Bear hunting with Rage broadheads
Bears
I have a Mathews creed 29 inch draw 58 pound pull. would u use a 100 grain rage broadhead for black bear? anybody that has used one please chime in. if I don't use rages I intend on using a coc broadhead
My friend in alaska just killed a grizz with a rage.
I wouldn't use a rage broadhead to shoot any animal. but that is just me.
I killed my biggest bear with a 100 gr. Spitfire. It devastated him. Id say you will be fine. Any broadhead in the right place will kill.
I figure why take the chance. If you must use mechanical broad heads bear hunting might be the safest way to get rid of the ones you got since most likely you will be at 12 yards or so. But really why take the chance of something going wrong ……………… Just use a fixed head.
Yawn, sure why not? Bears are soft...
Assuming you consider the other factors such as using a sufficiently heavy arrow with enough energy to work with the rage head and use meticulous arrow assembly and testing to make sure they fly perfect- why not?
Shot my bear with a rage , complete pass thru quartering away only made it 40 yds . I wouldn't hesitate to shoot them.
Shot one with rage 100 gr for first time this spring, usually use Montecs. Bear was dead as a door nail, went 20 yds. creed, 50lbs.......opened up like a can........
They will work just fine, only rage I would shoot is the 40KE, regardless of poundage, even if I shot 100lbs and my draw was 32"s!!
carcus is that a blade angle thing.
what the heck does 40 KE mean?
harold,
they have a head that is designed for bows with lower kinetic energy. a little less cutting diameter, a steeper blad angle, better for lighter bows or bows with lower draw lengths
I'm headed to Winnipeg 1st week in September. I'll be using 100gr rage hypodermic. I've been using Ramcats, but this is what several people have recommended. I've just switched to 100gr from 125gr.
ecomoutdoors why change from ramcat I have heard nothing but hood about them
ecomoutdoors why change from ramcat I have heard nothing but hood about them
"if I don't use rages I intend on using a coc broadhead " No disrespect, but that's like saying "if I don't use tweezers to pull a splinter, I am going to use a chainsaw"..
Your choices could not be any more disparate....
Any quality BH should be able to kill a black bear though, if you hit the right spot...
Good luck!
Zebra, I just switched from 125 to 100gr so I had to buy new heads anyway. Was asking some good bow hunting buddies and they said go with the new rages. That's the only reason. I have nothing bad to say about ramcats!
I've killed bear with 100 gr rocket steelheads.. So yes I would use a rage. But only if I didn't have my steelheads. :) Ed
thanks Grant. Are you heading to Jemseg this fall by chance?
I'm re-thinking my rage decision. Its frustrating so many good and bad responses to the broad head on the internet. Guide said he likes big mechanical s for blood trail, so much hair if you don't get a good amount of blood its tougher to find....as with any animal. I've always been a fixed blade guy, don't want to risk the moving parts of a mechanical failing on me. Really thinking of going back to ramcats. I'm shooting new creed 60# 340gr easton FMJ 100gr broadheads.
shot placement make sure you read middle of middle thread
Brother shot one this spring with rage, complete pass through. 60 yd recovery.
Shot mine this spring with a Rage Hypodermic and had excellent results. Shot was slight quartering to. Entered on the right side lung and exited opposite side middle of the flank. So I caught one lung and diaphragm. Went 70 yards and died. My first bear was shot with a Rage 2 blade double lung and walked 15 yards before dropping in his tracks.
My personal experience with Rage...I would never use a 3 blade again no matter what. I found every deer I shot with the 3 blade, but I never had an exit wound. Penetration was horrible with the old 3 blade. Center punched the near and far side rib last year on a whitetail. Broke both ribs and had a pass through with the Hypodermics.
I really believe the key to Rage heads are to have enough arrow weight to back them up. If you can get enough momentum from the heavier arrow I don't think you will have an issue with penetration. I think most people don't pay attention to this an you end up with the horror stories everyone has heard. Get your arrow weight up or use either the KE's or the new SS that have a more gentle blade angle. I have toyed around with the idea of trying these for a little while and just haven't done it yet. I think they would be a more ideal head with a wider variety of arrow combinations. For now, I like my Easton Deep Six Injections with the Rage Hypodermic.
I truely believe you can shoot any legal head well and take bears.Ive seen disasterous results from all broadheads and see no difference in results of well placed shots.No broadhead will offer forgivness on bad shot placement and this is from many hundreds of observations and tracking jobs.Shoot your prefered head well and the debate is a non starter.
I shot both the hypodermic and ram cats yesterday and today out of my bow. At first I used the practice tip provided by rage and it didn't fly true at all. Switched to the actual head and it flew well. Both heads shot very well, I'm confident with either after shooting them. I will say though the hypodermic after shooting it probably 4 times and not changing the blade one of the blades did not open up. Don't know if it had to do with the blades shooting into the targets or what.
If a rage hits the right spot.....If a rage deploys properly...If the rage doesn't deploy to early.If the blades don't bend. If it doesn't hit bone....if if if......If all that happens the rage is a stupendous head that shows devastating results. IF!
My 2 cents. I shot a very small doe 3 years ago with a rage head moving 300 FPS. My arrow was light at 355 grains but the shot was dead broadside at 15 yards and it did not pass all the way through on a double lung shot. The head barley made it though the other side and the arrow fell back out the entry hole. The head was all chewed up and all it hit was rib bones. No track job was needed because she fell in sight at 50 yards. However I was very surprised the head was that damaged and that the rage head barley made it out the other side on such a small animal like that of a 1.5 year old tiny deer regardless of the fact I had a light arrow. I saw it multiple time before similar to that with other guys I hunt with that have much heavier arrows than I had
I was using a Hoyt at 58lbs at that time and have a 28.5" draw. I went up to 422 grains and increased my draw weight to 62LBS but I still wont use a rage head because of what I have seen.
If those heads open early they fold backward and have no real cut to them and IMO they are prone to deflection more than a regular BH. If they hit bone on larger game IMO all bets are off. I saw that happen a few times as well. If they work perfectly they are the most devastating heads I have seen.
If it were me I would use the other BH you have in mind so I know that just in case of a poor shot or uncontrollable circumstances I have the best odds. But thats just me.
Was using 100 grain Ramcats on my last two bears. Would never switch to a Rage. My outfitter discouraged any mechanical because of a bears long hair. Like others have said; why take the risk when there are so many excellent fixed heads on the market. Ramcats fly just as good as any mechanical out there.
Kevin Brouwer shot this trophy with an original 100 grain 3 blade rage. Shot in Vermilion Bay Ontario 8/18/14. Recovery in 27 yards.
Kurt Brouwer (Bowlsinger) Shoots Pope and Young Trophy at 4:30 pm, 8/19/2014 In Vemilion Bay Ontario. Shot with a Rage Broadhead, recovery 10 yards. 2nd 400 plus pound bear 2013 & 2014. Both with Rage recovered within 15 yards.
Screwball whats on his bow by bears nose?
Kurts, broad side through the ribs and came out at the opposite elbow. Broad head was fully intact with all three blades. Blew the heart out!!
Zebra killer, Kevin's bear, it's a excel game camera on bow. Kevins broad head was also intact and buried in the ground.
I'll throw in my 2 cents on the Rage. I have killed about 25 deer, 2 elk, and 1 bear with them. I have never had one open in flight and never have had one not open when it hit the animal. There have been at least 3 deer that I put bad hits on that I still recovered because of the wide cut. Most were pass thru shots. I shoot a 60# bow and 390 grain arrows, with a 28 inch draw. Last year I used Hypodermics and had a pass thru on a bull that went about 75 yds. I think the Hypodermics are an improvement on the old Rage and will continue to use them.
We also had a couple of bad shots taken last year and the rage broadhead is what saved the day for the hunters, in a couple of amazing ways!! I highly recommend rage broadheads on bear.
I don't care for mechanicals on bears and elk. Some mechanicals that don't lock open will not do as much damage inside the animal as it runs off. A fixed blade will keep cutting and shredding the lungs and vitals as the arrow moves inside the animal as the animals runs. Mechs can close up and flop around half closed if they don't lock open and they are not as strong. I would rather have an arrow in the vitals stay with the animal than a complete pass through.
I do not use rage, and never have, but a friend shot a bear with one, that left a bllod trail a blind man could follow.
The bear I shot last spring was dead in 40 yards, with hardly a speck of blood.
Thet were both just as dead, but his was easier to find.
I would on one condition you are shooting at least 7 grains per pound of pull. Arrow weight makes a difference no matter what head you are using. Just my 2 cents.
I've killed bears with a Rage and multiple bears with G5 Montecs. Both killed them dead :). I have taken deer and caribou with Wasp Hammer SSTs, Montecs, and Muzzies. All killed them dead :). Anywhere from 70lb to 50 lb draw weights, no difference. I think it is more important to practice with broadheads and make sure they are sharp and tight.
Rage and Spitfire NAP both outstanding broadheads!
I have too laugh when fellas complain they dont get a pass through on a broadside shot with a mechanical.
Could someone enlighten me to the broadhead that I should use that get a pass through each time?
They dont make one! It doesnt exist!
I have shot numerous deer with both heads and I believe 6 bears with either the NAP Spitfire or the Rage! Awesome!
Rage broadhead does it again!
Dave Cobb of West Virginia took this Ontario bear with a rage broadhead after missing the same bear 2 days before. Using a "Bear Agenda" compound.
Never had an issue with rage extreme . Last bear shot was lying down quartering to me at 25yrds. Complete pass through out the hind quarter. 20yrd recovery. However, I shoot 74lbs with 50grain insert weight which I think helps deploy.. But who knows...I just know it works.
Blew right threw a big black bear last Sunday bear went 30 yards
I went with the rage after the strong recommendation of my guide. Very glad I trusted him and my buddies. I can't believe the hole that broadhead cut through my bear, didn't damage the blades at all even after bouncing off the ground and hitting a tree. Complete pass through, double lung bear didn't go 20 yards. Would suggest them to anyone. I'll try to post a picture of the exit wound.
And to quote PT Barnum...
Austin Weir from Michigan, took this trophy with his Bear Carnage set up with a rage 2 blade 100 grain. Fell within 25 yrds.
Shot my bear last year and did a great job, so no worries about the rage!
I have a Mathews Creed 28 Inch draw at 58 pounds and I have found that magnus stingers work the best for me. They get great penetration and they are pretty rigid. With a fixed blade you also don't have to worry abo]ut a broadhead not opening because it is always open.
Shot a bear in Nb this spring at 22 yds with a rage it went 60 yds and down and out in under 3 seconds As of this year I have killed 32 head of game with a rage 2 blade 100 gr from 300 lb bear to 17 pd turkeys I have never had one not open and I have never lost an animal I have shot.
I want to try Rage's just to see what all the hype is about, but I've watched LOTS of YouTube videos of them, and I've seen VERY few passthroughs. Take this video for example, this guy makes a PERFECT shot on this yearling doe. You can see the arrow only doesn't even come close to passing through. Granted, the deer only travels about 30 yards, but a big buck may travel much further and I prefer two holes instead of one.
Arrow hit the off shoulder and didnt penetrate out I have had cut on impact heads like the snuffer do the same thing. Looked like a 3 blade head I have never shot those so I couldn't tell you if there is a difference. The only experience I have is with the 2 blade and I have shot 2 animals that I didn't get a complete pass through one was a turkey and the other was a 3 yr old 8 pt last year I hit him right in front of the ham quartered hard forward the head poked out the armpit on the off side but the arrow stayed in him. I shoot 70 lb with a 28" Beaman MFX 340 out of a Hoyt Alphamax They are a great head IMO I was a skeptic of mechanicals for yrs until I shoot the Rage head
