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Main Boards => PowWow => Topic started by: mnbearbaiter on April 30, 2010, 05:03:00 PM
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Turkey seson is over for me, i was 1 for 2 this year! Sometime ill figure out those Black Hills birds ;) Did manage to get a nice 2yr old tom in MN with my Bear Montana and new 640gr Dougies that i made over the winter with the ever powerful 160gr Magnus Snuffer :scared: The next thing is elk, and ive been shooting regularly and have a few ?'s! First off, i feel that i shoot best with bows that are 55#, the 640gr arrows make my bow quieter than it was before and they really didnt change my impact point(i shoot instinctive)! The Snuffer poleaxed my tom at the 9yds that i shot him at, but dont relly feel like that was a good test for the broadhead when considering the next animal i will be chasing! Any help or tips would be nice, i can get the Snuffers very sharp now and usually limit myself to shots less than 25yds, but will maybe try to extend that range a bit over the summer 3D shoots!
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You are fine w/ that set up,no matter what anyone else will say.
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Thanks for the boost of confidence overbo! I tend to get a little concerned when i have any shed of doubt in my mind! Have been considering the 160 Stos, and 160 MagnusI if i were advised to switch to a 2 blade head to maximize penetration! The Snuffer does cut a big hole and i would rather have an additional 2-3" of penetration with less cut than a large(almost 1 1/2"cut)that doesnt penetrate well! The people here know, and ive grown to love the Snuffer! My arrows and setup were made after alot of research, and i got alot of FOC and a nice heavy arrow as a result, 640gr finished arrow!!!
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Shoot what you've got confidence in. I like a two blade head on elk, but then again I like a good beer and my wife would rather have a gin and tonic. If you can get 'em scary sharp and have confidence in the above mentioned setup you will have a great combo "for you" out to 25 yards.
Good Luck
Travis
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Thats what i was wondering about! I read alot of guys with heavier setups than mine using 2 blade heads! I think the real factor with penetration isnt the number of blades a head has, but the tune of the arrow and the angle of the shot!
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I hunt elk with a 55lb longbow with 600 grain arrows and two blade heads. They work great. I would use the two blade head personally. The three blade will work fine. Just get close and put the shot where it belongs. I would spend my time practicing shots from a variety of angles and body positions and not bother worrying about your set up. It is plenty for elk.
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Thanks again, i pride myself on not having a history of unrecovered animals, and id like to keep it that way! The Snuffer is well built, no doubt about it!!! It puts a hefty size hole into an animal, and will "In Theory", make a helluva blood trail! I like the idea of the 1 15/32" hole, but dont wanna sacrifice penetration, as ive heard of elk living with one lung and that would devastate me after the time, money, and practice that goes into an elk hunt! I have been practicing shooting from the kneeling, upright, and off balance position!
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Off with the 160 Snuffers and ON with the 160 STOS.
Bowmania
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I probably will go with the 160 STOS! Kinda hard after getting so in touch with the Snuffers! If it will improve my penetration capabilities i think it will be a wise move howver! Another ? thats kinda off topic... Im awaiting the 2010 MN Bear lottery results. If i get drawn, should i maybe use the Snuffers and if they perform well stick with them for the elk hunt? It will only be a 12-15yd shot, but bear are a hard animal to kill as far as blood trails and penetration go! I figure if a bear will leave a good blood trail, and expire quickly, then the head should work for elk!!!
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"You are fine w/ that set up,no matter what anyone else will say."
You sure asked the perfect question to get conflicting answers.
:banghead:
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I use the 160 STOS for elk, and just about everything else as I can get them the sharpest. If I insisted on a three blade for elk it would be a 160 vpa. Just my 2 cents. In fact if I draw in CO this year that's what I will use on 580-595 grain doug firs out of a 59# Morrison.
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ABowyer Brown Bear is Da Bomb!
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I guess i maybe should have worded the ? like this... Is my 55# @ 28" Bear Montana w/480gr Doug Fir shafts tipped w/160gr Snuffers adequate for elk hunting if shots are 25yds or less?
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The answer is yes,you have plenty for elk.
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Originally posted by Bowmania:
Off with the 160 Snuffers and ON with the 160 STOS.
Bowmania
Beat me 2 it.
D
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I would have no problem shooting that. Good luck to you.
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Elk can be difficult to track.I've been on enough elk bloodtrails to know that the amount of blood from a 3 blade head can make a big difference on recovery.
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My experience shows me 3 or 4-blade heads are best suited on elk hunts where heavy brush or ground cover is present. When ones do not have the luxury of following hoof prints on wounded elk you MUST then rely on blood tracking, this means you need blood to show up on the brush, limbs & leaves for tracking purposes. The bigger the wound channel the more tracking blood offered regardless of shot placement.
If you are hunting elk in much more open type terrain then yes a 2-blade would be adequate as they will kill just fine, but do not expect much of a blood trail.
We've taken many elk with 2 blades & to date no blood trail exists in comparison to all multi bladed kills, I will add that this is a lot of kills for a reasonable comparison. We no longer use 2 blades. We do however use 2-blades with bleeders, they do offer a bit more wound channel when bleeders are also razored up.
The key is a big wound channel & razor sharp heads that are all hand honed! A 55# setup with a 500grn arrow or a bit more but under 600grn is a great combination of speed & superior penetration!
Good Luck to you & don't over think it! (grin) Your setup is good to 40yds no problem!
ElkNut1
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yes yes yes. That set up is fine. Hit an elk in the soft spot with that snuffer and you will be eating elk.
Joe
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you will be fine with that set up. You just have to remember good shot placement and don't take a bad angle shot. It dose not matter how heavy your draw and how heavy your arrow is, a bad shot angle is a bad shot angle, you will wound an animal and that is unacceptable. Your bow is heavy enough, your arrow is heavy enough and your broad head is perfect. Now get that tag and have fun. Jeff
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i just put my sharpening skills to the test this morning after i got back from a mushroom hunt! I took two old deerskins that i had laying around(use them for sinew, leatherworks, quivers, etc), and draped them over each other on a 9" thick foam backstop that i use! I then got a Snuffer tipped arrow that i used for turkey hunting this spring that was still scary sharp, and shot through the doubled up deerskins and went through the foam backstop a good 3-4" consistently for the 3 shots that i took from different angles without resharpening! An average of 14" or so from tip of broadhead to the impact point! Should work i would think, i was impressed! Shot was around 22yds :)
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Would stick with the snuffers myself. With a heavy arrow and sharp heads I've never had any penetration problems with a 160 snuffer. Even out of pretty light bows.
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absolutely nothing wrong with the snuffers,my go to broadhead on elk.get plenty of penetration with them.i shoot 60-65 but 55 is good enough to bury one deep.ita all about placement and sharpness,get those two ingredients and you'll have elk in the freezer.