Initial impression of single bevel heads

[SuperK]

Wasn't there a long thread a few years ago that was titled "single bevels and the missing bloodtrail " or something like that?

[buckeyebowhunter]

Wasn't there a long thread a few years ago that was titled "single bevels and the missing bloodtrail " or something like that?

Yep, I read through it for the first time last night after making this post. Seems a lot of different opinions and some controversy surrounding single bevel.

I don't doubt those who say they are happy with them. But I'm just not a good enough shot or tracker  I guess to not get blood trails. And the woods around here are so thick and hilly that you might lose sight of a deer after 40 yards or so.  I know blood trails aren't everything but they sure do help me out

[BAK]

Well, if you have a blade 3 inches long and 1 inch wide, with equally sharp edges, what scientific premise is going to inhibit blood flow from one and not the other.   

[GCook]

Well I've got the stitches and the scars to prove how just a straight wide slice will bleed ya.

[GCook]

I'm going to take the Grizzlies on a hunt this coming weekend.   Only a whitetail doe hunt but I should get shot opportunities.  I will be in some rocky areas so the decision to shoot them will be based on opportunity for destruction of a $30 broadhead but if not I'll have them in my quiver at the ranch and pigs or deer will get to taste them.
I'll post back up if I do and the results.

[mec lineman]

When did Grizzlies become so expensive. The ones I shot were the most economical broadhead to date.

[IndaTimber]

When did Grizzlies become so expensive. The ones I shot were the most economical broadhead to date.

Me too. Just bought 6 for $48 and based on the previous comment about scary sharp out of the package makes me think he has a different head.

[Bowwild]

I've been using Strickland Helix SBB for several years. Every since I watched the video of a deer his wife Shirley shot as it ran off (on video) pumping blood as it ran. It has an unusual shape, and I'll admit, if I didn't know and trust the maker personally, I would probably not have tried it.

While I've been quite pleased with it. I think there are many great broadheads on the market these days, not like the late 70's and 80's.   I have a few Grizz and VPA but I haven't hunted with them. 

The Helix is the only broadhead I've ever sharpened with the roller wheels Tim recommends.  Very easy and fast to touch up.  I've always trusted angled ceramic rods in the past. The ceramic rods don't work (for me) with these broadheads.

[GCook]

When did Grizzlies become so expensive. The ones I shot were the most economical broadhead to date.

Me too. Just bought 6 for $48 and based on the previous comment about scary sharp out of the package makes me think he has a different head.

The older German made heads were $90 for three.

[TwistedHollow]

I shot a buck this year with a 175 grain Eclipse werewolf single bevel. Penetration was excellent went through both shoulder blades. My draw weight I’m
Shooting is 50lbs. Was definitely impressed with penetration but From what I seen too bold trail was horrible. Now this is the only time I’ve used
 single bevel but just was I observed also for a trail.

On a side note if your thinking of using these heads customer service is A++ great company to deal with.

[GCook]

When did Grizzlies become so expensive. The ones I shot were the most economical broadhead to date.

Me too. Just bought 6 for $48 and based on the previous comment about scary sharp out of the package makes me think he has a different head.

Apparently I am.  I apologize.   Please excuse my ignorance.
https://www.grizzlystik.com/mobile/Single-Bevel-Broadheads-C15.aspx

[Cory Mattson]

Interesting posts ALL. Buckeye lets take a step back a minute. The evidence you cite tells me none of these were good hits. If we agree a "good hit" starts with finding an arrow that passed through covered stem to stern with blood.

minimal blood sign drying up HUNDREDS of Yards ?! - Hundreds is a Long way. You mention two are pass throughs. Passed through what? If the arrow passed through guts no tracking should have been done that day but I don't want to get side tracked here. Not trying to be overly optimistic but I have no reason to think these deer are dead. And of course you can't find deer that aren't dead. 

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[buckeyebowhunter]

Cory this is from my doe on Saturday. Complete pass through stuck in ground. My mind's eye told me it was a perfect shot behind the arm pit but just above the brisket or bottom of deer. Of course our minds eye isn't always correct. But this is my arrow. Nothing tells me this isn't a heart shot deer. Once again i could be wrong. 

The other two shots I describe were both marginal BUT they were 100% not ponch hits or even back for that matter.

Once again I have no objective evidence that the shots were amazing. BUT my point is I thought these heads were supposed to shine on marginal or shots that we thought were perhaps a little off as long as they weren't in fact gut shots.

Nothing about these heads 1 and 1/8 single bevel 250 grains. Have shown me that they would do more than a Zwickey Delta on a whitetail. And as some have said the heads that I am shooting are also near $25 a piece.

I suppose my overall conclusion with making this post is to maybe keep some people from spending their cash on heads that may not be so much better than our traditional 2 blade heads.

[Cory Mattson]

Yes Buckeye that arrow looks good thanks

[Ryan Rothhaar]

After a decade of dog tracking, and going on more deer trailing expeditions than most guys will go on in a lifetime, with all kinds of broadheads, traditional and modern, I've only been able to correlate one thing....In my experience, on average, the bigger the broadhead, the more blood on the ground.  We rarely got called on "good" hits, but only on ones where they couldn't find the deer themselves.

Never saw a single vs double bevel correlation to blood amount, just broadhead size.  ALL broadhead performance info is simply anecdotal, there is no way to do scientific correlation, too many variables at play (no matter what some folks claim...I dont want to get off topic but I can argue science...its what I've done as a career for over 20 years ). This is just my personal anecdotal observation after 100's of tracks, the majority of which were "poorly hit" deer.  You hit em perfect...likely doesn't matter.

R

[ozy clint]

have to agree with Ryan.
blood trails are in my experience, short and profuse or long and protracted often with nothing at the end of it.

[GCook]

If a deer is shot through the heart or both lungs with a reasonably sharp broadhead then it should be found dead in under 150 yards.  Many times under 50.  Even the vaunted big boar hog will expire quickly when double lunged by a razor sharp broadhead. 
Often what is thought to be double lung is only one lung.  Maybe back of a lung and liver.
But still, should be a dead animal.

[tzolk]

The first deer I shot was with a VPA 2 blade. Never found a blood trail but went looking for him a little bit after I hit him and lucky found him 100 yards in the willows. Sure wasn't razor sharp either but it got him.

My last 2 deer I used Abowyers. One was a Bonehead and the other a Grizzly. Weird thing, and I really can't complain but when I shot these two deer, one was 15 yards and may have got his heart, it was right where you want to hit em and after the arrow struck, the arrow must have went upward behind his neck and hit the spinal cord because he dropped when he stood and died within a minute.

My third buck with the Abowyer Grizzly, I hit him from about 12 feet away, right in the bread box and he dropped right where he stood too. Both were ground shots with me standing. Weirdest thing! I wonder if both of those arrows were redirected upward into the spinal cord. I heard a loud thwack on the last one but he was only like 12 feet away so he got the full power of the bow. No pass throughs on the last two. Was lucky enough to not have to need a blood trail.
Now I'm shooting vpa 3 blades. My buddy shot 2 blades and we never could find his deer. Plenty of blood though. I'm sure that was his shot placement error though, from a tree stand.
Switching to 3 blades will hopefully give me more chance for a blood trail now that we are back in michigan with a lot less wild land to roam.

[Mike Bolin]

I have shot three deer with single bevel heads. On the first two deer, I had a complete pass thru with what I would  call a very minimal blood trail and in the case of the second deer it was more like non-existent. after the hit both ran less that 50 yards and dropped in sight. The third deer was hit quartering away, hitting what appeared to be liver and lung. Knowing that I'd hit liver and thinking only one lung, I backed out and waited 6 hours.
My wife (who sees blood better than anyone I know), a good friend (who is an excellent tracker) and I went to the sight of the hit and found one tiny drop of blood. This was expected as the arrow didn't penetrate completely. Rather than wander around the woods aimlessly I brought in a guy with a Lab that had found wounded deer before. Found nothing.
Overall, my experience with single bevel heads has been mixed. I am shooting 3 blades again. Had a hard quartering away shot on a doe last Saturday with a similar hit as on the deer I lost. She ran 20 yards or less from the site of the hit, stood for a few seconds and dropped over dead. VPA 3 blade with a complete pass thru and arrow stuck in the ground.
There are so many variables when it comes to blood trails and what what we "think" we see. Deer can react so quickly that it doesn't even register to us. If I were to hunt BIG game (Moose) I would probably opt for a 2 blade again just to try to insure maximum penetration. For deer sized game I plan to stick with the VPA/Woodsmen type 3 blade.

[Kelly]

3 blade creates a hole, two blade a slit. The latter can be closed over by muscle tissue/skin from the movement of the deer.