SixLomaz's Link
I remember string trackers. I helped a friend continue tracking, after the deer wrapped the string around several trees, and snapped the line.
The extra forward weight is good for FOC probably jumping around 18-26% which helps stabilize arrow flight. I am worried about spinning true while in flight. As far as losing arrow penetration I do not see a problem as increased mass will create more kinetic energy which will be consumed by pin shearing. The arrow will continue on its path thru animal as if nothing happened. If one goes on a $4000 to $10000 hunt maybe we can justify such device, but for white tail deer it will be a waste at $700+.
JMO - If you go on a $4000 to $10,000 hunt and the guide can't track an ant through standing water, you picked the wrong outfit.
FWIW, a lot of trad guys load up their broadheads with more than an extra 100 grains to achieve EFOC or UEFOC, but somehow I'm having trouble imagining that I could shoot one of those deals off of the shelf....
The hook IS pretty freaky-scary lookin', but is it really any more dangerous (any where NEAR AS dangerous) as a good broadhead? I guess wen you go up in spine to handle the weight, you also go up in length to keep that thing at a safe distance....
Every shot you take, you have to weigh your chances of recovering the animal under the conditions as they are, and as they will shape up to be over the next ____ hours until you recover the deer. Generally speaking, the tougher the conditions, the shorter the shots and the better the angles need to be. Every animal is a new opportunity to be a Hunter or a Slob. Personally, I think we depend too much on blood trails because we've stopped spending enough time seeking out the animals to know what the woods look like before and after they've been disturbed by the passing of a deer. Hard to do with a typical commute around here, and hard to do when your hunting is confined to parcels that are so small that there may be only one really decent spot to set up on the whole place...
So, two words - Moral Hazard.
Consider the S. African standard procedure: You draw blood, you punch the tag and/or pay the trophy fee. Probably not a lot of dumb-ass shots taken there, even with expert/native trackers available to help puzzle out the track.
Now imagine, if you will (cue the music!) a world in which it doesn't matter if you gut shoot (or worse) some big trophy because you figure that if all else fails, you can always use your radio telemetry device to locate the rack after the coyotes finish killing it for you. "You can't eat antlers" is just as true for them as it is for us two-leggers, so who gives a rip?
Some days I think I should put a little more faith in my fellow man, but every time I do, I get dope-slapped into expecting the worst.
If we want to encourage Hail-Mary shots on game, we should just bring back the friggin' POD so at least it will end quickly. JMO, this product alone is worth banning any form of electronic device from being attached to or incorporated into any hunting arrow. I don't currently take a dim view ( :p ) of lighted nocks, but I would absolutely be willing to see them banned if that's what it takes to keep this device from being taken into the field....
SixLomaz's Link
To back your high grounds position I also hope you are using a horse to move around, a long bow to hunt, home made arrow shafts, feather vanes and arrow tips, no advanced clothing, do not have a cell phone to check the weather, and in general no technological device/system to your advantage.
I imagine the same reaction right before the industrialization arrived in England. How appalled the workers must have been at the thought of a machine replacing 10-20 people. Yet, here we are today, all "victims" of technological advance.
Now of course this gadget does not excuse anyone from practicing the art of bowhunting. Take the ethical shot, transmitter in the hide, I see lots of blood on the ground, then the deer, I do not need to use it. I track for 1 hour plus without results then I will use telemetry to find the animal. It helps eliminate the remorse and guilt feeling after such episode.
It turns out there is another similar, less expensive, product out there available to all who can handle moral hazards in their life --> http://game-vector.com/ .
That alone will revolutionize the scouting world. Guides be aware as you will be soon replaced by technology. Google maps, GPS, telemetry, oh no, what are we going to do.