I'm not sure if there is or is not something to talk about here. I asked myself this morning if your broadhead and arrow choice would be dependent on the size of the whitetail you target. 2.5 year old vs 4.5- 6.5 year olds. The last 3 years I have tried to target some very mature bucks. In PA, I feel those are in the 4.5 + age range. Since these are a bit more sizable, would broadhead and arrow choice be something I should consider? I have not considered this before. I shoot 60lbs and carry both mechanical and fixed in my quiver and nock whichever one feels lucky in the stand. Sevr, Trocar, and QAD which shooting Maxima Reds. Does anyone feel that arrow and broadhead decisions should differ between mature and less mature whitetail?
Absolutely not. I use what I know will make the most ethical kill regardless of game size. Don't need one extra variable to think about when in the stand. I would make sure you're shooting a well-tuned bow and arrow combination first and foremost, then decide if you like a fixed or mechanical broadhead better. Most of this comes down to personal preference and experience, what one guy may hate, another really trusts. I would also narrow your broadhead down to one brand/type and practice, practice, practice with that head until you are 100% confident in it. If you have doubts or uncertainty before climbing into the stand, it can compound and force you to make mental errors when you need to be at your best.
With correct KE and MO it don't matter. I mean any fixed head will kill any sized deer. any bow at 60 lbs with 350-450 gr arrow with a fixed head will kill any deer. With mech heads, 1.5 to 2" cut 60 lbs will kill them with the right KE/MO. They are not that dense actually. deer are tough but they aint going to hold a broadhead in the heart or both lungs. If you want pass throughs, well the more energy your arrow has the more it's going to penetrate. So let's say you are hunting big PA bucks that weigh 200+ up to even 250 lbs. 60 lb bow with a 400 gr arrow and fixed head should do the trick, if you shoot 60 lbs and a 450-500 arrow with mech heads it kill them. Of course draw length matters as well. 28" or more no worries. under that, you may want to use fixed heads with 400+ gr arrow
If the arrow you're carrying can't kill both a 125 pound doe and a 225 pound buck, you've got the wrong setup.
As long as you’re hitting them where it counts, the broadhead type doesn’t matter. Should be worried more about true arrow flight vs fishtailing arrows.
Fred Bear used a 70 pound bow in his younger days and a 65 pound later on with fixed blade BH's and killed more big game than most of us will ever be fortunate enough to see, much less hunt. Another guy that has far more bow hunting experience than most of us, Ted Nugent hunted with a 57 pound bow as far back as the 1970's with fixed blades and now uses a 45 pound bow. He still puts meat from a lot of different species in the freezer. My buddy put a thumper bull elk down with a 70 pound bow and a Slick Trick through the lungs. (I'm still a little envious of that bull.) With modern bows and broadheads I don't think any big deer or larger game animal in NA is walking away from a sharp broadhead through the lungs or heart. I personally have no experience with mechanical heads but I've had excellent results with fixed blade Bear razor heads back in the days of yore and even better results with Muzzy and Slick Trick BH's as the seasons went by, Regardless of the size of the deer.
I think your very first sentence applies. Can't imagine anyone deciding on an arrow & BH setup with that mindset.
nope, my 430 gr Goldtips have killed numerous big/older deer, 5 over 200lbs and waaay more in the 170-200lb range,along with some big Does that dressed 120-145lbs ... Fixed or Mech's, they kill deer ... I have NEVER lost a deer due to lack of penetration ... other reasons, yes ..
Thanks. This is about what I figured the feedback would be. I feel fine with my setup as is but like I mentioned in the original post, never considered any different.
Bigger heads are all the rage in recent years. These companies have led people to believe you need 2 plus inch mechanicals to kill deer as quickly as possible. Its simply not true. As others have said, good arrow flight from a well tuned bow is more important so you can hit where you're aiming. I have flipped back and forth over the last few years between a 2" cut mechanical and a little 1" cut slick trick fixed blade head. Both work perfectly fine if you do your job on your end. Im back to shooting the 1" cut slick tricks. I remember the last handful of deer I killed with that head and honestly, it was shocking how fast those deer died, in sight. Of course I did my part and made good, mostly double lung shots on them, but it amazes me how quickly that little tiny head killed those deer. You have to think too, that lots of people are killing elk with standard size fixed blade heads of 1 1/8 cut or less. in that game, fixed heads are preferred over mechanicals.
