First time hunting with mechanical broadheads (WARNING GRAPHIC)

[dbldrew]

I decided this year to try out a mechanical broadheads for deer hunting. The reason for the switch this year is, I’ve usually hunted on private land so there was never a problem setting up a target and “retune” to the broadheads. The archery ranges I have out by me are field tips only, and the problem this year our private land was a no go. So we made a trip to southern IL and hunted on some public land (Hamilton County FWA) and wasn’t sure how accommodating they would be for setting up a temp archery target. So I decided to make the switch to a mechanical that would fly just like a field point.

I decided to go with the Meat Seeker by Trophy Ridge (originally called the piston point then changed to the undertaker then changed again to the meat seeker) it is a rear deploying broadhead which I liked, I just don’t like the mechanical BH that have the blades that are folded forward, it just seems like a waste of energy and smaller entry wounds.

Anyway I did get a shot on a doe that was maybe 15 yards from my tree stand, it was a quartering away shot and the arrow entered just behind the back rib and ended up a heart shot and blasted throw the bottom ribs on the exit. The deer ran maybe 15 yards before it dropped. I did take 1 pic of the exit wound with my phone, but it’s a bit blurry.

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I got to say I was always a bit leery with using a mechanical but so far it has worked pretty good. The BH has held up great, it’s still very sharp. Here are a few pics of the used BH.

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And here is another pick of what the deer looks like now

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[crashdive123]

Nice score Dbl - haven't seen you around for a bit.

[NightShade]

i use them sometimes too, usually in situations like you described.. tho admittedtly not as often as i once did... it s*cks when the band pops mid-drawback!

I always put a few extra bands on shaft so if one broke in the field i could slide a new 1 down and not have the hassle of taking off the tip to fix

[nell67]

AWESOME!!!!!!! Welcome back!

[dbldrew]

Nice score Dbl - haven't seen you around for a bit.

I know this summer has been crazy busy for me.

[SARKY]

WOW.......now that's a well hung deer!

[glockcop]

Nice looking broadhead. I have never used expandable broadheads but have been thinking about it lately. My father in law uses them exclusively with great results. I usually use Muzzy 3 blade non expandable and admittedly his deer seem to go down quicker even though we get complete pass through 95% of the time. Neither of us have lost one in many years though. Good luck with the rest of the season.

[hoosierarcher]

I hate mechanical heads! The are made for guys that think a fast arrow is good but a really fast arrow is great and the most important thing in sending an arrow at game.So they should high poundage bows with really light arrows, really small vanes and can't get any broadhead but a mechanical to fly well.
The only broadheads I've ever seen fail when the archer put the arrow right where it needed to be are mechanicals.
I'll conceed that they don't fail most of the time; but if any part of my hunting set up had more than a miminmal chance of failing I wouldn't use it.
I shoot recurves and longbows in draw weights of 60# - 75#. I shoot arrows that are at least 10 grains in weight per pound of draw weight and usually even heavier. I shoot front loaded arrows meaning a goodly amount of the arrow's total weight is in the point. The Last two years my arrows have been 770 grains with 400 grains of that being in the point and arrow insert. These arrows shoot out of my 64# hybrid longbow at 188 fps. I bet a lot of you compound shooters just thought something like "that's pitiful" or the some such. Well with this set up I have never failed to get a pass through on an animal I've shot and one of those animals was a nearly 400 pound russian boar. The biggest boar taken in the group of 20 hunters. Taken with one well placed arrows while it ran past me at full trot at 9 yards. Shot entered in the lower third of the chest at the last rib, went through a rib going in and out the off shoulder blade going out with the lungs and heart both getting a large Y looking cut from the big Snuffer broadhead on the end. He only went 50 yards spraying blood out both sides like red spray paint even chased by hounds and collasped after coming to an abrupt stop. The arrow went more than 20 yards past the animal after going through about 28 inches of boar. I've had deer die after three steps without notice of the arrows passing through them. I've had most deer run about 40 yards with a blood trail Stevie Wonder could follow before crashing within sight. I can make a 40+ yard shot but choose never to shoot beyond 25 yards. I sharpen my broadheads myself and get them shaving sharp. I'd show you pics of what a cut on contact 3 blade head can do but one I don't know how to post pics and two you might be reading this while snacking and I'd hate to be responsible if someone had a wealk stomach.

[dbldrew]

I hate mechanical heads! The are made for guys that think a fast arrow is good but a really fast arrow is great and the most important thing in sending an arrow at game.So they should high poundage bows with really light arrows, really small vanes and can't get any broadhead but a mechanical to fly well.

Or maybe they are made to fly just like field points? For the guys that don’t have the land or a range where you can tune using broadheads? And yes fast arrows are good, why would you want a slower arrow? Yes I understand that there is a trade off with speed vs penetration due to arrow weight, but to make the statement that fast arrows are somehow bad is a strange position to take.

The only broadheads I've ever seen fail when the archer put the arrow right where it needed to be are mechanicals.

Now we are getting somewhere, the fact of the matter is mechanicals fly better, they aren’t effected by wind, miss-tuned bow, etc. Now there should be no reason that people should be hunting without a fully tuned bow, but the thing is that things can loosen up over time, what if your rest was moved slightly since the last time it was paper tuned? Not a lot but maybe just enough to throw your field point arrows off a small bit? Shooting a mechanical will still get the arrow into the vitals, a fixed head might end up a gut shot. I would rather shoot the BH that I used above and hit the vitals and have the BH fail (as in bind up and not open) then gut shot with a fixed. The BH above even if it doesn’t open (which I’ve never heard it not opening) still works like a very small fixed BH, it will still put a ½” slice through the vitals, not ideal but again more lethal then a gut shot.

Not all broadheads are the same, with both fixed and mechanical there are bad designs on both. I think that there a lot of mechanicals out there that are very bad designed, but I think the one I used is designed pretty well.

Here is a video that tested the strength of broadheads, the piston point (the old name for the one I used) did very well, this video convinced me to reconsider my stance on mechanicals (well at least for the piston point/ undertaker/ meat seeker) most of the other mechanicals did pretty bad, which is why I think mechanicals have such a bad name. The way I see it is if the BH doesn’t break going through a steel drum then it wont break threw a shoulder.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qc-srIw3na0

[hoosierarcher]

And yes fast arrows are good, why would you want a slower arrow? Yes I understand that there is a trade off with speed vs penetration due to arrow weight, but to make the statement that fast arrows are somehow bad is a strange position to take.

I don't think speed is bad. I think thinking speed is the most important part of the equation is bad. Ultra light arrows don't belong in bowhunting.

[glockcop]

I don't think speed is bad. I think thinking speed is the most important part of the equation is bad. Ultra light arrows don't belong in bowhunting.

You should definately keep using what you have confidence in but a good mechanical (Rage being the best IMO) is great due to their arodynamics of a field point and less bow tuning involved. They also don't use a rubber band that can pop at a bad time. A 100 grain Rage will DEFINATELY kill well as I have witnessed it 9 times in the last 2 years. It will also cut a larger wound channel than your "medieval" points. If it works for you well that is fine but don't put down mechanicals because you shoot a stick and string that won't throw a light arrow with enough energy/velocity for clean kills with them. With your 188 fps set up you have to use heavy arrows for them to work well. You also have more guess work involved due to rainbow trajectories. So we see that everything is a trade off and we should use what has proven to us to work. The last few years I have mostly used 125 gr Muzzy 3 blades and have never lost a deer with them but mechanicals have advantages that flatly CANNOT be overlooked. Are mechanicals "better"? It all depends on who you ask but I can tell you one thing. I would not feel at all disadvantaged with them even though my Muzzy's have been good to me. My father in law uses Rage mechanicals with very quick kills indead. Like I said earlier, maybe even a little qicker than my Muzzy's but neither have failed to put venison on the table. Stay safe.