What broadheads are you running?

[ozyclint]

I've bent a Simmons treeshark on a pig shoulder. Arrow backed out of the wound and fell out. 5m shot from a tree saddle, 630gr arrow out of my 58# border hex6.

I use them only for things like foxes now.

 

[Beendare]

I agree that there can be a tendency to overthink, especially in hunting gear. I want really consistent BIG blood trails. I hunt really thick stuff sometimes. I’ve been told/have seen internet stories where Simmons leave a giant gusher. I’m interested in this.

A gusher eh?

When I see comments like this, I sigh.

I've seen gushers from a low shots with a 2 blade....and I've seen almost nothing from a high shot with a big mechanical....and everything in between.

I've seen hundreds of animals shot with an arrow and the one consistent fact; High shots don't leave a bunch on blood on the ground while low shots do. The BH matter much less than the shot location as high shots put a lot of the blood draining into the animal.

Then there is the fact that a pass through shot to the lungs is one of the fastest ways to put an animal down...nevermind, lets focus on draining their blood on the ground. grin.

I don't know when Bowhunters mentality changed from killing animals quickly to putting blood on the ground. Probably the Rage advertising, "Throw an axe at them."

My buddy tells a story of an elk he shot that was leaving a great blood trail. They tracked that blood thinking he will be down just around the corner....for over 2 miles. They came on the bull that had been shot again by another bowhunter....his kill. Every time someone says blood is their #1 factor in their BH decision I think of that story.

 

[Eleven]

A gusher eh?

When I see comments like this, I sigh.

I've seen gushers from a low shots with a 2 blade....and I've seen almost nothing from a high shot with a big mechanical....and everything in between.

I've seen hundreds of animals shot with an arrow and the one consistent fact; High shots don't leave a bunch on blood on the ground while low shots do. The BH matter much less than the shot location as high shots put a lot of the blood draining into the animal.

Then there is the fact that a pass through shot to the lungs is one of the fastest ways to put an animal down...nevermind, lets focus on draining their blood on the ground. grin.

I don't know when Bowhunters mentality changed from killing animals quickly to putting blood on the ground. Probably the Rage advertising, "Throw an axe at them."

My buddy tells a story of an elk he shot that was leaving a great blood trail. They tracked that blood thinking he will be down just around the corner....for over 2 miles. They came on the bull that had been shot again by another bowhunter....his kill. Every time someone says blood is their #1 factor in their BH decision I think of that story.

Well, I put a (well respected go to single bevel broadhead) through the exact middle of the lungs of a decent buck this past season. Complete pass through, with a x-bow. That deer left very little for a blood trail and that deer went a pretty long ways. Probably not as far asI think but certainly further than would be expected with the shot. The year before, another complete pass through in the middle of the lungs of a doe and that deer went about 200 yards with almost zero blood until I found her piled up in a field of high grass. So, yes, I want a gusher.

As an aside, I’ve been shooting animals with a bow for 35 years, so I have some experience on what to expect.

 

[AlphaK9]

Shameless vote for Ace broadheads

 

[Wilderlife]

Yes, I see more variation with blood trails in terms of where the shot placement was, and other things, than I do with the type of broadhead.
I've mentioned it on this forum plenty before, but I'm red/green colourblind (and get some other colours mixed up, too) so I don't pay attention to blood trails, unless they're obvious and in that case I just find it interesting.
Sure, I've lost some animals, like anybody, but the type of blood trail I hope or expect a broadhead to create literally NEVER comes to mind when I'm deciding on a broadhead. For me, I just want it to fly well, be fairly sharp, be durable, and then have it be fairly affordable.

I see Iron Will released their new broadhead yesterday. It looks fantastic, and similar to the Kayuga Pilot cut and a few other broadheads that have been around for a while. I'd be somewhat interested in giving them a go if they weren't so expensive. That's not to say they aren't worth it either, but I lose more broadheads to long grass each year than I care to think about, and having those broadheads cost three times more than the ones I'm currently using would hurt. Are they 'better' than the ones I'm currently using? Potentially? Would I be able to measure or tell the difference? Likely not. What about the animals? Again, I'd say likely not.