Thanks man. After his next video I'll ask if he has a comprehensive list of the hundreds he has done.
Depends on the situation. What kind of hunting are you doing? If you're shooting long distance, probably a fixed unless you make sure your bow is tuned to a bare shaft arrow, so it flies perfect with no wind plane. If its a heavy arrow for shots 35 yards and in, go with a fixed head like Iron Will or Day Six, the penetration and durability is unmatched - fixed are forgiving, mechanicals tear open on broadside shots.
I'm beginning year six as a bow hunter. I shoot Muzzy fixed heads and I'm not changing. But one of my mentors made a sweeping generalization that sounds as if it has a nugget of wisdom: "You'll be glad you had a fixed blade broadhead if you hit shoulders, and you'll wish you had a mechanical if you hit too far back." Moral of story is the vast majority of problems we will have involve shot placement.
Very well said. So then only question that must be answered is how often are you hitting "off the mark"?
I’ve used Exodus 100 grains for 5 years. Last year I added a 125 grain insert for more Foc. They’re nasty, both pass throughs I got last year went through the deer and stuck into a tree Sent from my iPhone using Bowhunting.com Forums
I shoot low poundage and a short draw so I always shoot fixed blades! Sent from my iPhone using Bowhunting.com Forums
Hi All, I would like to share my thoughts on this. Both types work and both work very well with the following: well tuned arrow from a well tuned bow, arrows that aren’t featherweight for target shooting, and hair shaving sharp broadheads! In my earlier days I once shot a doe broadside at 19 yards through both lungs with a Rage (yeah, I said that) two blade and 70 lb. bow. I watched in a sort of disbelief state as she turned and ran straight away and completely out of sight 90 yards away. I could see the arrow hanging out of each side and blood spraying out each side. I remember thinking “how did that arrow not pass through”? After some hard thinking and a little research I tried an arrow and broadhead combination heavier than the 375 grain total weight I had been shooting and sharpened the factory “sharp” broadheads and never looked back. I will say that I really enjoy sharpening each broadhead I hunt with and am still using good quality fixed and mechanical heads. It was totally my fault back then for assuming too many things, like new broadheads are sharp. Some are, but most are NOT as sharp as they should be! I have had awesome luck with each type my lightest arrow weight with broadhead is 425 and my heaviest is 620 depending on which bow I take. Awesome either way. There are some really posts above mine and really good advice. Nothing will be 100% for each and every shot in every situation, there are too many variables. If you keep the odds in your favor and do your BEST, you can have a lot of success with fixed or mechanicals. Hunt safe, hunt hard and most of all, HAVE FUN!!!
Have used Wac em 100gr. Tritons for years, always a passthru even on shoulder shots. Never had a problem with them and truly razor sharp right out of the pack.
ive used the following with oass throughs and recovery of the deer rage extreme chisel tip, rage extreme coc, magus 4 blade stingers and stinger buzzcuts, NAP Spitfire maxx and spitfire xxx all worked, only once have i hit a shoulder, and it was the opposite side shoulder while using one of the rages. in my head the answer is fixed but every year i take both in my quiver
I have killed 165 different species of wildlife around the World ranging in sizes from moose to duiker with mechanicals. I've shot quite a few water and cape buffalo with fixed blades. I have heard multiple times it's not the bow but rather the Indian...maybe it's one's confidence in their equipment and their ability to put an arrow in the proper place. Neither fixed nor mechanicals will function properly if you are unable to place them where they need to go. I dare someone to tell me mechanicals do not work! We'll lay down photos of dead critters...the person with the most wins.
If memory doesn't elude me I'm entering my 19th or so season in the archery woods. My broadheads of choice over the years in order were traditional 100gr Thunderheads, 100gr Grim Reapers, Slick Trick Standards 100gr, 125gr Slick Trick Magnums and finally the last 3 or 4 seasons 200gr Grizzlystick Samuaria heads. Over the years and countless shots which vary from impact spots and distance (although only one exceeded 26 yards) - I've always found that of course above all else shot placement matters most. You find a way to punch both lungs, I don't care what broadhead you have the job will be done so long as a very rare or atypical thing occurs (hit very close to the edge of lungs, especially back where their respiratory function/use is actually less and less to nearly nothing). The second/third factors I say are a tie in importance, but depend on placement which is more important on that specific shot - sharpness and fixed/design. Should you impact bone the design of the head will play a massive part in how successful it is....if you don't I view the sharpness of the head as an incredibly important aspect of the kill. Being able to absolutely slice everything micro-vessel throughout the path of the head increases the bleeding triggered immensely. A dull head can and will interact with some tissues/organs in a similar fashion to just pushing through/around, and not slicing through. Seeing the difference of the wound channel when an arrow blows through even a rib first versus one that catches the gap between perfectly illustrates this laceration difference in cutting. However, I personally feel the most avoided and ignorant thing about most bowhunters is ONLY thinking of the broadhead choice when building their arrows. The overall arrow build will either be of assistance to the heads performance or a detriment - and that is factor four in the discussion IMO - but is one vastly too many people don't care about.
I’m 100% a fixed guy, shot mechanicals for 1 year will never do it again, they’re just too flimsy for my liking, I shot QAD exodus and loved them shot, shot annihilators, magnus stingers, and this year I’m going back to the Exodus
I shot the original annihilator and had decent success blood trail wasn’t real good but it blew thru deer and a pig. I got some XLs for this year but for whatever reason I just cannot get them to fly well out of my bow, so I think I’m going to revert back to QAD Exodus
Fixed Blade for me, I have a terrible habit of holding to tight to the shoulder which has caused me to lose several deer over the years with mechanicals. I have been using slick tricks on and off over the past 3 seasons and have yet to have one make it over 100 yards with them. Most of them have died in sight but I usually still have pretty good blood trails.
