Archery Elk Hunt

[Coach]

I also had bad results on an elk with a G5 Montec. It was a killing shot, and the bull was recovered, but the head looked like you had run over it with truck. The steel is just too soft to hold a good edge and seems to disintegrate when it hits anything other than flesh. I really like the idea of a one-piece, 3-blade, cut on contact head, so I bought some of the newer Montec CS. I haven't shot them at anything, but they seem sharper and harder, and should fly just like the Montecs, which have always flown really well for me.

 

The thing that's tough, but at the same time really nice, when picking a broadhead there are so many choices out there that are so far superior to what most of us had availalble when we started archery hunting it's mind boggling.

 

When I first started out, Thunderheads were pretty much the head to beat. But at $30 for 6 they were considered very expensive. The more I've gotten into bow hunting, the more great heads I seem to encounter each year. Yeah, there's also a gimmick head for every solid one.

 

I've made a list of the ones that are well constructed, fly well in most set-ups, and have a following of serious hunters who are real picky about heads.

 

Fixed heads:

 

Wac'Em/G5 Striker/Cabela's Copper Head/Red Head Blackout. Many names, still the same head. This has to be the most "cloned" head anywhere. Even Horton Crossbows have an OEM version of the same head (Horton FX Pro/BF200). Why so many versions of the same head? It's a good design, period. Solid, carbon steel shank, short, high angle, razor sharp, replaceable blades. What's not to like?

 

Muzzy 3-blade. Some people have tuning issues with these heads, according to all the stuff I've read on the Bowsite, Eber's and others. The bottom line from what I've read, is that if you can get them to fly well in your setup, there is no better head. From my personal experience, I killed a nice coues deer a couple years back in August in AZ with a muzzy. He went a few yards and fell over dead. The next week I killed a nice, big-framed 3x3 velvet muley in NM with a muzzy. It wasn't a great hit, but he bled out fast - and that's important. I have not seen Muzzys to fly any differently than any other good broadhead I've shot, and everything I've hit with a Muzzy died close to where it was hit. Don't let the fact that you can buy 3 of them at WalMart for $17 fool you. These are not "el-cheapo" broadheads when it comes to hunting. In a properly tuned bow, they fly great. And when they hit, they kill. I have as much faith in a Muzzy 3 blade as any other head I shoot, and better recovery rate than any.

 

Slick Trick - Man, I remember when these heads first came out. A "normal guy" posted on a popular bow hunting website about his new heads. I helped out a little bit with his new website to promote them. Who could have known then how amazingly popular these heads would be? And for good reason. The design is beautifully simple. You've got a solid, carbon steel shank like a nail, with not 3 but 4 blades made from the best German steel available. They are scary sharp out of the box in 1", 1 1/8" and 1 1/4". Plus if you like the older "bear" style, you can get the razortrick, which has the main cutting head in front of the ferrule for the only short, blade first, 4 blade "bear" style of head I know of. I have shot the slick trick standard and magnum, and I can say for sure that they fly perfectly in a tuned bow. I haven't shot the GrizzTricks or the RazorTricks. If the RazorTricks fly like the standard sliks, I can't think of a better head for any game. The standard and magnum are already field-proven performers and the newer offerings appear to build on the reputation that has taken "Slick Trick" from a one-man "garage" head to a proven favorite amoung a very picky crowd.

 

The Magnus Stinger/Buzzcut. This is the better half of today's version of the old Bear broadhead. Many guys get turned off right off the bat that it is such a long broadhead. It just looks like it will be harder to tune than the shorter heads because it "should" catch more wind, and it's so long it "should" change your FOC. Don't be fooled by appearances. While the Stinger and Buzzcut look old-school, they fly right along with the shorter broadheads in a properly tuned bow. Add in Magnus' warranty, it's basically a lifetime, no-fault warranty...I don't even know how they can do it aside from trusting people not to abuse it. You can shoot one of these heads into a rock quarry and mail it in to them and they'll send you a replacement. I think that's awesome, and I love that spirit of customer service, but I don't think any head can take a shot out of today's bows and hit anything but a target or straight vitals and not be damaged. Enough about the warranty, what do they do when they hit? They cut, and they cut big time. There is a reason old-school longbow and recurve shooters like the Bear style head. They are devastaging. You've got a long, cut-on-impact razor head, followed by a strong ferrule housing bleeder blades. The only difference between the Stinger and Buzzcut is that the Buzzcut has a serrated edge. Something that was once frowned upon, but many bowhunters now prefer.

 

Mechanicals: Well, all I have to say about mech's is I've never shot one at an animal, they seem to do a good job of making up for an improperly tuned bow, you either love them or hate them, and I've heard as many people telling me how great Rage heads are as I've heard of people saying they stink. I bought a pack of Rage 2-blades this year. I don't know what, if anything I'll hunt with them. On the one hand, I keep hearing of great success with them. On the other hand, I'm old school enough to think that moving parts are just a chance for things to go wrong. I'd rather spend more time tuning my bow to shoot fixed blades. Nothing against those of you who shoot mechs. I definately see the appeal.

 

But, at that critical moment, if I had to choose between a solid fixed bland and a mech, and knew I could hit where I were aiming at 40. 50 even 60 yards out, I'd choose the fixed heads.

[jnobleinaz]

I also had bad results on an elk with a G5 Montec. It was a killing shot, and the bull was recovered, but the head looked like you had run over it with truck. The steel is just too soft to hold a good edge and seems to disintegrate when it hits anything other than flesh. I really like the idea of a one-piece, 3-blade, cut on contact head, so I bought some of the newer Montec CS. I haven't shot them at anything, but they seem sharper and harder, and should fly just like the Montecs, which have always flown really well for me.

 

The thing that's tough, but at the same time really nice, when picking a broadhead there are so many choices out there that are so far superior to what most of us had availalble when we started archery hunting it's mind boggling.

 

When I first started out, Thunderheads were pretty much the head to beat. But at $30 for 6 they were considered very expensive. The more I've gotten into bow hunting, the more great heads I seem to encounter each year. Yeah, there's also a gimmick head for every solid one.

 

I've made a list of the ones that are well constructed, fly well in most set-ups, and have a following of serious hunters who are real picky about heads.

 

Fixed heads:

 

Wac'Em/G5 Striker/Cabela's Copper Head/Red Head Blackout. Many names, still the same head. This has to be the most "cloned" head anywhere. Even Horton Crossbows have an OEM version of the same head (Horton FX Pro/BF200). Why so many versions of the same head? It's a good design, period. Solid, carbon steel shank, short, high angle, razor sharp, replaceable blades. What's not to like?

 

Muzzy 3-blade. Some people have tuning issues with these heads, according to all the stuff I've read on the Bowsite, Eber's and others. The bottom line from what I've read, is that if you can get them to fly well in your setup, there is no better head. From my personal experience, I killed a nice coues deer a couple years back in August in AZ with a muzzy. He went a few yards and fell over dead. The next week I killed a nice, big-framed 3x3 velvet muley in NM with a muzzy. It wasn't a great hit, but he bled out fast - and that's important. I have not seen Muzzys to fly any differently than any other good broadhead I've shot, and everything I've hit with a Muzzy died close to where it was hit. Don't let the fact that you can buy 3 of them at WalMart for $17 fool you. These are not "el-cheapo" broadheads when it comes to hunting. In a properly tuned bow, they fly great. And when they hit, they kill. I have as much faith in a Muzzy 3 blade as any other head I shoot, and better recovery rate than any.

 

Slick Trick - Man, I remember when these heads first came out. A "normal guy" posted on a popular bow hunting website about his new heads. I helped out a little bit with his new website to promote them. Who could have known then how amazingly popular these heads would be? And for good reason. The design is beautifully simple. You've got a solid, carbon steel shank like a nail, with not 3 but 4 blades made from the best German steel available. They are scary sharp out of the box in 1", 1 1/8" and 1 1/4". Plus if you like the older "bear" style, you can get the razortrick, which has the main cutting head in front of the ferrule for the only short, blade first, 4 blade "bear" style of head I know of. I have shot the slick trick standard and magnum, and I can say for sure that they fly perfectly in a tuned bow. I haven't shot the GrizzTricks or the RazorTricks. If the RazorTricks fly like the standard sliks, I can't think of a better head for any game. The standard and magnum are already field-proven performers and the newer offerings appear to build on the reputation that has taken "Slick Trick" from a one-man "garage" head to a proven favorite amoung a very picky crowd.

 

The Magnus Stinger/Buzzcut. This is the better half of today's version of the old Bear broadhead. Many guys get turned off right off the bat that it is such a long broadhead. It just looks like it will be harder to tune than the shorter heads because it "should" catch more wind, and it's so long it "should" change your FOC. Don't be fooled by appearances. While the Stinger and Buzzcut look old-school, they fly right along with the shorter broadheads in a properly tuned bow. Add in Magnus' warranty, it's basically a lifetime, no-fault warranty...I don't even know how they can do it aside from trusting people not to abuse it. You can shoot one of these heads into a rock quarry and mail it in to them and they'll send you a replacement. I think that's awesome, and I love that spirit of customer service, but I don't think any head can take a shot out of today's bows and hit anything but a target or straight vitals and not be damaged. Enough about the warranty, what do they do when they hit? They cut, and they cut big time. There is a reason old-school longbow and recurve shooters like the Bear style head. They are devastaging. You've got a long, cut-on-impact razor head, followed by a strong ferrule housing bleeder blades. The only difference between the Stinger and Buzzcut is that the Buzzcut has a serrated edge. Something that was once frowned upon, but many bowhunters now prefer.

 

Mechanicals: Well, all I have to say about mech's is I've never shot one at an animal, they seem to do a good job of making up for an improperly tuned bow, you either love them or hate them, and I've heard as many people telling me how great Rage heads are as I've heard of people saying they stink. I bought a pack of Rage 2-blades this year. I don't know what, if anything I'll hunt with them. On the one hand, I keep hearing of great success with them. On the other hand, I'm old school enough to think that moving parts are just a chance for things to go wrong. I'd rather spend more time tuning my bow to shoot fixed blades. Nothing against those of you who shoot mechs. I definately see the appeal.

 

But, at that critical moment, if I had to choose between a solid fixed bland and a mech, and knew I could hit where I were aiming at 40. 50 even 60 yards out, I'd choose the fixed heads.

sweet post i like it

[COOSEFAN]

GREAT POST COACH!!!! JIM>

[1denogean]

okay like jim said coach that was a great post now im gonna throw something different out there. all you elk hunters please shoot a 400+grain arrow all these broadheads will do good I just cant emphasise enough to all elk hunters about arrow weight without this almost all broadheads dont mean squat.

 

Jim please preach to them if you can add some 2 cents

[OpticNerd]

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.

 

 

Good point! This was one of the reasons I started shooting expandables because you can get some that have a huge cutting diameter. My thinking was the larger the cutting diameter the greater chance I have of doing some mortal damage on a bad placed shot. This was over 10 years ago so things might be different now days but at the time I switched I went from a 1.25 inch cutting diameter with the fixed blade to a 2.5 inch cutting diameter with the expandables. I remember a crazy broad head that had both fixed and expandable blades. I don't know how good they worked or even if they're are still around all I know is that I wouldn't want to be shot by one. If I recall they had something crazy like a 5 inch cutting diameter.

[308Nut]

okay like jim said coach that was a great post now im gonna throw something different out there. all you elk hunters please shoot a 400+grain arrow all these broadheads will do good I just cant emphasise enough to all elk hunters about arrow weight without this almost all broadheads dont mean squat.

 

Jim please preach to them if you can add some 2 cents

 

I will add a +1 on arrow weight for elk. 3 year old bulls are alot more forgiving than 6+ year old bulls when it comes to penetration. We all hope for the 6+ year old bulls. Hence the need for a good weight range.

 

I will add though that while weight is important, IMHO even more important is having an arrow tuned so that it DOES NOT porpise or fishtail. When this happens, even with heavy arrows, you will get very little penetration period. The more severe the problem, the less they will penetrate. They need to fly straight if you want to bury them to the fletching or pass them through.

 

This is a great thread and just in time for the up and coming season.

[COOSEFAN]

okay like jim said coach that was a great post now im gonna throw something different out there. all you elk hunters please shoot a 400+grain arrow all these broadheads will do good I just cant emphasise enough to all elk hunters about arrow weight without this almost all broadheads dont mean squat.

 

Jim please preach to them if you can add some 2 cents

 

I will add a +1 on arrow weight for elk. 3 year old bulls are alot more forgiving than 6+ year old bulls when it comes to penetration. We all hope for the 6+ year old bulls. Hence the need for a good weight range.

 

I will add though that while weight is important, IMHO even more important is having an arrow tuned so that it DOES NOT porpise or fishtail. When this happens, even with heavy arrows, you will get very little penetration period. The more severe the problem, the less they will penetrate. They need to fly straight if you want to bury them to the fletching or pass them through.

 

This is a great thread and just in time for the up and coming season.

 

+2!!! Agreed. A heavy and well tuned arrow is a must! If a guy is lazy or over confident and tries to make a light arrow, a dull broadhead, or an out of tune bow work for an elk hunt, they greatly increase the chances of wounding and losing an elk!

[jnobleinaz]

Exactly my arrows weigh 495 grains with head. Penetration is the key.

[AZBUCKEYE]

I also had bad results on an elk with a G5 Montec. It was a killing shot, and the bull was recovered, but the head looked like you had run over it with truck. The steel is just too soft to hold a good edge and seems to disintegrate when it hits anything other than flesh. I really like the idea of a one-piece, 3-blade, cut on contact head, so I bought some of the newer Montec CS. I haven't shot them at anything, but they seem sharper and harder, and should fly just like the Montecs, which have always flown really well for me.

 

The thing that's tough, but at the same time really nice, when picking a broadhead there are so many choices out there that are so far superior to what most of us had availalble when we started archery hunting it's mind boggling.

 

When I first started out, Thunderheads were pretty much the head to beat. But at $30 for 6 they were considered very expensive. The more I've gotten into bow hunting, the more great heads I seem to encounter each year. Yeah, there's also a gimmick head for every solid one.

 

I've made a list of the ones that are well constructed, fly well in most set-ups, and have a following of serious hunters who are real picky about heads.

 

Fixed heads:

 

Wac'Em/G5 Striker/Cabela's Copper Head/Red Head Blackout. Many names, still the same head. This has to be the most "cloned" head anywhere. Even Horton Crossbows have an OEM version of the same head (Horton FX Pro/BF200). Why so many versions of the same head? It's a good design, period. Solid, carbon steel shank, short, high angle, razor sharp, replaceable blades. What's not to like?

 

Muzzy 3-blade. Some people have tuning issues with these heads, according to all the stuff I've read on the Bowsite, Eber's and others. The bottom line from what I've read, is that if you can get them to fly well in your setup, there is no better head. From my personal experience, I killed a nice coues deer a couple years back in August in AZ with a muzzy. He went a few yards and fell over dead. The next week I killed a nice, big-framed 3x3 velvet muley in NM with a muzzy. It wasn't a great hit, but he bled out fast - and that's important. I have not seen Muzzys to fly any differently than any other good broadhead I've shot, and everything I've hit with a Muzzy died close to where it was hit. Don't let the fact that you can buy 3 of them at WalMart for $17 fool you. These are not "el-cheapo" broadheads when it comes to hunting. In a properly tuned bow, they fly great. And when they hit, they kill. I have as much faith in a Muzzy 3 blade as any other head I shoot, and better recovery rate than any.

 

Slick Trick - Man, I remember when these heads first came out. A "normal guy" posted on a popular bow hunting website about his new heads. I helped out a little bit with his new website to promote them. Who could have known then how amazingly popular these heads would be? And for good reason. The design is beautifully simple. You've got a solid, carbon steel shank like a nail, with not 3 but 4 blades made from the best German steel available. They are scary sharp out of the box in 1", 1 1/8" and 1 1/4". Plus if you like the older "bear" style, you can get the razortrick, which has the main cutting head in front of the ferrule for the only short, blade first, 4 blade "bear" style of head I know of. I have shot the slick trick standard and magnum, and I can say for sure that they fly perfectly in a tuned bow. I haven't shot the GrizzTricks or the RazorTricks. If the RazorTricks fly like the standard sliks, I can't think of a better head for any game. The standard and magnum are already field-proven performers and the newer offerings appear to build on the reputation that has taken "Slick Trick" from a one-man "garage" head to a proven favorite amoung a very picky crowd.

 

The Magnus Stinger/Buzzcut. This is the better half of today's version of the old Bear broadhead. Many guys get turned off right off the bat that it is such a long broadhead. It just looks like it will be harder to tune than the shorter heads because it "should" catch more wind, and it's so long it "should" change your FOC. Don't be fooled by appearances. While the Stinger and Buzzcut look old-school, they fly right along with the shorter broadheads in a properly tuned bow. Add in Magnus' warranty, it's basically a lifetime, no-fault warranty...I don't even know how they can do it aside from trusting people not to abuse it. You can shoot one of these heads into a rock quarry and mail it in to them and they'll send you a replacement. I think that's awesome, and I love that spirit of customer service, but I don't think any head can take a shot out of today's bows and hit anything but a target or straight vitals and not be damaged. Enough about the warranty, what do they do when they hit? They cut, and they cut big time. There is a reason old-school longbow and recurve shooters like the Bear style head. They are devastaging. You've got a long, cut-on-impact razor head, followed by a strong ferrule housing bleeder blades. The only difference between the Stinger and Buzzcut is that the Buzzcut has a serrated edge. Something that was once frowned upon, but many bowhunters now prefer.

 

Mechanicals: Well, all I have to say about mech's is I've never shot one at an animal, they seem to do a good job of making up for an improperly tuned bow, you either love them or hate them, and I've heard as many people telling me how great Rage heads are as I've heard of people saying they stink. I bought a pack of Rage 2-blades this year. I don't know what, if anything I'll hunt with them. On the one hand, I keep hearing of great success with them. On the other hand, I'm old school enough to think that moving parts are just a chance for things to go wrong. I'd rather spend more time tuning my bow to shoot fixed blades. Nothing against those of you who shoot mechs. I definately see the appeal.

 

But, at that critical moment, if I had to choose between a solid fixed bland and a mech, and knew I could hit where I were aiming at 40. 50 even 60 yards out, I'd choose the fixed heads.

That is some good info there great job

[lucky2hunt]

Okay, let me throw my opinion into the ring...

 

VPA Terminator, a devastating broadhead! A fixed 3 blade, cut on contact head. It is CNC machined from a solid chunk of steel, no welds to break and not poured, cast metal that is brittle like other leading broadheads. This process makes for a stronger and more precise head, you get a very exact head that will spin true and fly like a dart out of tuned bows. The Terminator has a high carbon content so it is super easy to sharpen, even for me!

 

The word is just getting just getting out about VPA Terminators. Ask your pro-shop if they have them, if not you can order them through here: VPA Terminator

 

Terminator at work!

[Coach]

Not trying to start a fight or anything, but those VPA heads look amazingly close to several broadheads already on the market. I've got some of my dad's Howard Hill cedar shafts with heads that look exactly like the green 160 grain in the picture. And the 100 grain heads look almost identical to a G5 Montec SS.

 

Is there something about this company that has taken some good designs and made them better? Or are they just re-marketing some proven designs? Just asking.

[lucky2hunt]

As far as I know, VPA (Vantage Point Archery) has been making traditional style heads for a while now. In the past year or so they have made a compact broadhead in 100 and 125 grains that is designed for compound shooters. The main difference between the Terminator and it's competition is that it is in fact made from one solid piece of steel not casted metal or welded, making it extremely durable and strong!

[double lunger14]

In between Rage 2 blades and shuttle T for my elk hunt this year......... :blink: :blink:

[tjwking]

I used G5 strikers on my bull last year and they did fly very true and did an awesome job on penetration but the blood trail wasn't the greatest. I'm trying out the shuttle T's now to see what I'm going to use on this years elk hunt.

[1azbowhunter]

I am thinking about the RAGE for this years elk hunt but still a bit leary about expandable on elk what do you think?

i used the rage last year it workied fine for me