Mechanicals for Cougar ?
cougar
In the big picture this is not a big deal, but curious as to thoughts and first hand results on those who have used, or have experience with others who have used, mechanical broadheads for mountain lion.
Any issues one way or the other? I know they are smaller animals, thin skinned, generally not too tough to kill (If the arrow does not kill them the fall may!)
Is there any particular reason to avoid, or gravitate to, mechanicals for a lion hunt?
Since you may not have an open shot (many tree branches around) I would go with fixed blades as mechanical may open prematurely and deflect.
Just my thoughts on mechanicals in general as I have had issues with them way too many times either not opening up or opening pre-maturely wrecking the shot.
Actually just the opposite of Tonybear's opinion. Very little chance of a mechanical opening early, IF the hunter has made sure the mechanicism hold the blades securely. The closed mechanical will clear limbs that a fixed blade will possibly hit.
Eliminate the possibility, fixed.
Even though you have time at the tree.... usually to check your equipment, personally, I don't want that to be part of the process at that point in time.
I don't think it matters at all.
My cat lasted about 15 seconds after getting hit by one...
Bou, It's Xmas! You see what you started your now on Santa's bad list.. :)
As a passed trapper and also one season I worked with dogs out in Montana chasing cats. I seen them with mech, fixed, and as small as 22's. All worked fine.
A mechanical head closed maybe 1/2 to 5/8. A fixed maybe 1 to 1 1/2. If you can't get a mech head on target your not going to get a fixed.
Ed
Has there ever been any instances of blades not opening on impact or opening in flight with mechanicals?
Tradmt have you ever had a vehicle break down?
I used a mechanical and it worked perfectly. Lots of blood. My thinking was twofold: that a mechanical has a slight edge shooting through branches. 1/2" is a big deal if the broadhead does in fact hit and deflect off a branch. Secondly, I found various diagrams of a cats kill zone so i wanted a broadhead with a bigger cutting diameter to hedge my bet on the location of the kill zone. But i certainly see the benifit of a fixed blade, and i doubt that there is much debate that both setups will work for cougar.
I shot my cat with a slick trick magnum. It moved around in the tree for a few seconds, but was dead when it hit the ground. The following day my buddy shot his cat with a rage extreme, the cat leaped out of the tree and was dead before it hit the ground. I was extremely impressed with his mechanical. However both fixed and mechanical heads resulted in dead cats with no issues!
Performance wise I see no issues, likely a good advantage with a large cut on a relatively soft target.
Only thing I'd worry about is hitting twigs, needles, leaves and having them open up. I think they would deflect more in that way than a fixed head might.
Personally I'd just shoot what you shoot everything else with and just be aware of any limitations each may have.
good points all.
I would not worry about the deflection issue. the closed head is not the part of the shaft that is the widest, the most protruding, the fletching is.
A good flying fixed blade in my opinion. Wac em or ramcat
Fixed blade cuts through a small twig or stick(and bone) it doesn't deflect. Mechanical can touch it and open up seriously deflecting the shot.(I saw one turn the arrow almost sideways, recovered the animal after two days on what should have been a gimmie broadside shot) I have been on too many hunting trips where I have had it happen personally and wasting time chasing other peoples animals shot poorly with an expandable to cover up bad shot placement or angle. I won't use one no matter how much advertising they do.
Easier on the taxidermist?
A fixed blade then. Less to sew than a giant gash left by a mechanical. Cats are easy to kill.
Yeah, it's a real pain sewing up a hide that looks "like someone threw an axe through it".
Not to mention an axe, machete AND a chainsaw!
As a guide I prefer to see hunters show up with fixed blades, but even better guys that can shot extreme angles and know where their arrow hits at 6 yards. If this is the case either works just fine.
Just curious, do you guys eat the cats you harvest?? I remember a wild game feed as a teenager where my uncle supposedly fed us cougar. It had to be the worst meat I have eaten in my life.
"Tradmt have you ever had a vehicle break down?"
Uuuuuuuuuhhhhhhhh, yes I have had a vehicle break down LINK.
Kinda my point.
Tony bear- yea cougar is great table fare. Some of my favorite wild game. Tastes like pork!
A cook inexperienced in cooking wild game can make the best of it pretty nasty.
My understanding cougar is some of the best..... ahhh, never mind....
Believe it or not, there is a lion in the middle of this picture. It was taken off of a video I shot last week of a Tom we caught for a client. We could not get the lion to move and didn't really want the cat to jump and run. Our client was 79 years old. We had taken him to another tree that day already (we had turned out on this tom running with a female and, of coarse, treed her first). The client was tired and knew this was going to have to be it. His shot window was no larger then 4-5 inches. He made the shot. Point is, not every shot is going to be perfect. Skinner Creek said it best. "As a guide I prefer to see hunters show up with fixed blades, but even better, guys that can shot extreme angles and know where their arrow hits at 6 yards. If this is the case either works just fine."
Practice at crazy, steep angles and odd positions. I've seen guys miss cats completely at less then 10 yards, it happens.
This cat was shot with a NAP Hellrazor and was dead in under 20 seconds.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0O6YlJH0KGk
here is the link to that shot tha PA stringking posted immediately above. that was some great video. in slow motion you see the arrow blow through and go off into space. who got to climb the tree after him.
Not me!! Lol. We poked him with a big stick and he fell.
Never found the arrow which is dissapounting as I like to reuse arrows. Oh well. Donated that one to the mountain
Lion at the top of my list for game meat. Whole family LOVES it. Very mild, light color, as stated similar to pork.
