I shoot a 100 grain mechanical broadhead from a 70 pound double cam bow.
Took a baboon at 13 meters from the back, definitily a lung shot. Half of the arrow stood out, baboon and arrow is gone without any trace of blood.
Am I to blame the mech. broadhead ?, because I am definitily not a happy hunter.
I shoot all over the place with fixed blades, that is why I went over to expandible blades.

Help !

What fixed balde broadheads have you shot? What exactly do you mean by "All over the place"? Are you grouping consistantly with field points?

About the Baboon, When you say "in the back" do you mean it was facing away from you? Was the baboon standing on 2 legs or down on all 4 and where were you in a tree with him on the ground? or both on the ground....

Thanks

I'm not sure were you are but, in the astates we have many fixed blades that will fly nicely from faster compound bows.

With a bit more info some of us may be able to help you out.

Go down to the post for tuning arrow flight, get my E mail address and I will send you the proper way to tune the fixed blade heads. You do not need mechanical heads and the problems that can happen.

I'd like to hear more about the posture of the animal.

You say a lung hit yet I do not understand not getting a passthru with your poundage. Also lung hit animals tend to bleed from the nose and mouth so even with no exit wound there should have been some blood trail after perhaps a dry start.

I tend to doubt you got lung but I wasn't there.

I have never shot a mech head. I have full confidence in thunderheads and don't have time to experiment for no reason.

Of course your bow may be so far out of tune it slings the arrow canted at that short a distance and would effect penetration some. A well tuned bow will shoot many different modern broadheads well.

Before changing to mechanicals I used to shoot 100 grain Muzzy broadheads. I am grouping consistantly with field points, but not with the fixed blades.
The baboon was sitting with his back to me and I was on the ground too. The arrow took him just under the left shoulder blade and without an angle.
I will except that the arrow hit just one lung and that it maybe did not cause much damage.
It definitily had a dry start with no arrow or blood to found in a 300 meter radius. Tracking is what I do for a living, so I am as confused as you are.
I live in Namibia and the availablety of a big range of equipment is minimal.
Info on fixed blades that could fly nicely from my bow or arrow tuning will help a lot.

Thanks.

It sounds like a tuning issue. What brand heads DO you have access to?

I am expecting a client from the U.S at the end of the month,so you can recommend what you think will work best.

I've been shooting Trad bows for the last 8 years so I'm a bit out of the loop on the right broadhead for you. The last compound bow I hunted with I shot Rockey Mtn. Ironheads. They were 125s. The held up well and flew nicely at about 260fps.

If you don't get any other advice I do some research for you.

Please post the make of bow you shoot, arrows size,lenght & wt.

Since I am a hunter I only shoot broadheads. I practice every other day with them. I do not shoot field tips, ever. I switch up between Muzzy's and Steelforce and find no issues with POI. Muzzy's are nice for the practice blades. I blazed huge holes through many warties with those Steelforce blades last year.



I would never use a mech head. Too much of a reliability issue. I have heard of too many problems in the past. It does sound like you hit the shoulder blade too. I'd also be curious to know what brand of mech head they are. I know of one company where they actually lied about a hippo kill to advertise their broadheads.



You also need to make sure (as already mentioned) that your bow is properly tuned. That your nock point is square, are your arrows properly spined, etc? More than likely it is the mech head that failed.



There is absolutely no reason your bow set up should not be able to be tuned to send a fixed blade broadhead accurately to a target.



If you are a PH ask your clients to bring you some good broadheads. Invest in some good arrows too. They are not cheap so be prepared to reimburse them on some of their safari costs or take them as a "tip", etc.

I agree with Ann. The mechanicals have to many things that can go wrong.
I had a friend hit a monster white tail this year and lost it. I think that due to the angle, one of the three blades made contact, openned and kicked the arrow side ways sending the shaft slidding down the outside of a rib. The arrow was laying side ways on the deer with about half of it inside.
He lost a Blue Wildebeest with the same Rocket head. We did find it 5 days later and had been dead maybe 24 hours.
I too have had great luck with Muzzy and Steelforce. This season I will be using the Montec G5 one piece three bladed head.
If your bow is set up correctly and you have the right arrow shaft it should shoot a feild point and any fixed bladed broad head of the same weight the same.
I have found most have the wrong shaft when they are having problems.

Well I'm not a pro but I've found several hundred bowshot deer.

Kind of funny though, I have never recovered a deer hit with a mech but I've only helped on a few of those. Since I don't trust em, I agree that the head may have failed.

I shoot thunderheads but I could shoot any number of heads accurately I believe. I like thunderheads because I have found them so durable.

I put so much importance in accuracy, I just won't hunt if my bow is in doubt until I have it straightened out. I think even though you are removed from ready access to new stuff, the solution to your problem is probably within hands reach if you can adjust your rest and nock point.