Broadhead for Bear?

[bucknut]

Getting ready to go on a bear hunt and having a dilemma on which broadhead to use 3 blade VPA, 3 blade Snuffer or 2 blade Cutthroat. All 200 grain. Never Bear hunted before so I don't really know how tough they are bone wise compared to whitetail. Bow is 55# recurve at my draw length 500 grain arrow.
Thanks, John

[Matty]

I think mot people will say go with the 3 blade. Ive been through this myself. Most suggested I use a 3 blade I went with a woodsman. Snuffer is the same. I'll be going bear hunting in 2 weeks. And taking woodsmans along. Also tempted to take some 125 greenies!!

[Orion]

Bear ribs aren't particularly big or tough, but bear have a lot of fat and hair.  I use a 4-blade Zwickey delta for bear.  One of the three bale heads you're considering will work fine.  Of course, a two blade will kill them as well, but entry channel is more likely to be blocked by fat and hair, usually resulting in a somewhat poorer blood trail.

[Longtoke]

I would go with the single bevel, but I shoot a lower power bow and also have no experience bear hunting soo..... grain of salt

[Friend]

Can't fathom the need for dilemma.

A reasonable mark with your setup will produce the identical results. All will produce and all won't produce. Discerning a possible 1% advantage vs one BH over the other isn't on the radar for the vast available percentage to success as directly related to the person behind the bow.

Self confidence alone will exponentially exceed any possible advantage in singling out one your BH choices.

Dead is dead.

[Michael Arnette]

I just had great results with grizzly single bevel...tremendous blood trail as always. I'd shoot any of those with your setup.

[Jayrod]

Originally posted by Michael Arnette:
I just had great results with grizzly single bevel...tremendous blood trail as always. I'd shoot any of those with your setup.

Well let's see em mike!!  

[Sean B]

I've killed my bears with the Woodsman. I've seen a bunch killed with a two blade. I put my woodsman right in the boiler room of the bear in my avitar, but didn't have much of s blood trail. I've seen a bear that Tippit killed with a two blade of his own making, that left a blood trail that a blind man could follow.

I'm leaving in two weeks and I'll be shooting Bear Greenies with out the bleeder.

[Blueridge]

I have killed 2 Bears, one with a Woodsman and one with a Stinger 2 blade. Not much blood from either and both Bears ran about 40 yards. It was over really quick.

[Cobie33]

The last two bears I killed were with 200 grain Woodsman heads.  I couldn't tell you about the first blood trail as it rained right after I shot him.  The second blood trail was adequate but I had shot him from the ground so the exit was not low as if shot out of a treestand.  Any of the heads you mentioned will work well.  Just place the head where it needs to go and you won't have to worry about a blood trail.  Best of luck and post pics of your success.

[Stickbow]

Bones are not particularly tough on a bear nor is the hide. Concentrate on keeping the wound channel open and study the anatomy.

Good luck and have fun!

[longbowman]

Shot a 400#+ bear with my 72# Howatt using a Bear Razorhead and took out back ribs, all the vitals then exiting through the shoulder and stuck in a tree.  I still use the Bears.

[Tim Finley]

If you hit the shoulder bone no broadhead is going to work, bears are thin skinned and have not much for ribs but the hair holds back lots of blood . Any good sharp head through the lungs will work but sometimes they can go aways before they stop when that happens you need a hole not a slit . When I started bear hunting in the early 70s we all used razorheads with the bleeder and I would still use that head today . Then we went to 2 blades because it was traditional and supposed to penetrate more (It didn't) . Out of frustration we switched to 125 snuffers we had better blood trails and the bears seemed to go down quicker on the average. Most bears with a forward double lung shot would not go more than 40 yards but there was the occasional one . I shot a big brown colored bear once using a 2 blade Zwickey there was zero blood trail and just searching I found him the next day about 200 yards away and hit looked just right . There were compound shooters in our camp and most of them used Thunder heads in the three blade . My friends son shot quite a few bears and he shot a 3 blade wasp both worked just fine . Searching for a dead or presumably dead bear with out a blood trail in the thick brush they in habit is  lots of time a search in futility go with the snuffer you may be glad you did !!

[Flying Dogg]

A double lung hit will put a black bear down within 30-40 yds. It is the not so perfect hit that must be considered which is why a big hole from a wide 3 or 4 blade is an advantage.

[Birdbow]

I've taken several bears with both 3 blade heads and 2 blade single bevels. Both work fine placed correctly but my preference when hunting out of a treestand is the 2 blade SB - want to assure an exit hole.

The bear in the photo was taken last year from a treestand with a Cutthroat SB 200gr broadhead. The bloodtrail was one you jog along.

 

[Etter]

I agree with whats stated above. But if you do hit a bear shoulder or leg, I doubt it would matter if you were shooting that grenade broadhead from rambo. Ill be carrying my simmons tree sharks as always.

[dnovo]

Like has been said, bears are not particularly hard to kill.  My prerequisite on broadheads for bear is sharp. I use 2 blade Magnus I's or Zwickey Deltas

[Dan bree]

I've been thinking the same thing . Two three . Or four blade . Think I'm going to use some dead heads  this sept

[Dave Pagel]

I have killed three.  One with a 160 Snuffer.  One with a 160 VPA 3-blade and one with a Magnus I 4-blade.  None of them went 100 yards and the last two didn't go 40.  All passed through except the VPA, but that went in behind the right shoulder and poked out about a foot in front of the left shoulder.  Interestingly that bear left the best blood trail.  The Snuffer pulled fat into the exit hole so there was not much blood.  I don't have any idea why the Magnus didn't bleed more.  I had just touched it up that morning.  There was good blood the first 10 yards, but the bear only went about 30 yards.

D.P.

[Bow man]

Use what you use on deer and are comfortable with.  Most important thing is to hit where you are aiming. I will be doing a hunt here in Michigan in Sept. and I will be using my stand by ACE Standard heads