Mechanical broadhead for elk

[cuerro viejo]

The ulmeredge/serv had treated me well on elk and mule deer.

I use the old gravedigger now Evolution Hyde’s on WT/mulies but nothing over 230lbs so I can’t fully recommend for elk.

 

[HNTR918]

I'd have no trust in Rage Hypodermic NC on elk.
I've broken both blades off on a 45 lbs pig, and elk are WAY tougher.

 

[El Pato]

Confidence kills.

 

[elkocd]

I can’t recommend Gravedigger broadheads enough. With the hybrid mechanical / fixed you get best of both worlds. I’ve shot three bulls with them with awesome results

I've been a fixed, cut on contact guy for a long time. I still own a whole bunch of Slick Trick Razor Tricks that I bought when they stopped making them. Killed a pile of bulls with them. But... I started my son using the gravedigger hybrids last year and will be using them myself this fall in NM and AZ. I wouldn't personally use a 100% expandable, but the hybrids do combine the best qualities of fixed cut on contact with the expandable cutting diameter IMHO.

Gravedigger® Cut-On-Contact

Pick your cut with the Gravedigger hybrid mechanical broadhead. Take advantage of precise flight fixed-blade mode, or the no-fail mechanical format for maximum hurt.

www.bloodsportarchery.com

 

[the_bowhunter]

I tell my hunters to use what they have 100% confidence in. I have very little confidence in mechanicals and have seen things that are worse than horror stories. If they feel fully confident in their mechanicals then we will use them, but I definitely become more picky on shot angles.

Another thing I ask my guys is if they are 100% sure that their arrow will pass thru the animal. If they aren’t, I ask what piece of gear is inhibiting them from being 100% and we look to change that.


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[HunterJoeMI]

For 25 years I have killed everything from woodchucks to elk with Wasp Jak-Hammers. I will continue to use them. Always sharp, always tough, always do their job if I do mine!

 

[-bowfreak-]

For 25 years I have killed everything from woodchucks to elk with Wasp Jak-Hammers. I will continue to use them. Always sharp, always tough, always do their job if I do mine!

Jak Hammers are definitely underrated. I assume you use the 1 3/4" cut....what is your bow and arrow setup and how did they perform on elk?

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[HunterJoeMI]

bowfreak - for elk we use the select-a-cut washer on the 100 grain heads. This gives a 1.5 inch 3 blade cut with a nice sweep back blade angle. We use Axis shafts 300 spine- old camo ones at 475 grains total arrow weight. My son and I shoot well tuned PSE speed bows. Mine at 73 pounds at 295 fps. Son at 78 pounds at 312fps. I have a 5/16 verifier on my string that slows me down a little. We both shoot 30 inch draw length. We have a small sample size on elk. We both have killed 3 bulls a piece. All have been complete pentation. Couple held up on fletching. I made a bad shot last year - way back. Bull was dead 100 yards. Big cut hit something important. Did gutless so did not do a autopsy. Daughter used 11/4 inch cut 100 grain on her one bull. 62 pounds 27 inch draw 430 grain axis 400 shaft. She hit him low, but we recovered him. 20 inches of pentation. So, take away for us is they work. Son, daughter and I have killed a pile of other animals with them.

 

[HunterJoeMI]

Jak Hammers are definitely underrated. I assume you use the 1 3/4" cut....what is your bow and arrow setup and how did they perform on elk?

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They work! See set up detail in post above

 

[Elkhntr08]

Just sat through a seminar about broadhead lethality at P&Y. Showed a video about force to penetrate. It was pretty amazing. An Hypodermic took 3x the force to penetrate as a old Thunderhead.

 

[805Bowhunter]

There are many threads on Rokslide that elaborate into what everyone has already said. Ive killed elk with both and probably to about a 50/50 ratio the past 6 years. I use a trypan which is much stronger than an NC but penetration can be an issue. There is something to be said about confidence like you mentioned but I would take it a step further and look at it in a different way. I dont mean this in a negative way but while you can totally get a fixed setup dialed before season, this conversation/broadhead testing should have happened months ago IMO for the exact reason you mention...confidence. You say you're confident with the rages, (which I get) but imagine you having the confidence in whatever broadhead you put on the end of your arrows.

Because CA deer season (where I live) opens in July, I have had to have my setup ready to go by then with all testing/tuning done by May. I didnt realize how awesome this was for elk until I started reading about everybody trying to get ________ to fly well right before season. To be honest, I have some extra $$ I set aside each spring to buy the broadheads I am thinking about shooting during the upcoming season and shoot them into oblivion until I am happy and have the flight and setup I want. My quiver currently has 3 trypans and 2 Kudus. Both hit virtually in the same spot out to 60..things change after that but I wouldnt shoot my trypan out further than 50 either. Ive got a 29" draw length and shooting 73lbs out of an RX3.

I dont mean to be a turd but I feel like a lot of people would have much more confidence in their elk season if they started this process in late winter/early spring. You can absolutely get a setup dialed at this point, but I would start now. Its not too big of an undertaking and you'll be glad you did. Best of luck this season.

 

[BadEarth]

Two years ago I got 40 yards from a bedded bull and swapped from a kudu head to a hypodermic in my quiver. Hadn’t shot the kudu before the season and had second thoughts. Stuck him in the shoulder blade and watched him run 4 miles. Always wondered if the 2 blade I almost shot would have punched through. Shot Magnus since with outstanding results. Hope for the best, plan for the worst. Sticking to fixed from here on out.

 

[-bowfreak-]

They work! See set up detail in post above

Congrats on some great bulls. I have a very limited sample size too as I've only shot one bull. I killed it with a Trypan. I really like the heads, but I have had a few open in my quiver. I only shoot 62 lbs but I have a 30.5" draw. My total arrow weight was 476 grains. I shot this bull at 50 yards and got complete penetration. The arrow did hang up in the bull at about the fletch.

I don't have an elk tag this year so I'm going to try a few different heads while deer hunting. I'll probably order some of the 1.75" Jak Hammers and give them a go on deer. If I like them I'll give the 1.5" a go on my next elk hunt.

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[HunterJoeMI]

Great bull

Congrats on some great bulls. I have a very limited sample size too as I've only shot one bull. I killed it with a Trypan. I really like the heads, but I have had a few open in my quiver. I only shoot 62 lbs but I have a 30.5" draw. My total arrow weight was 476 grains. I shot this bull at 50 yards and got complete penetration. The arrow did hang up in the bull at about the fletch.

I don't have an elk tag this year so I'm going to try a few different heads while deer hunting. I'll probably order some of the 1.75" Jak Hammers and give them a go on deer. If I like them I'll give the 1.5" a go on my next elk hunt.

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Great bull bowfreak!
One thing nice about the Jak-Hammers is the rubber O-ring is simple. All blades deploy at the same time and at 90 degrees to the ferrule and line up with the sharp tip. Plus blades never open in your quiver.

Your draw length should make up for you 62 pound pull weight otherwise you might want to drop down from the 13/4 inch cut.

 

[-bowfreak-]

I wouldn't shoot the 1 3/4" on elk. 1 1/2 would be what I would shoot.

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[roosiebull]

I have been a fan of spitfire broadheads for years, seen a right good number of elk killed with them.

I have seen exactly one killed with a Rage NC, I wouldn't recommend them at all. 30 few yards, perfectly broadside punched thru lower ribs right above the heart. Arrow didn't get a full pass, likely that part is due to the half-out bending and it could have possibly made the arrow plane going thru the cow. The blades bent back on the Rage as well. I don't find that exceptable.

View attachment 305971View attachment 305972View attachment 305973View attachment 305974

I'm not a mechanical hater, but there's a few I'm not a fan of. Mainly Rage, and I'm not a fan of them as a crutch. Don't shoot a mechanical because you can't get a fixed blade to fly, that means your setup isn't working, your arrow will be bleeding energy off trying to get straightened out.


The rage I posted pictures of did do its job, but I felt like it was as close to perfect conditions as possible and I felt like it performed sub par, and it's not all the broadheads fault. But the edge certainly didn't hold up very well either.

great reply!

i think mechanicals in general are fine if your bow truly is tuned, and like Beendare mentioned, you have enough arrow, which IMO, the OP does.

a few years ago the reports of the Trypan got me curious... i bought a dozen and decided to form my own opinion.... i had 2 partially deploy in my tightspot for seemingly no reason, and i thought "this is dumb" i felt like the only reason they were in my quiver was to prove it could be done, but it's been proven plenty... for me, it didn't make sense FOR ME... i was solving a problem i didn't have, and introducing variables in my mind that wasn't necessary.... i didn't give them much of a chance.... i wasn't liking them.

i gave those heads to my brother, and he killed a young bull with one, and he was liking them.... he told me the only problem is he isn't sure where the missing chunks of blades are, and he was going to be nervous dealing with that bull.... he sent me a pic of the head after i asked, and it was pretty trashed for going through ribs..... i honestly don't see the draw to elk hunting with mechanicals, but they obviously work.

i think shooting what you're confident in is always a good idea, and if your results aren't stellar, be honest with yourself and see the red flags.... if they work great and are holding up well enough for you, keep killing stuff with them.

if i ever decided to shoot a mechanical head at an elk, it would probably be a sevr

 

[apkleinschmidt]

I’ve shot a handful of deer and pigs with Rage hypodermic and NC and the blades constantly break. And that’s primarily with sugar sand backdrops. Not confidence inspiring.

But I should qualify that by adding that Rage has always killed what I shoot at. I’ve never lost an animal due to malfunction or underperformance from a Rage.


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[ColoradoKid27]

You can definitely kill elk with mechanical broadheads, but you'll just have to be a little more selective with your shot selection.

 

[Clearwaterarcher]

Fixed 3 blade seems to be the ticket for me. I personally wouldn’t shoot mechanicals at elk size game.

 

[BigCountry49]

You can definitely kill elk with mechanical broadheads, but you'll just have to be a little more selective with your shot selection.

How do you change your shot selection when using a mech vs fixed? I shoot both and if anything Im more selective with a fixed considering wind and distance.