Broadhead choices for hogs?

[ozy clint]

i can only speak though experience with my crossbow (just switched to recurve). i use an aussie made 2 blader called a blackstump. these things are tough. you could literally go stumping with 'em. shot them into logs etc, good as new. and oh so easy to sharpen. i would use them with confidence on ANYTHING!

[DELTA]

Hey Hawgslayer,where can I find 150 gr stingers four blades.

[fatman]

Delta, check w/ Braveheart Archery, sponsor here  

[Ben Maher]

I have had great luck with 160 and 190gn ribteks and tuskers [ 2 blade's] out of a 52@27" Hill bow on 630gn shafting. Last year i took a large boar with a 160gn snuffer...didn't penetrate totally like the two blades but the blood trail was very very short and probably twice as evident as the two blade trail. having said that, on marginal hits such as shoulder plate abd bone hits the two blade has never let me down
cheers
b

[beachbowhunter]

I carry 2 and 4  blade Stingers. If I'm after a 200+ pounder, I'll put the 2  blader on the string. Anything less and I would shoot the 4   blade.

[curlis]

I'm going Friday. Will have two blade stingers on the front of my arrows. I'll report back when I get home.

[bayoulongbowman]

German Kenetic silver flames are the best!!!!!pass throughs on my pig shots...I also have WW bheads...but unless Im shooting over 56# hard to get pass through

[Terry Green]

Yes...hogs DO bleed, and they will bleed better if passed through with a 3 or 4 blade than a 2 blade. From all the tracking I've done and stories I've heard from 'in camp' hunts.  Common sense will tell you that a slit will not bleed as much as a hole all things being equal....expecially on a bore hog sheild.

Not sure why someone would claim they don't bleed much, guess they've never shot em with multi blade heads?

 I've shot them with Delta 4 blades and it looked like the broom straw, pine needles, leaves, etc, was painted scarlet with a mop....and the only one I have ever shot with a 2 blade, a wide 2 blade at that, blew through as well and ran 30 yards over a white sand opening and crashed...and there was NO blood trail at all.  the only blood on the ground was under the dead hog.  

Question is, do you have enough bow to pass through them with a multi blade?

[Ray Hammond]

Soon after this post started in 2003 I went BACK to Grizzlies..160's specifically.

No problems with blood trails if you get an exit wound.

[bayoulongbowman]

I guess guys, we are always looking for the perfect broadhead, and that pig I shot last Friday with Wensel woodsman did bleed out great , and  piled up quick....I prob need more bow also for pass throughs with a WW...Got try the 160 Grizzlies soon ...thanks marco

[tarponnut]

I've had good luck on hogs using 4 blade Stingers,Phantoms, and Magnus two blades.
The best blood trail I've had was with the Muzzy Phantom 4 blades 125gr(480 grain arrow).
I haven't had much luck re-sharpening them, however. Two blade Magnus are great since they are tough, get scary sharp, and are easily re-usable.

For deer, I like a Magnus Snuffer 125 gr. which cut a big hole and leave a great blood trail.That is critical where I hunt in the Everglades.

[Scott J. Williams]

Terry you are correct again!  The fat, course hair, and the characteristics of the hide on a hog creates all kinds of problems in tracking after even a great hit.

I hunt them near, in water, thick nasty green hells. A quick kill, with as much blood as I can get are important.  My Fiancee' is stuck on two blade Magnus, she only shoots 40 -44 pounds, they do the job just fine, but leaves a little to be desired in the blood department.  

Razor sharp, mult-blade(3blade)heads, do a great job. While I have used Wensels over the past three seasons,  I used MA3s prior, no doubt about it, they are the toughest of any head on the market, affordable, they are hard, and therefore are tough to get sharp.  When you get them there, they hold an edge.  

Just some observations I have made over the past 30 years of hunting and killing hogs.

[alicat]

looking at changeing from a two blade  head to a 3 or 4 only i cant decide between the MA3, eskimo 4 blade or a magnus 1 4blade.
Will mostly be used for goats pigs and the odd red deer out of a 60# recurve.What are your thoughts cheers from New Zealand.

[Rik]

Alicat,

Most of the guys above are talking about shooting American feral hogs.

If your New Zealand boars are anything like  Australian boars with the thick, tough, mud-caked fighting shields, you will be way better off sticking with a two-blade head.

[alicat]

Thanks for the advice rik thats a good point our pigs are prety tough.
Next question what do the magnus heads fly like with out the bleeder blades in.

[Turpentine]

I've shot hogs with recurves and longbows from 50 to 65 pounds. I killed 19 hogs this past year and was also involved in trailing 15 more for my brother (he's a compound shooter). We hunt in low, muddy, often flooded swamps with cutdowns and cane breaks so thick that most of our trailing is done on our knees. A good blood trail is very important. We've used Steelforce, Buckpole Patriot 2 and 4 Bld, Zwickey Eskimo 2 and 4 Bld, Zwickey Eskelite 2 and 4 blade, Magnus II 2 and 4 Bld, Snuffers, Wensel Woodsman, Grizzly and Ribtek.  Most of my hogs were shot with a Black Widow MA II 56#s at 29" with 540 to 550 grain arrows.  Six were shot with a Black Widow MA II 65#s at 29" with 610 grain arrows.  I've had some poor results with penetration with both Snuffers and the Woodsman. Even with the 65# bow. I dub the tip on these heads. Even though penetration wasn't great, the blood trails were pretty good. That said, I've had great penetration with Grizzley's and the other two blade heads but the blood trails for the most part were lacking.  The slit they leave seems to close easily due to fat and that thick (often muddy) skin around the sheild.  I do like to try different designs and configurations but I always find myself coming back to one broadhead, the 4 blade Zwickey Eskimo.  I like 4 blade heads in general, especially those with smaller bleeders, but the Zwickey is my favorite.  I practice and shoot 99 percent of the time with broadheads.  Since the Zwickey's are all one piece, I don't have to worry about losing the bleeders in targets.  The small bleeders don't seem to impede penetration but really help to open up the hole.  These heads are a little more difficult to sharpen than a removable bleeder style.  I also like the looks of the muzzy phantom and the magnus stinger 4 bld but I've never tried them.
Shot placement (as many of you have said) seems to be the most important factor no matter what head you use.  Stay tight to the front leg and low, slightly quartered away if possible.  Hogs that are hit right, go down pretty quick.  If you hit high or a little far back, you might want to bring some extra flashlight batteries and/or a dog.
Turpentine

[BUFF]

If you hit them far enough forward they will bleed. If you look closly you can see the blood pouring out of this one
 http://www.buffsblackwidow.com/videos/welcomehog.wmv

[Leo L.]

The hog I shot this past weekend was with a G5 Striker Magnum.  Looked like a scene out of a horror film there was so much blood.

[Battle_shaft]

I killed 2 this past weekend with 125gr snuffers and they both had great blood trails. One was a high double lung and the other was a (blown) neck shot.

[Turpentine]

All of my hogs were shot from tree stands.  Hogs do bleed very well when hit right.  In most of my cases, hits at or below the halfway point of the body bleed profusely, even in the absence of an exit wound.  In my experiences with narrow cut 2 blade heads, the amount of blood spilled decreased substantially.  Not in every case, but this happened enough with both deer and hogs over the years to make me start using the 4 blade versions and experiment with 3 blades as well.  As a result of my experiences, i'm not a fan of 3 blades.  I'm certainly no expert but I am fortunate enough to get to hunt in a target rich environment.  Many hunters love the three blades and have good success with them.  Confidence in equipment is a huge ingredient in the formula for success and if three blades give you more, then use them.  The three blades I've used were deadly, cut a nice hole, and left a good blood trail.  They just don't quite penetrate as well as a 2 blade or a 4 blade with smaller bleeders.  People that shoot lower poundage (to me 55# or less) or bows of lesser performance,  might be better suited with  the 2 or 4 blade.  One problem I had when I first started shooting hogs was shooting them too far back or quartered away steeply. My home made longbow (medium to low performance) just lacked the punch to get the wensel woodsman into the vitals on steeply quartered animals from a treestand.  The Zwickey made the difference and were able to get there on similar shots in the future.  Unfortunately, as always, I had to learn this the hard way.  
OK fellows, gotta go pick up my 5 year old son.  We have an appointment with nightcrawlers and bedding shellcrackers.
Turpentine