Initial impression of single bevel heads

[Overspined]

Very nice David. I agree with sharpness being the key. It seems to be the most important thing in actual blood on the ground. There are a lot of crappy broadheads that are sharp, and work, but they just don’t lay down the blood. I have tracked so many deer over the years and the heads that slice the best seem to make them bleed the best.

I shot under a cow elk a few years back and the griz nicked the back of her calf on the front leg. 1/2 a day later I picked up that blood trail a mile from where that happened.  She went down the mountain, across, and back up. I happened across a trail she took..still leaving blood. Sucked but definitely slices and dices.

[Kevin Dill]

This is what I like about the SBBs I hunt with:

Two days ago I killed this buck. He was following other deer but cutting a somewhat erratic path through the timber toward my stand. He veered away, then slanted back toward my position. As he walked broadside in front of me at 8 or 9 yards I brought the arrow back and JUST as I reached anchor...he did a combination sidestep and left angle. It was too late as my brain had just seen the lights go green and the shot was gone. The arrow slammed into his upper back and severed the spinal cord, then entered the upper chest. He went down like he'd been pole-axed and laid still just long enough for me to administer the coup de grace for insurance.





This was with a 55# longbow and Victory shaft carrying lots of weight up front. You can guess the weight like I did, but I'll assure you he's well north of 225# and built like a brick. The broadhead came out undamaged and will get redeployed for its third deer eventually.That's another deer that had the best of all bloodtrails....the one you don't need.

[Zwickey-Fever]

 "In my experience", I tried single bevel broadheads in 2015. I learned how to sharpen them in the Spring time and started practicing after work on a daily basis. I was truly amazed how accurate they was. Fast forward to opening day here in Iowa. I decided to take a big mature doe as she made her way towards me. She came completely broadside at 12 yards, I drew back, hit my anchor, picked a spot and released. My arrow hit exactly where I was aiming. I watched the doe take a few leaps and bounds, then walk off as if nothing. I watched her through my binos make her way down to the creek bottom and lay down. I sat there watching her for about 10-12 minutes before I lost sight of her. I got down after a hour and made my way to my arrow that was stuck in the ground covered in blood. I was curious about what kind of blood trail would await me as I started making my way in the direction the doe took. And besides at the point of impact, I could not find a spec of blood to save my life! I really searched. I found her prints but no blood. I made my way to where I seen her bed down, and there I seen a small amount of blood but not her. I went down across the creek and found her up on the other side piled up about 90-100 yards away from where I shot her. I was really careful when I was gutting her because I wanted to check out what the damage the single bevel broadhead has done. there was plenty of blood in the chest cavity. I went through both lungs just behind the heart but there was no "S" wound channeling like I heard so much about.
  About a week later, I arrowed a heavy antler ten pointer that I never recovered due to the lack of blood on the ground. I hit him quartering away from a deer stand that was 14 feet off the ground. found my arrow about 20 yards from where I shot him, covered in blood. I found very very little blood out to about 150 yards to where it trickled off. I took off a day of work and really looked along with several friends without luck.
  After that experience, I went back to my Zwickey Deltas. The very next buck I shot was a eight pointer that field dressed out at 235lbs. Shot him at 18 yards and he only made it about 28-30 yards before dropping. The blood trail was unreal. So for me, the single bevel is only a gimmick. I will never use them again. I shoot the biggest broadhead Zwickey offers. Keep it simple, bigger the hole, the more blood on the ground.

[GCook]

That's a good buck Kevin.  But I'm pretty sure the type of bevel on the broadhead had less to do with the length and amount of blood to track than a fortune circumstance. 😉

[buckeyebowhunter]

Great buck Kevin 

[Orion]

I've only killed a few deer with single bevel heads -- Abowyer Wapitis -- and can't say the blood trail was any less than any other well hit deer I've taken.  Certainly they were sufficient to lead me to tghe deer quite easily. 

I agree with Ryan. If the broadhead is truly sharp, the biggest determinator of blood trail on a good hit is the size of the head, with multiple blades an additive factor.  Of course, a dull head or poor hit, and all bets are off.

I got to wondering though.  If the single bevels truly do cut an S shape wound, kind of making a circle or two as it goes through the animal, might that make it easier for internal tissue to block the wound channel and reduce the blood escaping the wound.  Don't know. It's one plausible explanation.

I still think the biggest reason for poor blood trails are poor hits and dull broadheads.   

[Bisch]

I can’t explain what makes a critter not bleed out well? Last month, I shot this doe with a 1.5” wide, sharp enough to easily shave hair, German Kinetic broadhead.

You can see the placement and shot angle in the pic. The deer made it about 100yds, and there was not a visible spot of blood anywhere from shot site to the place where she expired! There was massive blood on the ground where she died. I expected to follow a crimson path to my deer, and ended up doing circle patterns till I found her. I have no explanation?????

Bisch

[Ryan Rothhaar]

Bisch, I think someone else mentioned it earlier, I've had heart shot deer not leave a good blood trail, seems like if you do massive damage to the heart the ticker can shut off and stop pumping. Had this happen a couple of times with big Snuffers.

R

[GCook]

Buddy shot an oryx the other day.  300 grain Tuffhead.  Went in straight up and down between two ribs.  Came out up and down between two ribs. 
It must not have gotten the memo about that.
The gimmick stuff is something I don't count on.  But razor slick sharp heads are deadly.  That's what I should control.