I know this topic has been beaten to death but, I'm curious to hear some opinions about mechanical vs fixed broadhead blood trail. Especially from people who have used both. I've been a bowhunter for 17 years with a basically a 8 year break due to multiple deployments to Irag and Afghanistan.

Anterless deer season started this past weekend in Southeastern Pa and I harvested a doe with a G5 T3 mechanical broadhead. It was the first time I've used mechanical broadheads. The doe went about 50 yardss from the double lung hit. The blood trail was really nothing to be excited about. It looked like your typical blood trail. The further the doe went the more blood she was starting to pump out but. I've seen the same amount of blood using fixed broadheads (I've used both Satellite and Muzzy). I will say a portion of the far lung was shattered as if a bullet had went though it.

Question. Is the commercializition about these massive wounds and blood trails being created by mechanical broadheads being blown out of porpotion? Has anyone used both and decided one out performed the other?

I used Muzzy broadheads for years and loved them. The only thing I didn't like is that I messed up a bunch of them shooting through a deer and bending the aluminum ferrule when it buried in the ground. So I switched to Slick Trick Magnum 100 broadheads, which flew very well from my bow.

Then I produced a television show for 3.5 years, fishing and hunting all over the place. At that time, I had numerous companies sending me stuff to try. And try them I did.

I've killed deer with mechanical broadheads, but I'm just NOT impressed with them. The last whitetail I killed with one, I seriously doubt I would have found if there hadn't been snow on the ground. I knew where the deer was standing, I knew which set of tracks belonged to that particular deer, and I was able to follow the trail through the snow. It ran a large circle and dropped dead. But the total distance it ran was probably close to 80 yards.

When I field dressed the deer, it had a huge exit hole, both lungs were heavily damaged, and I couldn't believe the deer ran as far as it did. But it was hit well.

I know a lot of TV show hosts heavily promote mechanical broadheads over fixed blades, but I'm not all that impressed with them. AND, I haven't seen any difference in the blood trail, at least not enough to give up the Slick Tricks that I paid for...

Blood trails are a function of entrance and exit hole location, lung damage and vascular damage. If blood is pooling in the chest cavity because your holes are high, you're not going to get much blood trailing. The deer is experiencing massive internal bleeding, but the only blood getting to the outside is from respiration blowing blood out of the holes.

One problem with mechanical broadheads is the lack of penetration, hence you sometimes don't get exit holes. If you're hunting out of a treestand, that means you're going to have one hole, up high, which means less blood trailing. Switch off to a two blade mechanical and you can generally get exits holes now. Problem solved.

I shoot fixed blade, cut-on-contact broadheads, NAP Razorcaps, 200gr. My arrow, with head, weighs 600gr and it's shot out of a Mathews Switchback. I'm not too interested in lazer flat shooting; what I am interested in is TWO holes every time, even if I flub the shot and hit something nasty. I want a BIG damn blood trail. How do you get a big blood trail? You want double lung damage and/or vascular damage, and an exit hole low on the deer to prevent blood pooling in the body cavity. You have that combo and you can follow that deer anywhere.

This latest round of "Brand X" broadhead that's SOOO much more effective than anything else is simply marketing. There are so many more factors that influence blood trails than simply which brand of broadhead you use.

I understand the varibles in shot placement and two holes. I took this doe broadside from a tree stand about 18ft high. The shot hit just about mid-line right behind the shoulder. Perfect past through. Upon field dressing I noticed the arrow just passed over the junction of the two lungs and the heart. The blood trail looked no different to me using regular fixed blades that past through at the same angle. It's just my observation which leads me to believe in over marketing of these so called Brand X broadheads.

I been bowhunting for about 15 years and started off shooting fixed braodheads like everybody. Though i been shooting mechanicals since rockymountian came out with the firt rear deploying blade broadhead, the name is slipping my mind at the moment. But was a great broadhead, I have shot the wasp jak-hammer and they have done great, but like most broadheads of this style(over the top) the entrance is not as large.
But todays new expandables like the rage brand in my opion are remarkable and i will not shoot anything else. I have gone through shoulders and the entrance and exits are huge. I shot a doe 2 days ago she went 15 yards.

This is my take the the expandables I am a big fan, Not saying a fixed broadhead wont due the job, But the new mechanicals do it better

Matt

Punchcutter was first

I never heard of punchcutter, but they were first in mechanicals this is what i read. Though rockymountian came up with the Revolution( i remembered the name this time) which the blades would slide back rather then go over the top.

Matt

I have been shooting deer for over 40 years with a bow I have been shooting Mechanicals for the last 10 years or so.

I see no differants in killing power or penetration I have shot a deer end to end with them. No trouple shooting through them side to side. Good blood trails and dead deer as long as I do my part same as fixed bladed broad heads.

I bad hit with one or the other means a lost deer.

I have tracked and help track hundreds of deer I good hit means a dead deer normally with in a 100 yards. Some only go a few feet others up to a 100 yards.

Any thing over a 100 yards normally means a poor hit.

When people tell me they doubled lunged it and I don't find it dead shortly I koow they did not double lung it.

As with any weapon one critter shot can not be used to rate any weapon or projectile. Dozens killed with it just begains to tell the story.

Earlier this evening I happened to shoot a ~170 pound 8-point whitetail with a Darton crossbow at about 45 yards. The 100 grain CB Rage slashed completely through the broadside double-lung shot. The deer made a couple labored bounces, went ~60 yards and keeled over. There was no tracking job as it was in a beanfield and I saw right where he crashed. The post mortem exam was very impressive as to what the Rage had done. There was copious amounts of blood in a short amount of time coming from both sides as it created nearly 2" cuts going in and out.

I realize one deer kill does not write the book on the matter but it nonetheless impressed me. I will go afield in the near future with the same exact set-up.

The illuminated nock was cool too as it allowed recovering the bolt very easily.