All,
I have seen many debates on hear about which broadhead everyone likes, but I would like to ask the question a different way. I am a "thrifty" buyer so I like bulk but I also want performance. I am trying to decide between the Stinger (2 blade w/ bleeder), Magnus Snuffer, or the Wensel Woodsman. So here is my question: :help:
On all animals you have shot with WITH ONE OF THESE HEADS, AND DOUBLE LUNGED .... :archer: what was the farthest the animal went?
Please feel free to give the situation and BH that was used. I am really curious about these heads as this is my first full year as a traditonal archer.
If I use a screw-in broadhead it will always be a stinger with the bleeder blades. Three mature bucks in two years and each fell less than 75yds (two lass than 30yds). Same story with two doe but less than 50yds (one at ~15). Each deer never knew that they were hit...all pass throughs. Incredible blood trails but they didn't last long:) Serveral hogs as javies as well.....best head out there imho. This year I will be shooting cedar and it will be a Magnus or WW that gets the call but I have not harvested a deer with them............yet.
I don't think you'll notice an ounce of difference in any of those you list provided proper shot placement. Pick the one you really want to use and don't look back.
There would be almost no difference in the time it takes a deer to go down on a "double lung" shot from these three heads. The difference would be in shot placement, i.e. where the "double lung" shot was. All the blood in the body goes through the lungs, starting with big blood vesels and branching down to smaller ones like a tree. A low forword lung hit will be verry quick, taking out the major blood vesels in the lungs and droping bp almost instantly. A high back lung hit would get verry small blood vesels and damage the lungs little and may take a while.
I shot a deer last year, 8 yrds, broadside, standing, unalert, just the perfect senario. Center punched the lungs. He took off like a shot out of a cannon and ran just over 100 yrds before he did a nose dive. My dad shot a buck a week earlier exact same circumstances except is was at about 4 yrs and it went 60 yrds before it did a nose dive. I don't think the head mattered at all (and they were both taken with one of the three you have listed). Darke is right use the one you really want and don't look back. On a perfect double lung shot I doubt anybody can tell that there is a difference. dino
DarkeGreen,
One of the reasons I ask is based on experience. I shot a doe last year with a stinger...I center holed her/pass through...she went about forty yards and did a flip....that is great, but when examining the blood trail I realized something scary; there was not s single drop of blood on the ground until I got to her. :scared: If it would have been thick brush, I dont know that I would have found her. Hince my question about how far have they gone? Curious to know if they go farther with a stinger than the multi blade WW or Snuffer.
Joker,
I get what your saying, but read the above and you will know where I am comming from.
Dino,
What BH were you using? Was there blood on the ground? Alot? :help:
I am trying to eliminate as much error as possible using your advise...If anyone has pictures of blood trail that would be GREAT!! :thumbsup:
Sometimes it takes them 40 yds to starting pouring out blood and by that time they are dead, even in thick brush if they only went 40 yds you would hear them crash...
I use snuffers and all my game only went no more then 50yards (from stand/blind straight to game 20yards)
I agree with what JOKER said...if the animal is double lung hit, it's going down. How far they go is anybody's guess. There's no formula for that.
Now personally, I don't believe a 3 bladed BH will give you any more blood trail than a 2 bladed one. I have used all three of the BH's in question and in my experience the 3 bladed BH's gave me the worst blood trails.
How far the animal runs after being hit, I think, has a lot to do with what the animal perceives at the instant the shot is taken. The sound of the shot has lot to do with it but also what the animal feels at the moment of impact. A 3 bladed BH must cut in 3 planes and thus must overcome more friction which translates into pain or feeling for the animal. A 2 bladed BH only has to cut in 1 plane which means less feeling on the animals part. Less feeling on the animal's part translates into less reaction from the animal and possilby less distance covered before death.
Furthermore, on marginal hits the 3 Bladed BH is more apt to remain in the animal which means you have a panicked animal trying to get away from the arrow.
I have gut shot several deer all with sharp 2 bladed BH's. Most never new they were hit and all were recovered within 100 yds of the hit. I actually had 1 doe remain in the same place after I hit her dead center in the paunch. I could not make a follow up shot because she heard something(me) and kept looking my way. She finally noticed my arrow laying on the ground beside her and started sniffing it...she never new she was hit. I watched her for about 15 minutes before she finally laid down just a few yds from where I shot her. Only then was I able to sneek up on her and finish her off.
My point is..I doubt she would have stayed there if I had hit her with a big Snuffer. Just something to think about. BTW...the Stinger(w/o the bleeder)is a bad-to-the-bone little BH!!!
Brett
Location, location, location. A pass through from a steep angle with a low exit point will likely leave you a good trail. With a "horizontal" hit, and possibly "high" takes time for the cavity to fill up, hence possibly a poor trail. Though both will result in a dead animal. Seen any combination of the above.
Can't say there is any one definite plus of any of those products. This sport is a number of dynamics, and I dare say it is impossible to replicate perfectly any scenario.
Just got to do your best, hope for the best, and be prepared for the easy or hard result.
Indiana,
There is some truth to that but I do not want to depend on that, especially at night if I am going after hogs.
Mystic,
That is good information and what I am looking for. Thanks for the advice. :thumbsup:
BobW,
I shot from treestands the most, so I understand the "drain hole" theory. What is your experience with these heads? :confused:
Let me say it another way.....
You'll never go wrong with a good sharp 2 blade BH!! Never!
There is more to tracking than just following blood trails!!!
I hate to step on anybody's toes, but I agree with Steetalker. I've shot a bunch with 2 blade heads and a few with snuffers. I prefure a razer sharp 2 blade. Anyhow nice to be here.
Larry247,
What is your experience?
I've had several years to play with the differant heads 17-18yrs, give or take, and like you said I've shot'em in the paunch and they just stand there and I've got another shot w/2 BH's. I've stuck'em w/ 3BH's and not pass through and they run like there hindins on fire.
stick-string, The last one I shot with a snuffer bled o.k. but the arrow didnt make through him and he ran 2hunred yds. I stuckim in the pump station too. Man he bled, I believe if it a been a two BH, he wouldnt a done that.
Stingers
Two Javelina, max 30 yards
One 125 lb hog, 40 yards
stick-string, the last one I shot with a snuffer did'nt pass through and he ran 2 hundred yd's or there about. He bled good though. I believe it stuck in a rib bone and just could'nt make it through. It was a fur piece out too him though. I learn new stuff all the time.
Larry247,
200yards is after a boiler room shot is what I figured. Thanks for the knowledge.
Beachbowhunter,
Stingers or Magnus two blades are what I am leaning towards...what do you use? Four/Two blade? What Weight? :confused:
I like the magnas 2 blades, 130 145g heads. I would'nt knock the snuffers though, some poeple love'em. One of my friends shoots them with big success.
i am with several of the above, i would go with the magnus stinger. i have shot 2 pigs, 1 heart shot, 1 double lung niether went more than 30 yards. if you hit something in the lungs or heart i doubt you will tell a difference. it is when you hit those less than perfect shots you want the performance and i want the added penetration of a 2 blade far more than a slightly bigger hole.
Bm22,
Have you shot either of the other heads?
Stingers sure fly good.
I've lost track of how many deer I've shot with arrows and I quit hunting with a gun some time ago. My nature somehow requires me to play with equipment and study the results.
In my gun hunting days I hooked up with some people and we published some information that at the time considered new and somewhat revealing and I'll just leave it at that.
When I started huntng with a bow I tried darn near every broadhead I could get my hands on. I shot deer and studied the results. I was a little surprised by some of what I learned.
My view of the results are that a arrow placed in the right location with a good 3 or 4 blade head is more effective (based on the number of steps taken from where it was shot to where it dropped)than both pistol or shotgun slugs. This does exclude structure hits, such as, those to the spine or shoulder.
For the last two years I've been playing with two blade heads. While this may not be a popular view on this site my findings at this point requires me to say they are not as effective as 4 blades when measured by the same standard applied above.
Both me and my friends have had deer travel farther than any other deer shot in our entire lives with well placed shots. We have had short follow ups but based on percentages the deer we've shot with two blades heads tended to travel 10 to 55 yards farther than those shot with 4 blade heads. Blood trails where also a little harder to follow on many, but we did get a few a good trails.
I believe books could be written trying to explain all of the differences in blade design and effectiveness. There are times to use two blade heads, cut on contact 3 or 4 blade heads, this design or that design, but for the most part it doesn't matter. All but the very cheap and poorest designs work if you stay away from big heavy bones. Any blade will punch thru ribs and lung. Cut on contact blade generally penetrate better as long as the point doesn't fail, and rounded profiles on points are a bad thing as is blades designed to help spin the arrow.
Heart shots tend to give better blood trails but often cause an animal to go on a death run of up to a hundred yards or more. A quarting or greater angled shot thru both lungs will always cause deer to pile up quicker than a pure broadside shot with any weapon including archery. This of course excludes shots with high velocity projectile that close to the heart that cause a blood pressue impulse bursting blood vessls in the brain.
Lastly no matter what you shot deer with the blood trail is often delayed for several yards. This can be due to no blood vessels near the outside of the animal being hit. Then you are depending on the lungs filling up or blood thru the mouth and nose until the volume reaches a point it can flow out the wound. This appears to occur more with shots taken from the ground than those from trees that have lower exit wounds. Some people also believe the hide soaks up blood too, but I remain neutral on that for now.
anywho...
Of the heads you ask about one will likely out pentetrate the others due to the 3 to 1 profile provide the tip doesn't curl. One would leave a slightly bigger hole due to width but may penetrate a little less and could have an issue with a curled tip but is less likely. One listed is rock solid on bone, penetrates well but may become a two blade on heavy bone hits. On deer failure with any of them purchased recently would be a fluke and I'd be surprised if you find any difference in the blood trail or number of steps taken to the downed animal.
I've never shot a pig (at least not a wild one) so I'll have to let someone else help you with that. I would guess that unless you're talking something really big or you're under bowed the same applies. I would also guess on really big hogs and under bowed cases two blade heads are safe bets.
DarkeGreen,
Thank you for the much appreciated education... :thumbsup: This really helps alot. From what I gather you basically have to decide on which of the advantages you want! All have their own unique advantages...now I will try to decide which works best for me! Thanks alot!! :archer:
QuoteOriginally posted by stick_string:
Larry247,
200yards is after a boiler room shot is what I figured. Thanks for the knowledge.
Beachbowhunter,
Stingers or Magnus two blades are what I am leaning towards...what do you use? Four/Two blade? What Weight? :confused:
I'm using Stinger 4 blade 150s and Eclipse 2 blade 145s on my Elk hunt in Sept. The Stingers are no. 1 in my quiver. I just can't seem to get the double thick point end of the Eclipse as sharp as the cutting edges,...yet.
Beachbowhunter,
I notice alot of people shoot 150 grain or heavier....can you tell me why?