Broadheads and blood trails

[Shooter Dan]

Been shooting the 1 1/2" Magnus glue on heads for years with good results.  It is thick down here in Florida where I hunt and a good blood trail is really important. I've always liked the idea of a wider head (1 3/4 or 2") to make a bigger hole, but you need an exit hole for a good blood trail. Just curious what you guys think. Have you seen really good penetration with some of the wider heads?

[Ulysseys]

Just got a complete pass through yesterday on a doe with a Simmons tiger shark and had similar experiences last year.  54#@27" Black Widow.  As a matter of fact it was buried about 4" in the ground behind her.

[BOHO]

I've seen big blood trails from the big two blades but not the average sized ones. Mostly I use 3 or 4 blade heads. Always better to cut a hole rather than a slit. Unless it's a huge slit. Lol

[Stumpkiller]

Normally I go with a head that will most likely exit the far side - a two edge.  I had great results with the RibTek 125S ("Slim") head.  Before that I was using a Zephyr Sasquatch.  Very wide two edge.

I put an arrow into a nice buck and didn't get the penetration I needed.  Mostly my fault as it was almost straight down from a stand.  I spent days of a canoe-in trip trailing that deer with no success.

So, I went to narrow heads.  When RibTek became extinct I went to STOS and those have been very reliable and durable.

I'm using a three edge this year (Mowoc Dot from 1960).  We'll see.

[jkm97]

I shoot 2" Treesharks, usually get a pass through and large blood trails. I shoot about 50#@28."

[Steve Jr]

Simmons Safari's for me, I have shot 5 deer with them. Not only do they make for a Awesome blood trail but also a short blood trail. 4 of them were pass through's and stuck in the ground with no damage to them. The other was a hard quartering away shot. That deer only went about 15 yards. No damage to that head either. I know there are other wide heads but for me I'm going to keep shooting the Simmons heads.

Steve Jr

[woodchucker]

I've been using Bear Razorheads, and Zwickey Eskimos, for many years... Never had a complaint about the blood trails left, as long as I did my part. I think placement and shot angle have more to do with penetration, than broadhead size or design.

Just one old fart's opinion...

[Mint]

I like to use a big two blade or a three or four blade head. I really like the Palmer Extreme cut 4 blade, phantom 4 blade, snuffer and woodsman. I would use the sharks too but I have way to many broadheads already.

In hunting hogs in florida my best blodtrails came from burying a big four blade in the off shoulder and that arrow banging against the thick brush just opening up the hole and cutting up the animal as it runs through the brush. But these are shots from the ground or short ladder stands.

[DarrinG]

Zwickey Delta's 1 3/8" cut is a pretty wide head. Not as big as some but bigger than most. Proven head.

[DarrinG]

That being said, the best bloodtrail I ever seen was from the big 160 Snuffer. Ray Charles could've followed it.

[SlowBowinMO]

If you want to stick with a 2 blade go Simmons.

[duckbrx]

If I could figure out how to post pics. I shot a nice buck yesterday with a 125 grain Abowyer and the blood trail was like nothing I've ever seen!!!

[Fletcher]

I suppose the broadhead may make some difference, but shot placement and edge sharpness make the most difference.  My "best" bloodtrail was from a Ace Express 165.  It was a close and kinda steep shot, going thru both lungs and the big vessels at the top of the heart and exiting low on the far side.  Deer didn't go far, but you could follow the entire trail from the tree.

[Ron LaClair]

I've used big two blades a lot over the years. Goshawk, Deadhead, Timberwolf and Ace Super Express.

Here's the Goshawk head that I was using in the 50's, they came in two sizes.

     

The Deadhead also came in two sizes

   

Ace Express and Super Express

   

I use to use the Big Magnus myself.  I had good blood trails consistently with them.  I thought that I never had any issues with them, they always seemed to fly good in the common Iowa cross wind.  Until one day I had wind bucking hard off of a bluff. Whether it was the direction, the turbulence, the sheer force, don't know, I shot another arrow and about the same results, but they did not like that situation.  I went and found my shot heads and fired them back at the bluff and they flew perfect. Normally when hunting near switch grass fields, I have a Deadhead or two in my quiver, the big ones, last year because of other hunters and the thermal drift, I shot a deer with a Mussato style file sharpened Schulz Hunter's Head along the edge of a switch grass field.  The blood trail was gushing and short, I could easily smell it in the cold winter air.  Like normal the Hunter's Head went through the deer like it wasn't there and buried deep in the snow and the switch grass somewhere.  The deer went down in plain sight in less than 50 yards.  I guess there are always variables that we cannot predict.

One head that I found to be really good for flight, sharpening, blood trails and penetration is the Herters four blade. I like the angle of the bleeders, not as abrupt as the Zwickey four blade. They have replaced my use of the wide Deadhead for  thick cover.

[ChuckC]

There is no magic potion.  A very sharp broadhead where it needs to be will dispatch almost anything.  If there were brontosaurs around still someone would be bow hunting one.   Don't move till you see it fall or hear it fall and it won't be far away.   Use a broadhead you have faith in and go for it.

[woodchucker]

Yup! What he said...

[TURKEYFOOTGIRL]

Simmons treeshark is my choice for whitetails in cover like that. I shoot around 50 pounds and get 2 holes on Montana whitetails almost every time. Shoot one deer with one and you will be hooked. And they fly amazing!