I am starting to make my arrows for this comming deer season and wondered what you guys thought about Woodsman Broadheads?
I will be shooting a 40# Hoyt Gamemaster with 28" 1916 easton Game Getters.
With the low poundage should I go with a two blade head like the Simmons?
I would like to use the 150 gr Woodsman.
I will be corrected quickly by folks who can do it, but my opinion of the WW is that it is durable, extremely well made, but impossible for me to get sharp enough.
For a low poundage bow like you describe, I would encourage you to use a 3:1 ration 2 blade head, maybe a Grizzly.
Agree with Roger except, as predicted,the sharpening issue. Woodsmans are some of the easiest BH's to put an edge on but there is a right way and a wrong way and until you learn the correct method they are impossibe to sharpen. Almost as hard as Grizzlys :bigsmyl: !
Charlie Lamb has a tutorial on this sight which is excellent.
As to the original question. Again, considering your moderate poundage, a two blade cut on impact head will serve you better. I would opt for a Zwicky eskimo, Magnus II or the VERY good Ace Standard.
JOhn
I also would stick with a good 2-blade at that poundage.
Bill
At one time, I was in the same camp as Roger: I couldn't get a woodsman neeeeearly as sharp as my 2 blade heads (or 2blades w/bleeders). Then, Charlie spent five minutes showing me what to do with a big file and no kidding, they are THE easiest thing to sharpen out there. Now, I can get them simply wicked sharp with only a 14" file and a small ceramic rod. Check out the tutorial in the how-to section.
As for your choice, I would concur with the others, in part. I think the 2 blade would be the better choice, simply to increase your margin of error. For deer, I don't believe you would have any trouble with penetration with the Woodsman and a 40# bow...if everything goes right. Problem is, in my experience, things going right is the exception rather than the norm.
Last year I used a set up almost I dentical to what you are talking about. I have no trouble getting a sharp edge on the WW. I like size of the overall head. The only thing I found is that I take the point down a bit. The long thin point seems to curl too easily. You have a nice grpp for that arrow. It packs a nice punch.
Thanks for the all input guys!
I do like the look and price of the Ace Standard heads.I may give them a try.
Woodsmans glue ons are top notch heads,the deer in my avatar was shot with one.Jonesy
Woodsmans would be my go to head if they make the tip stronger to prevent curl which greatly reduces penetration. Snip the tip on the WW or better yet go with a 2 blade head...worked for the natives.
The tips are very prone to curling and snipping the tips helps greatly. But man, they penetrate my glendel buck better than my 160 gr 2 blade Eskimos. They fly better than any of the other broadheads I've tried too - except for maybe my 150 gr 4 blade stingers. I consistently have 8-10 inches sticking out the other side and the Zwick's act just like my field points. All are razor sharp except for the WWs. They'll shave hair, but they don't cut your eyes just looking at them like my stingers and Zwicks. This is probably worthless since it's not a real animal and I know my very limited knowledge doesn't even compare to the wisdom of this board. I just thought that was interesting and worth sharing.
If you want out of the package deadly sharp broadheads as I do, try the Steel Force two blade gue-ons:
(http://i134.photobucket.com/albums/q93/Kingtaken/P1010020-1.jpg)
Someone has them for sale in the classified listings..
I've killed 10 deer and an assortment of small game with them. I file sharpen the heads to a needle point. Never had a tip curl. Wensel Woodsmans are narrow and have a low cutting angle so I'm certain you'd do fine with them, even with 40#.
In general, they're very easy to sharpen, but I have gotten some that were overly hardened, which made sharpening difficult. (You can tell the hardeness difference the moment you lay a file to them.)
I remember the manufacturer's posted on one of the message boards once that the reason they don't sell the heads in a presharpened condition is cost. Since I like to test shoot all my heads many times after I mount them to assure they always fly true, they'd dull anyway if they were presharpened. So unsharpened heads suit me fine since I'd rather pay $25 for 6 unsharpened heads, rather than perhaps $35 for pre-sharpened ones only to end up sharpening them on my own anyway.
My only wish...a huge wish...is that they'd make a 190 grn glue-on version to suit my heavy arrow / weight forward preference. I had to switch to Grizzly el Grandes since they don't.
What's the best way to sharpen them? Does anyone make a sharperner that will work? (I am a klutz with a file).
Thanks
I have had tip curl with the WW and for that reason do not use this BH any longer. If you are shooting 40#, I recommend heavy FOC on your arrows and a solid two blade. My first choice is the 190 Grizzly, but if you have difficulty obtaining an edge, the Muzzy Phantom 200 grain comes super sharp and does a great job!
Claudia
My oppion mimicks Adams.I would use them out of a light weight bow without giving it a second thought.I find them an easy broadhead to sharpen as long as you have a good file.I have no had any problems with the tip shooting deer.I now use Simmons heads simply because they are bigger but the woodsman is still a great broadhead for lighter weight bows. jmo
Someone mentioned a video I did about sharpening the Wensel Woodsman.
It's not in the "How" To section like it maybe should be. Instead you can find it in the "member video" section.
Or just click on this link.
Sharpening a Wensel Woodsman (http://tradgang.com/noncgi/ultimatebb.php?ubb=get_topic;f=17;t=000047)
Charlie,
Thank you for the link - perfect. This I think I can handle.
Doublegun
I would use the woodsman in a heartbeat without a thought !!!! I have killed deer , bear and turkeys with them never had a problem , For sharpening the i use a chainsaw raker file . If you guys cant find one of these little flat files just email me and ill pick one up for you . Art
Deer, bear, hogs-No problems.
would the woodsman be good on deer out of a 45# bow?
YUP
Ian, go to search and type in "woodsman". Lots of info both pro and con. I wonder how many have switched back to 2-blades due to poor penetration and/or "average" bloodtrails?
I have never heard that many complaints about penetration or blood trails with a woodsman broadhead. My personal experience is that they are way above average on both counts. The only criticism that you generally hear is in regard to tip curl. The easy solution is to clip the tip. However, it is hard for me to complain that the tip has curled when the arrow has just passed through ribs, off-side shoulder, earth, roots, and rock and the deer is laying dead 35 yards away.
My problem with the WW was the build quality. I received a pack a year or so ago where several had one "thin" blade, the replacements they sent me had gaps in the welds and the replacements they sent for those had blades that where bowed-in so that once you got the sides flat with the file there wasn't much left.
May have just been a bad batch, but I'm not going to bother with them anymore.
is the snuffer pretty much the same?, just its made by magnus?
Snuffers are stronger, don't fly quite as well and need a bit more bow behind them than a Woodsman IMO. Of course the Snuffers have quite a bit more cutting diameter over the Woodsmans. Both are made by Magnus, the Woodsman is a sub-contracted head, like the STOS.
Woodsmans are probably the best penetrating 3 blade out there, but still don't penetrate as well as a 2 blade IMO.
QuoteOriginally posted by jonesy:
...the deer in my avatar was shot with one.Jonesy
...deer? I thought that was the horse you rode in here, on! :bigsmyl: