Archery Elk Hunt

[cramerhunts]

I picked up some NAP blood runners yesterday and am anxious to see how they fly. My friends have had great results with the rage but they have experienced the blade deployment problems in their quivers.

 

I have always used thunderheads but you just can't beat the flight and cutting diameter of the mechanical heads.

 

The blood runners have no o-rings or bands to worry about and they cut no matter what. I'll let you know how they work out.

 

My brother killed several deer and 8 or 9 hogs in TX last year using the NAP Bloodrunners and some of the pics he sent me were very graphic! He had great luck with them. He and I also used them to kill our Coues bucks and several pigs in MX last Jan. and my deer went 80 yards and his went about 150 with a bad hit but both were recovered with great blood trails. I really like the Bloodrunners becuase even if they don't expand they are still cuttin' like any other fixed blade head....but if they expand (and we haven't had one not exapand) they make a serious entrance hole!

 

 

Thanks for the info Jim! Makes a guy feel a little better after hearing this from your experiences with them.

[COOSEFAN]

You are right 308nut, it is a tough call on deciding between blade tip or chisel tip on elk and I see your reasoning behind the Montecs.

 

My main reasoning behind my dislike of the Montecs is that you HAVE to sharpen them, and not just half-butt, you have to really sharpen them and do it right to make them more effective.

 

How many folks do you think use G5 Montecs? How many folks do you think take the time to sharpen them like you do or like your past outfitter did?

 

TONS and TONS of folks use the G5 Montecs and VERY few realize the importance of sharpening them! The result is more archers in the feild with a higher chance of wounding and losing an animal.

 

How many of those folks do you think will go shoot another bull after losing their first? How many do you think will shoot a third bull after losing two? Tags are hard to come by and nobody wants to go home empty handed!!!!

 

The company knew of the sharpness problem and came out with a "new improved" version that is supposedly more sharp, but they still aren't sharp enough and even the "new improved" Montecs need to be sharpened. How many folks do you think sharpen the "new improved" Montecs?

 

I'm the complete opposite of the outfitter you described. I cringe anytime I see a client show up with G5 Montecs! I also keep a shapening stone with me and I have sharpened clients Montecs in the past as well. Your outfitter knew of the importance in sharpening them and kudos to him for making sure they were as sharp as possible!

 

My main point is that so many folks use them but don't realize what you need to do to make them more effective. I HATE hearing about all the multiple bulls shot and lost every year, it's sickening, especially the guys that laugh about being on their 3rd or 4th hit bull on the same hunt, almost like it means they should be commended for being good enough to get that many opportunities!?!!?!

 

I have nothing but the highest respect for you 308nut, but I still maintain, a G5 Montec, at it's very sharpest is still no different than a very sharp knife, and at that point it still isn't as sharp as a razor blade.

 

If a guy really likes the G5's but doesn't know how or want to sharpen them, they should stick with the Strikers, they are a much better head for the majority.

[azhuntnut]

I switched to Magnus Stinger broadheads back in 2005 and I have never looked back. I shot my bull in 05 and he ran about 45 yards and tipped over. I shot a bull last year and 66 yards, he only went about seven yards and tipped over within 10 seconds of shooting him. It was the fastest I have ever seen an elk die. When we cleaned my bull, we found a perfect cross where the head went through a rib. I lost my arrow in the pond he was standing next to when I shot, but it was a complete pass through. My partner shot his bull at 11 yards and the bull tipped within 20 yards and died very quickly. These broadheads will penetrate bone very easily based on the design of the tip of the broadhead and the sharpness. Plus you can practice with them and if they are damaged, they are under warranty and will be replaced when you send them back. Try pushing your current broadhead into a cardboard box that is connected to an arrow using the soft part of your palm, and then try a cut on contact Stinger. You will notice that it takes much less energy for the broadhead to penetrate. There are some videos on youtube showing how well they fly. David

[NavajoHunter]

i'll stay with slick trick 125's for elk... 100's for mullies

[youngbuck]

I shot my bull with a G5. It was a quartering away shot, that entered behind the last rib and just broke the skin on the off shoulder. They aren't near as sharp as others, but I like the way they are made. I wonder if its the injection process, and having to have a malleable enought metal to do that with that makes them "dull". I haven't had near the experience that Cooosefan has, but I can see where he is coming from.I'd like to find a one piece sturdy head that is as sharp as the best out there, and holds an edge. Ive never played with NAP hellrazors, but would like too. I have seen what the rage can do, and was impressed. I just like the one piece design, especially on elk, using heavier arrows.

[308Nut]

CF, thanks for sharing your experiences with them. I am not trying to change your mind. Just offering a flip side of the coin for others.

 

Unfortunately, you are VERY right about guys shooting multiple elk in a season. I talked to a hunter in 7E in 95 that had hit 4 cows on the same water hole. Seriously? I would imagine a guy like that who has that kind of 'ethics' wouldnt bother to sharpen his broadheads be it a montec or a slick trick or a muzzey etc.....Sad but VERY true. It frustrates me just the same. I am competeing for 10% of your permits which makes it MUCH harder to enjoy hunting in the great hunting grounds of AZ. The fact that hunters will wound, kill, loose and shoot another over and over again take away from the few permits that are available as it is. Dont get me wrong, I realize that sometimes a wounded loss happens. Whether or not a hunter keeps hunting after that is up to the hunter. Only he knows how bad he may or may not have wounded it etc.....It is the fact that unprepared slobbish hunters will do it over and over year after year because they have too many weak links. Either mental or mechanical.

 

Guys who take it seriously and have respect for others and the game they hunt, put in the due time and dilligence will be prepared enough and properly to make what ever is in their quiver work for them instead of against them.

 

The problem is not the broadheads (regardless of make/model) it is the nut behind the string/trigger that is typically the weak link. If it is a mechanical failure that has become the weak link, 90+% of the time it is a lack of observation or timely corrections of parts that are wearing or cracking, or in this case, dull broadheads. If the problem is a dull broadhead (any make/model) it is nothing more than a lack of preparation/respect on the part of the hunter.

 

 

Thanks again CF. No matter how you look at it, there is no perfect broadhead for all applications. Personally, I do share your enthusiasm for actual razor blades. They are tough to beat. The nice thing about them is that they are like a Havalon knife. Easy to replace blades and they are ready to go when you install them. There is something to be said for that.

[coues.300]

I have never had a problem with either. I use expandables because they fly good with no adjustments to my bow. It really does not matter which one you use as long as you put it were you are supposed to.

[RED07]

I'm using a g5 teken just to be different its all on placement

[singleshot]

Took my first bull with a Bear razorhead. They were a dollar a piece and flew terrible past 40 yards, but a broadside shot at 12 yards broke ribs in and ribs out. Killed 2 with 125 grain mini max solids by Vortex. 2 inch expandables. The first at 63 yards, steep quartering away shot entered the right ham end exited the left shoulder. Couldn't have dreamed of better performance. Second one at 54 yards broke ribs in and ribs out. Shot the old 100 grain glue on muzzys with the 1" cutting diameter for years, they flew great and broke the shoulder and cut the spinal cord of a bull at 30 yards. I tried shooting Slick Tricks last year for elk but past 50 my groups really opened up. Rages would not shoot that great either. I had my bow lasered but never paper tuned so probably my fault. Got out the mini maxes because they fly like darts and I have some faith in them. I have seen really good things and really bad things happen with every broadhead that I have ever shot in 26 years of bowhunting. I think that the solids definately perform better on the quartering shots,so I'm going to try them again with FOB's. Wait for a broadside shot and shoot a quality solid or expandable and you won't have any problems.

[Chimichanga]

I have been looking into the NAP bloodrunner 2 blades lately. I think I might give them a try this summer and see if they will work for August. Can anyone tell me from their experience with these how they shot from 50 yards and further? I like the whole idea behind the hybrid mechanical/fixed broadhead for sure.

 

Thanks.

[COOSEFAN]

Any broadhead will kill an Elk. You can even kill one with a field tip if your "placement" is right!

 

When choosing a broadhead, I would put more emphasis, not on how it's gonna kill em' with perfect placement, but more importantly how it's gonna kill em' with a bad shot!

 

Base your decision on how a particular broadhead is gonna perform if you hit em' far back in the liver or guts!

 

A big problem I see is over confidence. Don't get me wrong, confidence is needed, but guys that are over confident and don't anticipate what can go wrong and prepare for it, are more likely to regret it.

 

Regardless of how good your shooting skills are, anticipate that a bull may jump the string, or your arrow may glance off a limb, or one of the most common things is that you get so excited you punch the trigger or can't hold your bow steady. There really is no practice in the world that will prepare a guy for a close encounter with a big ol' bull, lot's of things can and do go wrong.

 

Practice and pray for a perfect hit, but expect a bad hit and choose the right broadhead accordingly.

[COOSEFAN]

I have been looking into the NAP bloodrunner 2 blades lately. I think I might give them a try this summer and see if they will work for August. Can anyone tell me from their experience with these how they shot from 50 yards and further? I like the whole idea behind the hybrid mechanical/fixed broadhead for sure.

 

Thanks.

 

I haven't shot them out past 50 yet but they fly really good for me. My brother hammered a Texas whitey with a bloodrunner at 65 and killed em' fast. They fly really good for him when practicing much longer ranges. He also shot 8 hogs with them, most were long range shots and they held up and performed perfectly according to him. I agree, I like the hybrid idea, it's a safe way to utilize a mechanical, even if the machanical part doesn't work, you still have normal fixed blade head. When that mechanical does work it creates a giant entrance and wound channel!

[1denogean]

its just like shooting wacem tritons and wacem xls if you shoot the xls and have a bad shot you still have a great chance fo recovering your game

[WHALE]

I shoot Wasp Boss 100 grain. They have passed completely through 5 deer and 3 elk for me, the blades are razors and they are replaceable. They fly great with my set up. They are not that expensive either.

[jnobleinaz]

I also think the montecs are not good. I switched from them to the magnus snuffer ss and basically the design is the same but the blades come razor sharp and when you resharpen they are easy to work with. The g5's took forever for me to sharpen. Magnus fly like darts.45 yards through 2 ribs and the arrow broke on the way went out the armpit then stuck in the other shoulder