Rage Mechanicals
New York
I have watched a copy of new DVD's --The Drury Boys; seen some unbelieveable entrance holes using Rage mechanical broadheads. I mean devestating entrance holes! Bad shots high, low, and back still seem to drop those deer in short order. Not sure if you have seen the DVD's or if anyone has used them. I have always used Rocket Hammerheads and they have done well by me. But, in the case of a shot that is off a bit, these Rages seem to be the new trick. Anyone know someone who like them? I am going to have to try them. They come in 2" diamaeter two blade and 1.5" diameter three blades. The cutting hole upon entrance is much larger due to the engineering of this broadhead, where as others open once they have made actual entrance. I have never used fixed broadheads either. Give me your thoughts on the new Rages.
Because the blades do not retract they are deemed illegal in NY. sorry
I never thought of that. I will have to look into it. Are you sure they are don't meet the standard of DEC?
Just from memory I thought the use of a "barbed" type broadhead was illegal in NY. Maybe the law has changed although this head could fit that description. I have seen the head used on hunting shows and the hole it leaves is impressive. On the other hand the heads I am using work fine and do the job well so "If it aint broke ...."
Broadheads with mechanical blades are legal if the blades do not form a bard or hook when the arrow is pulled from the flesh. I say my rage 3 blades are perfectly legal in NY.
actually a ECO went into a store here to let them know they were illegal, the store now has a sign stating that because the blades can't retract that they are illegal, I believe they are also pictured in this years regulation guide too
If anyone's interested in buying any of these heads I have 3 packs brand new, never out of the box (except two that I took out to check the sharpness). The blades aren't sharp enough to hunt with (won't even shave hair) so I ordered a few packs of replacement blades - and none of them are sharp enough to shave hair either. If anyone wants them PM me and make me an offer. I have nothing against mechanicals (I've used both Spitfires and Spyders with excellent results) but IMO if you can't shave hair with them you shouldn't be hunting with them.
My friend has already purchased some of the Rages. They are being sold in all the local shops and Dicks Sporting goods in our area. I have emailed my local DEC representative to get the final answer and I will certainly let everyone know what is opinion is. I appreciate the input.
The following is straight from DEC on RAGE broadheads
Mr. Erceg, I am familiar with the Rage broadhead. The critical issues for all broadheads, mechanical or fixed, is that they meet the primary legal criteria: (1) at least 2 cutting edges, (2) minimum cutting diameter of 7/8 inches, (3) are not barbed.
Broadheads with mechanical blades are legal if the blades DO NOT form a barb or hook when the arrow is pulled from the flesh of a deer or bear. The Rage broadhead has a unique reward opening design which makes the broadhead appear barbed prior to expansion and when expanded. However, the blades freely pivot forward when the arrow is extracted and do not remain barbed in this position. So the broadhead is legal for big game hunting in New York.
Jeremy Hurst Wildlife Biologist
NYSDEC, Bureau of Wildlife 625 Broadway, 5th Floor Albany, NY 12233 Phone: 518-402-8867 Fax: 518-402-8925 [email protected]
>>> "Erceg, Anthony" 8/11/2007 12:40 PM >>> Jeremy,
Can you clarify a broadhead question for me please. I have seen these new Rage Mechanical Broadheads on DVD and they seem to be incredible. I have had some people tell me they are not legal in NYS. I have had others state otherwise. Also, they are being sold in all the local shops so I need to have a credible answer before I get into buying some. Can you help me please. Attached, please find the website: www.ragebroadheads.com
Better print that out and save it just in case an ECO has been told (it can legitimately happen) that they are not legal. Never hurts to be prepared.
Incidentally, my youngest son is going to start bow hunting this year. I'm in trying to decide whether to get him mechanicals or a small profile fixed blade. I've used Muzzy's for ... a long time and have no complaints. Of course I don't have a ton of bow kills but the ones that I've hit have all been pass threws and the Muzzy's held together. What I am concern about is accuracy. What fixed blades do you guys find fly the best for you? Are there mechanicals that you'd recommend?
Oh, he's 17 and will be shooting approx. 55 lbs @ 26" DL.
Thanks
Hey RENOB glad Jeremy got back to you on the issue, if I were you I would print that out and keep it with your license to prevent furthr mix ups, I know the ECO here in Chenango and according to him he says they are still illegal?? I know there are many thing in the book that contridict themselves regarding the law, if you look on the website it states you can not use any flashlight bigger than a 2 aa cell pen light but the book says any size, I wrote Albany last year about this but they didn't get back. Also in the new regulations guide on the Sunrise/set calendar they have the opening days to regular and bow season inncorrect. You did the right thing by asking!
Backtension, I saw that too the Bowhunting dates are all wrong in the Northern Zone....this really irks me too...I mean, I am no rocket scientist but I write memo's and letters all the time...It is a matter of proof reading the document before it is sent out...Honestly, how hard can that be....the regulations are hard enough to follow and they can't even get the dates right..Our hard earned taxpayer and license $'s are certainly not working here....
So I will keep this in my pack just in case for proof that I checked it out throughly. I wasn't unhappy with my Rocket Hammerheads but they have the small rubber bands still. They work just fine. After seeing the damage these Rages do, I have to try. I am not perfect and if the buck of lifetime comes on in, I promise, I will be " a shakin'". So, just in case, a broadhead that knocks deer down like this, is just an extra security blanket for me in the case of being off on a shot. You never know. I will purchase the Rages and give them a try.
UPDATE!!!!!!!!! So, it seems that the 2 blade Rage is legal in NYS........3 blade is not...fyi. Shared by DEC clarifying original email.
Sure, please share the info on Rage-2 vs Rage-3 with any of your bowhunting buddies that may also be concerned.
Jeremy
>>> "Erceg, Anthony" 9/5/2007 9:17 AM >>> Thanks Jeremy.....I do appreciate your follow up. It is great to have someone with such knowledge at the DEC that I can communicate with. Have a great day!
-----Original Message----- From: Jeremy Hurst [mailto:[email protected]] Sent: Wednesday, September 05, 2007 9:02 AM To: Erceg, Anthony Subject: Fwd: Re: Question
Mr. Erceg, I just received a question from another hunter that reminded me I should have been more thorough in my response to you regarding the Rage broadheads. Rage makes a 2-bladed and 3-bladed broadhead. The 2-bladed broadhead functions very well. However, the 3-bladed version does not consistently allow the blades to freely pivot forward upon extraction. Thus the blades often remain barbed. In my earlier response I was refering to the function of the 2-bladed version.
Jeremy Hurst Wildlife Biologist
NYSDEC, Bureau of Wildlife 625 Broadway, 5th Floor Albany, NY 12233 Phone: 518-402-8867 Fax: 518-402-8925 [email protected]
So I take it that the 3 blade Rage is illegal in New York State?
Yes.......the 3-blade would be considered illegal although they have certainly been for sale within sporting goods stores all summer.
I too was enamored at the results shown on the Drury videos, so I bought some 2 blades myself. I have to admit I feel somewhat ashamed for falling prey to what is obviously a marketing ploy, however, if they work as well as they appear to on video, my Ego will quickly take a back seat to my satisfaction with their product. Time will tell.
Thank you for doing the research as to the legality of this product in our state. It's not an issue I was aware of when purchasing.
Just bought grim reaper mechanicals they are perfectly leagal in ny state. Every one i speak to rant and rave about them saw a entrance hole from my friends deer last year thats what made me switch.
Have you guys noticed that they never talk about EXIT HOLES!!!!!!!!!!!
However, the 3-bladed version does not consistently allow the blades to freely pivot forward upon extraction. Thus the blades often remain barbed.
Can someone enlighten me, to what is the big deal about this? So what if they are barbed? What am i missing?
The blades are not illegal in New york for turkey and small game but are for big game. According to an article in todays Newyork Outdoor News. Wayne
VK
If the blades are barbed it does not allow the game a chance to work the arrow out on a marginal hit. However non-barbed; if the animal is not mortaly wounded, will give the animal a chance to work the arrow out and recover.
I am using the Rage 2 Bladed Broadheads. I bought into the hype...And It worked phenomenal for me. Double lung shot dropped the deer after he ran 30 yards. Entrance AND Exit holes are HUGE. Left massive bloodtrail for easy tracking. Not that I had to track it cause it went down in sight. I will keep using them and highly recommend them. The practice head you get with the package is great too. Flies very close to a field tip...no tuning required unless you are a competion shooter...but why would you be using expandables in comp anyway? Hope this helped. Good luck!
I used the 2 blade on my doe last week. Awesome job. Dropped her in 30 yards and in sight. Arrow blew clean threw and kept on going. I still havent found it. I like em.
After calling Rage to complain about the lack of sharpness on the broadheads I bought a year or so ago, they exchanged them for me. The ones I got were shaving sharp, and have dropped two deer within sight. Both had huge entrance and exit holes, and in both cases my arrow was buried in the ground beyond, in one case so far I almost didn't find it.
If it works right I've attached a picture of one of the ENTRANCE holes.
The only possible downside I see to these heads is that the screw that attaches the blades to the ferrule also acts as the pivot point for them... so when the blades encounter any significant resistance (like bones or hard ground beyond) the force is transferred to the set screw - and it bends. When this happens, you can't change the blades, and it effectively becomes a single use broadhead.
Have seen the impressive entrance and exit holes but i will not use any head that i can not sharpen myself. To depend on the manufacturer for "shaving sharp" heads is rediculous.
I use slick tricks, they come apart and i sharpen them with a diamond sharpener, beyond shaving sharp. Yes i do have to trail them longer than a mech but so what? It keeps my blood trailing skills "shaving sharp" no pun intended ;)
I laced a slick trick through a small buck two years ago, cleaned it up, re-sharpened could not tell it was used, that my friends is versatility. Plus the fact that they are the most accurate heads i have ever used is whats most important to me, not gaping holes.
I used to use mechs, but after a lost deer i will never go back, no matter how good the holes are, there are just too many variables to deal with. Like the old axiom " Keep it simple stupid" the simpler things are the less that can go wrong.
I dont judge others, what ever works for you is great, i just dont want to ever re-live that sick feeling knowing that a deer would not be re-covered and it was wounded by me. Have a great season guys and shoot straight.
In reality, any reputable manufacturer can and will produce shaving sharp replaceable blades. Plus, not a lot of guys (myself included) can put that kind of an edge on a broadhead.
I shot Muzzy's for years and they were some of the sharpest out-of-the box blades I've ever seen. However, while most of my friends were dropping deer within sight with "newfangled" mechanicals, I was still trailing solidly hit deer up to 100 yards. And like you, once I failed to recover a doe I shot with a Muzzy because I only got one lung and had a lousy blood trail, I didn't want to ever "re-live that sick feeling"... so I switched to a proven mechanical head and haven't lost a deer since. I'm not talking about 1 or 2 deer in a year, I come from the northern suburbs of Pittsburgh where we started the season with 10+ antlerless tags and usually went back for more. Those mechanicals put a lot of top-quality venison in my freezer as well as the local food banks!
My point? Different strokes for different folks. Most of my friends use mechanicals, some still use fixed-blade heads, and nobody loses deer... but the diehards using fixed blade heads almost always have a longer tracking job. They have their reasons for sticking with the fixed blade heads, and it's their choice. I just like to see 'em drop in sight... ;-)
This is a pic of the first deer i took with the rage head this year. I switched to the 2 blade this year from the slick tricks. I find them to be just as accurate (out to 50 yds on the range). I have taken three doe with them this year, all of them dropped within sight. The first one fell at 35 yds then rolled down a hill, recovered her at about 50-55 yds. the next one (same day) dropped at 40 yds, and the third i hit high and spined her, dropped in her tracks.
My bother in law, whom I share my hunting property with, killed a nice 4 pointer on n Nov. 2 with a 2 bladed rage broadhead. He took the shot at 30 yards and the deer whirled when he shot and the arrow ended up hitting him back and high in the back. The arrow went right into the tenderloin for reference. The deer ran 20 yards laid down and died shortly after. We recovered the deer that night. I honestly believe that with any other broadhead the deer would probably gone hundreds of yards and we wouldnt even of dreamed of trailing it that nite. I have them in my quiver unfortunately I didnt connect this year but man I am sold. Oh yeah and the hole was amazing looked like he hit him with a 12 gauge slug at point blank range. Maybe more like 2 slugs lol
has anyone had a problem with them deflecting off the shoulderblade? i had a quartering away shot that i put about 3 inches to far forward. and it deflected off. was a monster 8 point.
Since the blades open at the rear (not from the front as some mechanicals do) there's nothing to cause a deflection on a quartering shot. I've heard of this happening with forward-opening heads like the Spitfire although I killed a lot of deer with those and never had a problem myself. I'd wager that a deflection with a rage would have been a deflection with any fixed blade head as well... perhaps the quartering angle was too great.
On the flip side, I arrowed a nice doe in Pennsylvania the day after Thanksgiving and did the exact same thing - except the Rage blew right through the shoulder blade and exited right behind the opposing front leg.
