same direction, and try to track your specific animal through turned up leaves, branches etc with no blood, and its a tough task. I have always found the bull, except once, just not always quickly enough, especially on evening shots. Sparse blood trails give me reason to back out at night. That has led to 2 partially spoiled elk in the morning for me. I double lunged a bull once, was fortunate to be able to watch him over several hundred yards, and he took over 30 min to die. Very little blood on the trail to where he bedded and died. I always track a bull from where he was shot, even when I see him go down. It is good practice and good education on what happens.