Elk Broadhead Suggestions for Low Poundage Archers

[06 SB]

I have used Slick Trick Magnum on elk and many other heads on deer. It is important to have a very sharp broadhead and hit where you aim. I personally would use either a Slick Trick Mag or a Micro Hades. Practice at 80+ yards if you can to make a 40 yard shot seem easy. 50# will work just fine but you will need to get good estimating range in case you do not have time to use a range finder. If you do not have one of those, buy one.

 

[Kifaru_Kinda_Guy]

RMS Cutthroat 2 or 3 blade. Very durable and easy to sharpen.

 

[TX_Diver]

Have you had issues with penetration with 3 blades? I've passed through every animal I've shot with a 3 blade. Even a 0.5:1 3 blade on elk frontal at 25 yds or so. Blew through him so fast and exited out the rear ham and buried in the dirt. Died immediately.

More animals are killed every year with a 3 blade than a 2 blade. Get them sharp and well tuned and they do the job very, very well. Guys like Aron Snyder swear by the head he helped make the RMS Cutthroat 3b - he's killed a lot of stuff and shoots those with his trad bow as well.

I haven't shot an animal with the 2 blade, but have no complaints with the Cutthroat 3 blade. They are small/compact, durable, and easy to get sharp with a file and ceramic stick once you get the hang of it (it took me a bit to get the hang of it but now sharpening a head is a 1-2 min thing).

I went all the way through an elk and ~15" into the ground last year on a frontal shot with a cutthoat 3 blade. I have a bit over a 30" DL but shoot a pretty slow bow. 520gr arrow at ~260fps.

 

[CMF]

Have you had issues with penetration with 3 blades? I've passed through every animal I've shot with a 3 blade. Even a 0.5:1 3 blade on elk frontal at 25 yds or so. Blew through him so fast and exited out the rear ham and buried in the dirt. Died immediately.

More animals are killed every year with a 3 blade than a 2 blade. Get them sharp and well tuned and they do the job very, very well. Guys like Aron Snyder swear by the head he helped make the RMS Cutthroat 3b - he's killed a lot of stuff and shoots those with his trad bow as well.

No, I have had pass-throughs with the 3 blades I've shot, they were all broadside though. Exodus on my first bull(both shots), muzzy's on a couple of deer. I've had better accuracy out of 2 blades though, that is another reason I like 2b. I should have added accuracy as a reason in addition to pen.

 

[Timberline001]

1 inch original slick tricks have always been my go to for low poundage bows for elk. That said a high end 2 blade double bevel like an iron will are great as well if you want to spend the extra money for the best.

 

[Marble]

If he is shooting 50 now, if he keeps shooting through the summer I imagine he would be able to turn the bow up to 60 lbs. Sometimes people have shoulder issues etc. But I would think he'll be able to do it.

My wife shoots 51 lbs at 27" DL. She uses the Kuda and the Magnus stinger in the past. She's had great results. They shoot great and if they are sharp, they will zip through an animal.

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[TX_Diver]

One thing to consider is adding 10lbs draw weight may affect your spine requirements. Would be a pain to shoot all summer, get dialed in, then need to go to a stiffer arrow and adjust your pins, etc. right before the hunt.

 

[dtrkyman]

Not my first choice but a gal at the archery club killed a 5x5 with 35lbs a light arrow and a viper trick.

Stingers are hard to beat for the money, as mighty mouse said, 29/50 with a modern compound is not a big handicap!

 

[Marble]

One thing to consider is adding 10lbs draw weight may affect your spine requirements. Would be a pain to shoot all summer, get dialed in, then need to go to a stiffer arrow and adjust your pins, etc. right before the hunt.

Yeah, I forgot to put that in. Could be totally relevant. Probably move him into that 400 spine class. Hard to say without knowing all the details.

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[Bump79]

No, I have had pass-throughs with the 3 blades I've shot, they were all broadside though. Exodus on my first bull(both shots), muzzy's on a couple of deer. I've had better accuracy out of 2 blades though, that is another reason I like 2b. I should have added accuracy as a reason in addition to pen.

Yeah, flight forgiveness is primarily due to surface area and cut size. A compact 3 blade is one of the best I've tried even at high velocities - but to each their own.

 

[Bigborealaska]

Yeah, I forgot to put that in. Could be totally relevant. Probably move him into that 400 spine class. Hard to say without knowing all the details.

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You'd want a stiffer spine 300 or 250 with more draw weight. Your current 340s should be fine if you go up to 60 pounds.

 

[LostArra]

With the risk of shoulder issues I sure wouldn't consider an increase in his draw weight to be terribly important. At the moment of truth on an elk it's nice to not have to even think about drawing or holding. Speaking from experience it is much easier and less risky for a 30 or even 40 something to train for a heavier bow than a 60 something.

Also from experience my 50# longbow has zipped a two blade head thru cow elk so his much more efficient compound will easily do the trick. Going 10# heavier probably wouldn't change his shot selection but just increase his arrow expense.

I think spending the time to get in shape for the hunt and becoming deadly accurate with his bow should be the priority.

(I'm probably older than your dad and well versed in Boomer speak)

 

[MattB]

I would either go with a 2 blade COC/2 blade w bleeders or a lower profile 3 blade fixed blade like the micro-hades. Not sure I can get on board with the Slick Trick magnums (too much cut/less favorable blade angle), but the Viper Trick would be an option.

 

[Beendare]

Ive been shooting low energy trad gear for awhile now.

The last heads I would use are the short wide chisel heads like the ST Mag.

A tapered 2 or 3 blade cut on contact head is ideal for low poundage setups. Personally i use a 2 blade for everything…many advantages to those…not just their effortless penetration.

 

[wyodog]

I'd say shoot whichever fixed blade broadhead you like. I've seen a lot of elk killed with bows shooting slower than your dads. I wouldn't trouble over it too much. more important would be a good sharp broadhead that hods together and shoots good. There is a plethora of heads out there, as I'm sure you already know. My wife and kids had great luck with 3 blade broadheads shoot less energy than you're talking about.

 

[kcm2]

The late Shari Fraker killed a couple dozen elk with a 50 lb round wheel compound and Thunderheads.

Don't overthink it.

 

[Marshfly]

50# is plenty. It's not what he can pull back at the range. It's what he can pull back kneeling, sitting, weird positions...all smoothly without excess movement and NO sky drawing.

My wife shoots a Mathews Image which maxes out at 50#. 100gr QAD Exodus on a 400 spine RIP will be in her quiver this fall. I have zero question that will be deadly to 40 yards.

 

[Trumpkin The Dwarf]

Lots of good input, but I will push back on the Magnus stingers. They're nice, but the ferrule is weak. The Magnus Black Hornet is much tougher. I've shot one into stone on accident and the tip curled but the ferrule didn't snap like I've experienced with the stingers.

I'm a trad guy as well. Razor sharp blades go a long ways on penetration. Personally I don't really like 2 blade heads because they just don't cut as much.

 

[Bump79]

Lots of good input, but I will push back on the Magnus stingers. They're nice, but the ferrule is weak. The Magnus Black Hornet is much tougher. I've shot one into stone on accident and the tip curled but the ferrule didn't snap like I've experienced with the stingers.

I'm a trad guy as well. Razor sharp blades go a long ways on penetration. Personally I don't really like 2 blade heads because they just don't cut as much.

Good points

 

[MountainFeral]

One reason for not having him shoot IWs in the same configuration as mine is hes shootng 100gr points and I’m shooting using 125, and we were thinking more weight would start to tank his velocity. With 125s using the same arrow would be about 432gr but unclear the velocity. Too slow or heavy for his setup at 50lbs?

I shoot similar poundage with a 26.5” DL, and l shoot a 150gr IW single bevel with an insert (I think 75gr, but I played around with the weight a bunch and forget if I ended up with 50s or 75s in there). Total arrow weight is around 470gr. I’ve only had a shot (about 20 yards) at one bull with the setup, and I knocked him down with no issues. He was fresh out of a wallow and absolutely caked in a solid layer of mud. The best I can tell when gutting him, the arrow went in just behind the shoulder on my side, through the lungs, and stopped when it contacted the shoulder blade on the far side. When he started to run, it snapped the back end of the arrow off, and the front end then turned inside him, punctured the diaphragm, and made its way into the liver. He left a great blood trail and was down within 50 yards.
My takeaway- don’t sweat the extra 25 grains. Let him shoot what you’ve got, because the iron wills hold such a good edge (I keep them touched up weekly during the season, too) that even after passing through a mud-crusted hide, they’re going to slice open everything they touch inside the animal. I think higher weight and high FOC have some good reasoning behind them (hence my setup), but really just having that durable and sharp AF edge is going to give you that much more blood loss vs. something more thin and razor-like that’ll be more dulled by the animal hide on the way in.