Would You Hunt With A Mechanical?

[ElkNut1]

Many states forbid the use of Expandable/Mechanical heads, if it were legal would you try them? I know personally I've considered their use but have never held one in my hand so really don't know much about them. The Traditional Bow part of me says no way but the compound part of me says maybe?(grin) If I ever did give them a shot I would have to do some serious testing to their opening consistently, sharpness & penetration value. I'm an open minded individual but no fool either, I've had little issues with present fixed & cut on contact heads so it would take a mechanical that was a real eye opener before I'd even consider them. What are your thoughts?

ElkNut1

[BarW]

I've tried a couple (rage 3 blade, wasp ) they make a BIG whole but the ones I've seen and used are not nearly as sharp as slick tricks (the reason I'm shooting tricks now). Also the blood trails were not what I would expect out of such a big whole not bad just not any better, I never could get fully into em because I was always concerned about reliability. never tried em on elk only whitetails and hogs in east Texas but some of these hogs that go 300lbs or better are almost as thick as elk so it's good practice. My uncle does use spitfire cut on contact expandable broadheads and has taken elk with them just not my thing.

[pointysticks]

a grim reaper is my go-to head for turkey. zip! and the bird just lays down..no fanfare.

i want to try them this january for Couse deer. with an above average distance shot..the better flyer might be a benefit. at least in the mind game department.

just so you know. the practice head sucks!!

[twinkieman]

I have used Rageve heads on turkey, and blacktailed deer with good results. That being said , I would not even consider using on a big boned animal like an elk. I really found no real advantage over my Wac em broadheads on deer. I have no arrow flight problems with either head. For turkeys any good head will work, so my answer is I'm sticking to fixed blade as I like the fact that there are no moving parts with a fixed blade head.

[ferris bugler]

I will NOT use them. I don't have a problem with them, but for me it is one more variable that you potentially need to answer after making a shot. I have used them in the past and had situations where a shot looked like it was in the perfect spot. Then there was no blood and no bull. We started questioning whether or not the blade opened. I don't like that feeling. I like cut on contact two blade broad-heads like the Stos, or Zwickey No Mercy. I can't tell a difference in how they fly from field tips, and it only take a little bit of practice with them to get used to the change in my sight window. This year I hunted with wood arrows and used a Wensel Woodsman three blade cut on contact because they flew so well. Never got a chance to let one fly, but I'm looking forward to seeing the results.

[Swede]

I have no need or desire to use them. I have no issue with them per se, but it appears to me, that some folks who want them, are doing it for the wrong reasons. They are trying to compensate for arrow flight issues, or to increase their effective range. Every hunting bow needs to be properly set up. Arrows need to fly like a dart to the point of aim, and the hunter needs to be practiced to the maximum range they will be shooting game at. Mechanical broadheads are not a short cut to compensate for a lack of hunter preperation.

[six]

For elk ABSOLUTELY NOT. Turkey and deer yes. I had a bad experience with one a few years ago and now use them on turkey only.

I had a good quartering away shot on a 8 pt. When the 2 blade expandable opened up the blade caught the last rib. The arrow turned and the blade followed the ribs. Sliced 7 ribs and put a 12 inch gash down the side of the buck. The arrow fell out about 30 yards and after inspecting it we backed out and came back in the morning. The buck went to the nearest thick over about 400 yards away and died. Very little blood to track. That's why I don't use them any more.

[foxvalley]

DON'T DO IT!!

Every year I hear about animals that were lost as a direct result of using mechanical broadheads. Moving parts on a broadhead??, Some held in place with a rubber band? ! Come on really!! I can't believe all the people promoting this junk. There are too many variables in bowhunting,why add one more by using this garbage. There is a good reason why some states ban them. Lack of penatration,premature opening,disposable one shot,deflection issues, expensive,the list goes on,and for what,a little bigger hole,come on! Field tip accuracy? Most fixed blade and coc broadheads are just as accurate. Don't get caught up in all the hype, you owe it to the animal. Of all the deer,bear,elk, caribou,etc. that I have shot over the past 36 years,none,zero,nadda,was lost because of broadhead malfuntion.If one animal is lost because of broadhead malfuntion,that is one too many.
If you have lost an animal because of this stuff,lets hear it.

[slim9300]

Elk no. Deer yes.

[buglmin]

I've used them before on elk, and will continue to use them. I've seen a lot of elk killed with epandables, with unreal blood trails. Just to shut up a lot of trad guys a few years ago, i shoot a big four point mule deer in NM with a G3 Tekan out of a 57# Bob Lee, penetration was complete with the feathers hanging up on the hide. Shot was at 27 yards, and the buck ran 18 yards before stopping and standing before falling over...I've heard so many guys saying the reason the lost an animal was due to the blades not opening up, even though the shot was perfect. I've seen elk killed with field points by accident that died within 100 yards. So if the shot was perfect, then the head still should of caught the lungs and collasped them. I think its funny that when guys fail to recover an animal, its always the broadheads fault, weither machanical or fixed, but never the shooter or his choice of shot placement.
Some of the toughest heads I've seen were the NAP Spitfire, G3 Teakan, Wasp Jack Hammer, and the Rage.
Broadhead choice should be based on equipment and the animals you plan to hunt.

[wapitibowman]

Nope.

[elkoholic]

I have hunted with rage 2 blade expandables.I have since changed my mind on them even though I was LUCKY enough to tag the bull I shot at, 3 times!! Last season I called a bull to 18 yards, missed him, stopped him at 34 yards missed him, finally at 54 yards the blades stood together and I made a perfect shot. After reviewing the footage I had of the hunt, my first shot was off because the blade deployed before even releasing the arrow, the second shot, the blades deployed in flight, causing both my arrows to miss the mark. It was just meant to be because I was able to shoot 3 TIMES!!! Luck was on my side that day. To make the story alil more interesting all this was done with a cast on my bow hand, just had surgery 1 week before the hunt. So since then I will only shoot fixed blades and I still have yet to find the one I like. I will be experimenting to see what I like for next year. Any suggestions?

[dotman]

Naw, just another thing that can go wrong. I like not worrying if my fixed blade will deploy. I have never used one but just not interested in trying one, I'm sure they work great but just not interested.

[CrazyElkHunter]

No! Sure they will make a huge hole and great blood trail, if they open! I found a 6x6 bull this year that had been dead for 5 days. The hunters were from Texas and told me they lost a bull and were leaving for home. I knew the bull would be stinking pretty bad and I have nose like a bloodhound. I got there #, and told them I would find it. They said yeah, right, we've been looking all week. I found it in a hour. The arrow was still in the elk, and when I pulled it out, it had a 3 blade rage that never opened. All 3 blades were locked closed. I called the guy and told him I found his bull and suggested he use a solid broadhead from now on for elk. He agreed. My hunting partner is from Texas, and took the horns and arrow to him. He was very grateful, since this was his 1st elk. This was the 3rd bull I have seen lost in 3 years from expandables.

[foxvalley]

I wonder if this guy would have had better luck with a field point.

[buglmin]

So if the blades were locked down, was it the fault of the broadhead, or the guy shooting the equipment?
We found two bulls dead this year, one shot through the shoulders and one shot in front of the right shoulder, quartering to shot...both bulls carried replacement broadheads, one Muzzy on a FMJ, and one with a Slick Trick on an Axis shaft...guess these bulls werent recovered because of the broadheads failing as well, right? Or was it just poor shot placement and poor tracking?
And about that bull shot with a field point...it was an elderly gentleman shooting a longbow and using a back quiver...after the first shot, which he missed, the bull as stopped again...he man reached back, nocked the arrow and shot...
Why would a Rage open in mid flight? And how did you see it by watching the video??

[foxvalley]

I've seen elk killed with field points by accident that died within 100 yards. .

How many elk are being shot with field pionts,and how many are being missed with field points.

You can't control all the variables in a hunting situation,human error,animal movement,yardage misjudging etc.,but you can eliminate broadhead malfuntion by making the right choice.

[idahoghost]

I am a firm believer in "never saying never". But NO. I would not used them, one anything. One less variable I don't need to worry about.

[Swede]

As I read the posts on this thread, I was reminded that there are equipment problems and failures, and there are hunter errors. I wish the hunter issues were as easy to solve and the equipment problems.
I still remember a lady, I know, who stopped by our camp one late morning. She was praising her son who shot a nice buck at 80 yards. He had a quick recovery of the animal. His arrow had "cut its throat" . This same lady has also told several stories of wounded bucks and bulls, over the years, that they never got. I have talked with her husband and son. Their attitude stinks. To sum up their hunting belief is to remember, they say "you will not get anything if you don't shoot". "Shoot" you could get lucky. Unfortuantely they are not the only ones out there with that or a similar attitude. Unfortunately their attitude will not change and there is no law against that kind of hunting. Greed and the desire to have recognition from other hunters, and some nonhunters, is very powerful.
I know Paul and the Elknut staff are doing all they can to educate hunters. They do not do anything that would promote unethical hunting, but as we post pictures of our kills on the "dirt nap" thread or elsewhere, it can encourage others to try to match or exceed the trophies they are shown. Some may choose to take unethical shots. We all like to prove ourselves to a certain extent. It sounds easy to say, but this I know: You do not need to take unethical shots or use marginal equipment to get game. All you need is to learn and put into practice good hunting practices.

[CrazyElkHunter]

So if the blades were locked down, was it the fault of the broadhead, or the guy shooting the equipment?
We found two bulls dead this year, one shot through the shoulders and one shot in front of the right shoulder, quartering to shot...both bulls carried replacement broadheads, one Muzzy on a FMJ, and one with a Slick Trick on an Axis shaft...guess these bulls werent recovered because of the broadheads failing as well, right? Or was it just poor shot placement and poor tracking?
And about that bull shot with a field point...it was an elderly gentleman shooting a longbow and using a back quiver...after the first shot, which he missed, the bull as stopped again...he man reached back, nocked the arrow and shot...
Why would a Rage open in mid flight? And how did you see it by watching the video??

Animals are lost every year by all makes and brands of broad heads. Usually because of hunter error or bad judgement. In this guys case it was both shooter error and equipment failure. Why would you want to add to that bad judgment by adding the possibility of mechanical failure. Even though the guy did not make a good shot. if the blades would have opened he most likely would of had a much better blood trail for recovery. 2 years ago , 1 of our friends from Georgia, showed up in camp with rage 3 blades in his quiver. We tried to give him fixed blades, but refused. The next day he came into camp and told us he shot a bull twice and said on both shots the blades were open when he took them out of the quiver with no time to reset them. His 1st arrow struck the bull in the front leg and the 2nd one hit him in the back hind quarter from extreme bad arrow flight. In this case was it the broadhead failure or his? In this case it was his because he did not have a quiver that was made for expandables and he made poor judgement in shooting even though he knew the blades were open. Fortunately he found the bull even though he did not hit the chest cavity. I've taken 26 elk with a bow, and 2 of them had broadheads from previous seasons buried in the shoulder blades.

[T/H]

not only would i but i did! a 40 yard mostly broadside shot slightly quartered away. in the pic you see the entry side. the arrow was buried to the fletch and the broadhead was all that was sticking out on the other side. when i pulled the arrow out i got about 6" of arrow. it had broken 6" from the nock. when i thought a little more about it he was banging off of trees briefly until he fell in between 2 trees so he could have broke it then somehow i guess but who knows. with the arrow lodged in the elk there was still a great blood trail on both sides of the elks tracks the short distance to where he fell. my set up is a D350, 390gr arrow total weight at very fast speed. i would have thought a for sure pass thru but it didn't happen. the size of the holes this head cut however did impess me and cut all the way thru and everything in its path.


i had previous experience with this head last January when my arrow blew thru a small buck. he was on top of a short ridge and i shot him at 50 yards uphill. i never did find that arrow. but the deer only went maybe 40 yards if that.

so now the $64,000 question.....would i use mechanical "again"? in a heart beat for deer! i'm going back to RazorTricks next year for elk though. everything i've shot with RazorTricks have been very quick, clean passthrus and short recoveries.

here is what i took out of this. elk are big tough animals. this elk also had a G5 Montec broke off in his neck behind his ear with about 3" of arrow shaft and the broadhead that someone else had put there at some point within a few days. didn't seem to phase him. elk are tough enough that they can take and live thru a poor shot with a fixxed or mechanical. in my" real world experience", with my set up, coc heads by far out penetrate the T3.

[JimKirk]

i used a 100gr, 3 blade grim reaper mechanical on my elk this year. all i can say is it worked and here'e the hole it left. I knew within 10 yards that this elk was mortally hit. I will continue to use em and especially since I have 75$ invested.

[tracker12]

I'm a believer that if you make the right shot you will kill your elk no matter what style BH you are using. I lost my bull this year using a Easton FMJ and G5 Montec. Bull was subsequently recoverd by another hunter and rack is being returned to me. I am expremely gratefull for that. The hit was a little higher than I wanted. I got a complete pass through recovered the BH with plenty of blood but no blood trail. Bull did not go that far and I should have recovered that bull. My fault for not expanding my search. He went west after he was out of sight and I thoght he went east. I have been using Rocket Steelheads for many years with great success and changed to a Fixed blade BH on this hunt based on recommendations from experienced bow hunters that felt the need to use them. To be honest I will go back to my steelheads on my next elk hunt or consider the Ulmer Edge which have proven deadly on three whitetails this year. I hear a lot of guys complain that the BH did not open and personally I think most are excuses for poor shots on the hunters part. All mechs are different but on the steelheads pretty hard for the BH mot to open. Rage may be different. But to truely tell what the BH did you have to examine the skin and organs and examine the cuts. I do it on every kill I make to determine how each shot effected the kill, blood trail, and distance traveled. Over time I am amazed at how some shots result in great blood trails and others that seem great are almost void on external bleeding.

[LONEBULL]

For myself no. I don't see the need. I get great arrow flight with fixed blades. I also shoot fairly light draw weight bows (shoulder problems)and I don't feel that mixes well with expandables. I have shot them before when I drew more weight and didn't care for them. Always worried about the result and that's not good for your shooting. I also have sheered blades off expandables in foam targets!!! Makes me wonder how they would hold up on an elk. Some of the newer designs in the right situations would most definately work though.

[elkoholic]

So if the blades were locked down, was it the fault of the broadhead, or the guy shooting the equipment?
We found two bulls dead this year, one shot through the shoulders and one shot in front of the right shoulder, quartering to shot...both bulls carried replacement broadheads, one Muzzy on a FMJ, and one with a Slick Trick on an Axis shaft...guess these bulls werent recovered because of the broadheads failing as well, right? Or was it just poor shot placement and poor tracking?
And about that bull shot with a field point...it was an elderly gentleman shooting a longbow and using a back quiver...after the first shot, which he missed, the bull as stopped again...he man reached back, nocked the arrow and shot...
Why would a Rage open in mid flight? And how did you see it by watching the video??

Why would they open in mid flight? Idk maybe because it was failure in on my part to inspect the orings in which hold the blades in place, force of air against the blades with a damaged oring.... Idk!! But it happened.... As far as how I seen that it opened in mid flight through a video, pausing the video in different segments allowed me to see the blades opening soon after I shot. Maybe mid flight wouldn't be the way to put it, but either way they opened after the was made before in contact with anything.

[Swede]

I have had no personal experience with expandable broadheads, but from the posts I am reading here, it appears they are unreliable. From what people have posted above, it appears the mechanical broadheads are somwhere between somewhat unreliable to very unreliable. The question is not can they kill, or can they make a large wound. The question that comes to my mind is; are they totally reliable under field conditions? For my use 90% would not be adequate, since I can get 100% reliability from a solid fixed blade broadhead. When I shoot at an elk at least I know I can depend on my equipment doing its job. My 2 cents worth again.

[T/H]

I wouldn't exactly say unreliable. Any broad head is only as good as the shooter and his other equipment. Imho of course

[Swede]

Obviously none of us want to shoot an unreliable broadhead. No respectable hunter wants to increase the risk of causing a wounded animal to suffer. Elkoholic and T/H have suggested shooter error could be the cause of mechanical broadhead problems. What specifically can the shooter do to ensure his or her mechanical broadhead will perform as expected, with the reliability of a fixed blade broadhead? How could I be sure that dust, dirt, fir needles, ice, or snow will not cause a malfunction at the moment of trial? T/H refers to failure due to "other equipment". What other equipment would cause the failure of a mechanical broadhead? I bought a package of mechanical broadheads a few years ago to use on a turkey hunt. I never used one. I do not remember reading any special instructions on problems that could lead to a broadhead failure.

[tracker12]

I have at least 30 deer a couple bear and 2 caribou with Mechs and I have never had a failure. Most complaints are from guys that are dedicated to Fixed Blade BH's and for good reason. I am not endorsing all Mechanical heads but there are several that are proven killers that I would not hesitate to shoot or recommend. It's nice for us to have choices and each has there right to choose.

[T/H]

Swede, I pulled a G5 Montec out of the bulls neck that I killed this year. Is that the broad heads fault or human error? All I'm saying is far too many are quick to blame the broadhead or their equipment when in reality a poor shot was taken to begin with and in hind site it probably would not have mattered what head was used.

[tracker12]

+1 T/H

[Swede]

T/H: Thanks for clarifying your position.

[T/H]

My position is a flexible one but my goal remains the same. Elk on the ground.

[KMT]

No.