Initial impression of single bevel heads

[buckeyebowhunter]

There's a lot of buzz right now about heavy arrows and single bevel heads. And while I've always shot heavy arrows I figured I'd give the heavy single bevels a shot this fall. I will leave out brand names as I don't want to turn this into a product bash.

So far I've managed to arrow two does and my father arrowed a stud buck with a very similar arrow setup as mine with his compound. All 3 shots were in my opinion good shots on broadside deer with one slightly quartering to. 2 were pass through with the quartering shot maybe getting 18 inches of penetration. Long story short the deer were not recovered so maybe the shots were not as good as we'd thought but none the less this brings me to my point.

The blood trails from all 3 shots were so minimal that the tracking was a nightmare. Basically drops from impact until drying up several hundred yards later.

I've never experienced this shooting my old Zwickey deltas or snuffers so therefore I will be switching back for the remainder of the season to hopefully save face. I will not say that I've never lost deer using my old heads but I never experienced such minimal blood trails.

Thoughts?

[Possum Head]

Never felt compelled to try a single but provided they are sharp they should cause equal bleeding I would think.

[ed lash]

In my experience, these broadheads can really penetrate bone and cause humerus fractures. Shot my biggest buck (over 205"after deduct) with one of these. Was never pleased with my sharpening and I studied up on best ways, methods, etc. Not impressed with the blood trails either. Quit using them and have had better luck. Sorry for the lost deer..that hurts like crazy.

[1Arrow1Kill]

Dang!  I considered switching to single bevel and am now glad I procrastinated.  I'll learn from your lesson and stick with my current setup.  Sorry for your loss . . .

[buckeyebowhunter]

I will say they are easy to sharpen. One thing I really did like about them. But I am simply baffled by the lack of blood. I've heard a lot of people say that they're great because you don't have to track "the animals rarely run out of sight". Which sounds great until they do and you have no blood trail. Trying to track a deer with no blood may be one of the worst feeling you can experience as a hunter in my opinion. And the hills here in southeastern Ohio don't really lend themselves to allowing you to watch a deer after the shot for very long.

Once again I'm not trying to bash SB and I really was confident in shooting them but I'm really losing confidence quickly. If I have to track a deer I need to be able to see some blood.

[GCook]

I bought some early in my traditional experience and I found the same thing with blood trails.  I also found out they don't penetrate a boars shield and better than my other heads and it really hurts to see that $30 head run off in a pig.
That said I have more experience now and am a better shooter so my intention is to give them another try.

[Gun]

I think there’s more involved here than just the broad head. I shot a big bull moose first year I tried them and had the best blood trail ever w a two blade.

[buckeyebowhunter]

Gun, I believe there is probably a lot of variables to simply blame it on the broadhead as well. I am simply comparing my initial results to my older wider double bevel heads.
Also correct me if I'm wrong but I think comparing a large animal like a bull moose to a whitetail is quite different also as their vitals, arteries, etc are huge and would result in more blood produced if severed.
I'm no biologist so my theory may have no merit.

[Jon Stewart]

Every other year someone comes out with something new and improved. Just a sales gimmick as far as I am concerned.

[PICKNGRIN]

A buddy of mine has used them and he too was very disappointed in blood trails on well hit deer.

[Anyminutenow]

Great topic/question. Starting this traditional addiction later in my life. SB broadhead are the only thing I’ve put through game. I wondered if my lack of blood trails was just due to my own poor tracking. Be it lack of woodsmanship or lack of experience.

So, I purchased a kme broadhead kit after reading on here about them. I wasn’t doing a good enough job before. The difference for me was night and day. It’s no substitute for shot placement. However, it’s helped me get 2 holes (entry/exit), better blood, and shorter recoveries. I recently arrowed my largest whitetail, and couldn’t have been happier with the results. Lots of luck.

[Kevin Dill]

I’ve shot SBBs exclusively for 10 years. My experience has been that I get better penetration and better bloodtrails than any other heads I’ve used....period. Additionally, I’ve noticed a much greater percentage of the animals I’ve killed have gone down in sight and didn’t even require trailing. But it’s not only about having one bevel. It’s also about broadhead shape and design, sharpness, weight, and accuracy of the shot. The best broadhead will get poor bloodtrails if the shot isn’t on the money.



This doe was killed 2 weeks ago. The arrow flashed through her and lodged solidly into the ground. She bounded 20 yards....paused and went down. She lost her lights in less than 5 seconds. There was so much blood through the tall weeds I had to avoid walking where she ran.

I have watched my last 7 or 8 deer go down before getting out of sight. Same with a couple bears and multiple moose. I don’t ever try to convince anyone to use them, but I definitely know how effectively they work for me and a number of my friends.

[Gun]

Guys, look up Ranch Fairy on YouTube.
I’ll only add that make sure they’re SCARY sharp. This years bull arrow hit opposite shoulder w a Zwickey Delta. He only went about 20 yds. I just wanted to try them. Didn’t bleed a bit.
My best bull a few years back was complete pass thru back lungs going in. Tight behind leg coming out. Steady blood for 100 yds

[buckeyebowhunter]

I've watched Ranch Fairy's stuff and I like his videos very informative and I believe what he says. Like I said I've always shot heavy arrows, shot aluminums for years and then switched to heavy carbons. Penetration has never been an issue, and ranch fairy is part of the reason I went to using these heads but golly I would've thought that at least one of the 3 deer so far this fall would've bled. Like said shot placement is critical but I did not believe these shots were poor. Perhaps it is design of particular broadhead we've been using (all 3 hits with same head)

Kevin what brand of SB are you shooting?

Thanks for all the replies.

[buckeyebowhunter]

I understand the sharpness factor too, but geesh if you can get a head shaving sharp and blowing through deer, how much sharper can you realistically get?

[Kevin Dill]

bbh.....

I’ve been shooting the Abowyer Wapiti 175 gr the past decade. I’ve never ruined one, but I’ve lost a few from arrows that flew through animals and disappeared.

I really want to be clear that I’m not a SBB junkie. I started shooting them after studying every bit of data and physics I could find. I wanted a big SOLID piece of quality steel. I had to prove to myself they could be made as sharp as my other heads. I also needed to see that the final cutting edge held up and didn’t ‘roll’ as is often brought up. After so many years I haven’t ever found a single negative.

Maybe the biggest negative is the hype, which they don’t warrant. They aren’t the holy grail of heads. To me they are a percent type of thing....maybe offering an improvement in certain situations (but not all) and having no perceivable negatives in performance on game.

[mec lineman]

I have tried single bevel heads. Mainly Grizzlies. Can really get them sharp. If your arrow strays and hits bone, this is where I personally saw them shine. I only hunt white tails, black bear and Turkey. It is my opinion on those game animals I listed, I think it is an advantage to shoot the widest broadhead  possible.  I'm not saying everyone has to shoot Tree Sharks. But a Tiger Shark doesn't hurt or a Snuffer!

[SuperK]

My first doe this year was shot with a single bevel Grizzly.  I did not find a single drop of blood.  I used a rechargeable spotlight and looked until the light went dead.  As I was heading back to my truck, I found the deer in the edge of the field.  My arrow entered back of the last rib at midline and exited slightly above midline just back of the shoulder blade.  (I was hunting from a ground blind)  A large wad of gut was poking out of the entrance wound (about the size of an orange) and had sealed it off.  She didn't go 60 yards.   Would a different broadhead have produced a bloodtrail?       Fact is, most of my single bevel Grizzly kills on deer have had very good bloodtrails.   

[Kevin Dill]

My experience has been that any hit involving the abdomen (as in any area behind the diaphragm) is a potential wild card. That’s because the abdomen is basically a positive pressure capsule, anything that penetrates it produces the effect of a hernia. The abdominal contents tend to push outward and plug the wound. I’ve seen it many, many times.

Meanwhile the chest (thorax) is essentially a negative pressure area. The negative pressure on inspiration is what helps the lungs expand. The diaphragm is the device which keeps both areas functioning correctly. Punching through it internally can also produce a gut herniation into the wound toward the chest.

What all this means for a bloodtrail is inconclusive at best, but it does indicate a lot of potential for variables and outcomes.  Great topic.

[GCook]

If a two blade head is made of a decent steel I can sharpen it.  I get excellent blood trails from the relatively inexpensive wide cut head I shoot.  So the not sharp enough line doesn't apply to me.  Plus, if you've actually dropped the coin on a half dozen Grizzlies you know they come scary sharp.