2 blades and blood trails?

[bowdude]

LOL  

[Seeking Trad Deer]

I shoot several hundred 2 and 3 blade heads at paper gun targets then determine which is the most accurate head for my set up and use that one.

If I shot below 50# with average FOC I would only use 2 blade heads for the penetration.  Shooting 600 grain arrows with high FOC I shoot whichever is more accurate for my set ups.

In self defence the "experts" say choose the caliber you are most accurate with over the one with the greatest stopping power.  Not sure if that applies here but I thought I would throw that out for pondering...

[Rico]

My experince has been primarly with 2 blade and there always seems to be a considerable amount of blood left inside the cavity. Blood that would have certainly aided in tracking had it spilled out.

[DW]

Somewhere around 30 years ago I started bowhunting. No one else in my family had ever bowhunted so what I learned was by trial and error or 'word of mouth' then trial and error. I latched on and listened to the guy's who were sucessful, sorted thru that, then more trial and error..A lot of what I now know was passed to me from Jerry Simmons and Jerry is a strong advocate for "multi-blade" heads. He has taken around 500 big game animals with archery equipment and I respect him and his ability. Multi blade heads have worked for me for a lot of years. I tend to have better blood trails, in my opinion, and they help out when a shot is a little off the intended mark....If he had shot 2 blades and I had started shooting them in the beginning, I might feel different but I don't think so....Just my opinion and I respect EVERYONE elses..I agree 110% with Charlie. Don

[Jason R. Wesbrock]

Originally posted by Terry Green:
I've never seen a need for 2 blades on deer out of the bows I shoot.

Even thought I'm a huge fan of the particular 2-blade heads I use, I'll readily admit that, for my setup, they're beyond overkill for whitetails. Heck, I've shot through enough whitetails with Delta 4-blades to know I certainly don't need a skinny 2-blade head to kill a deer.

I'm just stubborn.     :D

[RC]

I only shoot sround 50lbs now but when I shot heavy bows I was a die hard Simmons man with bleeders installed.Penatration was never an issue. I dropped in bow weight and the last ten years or so I have shot a multitude of broadheads.2 blade,3blade and 4blades. they all work good through the lungs but I have settled on MagnusI`s and Simmons. they work for me great as 2 blades.
   If you gonna shoot a 2 blade shoot a biggun.
 I don`t take iffy shots and honestly blood trail maybe 1 in 10 of the critters I shoot. Most I hear or see fall.I sometimes will trail just for the sport but usually not.I think shot placement and shot distance are more important than how many blades.Just a rednecks opinion.RC

[Bonebuster]

I am another that does not need a two edge head because of penetration.

I like the look of them, they are easy to sharpen, and I have never had issues with poor blood trails.

As we all know, make sure they are sharp, and get as close as we need to so we can put them where they will do the most good, regardless of what head it is.

[Terry Green]

Originally posted by Bonebuster:


As we all know, make sure they are sharp, and get as close as we need to so we can put them where they will do the most good, regardless of what head it is.

Exactly....that's what we all strive for....BUT!

That's why I shoot 4 blades at deer cause  they aint alway in the same place when the arrow gets there......and I want a head that is going to cause more trauma in those situations...and have a wider cut width to get more of the goodies on those shots.  Any sharp head will work when all is perfect, again we all know that, but which one will work best when all isn't?  On deer, I'll take 4 blades all day long, cause I have complete pass troughs on all hits where the off leg/shoulder isn't contacted.....and IF they are....well, its too late.

[joel smith]

I don't shoot real heavy bows but do shoot pretty heavy arrows and can honestly say that penetration has not been an issue for me on any animal that i have shot so far. I've shot deer, hogs and elk with around 60# and heads have varied from WWs to Simmons Interceptors (w/bleeders) to Phantoms to Montecs to Zwicks. I did shoot the Zwickeys early on in a two-blade configuration and the old Bears w/o the bleeders and must say the bloodtrails didn't SEEM to be as good---either in quantity or in how soon the bloodtrail started. Started using multis and have never looked back, long as I do my part they give me good blood

[pdk25]

Okay, I'm fairly new to traditional archery but I'll add my 2 cents.  I've probably shot 50-60 deer total and about 1/2-1/3 of those were with a compound bow.  I've had deer with heart/lung shots bleed like crazy, and others that sealed up.  I've had pass through on all of my deer.  Unless you are using a very light bow or hit the shoulder square on you should have a pass through.  This doesn't always translate into a good blood trail.  High shots will bleed, not because of positive pressure (Sorry Charlie, just not true), but because blood vessels that feed the intercostal muscles and other small vessels are cut.  Sometimes that is all you get.  I shot a deer with a 7mm mag through the heart that had a little blood at the site of impact and then nothing, I mean nothing, between it and the carcass that was 45 yards away.  It's not an exact science.  Alot of it depends on how fast the animal is moving after the shot.  The more surface area of the blade you use the more likely it is to cut vessels and vital organs, the more the animal bleeds.  Usually this will translate into a better blood trail, but not always.  Obviously if the arow doesn't completely penetrate it will not cut as much tissue so having more blades in this circumstance will not help.  Usually this is not the case with deer.  Since I am new to the game I plan on using 2-blades for hunting because eventually I want to hunt hogs.  3 blade or 4 blade setups would probably work better as far as blood trails go, but when I eventually go hog hunting I want to give myself the best opportunity for penetration.  As far as deer hunting goes I will probably use the two blades as well, but that is really without any good justification other that that is what I have and I think it will do the job just fine.

[DeerSpotter]

Good Stuff

[Morning Star]

I'm one of the people who had consistent poor blood on the ground when using 2 blades.  I personally won't shoot anything but the woodsman head anymore.  I still get good penetration out of my setup and adequate blood is the norm.  Don't get me wrong, they still die the same, but that extra blood is always helpful.  I don't have any desire for exciting blood trails full of ups and downs, I like to walk upright and directly to the dead.     Just my experience.

[j yenney]

As you can see, my picture I posted today on my New Zealand hunt, even though the fallow deer are small the two blade head has given me a good blood trail on most all game I've shot. I only had one mule deer that I hit good that did not leave a good blood trail. Nothing wrong with a two blade head. Although I wouldn't mind trying one of those woodsmen, do they make them with threads ?

[Bill Kissner]

Everyone on here that has killed much of anything has an opinion on this. They may agree with you or me but most probably no one's mind is gonna be changed. This has been argued many times and there are legitimate arguements for both heads. Several have suggested using the head with the most blades you are capable of getting an exit hole from. These fellows are the ones that should be listened to.

[nutmeg]

What Charlie said. Right on the money.(nut)

[twotimer]

i'm with sharpster,shot placement,and a sharp head are the main conserns.don't take the shot if in doubt,if you do take it,play all the angles,straght arrow,good fletching,and super sharp broadhead,good anchor,smooth release,equal sucess.ps,i'm a 2 blade man.

[KentuckyTJ]

The slit won't close up.  I think it's all a matter of where you hit an animal as to the blood trial it leaves with any kind of head.  I do truly believe that a sharp edge bleeds better whether it's two or four blades.  Have you ever cut your finger with a really sharp knife.  The blood doesn't clot nearly as quickly as it does with a dull jagged cut.  Having said this the two blade heads as a whole are very apt to get sharper.

Go for it, that's the beauty of our sport we can all have different opinions.  Also I would never listen to anyone that's never used a two blade head.  I've used both and there are benefits to both. I had a situation a few years ago on a whitetail while using a two blade head. Right before the arrow hit the deer it whirled and the arrow went in it right at the right side of it's neck and penetrated the shoulder.  Once I opened the deer up I saw the two blade head had just barely penetrated one lung.  If that would have been a three or four blade head I never would have found that deer.

[KentuckyTJ]

If you do decide to go two blade check out the KME sharpener.

 www.kmesharp.com

[straitera]

JMHO, shot placement matters more than blade type. I find 2-blades fly and penetrate better. Clipped the heart passing through on my last pig at 24 yards. Stevie could have followed the trail.

[bm22]

this thread appears about once every month or two and everyone has a different opinion so i will give mine.

it tends to reason that a multi blade head will cut more blood vessels than a 2 blade that just cuts on a single plane or 1 slice. but then if you use a single bevel you have to add in the rotation of the broadhead so who knows.

i do know that a buddy of mine shot a buck with a 4 blade muzzy phantom. it looked like he shot this buck with a 7 mag. it had a perfect hole the size of a quarter on both sides and cut the arteries going to the heart and am pretty sure got both lungs. the "perfect shot" for the first 100 yards there was almost no blood, actually only few specks the deer went 120- 150 yards and only in the last 20 or so yards did we begin to see blood. so the huge " hole " didn't guarrentee a great blood trail on a perfect shot so what would.

i believe that the sharpness of the blades and the path of the arrow, wether the arrow stays in the animal or exits has more to do with the blood trail than the number of blades. i shoot a 2 blade to make sure the arrow is in the dirt on the other side.