When I first started bow hunting, I started with Muzzy's. I had three tough blood trails with Muzzy's (one due to bad shot on my part) and decided I wanted something with a little or a lot more cutting surface. Of the three blood trails, we found all three deer, however it wasn't easy.

A friend of mine hunted with Vortex 100 grains with the 2 1/2 inch cutting surface. Now the only two deer he had taken I helped him cart off and they both fell in their tracks. So of course I made the switch.

I liked the Vortex for two reasons 1.) They fly like field tips and 2.) they leave a gaping hole in the animal and the two doe deer I have shot with these broad heads went 15 yards and fell in their tracks.

However, these deer were probably no more than 100 lbs each, so they weren't the largest of whitetails. Two years ago I took a shot at a buck standing under my climber. I thought I could make a lung shot and cripple his spine in one shot. The arrow ended up hitting farther up between the shoulder blades and burying itself to the hilt. The deer ran, with no exit, we trailed him 200 yards, didn't find him. two weeks later found the buzzards, found the buck. It was a crappy feeling. I hate not recovering an animal, its the worst. Some of you can relate I'm sure.

That said, the shot got me thinking that with more cutting surface, am I sacrificing too much kinetic energy at the point of impact? Has anyone had any negative results with Vortex broadheads? Obviously the right shot placement is everything, but I'm thinking about using the Vortex on bigger White Tails (out west). And am worried that while they work wonders on smaller whitetails and smaller game, they may not be the best for larger animals.

I would love to know other's thoughts.

I am not a pro but I do not like the design of them. Too much area to kick off of animal on an angle shot. And yes, I would thing the longer the blade the more kick back and energy lost. I am looking into rear opening blades now like the Rage, G5 Tekans but read revies in catalogs of them opening in quiver on on release. Now and am likeing what I see in design with the grim reapers and what I have read and the pics I ahve seen of them in bone.

I don't want to sound like an ass. I think you might be blaming the equipment but what went wrong was really shot placement. Placed properly almost any arrow will kill a deer. Keep it to broadside or quartering away shots and enjoy hunting rather than agonizing about your equipment.

happy hunting

the chef

Its a proven fact expandales have these inherant problems. I have had only 1 out of a dozen deer shot since swithing to mechs. get kicked out from and quatering shot. I have seen the blades keep them from penetrating deeper on spine shots although all were dropped in tracks. You can actually see the arrow get kicked back sometimes. So sorry disappoint you but it happens to all I talk to and read about.

I hate mechanicals !!! That being said, I've seen some real bad situations caused by that particular head. I had a friend that took a quartering away shot (on the ground) at a buck. Apparently one of the blades opened and deflected the arrow down the belly of the deer, opening it up like a zipper. We chased that deer all day with its entrails hanging out before we finally got it.

I currently use Slick Tricks. IMHO, there is not a better broadhead made anywhere. They fly like field tips and have a 4 blade cut that leaves a really big hole. They are all steel and the blades are .035" thick.

My opinion is that mechanicals are for those too lazy to tune their bow. You just give up too much penetration just opening the damn things, and for most mechs, you get a really poor entrance wound.

Shooting straight down on a deer is the worst possible shot you can take. If you miss the spine, the deer is almost sure to be lost. Even with a pass through, bleeding will stop quickly. I have seen four deer hit that way, one was mine, and none were recovered. I talked to a lot of other hunters and most lost a deer that way. Once in a while something vital is cut and they die quickly but there seems to be less to cut and most die slowly and will go a long way.
The safest thing to do is to never try that shot.

I have to agree that the mechanical is an excuse for using the wrong arrow and not being able to tune the bow. If you need them to get good flight, you either have too light an arrow or too short an arrow. I was told by a manufacturer of expandables that it took much more power for penetration. As soon as everyone figured it took over 300 fps to hunt with is when the problems came up. Too much 3D shooting and transferring the same equipment to hunting so you don't have to judge distance as good has probably cost more deer then it has killed. Noisy bows that guys figure they can hit a deer with if it goes faster is the funniest one. ( Read how many say to aim at the bottom of a deer.)
I sure was wrong all those years shooting through deer with recurves at around 200 fps and sometimes less.
I have a large collection of arrows pulled from dead deer I found, also from deer I shot that had short pieces of arrow still in them. None had more then 6" of arrow in the chest and the deer showed no ill effects from the healed in arrow. I no longer stick my hands in a deer to gut it until I search it. Too many pin cushions running around!
This argument will go on forever and I won't get involved in it any more. A good archer does not use the wrong equipment!
I was just in the archery shop last week and the guy tried to sell me a new bow, telling me I don't need power or heavy arrows anymore. Deer are now made from foam and somehow lost all bone.
Years ago there was an argument going on that it was better to just stick an arrow in the middle so as a deer ran, it would slash the insides up. A lot of deer were lost because there was no blood trail. It has gone full circle. To make up for it, guys now want to cut 6" holes on impact.