So I will begin with this has a happy ending, I'm just a new hunter doing a post mortem Hunting in Frederick MD and have been on a number of unsuccessful hunts. So on this hunt at day break and I see a buck chasing some does. A grunt call has him stop leave them and brings him straight in to my stand and quick. Some how, I don't know how, I make a good shot 1/4ing very slightly towards but mostly down as he came to 10 yards, my heart was beating so hard my hands were shaking. I'm using a NAP Spitfire 3 blade mechanical and as he runs off I can see I cleared the shoulder but did not get a pass through. Now I will add, the bow I'm using is very old (just about to be upgraded) and even though I'm drawing 65 with it maxed out my Speed is low around 230 FPS. With the extreme angle and not getting a pass through mean there was no blood. I had an experienced guy tracking with me, he was finding micron sized drops of blood on foxtails that I would never see but even his skills only got us about 30 yards. Thankfully I watch him run about 170 yards out into the field before he disappeared. I walked out to where i saw him disappear and stumbled on to him. Anyway the question for the more learned hunters is using 3 blades it is just about impossible to miss all the ribs but with a two blade you sort of have a 50:50 chance of missing/grazing the ribs. If you are shooting lower power bows or in my case lower speed bows are you better off with a 2 blade get an exit wound that can drop some blood. I chose a three blade to get a good wound channel but now, I'm rethinking my choice. I know a lot of guys shoot fixed broad heads but I'm new at this game and so not re-sighting my bow after just getting comfortable with field tips is a big plus for me so I want to use a mechanical with good flight characteristics. Side note first rib was sliced really cleanly, off side it did not hit a rib but went down into the liver, penetration was about 12 inches. One lung had a nice star shape whole in it the had the end clipped and the liver had a slice in it. Thanks for your advice Clem
I used Grim Reapers for years, now I use a 2 blade fixed head (Helix) The blood trails are not as good as a 3 blade mechanical, however full penetration with pass-thrus are the norm. The last 2 deer I shot with them went 25 and 40 yards. One of them never even ran, she started walking real slow and laid down 40 yards away. The other one ran for about 10 - 15 yards, stopped, started walking, did the wobble dance and fell over dead. Only went 25 yards. They are tough heads. Check them out, they were originally made for recurve bows. They fly exactly like my field points.
I shoot a 2 blade mechanical and love it. I shoot about 280fps with a 385 grain set up. So far it has done well for me.
You won't have to re-sight for fixed if your bow is properly tuned. I use QAD Exodus heads with excellent results. I am not a mechanical hater, lots of mechanical heads produce good results. Placement is key. However with your setup I would recommend fixed heads and a heavy arrow.
I would think a 2 blade would be better than 3 blade with lower speed....a 3 blade will take more kinectic energy to penetrate as far....an exit hole is always better then no exit hole. Also dont trust that your mechanical will hit with field tips always shoot one or a practice head. Congrats on the buck, i also hunt frederick
When I'm hunting with my CB (250fps) I use the 3 blade 100gr Spitfire head as well and it has never let me down. In fact the buck in my recent "I got one of my trail cam bucks" thread was shot with one. It berried almost to the fletching with no exit. The trail started sparsely, but it picked up big time quickly and I found him in 100-150yrds. I clipped the top of one lung and blasted the other. I could have followed the trail of blood from his nose alone. I just think the more cutting edge the better. I shoot 3 blade 100gr Muzzys out of my compound.
Hey Buckaholic, good to meet another Frederick Hunter, do you hunt public land or private, I have been doing private land but was considering trying out some around here in the late season with the plan of hunting it more next year. And I do use a practice head, I have not found a difference, I shoot a group of field points and then two practice heads at my max target range (60 yards, note target not hunting range) to confirm flight characteristics.
I'm all ears, tuning is a new thing to me I have only just figure out a good anchor point so changes to my setup scare me while I'm still green.
3 blades. If you shoot enough deer, at some point you will lose an animal due to the orientation of the blades on a 2 blade head. 3 blades make a hole, 2 blades make a slit. Simple matter of cutting tissue - as much tissue as possible! 3 blades for this guy... And, I shoot mechanicals. I've NEVER been able to get my arrows to fly true using fixed heads. I use mechanicals for this reason. It's all about accuracy. Whatever get's you to the spot you aim is #1 IMO. If fixed heads flew like field points, why are more mechanicals so popular? Common sense right there.
I couldn't disagree more with that statement. 2 blades or 3? Both get the job done. I like big 2 blade mechanical. I like big entry and big exit holes. This is my personal preference and nothing more. There's no definitive right answer when it comes to broadhead configuration choice. Currently shooting NAP Killzone with Trophy Tip.
I have hunted monocacy public land but right now im hunting private near urbana. There are definately some nice deer on public land in md. Just have to avoid the crowds
To each their own brother! I hope you never experience a low front chest hit with blades oriented horizontal. One blade makes the difference between hitting a vital vein, artery, or organ sometimes. I've had it happen several times, but what would I know - I'm just a bowhunter!
Guess you can't miss either of those with a head that has a smaller cutting diameter (since I don't know many 3 blades that have a 2" or larger diameter). You can lose deer with either...you can kill deer with either. But, what do I know...I just have common sense.
My bow is only 2 years old, but because my draw length is so short my fps isn't much faster than yours. My fps is somewhere around 240 fps, nowadays I only shoot sharp cut on contact fixed blade heads. There is no reason for me to shoot a big mechanical when my fixed blade heads do the job just fine. My fixed blades fly straight and hit hard. As long as your shot placement is good it really doesn't matter what you shoot, just personal preference. But because my kinetic energy aint the highest, Im shooting fixed blades for security.
3 blade... I was a 2 blade Rage shooter for years, until I was given a pack of 3 blade Rage. Five years later, I will still tip my arrows with nothing else. Way more blood. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
I would second his opinion strongly, I shoot slick trick but any good fixed blade would be better for your situation.
Good broadheads fly with field points in a well tuned bow. I prefer fixed blades, they always open, but todays mechanicals are getting so much better. The bigger the hole, the more blood. I do agree that with a two blade head, there "may" not be as much blood. Along with using an extremely sharp two blade, ie: German Kinetics, you may get a surgical cut that does have a tendancy to close up on itself. I watched a doe shot at 20 yards hit and double lunged, completely missing any ribs, with a GK jump at the sound of the shot and go back to eating before she just fell over, without hardly any blood on the ground. I've also trailed deer hit with 2 and 3 blade mechanicals that a blind man on his knees could have followed. Try a bunch of heads. I have both GK's, for deer and Slick Tricks, for coyote in my quiver and sometimes they both get mixed up and used on the other. One tip. Don't use a fixed blade on a turkey or even a small mechanical. Turkeys need a lot of opening up to put down.
