Archery elk hunting best broadheads ????
Elk
Heading to Colorado September 14 days I shoot Mathews Switchback XT 72-74 lbs I'm planning on using mechanical broadheads from what I've read seen on podcasts and researched NAP kill zone r good. What broadheads are recommended? ???????
This will be ugly................
bigbuck: You're going to get opinions all over the map on this topic (probably the most hashed-over subject in bowhunting). You might do well to use the search function and see the many previous "discussions" on this matter.
BTW. The SEARCH function is at the bottom of the page under SITE SUPPORT
Here's fuel for the fire. Nothing beats a RAGE! Nothing!
Before this is over, you'll find out that they all stink. Don't know why we use them.
As long as it's not the hunt of a lifetime I'd feel ok using a broadhead, on elk, that hinges. ;) Best of luck to ya.
Cannot help out with Mech's as I've not used them. I do like the Sharpness, Penetration & Flight of the Qad Exodus, you cannot go wrong with this head.
ElkNut1
Just make sure they are sharp, shoot good from your bow, and then put them in the right spot. NAP Killzones will do the job, so will many others of all types and brands.
If there was a best one there would only be ONE
We've had excellent success with Wasp Jak Hammers. Big holes. Short prolific blood trails. Good luck to you.
If a podcast said it, it must be true! Since you asked the opinions of us peasants too modest to host a podcast, I personally recommend tuning your bow and shooting a 99.99% reliable fixed head over a 99.7% mech. Or whatever the failure rate actually is, I've personally been a witness to 2 failures at our camp, so it's probably higher than .003. But that's just me, I want to leave nothing to chance at that particular junction of a dream hunt.
Recommended? Slick Trick standard, viper trick, or anything from VPA. I can't comment on anything else since they've never been nor will they reside on the end of my elk arrow.
Anything sharp and durable, that can't mechanically fail ;)
Just say "NO" to mechanical broad heads. Use a sharp VPA and a heavy arrow. If you want the TV celeb hunter shot, with 4" of penetration go ahead and use a super fast ultra light arrow and a mechanical.
NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
why use a mech? small fixed fly great and nothing that can fail. slick trick, g5 strikers. you can shoot each broadhead arrow combination and replace the blades before season. killed lots of elk all with a small fixed blade heads. hit a elk in the boiler room they don't go far. hit them in the guts or shoulder blade and It wont matter what head you are using.
bigbuckODY,
Elk are big and tough and you want good penetration and preferably an exit hole. Obviously you can kill elk with mechanicals but a fixed blade head will probably increase the odds of good penetration and an exit hole. I've had very good success with Wasp Boss fixed blade and Slick Trick Magnums.
Kinda like religion. If you don't believe the same way they do, then your gonna go to hell.
But the logic is really pretty simple: Elk are really big, so you have to get through a whole lot more hide, fat, muscle and bone to reach the vitals
Mechanicals are designed to cut wider, therefore they encounter higher resistance to penetration; "traditional" fixed blades are designed to reduce resistance and improve the potential for the head to slide off of a bone on a glancing hit, rather than having to break the bone in order to pass.
Mechanicals have moving parts that can fail. Fixed don't.
Lotsa animals killed by lotsa different heads.... Slick Trick for me! Going on 10 years
This always becomes a Mech vs Fixed. You can't lump all Mech's together and you can't lump all Fixed together. Pick a broadhead that flies great out of your setup in all conditions.
Does anyone use shuttle T Broadheads?
I'll admit that I have limited experience with mechanicals but I did kill my first bull with a Rocket mechanical and it did the job but busted to pieces inside of the bull.
I've killed a couple deer including a 255 pound (field dressed) whitetail buck with Wasp Jak Hammers but then I had a really bad experience where a Jak Hammer deflected off of the rib cage of a small buck at a "perfect" slightly quartering away angle at 12 yards with a 400 grain arrow shot out of a Mathews MQ1 at 74 pounds. That arrow came to rest between the shoulder blade and the rib cage and never penetrated the rib cage. That shot was actually a follow up shot and the buck died from the first shot so I recovered him and was able to examine the wound and see the marks where the Jak Hammer deflected and skidded along the ribs.
I was dumfounded and have not used a mechanical since. If a Jak Hammer fails at penetrating the rib cage of a little whitetail I certainly don't have any confidence in using them on elk. I'm sure there are many who have had great experience with Jak Hammers and I'm just sharing my experience. Nothing against Wasp though, because I have killed many deer and all but 2 of my elk with Wasp fixed blade heads.
I think one of the most important factors on elk is penetration and if a mechanical will penetrate adequately then it will most likely do the job, but I think that's a big "if"...
Does anyone use shuttle T Broadheads?
Yes, lots of people do with good results. I personally haven't but I've heard, by more than one, that they fly great. Get'm sharp and you'll be GTG
SORRRRRRRRRRRRRRRY to open the flood gates i have hurd that i believe the "slick trick" is supper tiny i like what it offers for sure but can i get it to fly well at my 60 yard effective kill zone distance?????????????? if so do they make a practice head so i can shoot the broadhead all year????? thats the impotant thing practice with a broadhead that offers practice heads im NOT a millionaire ive deer hunted with Montec G5 all steel 100s the last few years for deer and worked great but cant get them to fly good groups at more than 30yards :( before 2 years ago ALL ive ever used were NAP Spitfire cause i can take them apart easily and replace each blade wen needed
Sacrifice one set of blades for your practice head, replacements won't send you to the poor house.
if groups are poor after 30 yards I would have to look at tuning. Easton used to have a micro tuning guide for broadheads. most new small fixed blade heads will shoot every bit as good as field points with a properly tuned bow and arrow combo.
It's not the Montec's fault your groups fall apart. Tune the bow and/or tune the Indian holding it.
My question is...if you don't even know what BH to use, and for two years you couldn't get BH's to group, how the heck can you say 60yds is your effective range?!
Agree with SDHNTR. The Montec isn't the reason it doesn't group well.
Why would you only replace one blade at a time? Did only 1 blade open? A properly tune bow will shoot any broadhead that you want.
Flag on the play..... false start.... 5 yard penalty, repeat 1st down.......
"Best elk broadhead" threads should not start until at least March or April.....
I'm not a mech hater, in fact this is the first year I'll have one (one) in my quiver for deer. I've never personally killed anything with them, but have seen several animals killed with them, they worked pretty well. I can see they have their advantages..... and disadvantages. Nothing in life is free.... many of the good things about mechs also come at a price. They fly great, that's a biggie. That wide cut means they will have more resistance to penetration, especially when that wide cut comes at the expense of blade angle. Strength of a blade that is unsupported at it's trailing end..... etc. etc.
Sit down and list all the things you want in an ELK head. For me, #1 is it has to fly fairly well, be a bit forgiving. If you don't hit where you want to all is pretty much lost unless luck smiles on you. Mostly she craps on me......
#2 is tough. Elk ribs alone are several time larger than a deer's. The animal can be 3 or 4 times larger than most any deer. Now and then a deer gets killed with a broadhead found lodged in the spine..... lots of elk are killed packing a broadhead in a spine or some other bone that would have killed a deer.
#3 is penetration. A hard quartering (or a frontal, heheheheh....) and you can easily have 3 or 4 feet of elk to go through to get to the other side.
There are givens.... such as sharp. Holds an edge after going through a bunch of dried mud matted hair before it even gets to the hide.....stuff like that. "Most" quality heads of any design will or should have that covered.
Then sit down and go through it head by head, strength to weakness and see logically what fits best. A good general does not pit his side's weakness against the other side's strengths.
That said, truckloads of elk have been killed with just about any and all heads under the sun. Hit em well with any decent head and you likely will be rewarded.
"Second and 8"
I agree with wy and SDHNTR and those above.... your issues are not the montec. Do some research, lots of threads here on tuning your bow. As well as what you might be doing yourself form wise, torque, etc. If your broadheads aren't stacking with your field points in the same group then you could use some tuning work or form work or both. Address that before screwing on a mech as a bandaid. That IMO is where some of the bad rap on mechs comes from, people use them because they can't get anything else to fly well. You will never get maximum penetration or performance out of an arrow that's flying sideways.....
And good luck with your elk hunt!
"3rd and one"
I'd be spending more time and energy learning where to shoot them and how to get close enough to make that one shot. The broadhead doesn't really matter when you shoot 'em in the liver from 60 yards away.
just sayin
That broadhead Matt Damon is shooting in the trailers for the new movie, "The Great Wall" looks pretty wicked!
I'd like to see what the broadheads from 300 would do to a critter.
I'm just 100% torn on which BH to use #1 goal is to kill the elk if I'm so lucky to get the shot and your all correct it's all about placement of the good quality BH all this info is helpful I have had my bow tuned by a Pro Senior Shooter just this past month just not with my BH so I'll take into consideration to start shooting BH this spring and just BH I'll tune my Montec with my bow I do want to hunt with them definitely
Wac'em 4 blade, or slick trick. I would never risk a non-supported blade of a mechanical on elk or moose. Also too many times the ferrule of a mechanical get compromised on entry and the blades do not open properly. I've seen it too many times with my mechanical friends. Why take the chance.
Find someone locally that knows their stuff and have them help you tune your bow. Then choose any reputable fixed head. With VPA there's no need for a practice head. Practice with them all , then touch them up and back in the quiver. Nearly indestructible, lots of sizes. I like the non vented because they are deadly quiet in flight while the vented hiss like crazy.
Jaq, funny thing is I thought the same thing when I saw the commercial. It does look mean!
ElkNut1
It looks like a 4 bladed exodus.
I would recommend a strong, compact, fixed head like the Iron Will Broadhead for elk. I was shooting 4" groups at 70 yards with them this week with the same bow you have and same draw weight. I spent eight years designing them for maximum penetration on elk along with great long range flight.
That head looks deadly!!!
my plan is too practice and use my montec BH so ill be patient and work hard at tight groups with field tips out to 60 or 70 and then try harder to group sight in Montecs
Interesting that no one recommended Muzzy bheads.
"i believe the "slick trick" is supper tiny"
when you googles it what did you find? A 4 blade Slick Trick cutting has how much surface cut vs a 1.5" mechanical 2 blade?
I hate mechanicals - especially for elk. I've killed some game with Slick Tricks - they're never failed, they're a great flying head, very sharp, very well built and strong.
Why do you think you'll be shooting 60 yards or so? Its bowhunting - you can take as far off shots as you want or get close - I never shot at a bull over 25 yards I don't think ... maybe 30 the farthest.
50 -60 will benjoy my long range kill range if I know I can't get them closer my plan and the way I hunt is "stalk in and get close" I'm a very successful Michigan bow hunter :) I'll push myself very hard the entire trip go higher and deeper if and when necessary to better my chance at just getting a shot at an ELK
Is there a difference in magnum or regular besides the cutting diameter? I was thinking about toying with my arrows this spring trying out 4 vanes instead of 3 ????????
Don't mean to come across too harsh, but if you're truly serious about becoming a success elk hunter, you need to rearrange your priorities.
Rather than worrying about whether to use BH x, y, or z, or what camo pattern x, y, or z you should use, spend your valuable time learning everything you can about the quarry you intend to pursue, and the area you intend to pursue them in.
Get your bow tuned to an arrow of reasonable weight, put on a quality, reputable SHARP BH, and don't sweat the minutiae. Focus on becoming skilled at stalking and calling so you won't have to worry about flinging 70yd "poke and hope's". JMO.
I shot him at 20 with a 4 blade Muzzy 125 and watched him fall over after a 30 yard run.
I shot him at 20 with a 4 blade Muzzy 125 and watched him fall over after a 30 yard run.
Not to be a smarty-pants but if you shoot at 60 yards how would you know if you could've gotten him closer?
This one was at 60. I ended up shooting him at 20 and watched him fall over
Lots of great advice given by guys that know how to kill elk. Did you notice there are lots of different broadheads mentioned? They all work if it's Sharp, your bow is tuned and you put the arrow where it's needed.
Since this is your first elk hunt I will emphasize what Wyomingbulshooter said. Study the animal you plan on hunting.
Farther and deeper is not always what's needed. Guys walk by elk all the time to get to elk that are farther and deeper in. "Elk are were you find them". When you figure out what that means. Your hunting will improve.
Ive bought some expandables and played with them ...what a PITA but when it comes down to hunting I keep going back to the triad and true muzzy 4 blade ! I havent had one fail to open yet ..... good luck
Your exactly right about priorities my hunting partner and I have narrowed down our #1 spot and our #2 spots with back up plans for #3 and #4 and we're micro scouting with a few resources so that we have spike camp picked well be hiking in SLOW for the first two days so hopefully we don't walk by elk as for the elk calling my bugle is getting better from 100 yards my buddy said so that's good I guess I purchased my calls last autumn and been since driving my family a little crazy but they're supporting my effort lol I think I've about caused a few car acac
Your exactly right about priorities my hunting partner and I have narrowed down our #1 spot and our #2 spots with back up plans for #3 and #4 and we're micro scouting with a few resources so that we have spike camp picked well be hiking in SLOW for the first two days so hopefully we don't walk by elk as for the elk calling my bugle is getting better from 100 yards my buddy said so that's good I guess I purchased my calls last autumn and been since driving my family a little crazy but they're supporting my effort lol I think I've about caused a few car accidents cause I've been in the truck practicing :) I've been doing homework on all parts of elk not just one subject I just learned about this forum a month ago and let me say I'm 1000000% thankful and very much appreciated from everyone here :) I'm dedicated
they're right - think about what you are going to do
drive from MI to a place you've never been, hunting animals you've never hunted before in an environment you've never hunted in - they're right, a broadhead isn't greatly high on the list of your challenges :)
I did it - more than once - loved it. I also took junk heads one year, and lost a bull because of it.
A Slick Trick won't let you down, and my 4 blades fly great at 295 fps out of my Xpedition bow, 3 Blazer fletched.
I don't think you'll be disappointed in Slick Trick heads, they will never fail to open, I've never broken a blade, sharp out of the package, I've never bent a ferrule or tip either .... they'll cut a hole 1"-1"1/4" 3 or 4 ways depending on the head you choose. They'll break bone as good as the best heads out there will too IMO. They'll shoot accurately. They have all the checks that a head should have
good luck
