Broadhead sharpness and bloodtrails

[woodsman196]

I have read a lot about how broadhead "X" will leave good blood for some and poor blood for others. I am not trying to compare different broadheads to each other. I am trying to compare two different levels of sharp on the same head design.

(Comparing "sharp" to "extremely sharp" with no other variables)

Is it reasonable to believe that all things being equal a sharper head will leave more blood on the ground?

Ivan

[Jake]

That's how I see it.

[joevan125]

Yep.

[KentuckyTJ]

It will leave more on the ground with a pass through and it will also bleed more internally. The sharper the cut the longer the blood will take to coagulate.

[Ralph Renfro]

I'm all for sharpness, the sharper the better, but.....I think shot placement and penetration is the key factors in how much blood is on the ground.  Now I do think the sharper head will result is better penetration but if the shot is at the top of the kill zone, most of the blood will be in the critter in front of the diaphram. If the shot is in the lower third of the kill zone, the blood will exit much sooner and therefore you'll have plenty of blood on the ground. I would never argue with the importance of a razor sharp broadhead, but I really feel that blood on the ground in more determined by shot placement. JMHO

[jrchambers]

do a search on filed edge vs polished, i seem to remember a really long thread about this

[lpcjon2]

Ok I will agree with sharpness, just not razor sharp.And with a forensic background I would have to say that if you cut yourself with a razor blade on the finger(don't try this at home)you have a clean smooth cut.which both sides will come together neatly and will clot faster.So if you do the same with a not so razor fine edge it will be a jagged edge on both sides that will not come together so neatly which will result in it being harder for it to clot faster.Which gives you more blood.IMFO
  This is why I believe that a saw tooth edge would cause a more damaging wound than a razor sharp one.I have seen the difference in stab wounds in my job.    

[NDTerminator]

Yes but there are so many factors involved it's impossible to say.

For example, I shot a buck last year with one of my compounds and an excellent three replacable blade. Pass through, left a minimal blood trail, travelled about 75 yards.

Later on in the season I filled an extra tag with one of my recurves using a Magnus 2 blade, I sharpened to cleanly cut a rubber band with minimal pressure & no drag.  No question it wasn't as sharp as the razor sharp factory blades of the above mentioned 3 blade, but plenty sharp.  Again a pass through, but this deer went only 20 yards and left a blood trail I could have followed with my nose.

Why the diffference?  Who the hell knows...

[Onehair]

I cut myself on a tin can once and nearly bled out. I think a filed edge may be the way to go. At least that has been my opinion for about 30 yrs.

[Ragnarok Forge]

lpcjopnh2, I gotta disagree a bit, sorry man.

Lots of doctors some trad gangers will tell you that a clean ultra sharp cut will bleed a lot more over a longer period of time than a jagged edged cut.  The closer the sharp edge gets to microscopic sharpness the better it cuts.  Also sharper leads to better penetration and more pass thrus.

Not disgregarding lpcjonh2's experience here since each wound is subjective to the situation.  My experience in hunting, cleaning animals, and overseas combat wounds is that a deep razor sharp cut bleeds forever and doesn't want to heal up very quickly.  Jagged cuts tended to clot more quickly.

I keep my broadheads rshaving sharp just like my knives and bayonet were kept while serving overseas.  Better penetration trumps everything in my book.

[jomama]

IM with ralph renfro.

[OS]

"No question it wasn't as sharp as the razor sharp factory blades of the above mentioned 3 blade"
Not always True I have purchased several top quality heads with factory sharpend replacement blades and I'll put my sharpening above alot of those.  Not that I'm all that good at it but on tests with paper mine cut much better.  
Now in saying that I have shot deer with the large snuffers and have Great to hands and knee crawls looking for blood with heads of eaquel sharpness.  Shot placement and body possition of your target means more if heads are sharp.  I shot one deer that was turned licking its back leg when I shot it.  I watched it fall with in 30 yards, but no blood.  What I found was that the arrow hole in the skinn was 7 inches away from the hole in the chest cavity same side!  my only explanation I could come up with was the skin was stretched because of the deer's posture and slid back when it turned strait again.

[NDTerminator]

Originally posted by OS:
"No question it wasn't as sharp as the razor sharp factory blades of the above mentioned 3 blade"
Not always True  

Wasn't talking about "always", was talking about the two heads I used.  Trust me, I tested both before hunting them.  Both were more than sufficient to kill, but the factory blades were hair shaving sharp...

[katman]

Ralph makes a great point. But go for both, placement with the sharpest broadhead you can get.

lpcjon2, I understand how a clean cut can be closed easier, that's why we make incisions with sharp blades, but won't the ragged cut get a much larger tissue response accelerating the clotting cascade?

[bornagainbowhunter]

I like to keep my broadhead so sharp that if you look at the edge it will cut your eye.  

[lpcjon2]

In my experience the more ragged hole opens more than a clean.could be due to the fibers of tissue and muscle not retaining their smooth interlocking fibrous construction.cut into a steak with a razor and put pressure on one side of the cut,it will close cleanly and then cut it with a serrated knife and do the same it will have gaps and that's what allows for a blood trail.Its my opinion and my experience.Its up to you to choose what you want.buy 2 cheap plastic kids ball made of vinyl and shoot one with a razor sharp blade and one with a file sharp edge and see the difference for yourselves.

[woodsman196]

There seems to be an agreement that sharpness is a key component in blood on the ground. What is still open for debate is "What type of sharp?". How does a person gauge sharp? At what point do you say that head is ready for my quiver?

I have never hunted with heads that I felt were not sufficiently sharp but I feel I can get them sharper. My goal is to determine when I have done all I can reasonably do to get my heads as sharp as I can.

[woodsman196]

Originally posted by lpcjon2:
In my experience the more ragged hole opens more than a clean.could be due to the fibers of tissue and muscle not retaining their smooth interlocking fibrous construction.cut into a steak with a razor and put pressure on one side of the cut,it will close cleanly and then cut it with a serrated knife and do the same it will have gaps and that's what allows for a blood trail.

As I understand it the skin and to a point the flesh of an animal are under tension so when cut they will naturally gape. Add to that the jarring effect of a running animal and I think there will be little opportunity for the wound to seal.

As an aside I agree a scalpel cut under direct pressure will close and seal better than a ripped or torn wound.

[lpcjon2]

Have you ever tracked a deer(after a 20-30 min.wait) and  found the spot he laid down in and after that no blood.all it has to do is have the right pressure and 5 min and the hole could be closed.

I get my heads and especially my wife's so that they will shave easily, and then I have a file that has the milling only on two sides, smooth on the narrow side, with that I cut a very fine serration.  Over the years this has worked best for us. If we were only cutting single density tissue with very powerful bows and penetration was not a concern, perhaps razor smooth will give the better bleeding at the surface.  With my wife shooting very light bows, penetration is important, and arteries are tough, I do not want a broadhead sliding off. She started getting pass throughs when I went to this extreme, I do not see any reason to change when things are working so well.