Rich I really enjoyed your presentation of my article on Broadhead Choice that QDMA just published - well done! And thank you for the kudos. This research effort was a labor of love - something I did to help inform the bowhunting community for which I was not sponsored nor paid. While you point out that we required all bowhunters to pass a Bowhunter Education Class to hunt on Base, we also required all bowhunters to pass an annual proficiency test with their broadheads. (This helped to weed out those individuals who did not know that broadheads and field points do not necessarily hit the same spot). I am just joining the crossbow community after ~55yrs of stick/compound bows. I took two turkeys with my Excalibur this spring and I am looking forward to taking her (need to name her, lol) out in the upcoming Maryland deer season. Your videos have been most helpful to me in making the transition... -Andy Pedersen
Holy cow I have shivers down my spine reading this, believe me the thank-you goes both ways and I really appreciate this. I am getting ready to host my first meet and greet and meet a few people who subscribe to the channel, I am very nervous about this but reading this from you really made my day. Thank you very much.
Great video! My thoughts on it is. Use whatever broadhead that you feel comfortable with and that also you are the most accurate with. That way you will be confident in your shot and that you will harvest the animal in the most effective way.
I honestly don't know how you don't have 100,000 subscribers. Your content, production quality and personality are top notch. This specific video answered all my questions regarding this subject. I have my daughters 150lb recurve sighted in with two blade fixed broadheads since she didn't get a pass thru using Rage Crossbow X 2" broadheads (at 15 yards) last year but I think I'll try out the 1.5" cut Rage Hypodermic +p now.
I have and do currently use both mechanical and fix broadheads. I use mechanical for deer and deer only. I have lost and wounded multiple hogs with mechanical. Most of the hogs recovered with help of a dogs. When I was able to recover the broad head. Most of the time the broadhead did not pass threw and the blades where broken off or bent. Since changing back to fixed broadheads for hogs . I found better pass threw. And most blades where not broken. Hogs have every tough plate behind the front shoulder. Not including the rib bones. Hogs are allot tougher then deer . Best of luck to all the hunters this season. Thanks for another wonderful and informative video
My experience today bears that out, really tough to get a pass through, will do more on this down the road and probably mention your comment, because it is right on the money
Personally, I like using fixed broadheads. Im a "reliability in simplicity" guy. I also think there are a lot of variables not covered in the qdma report that would be a factor such as shot placement, speeds, distances, time waited to start tracking, etc.
I saw someone respond to the article that Rich speaks of that wrote”I don’t buy the final conclusions.” ??? As hunters, some us can be a stubborn bunch. Lol I’m not sure what they rejected. The numbers??
Thanks for the video. I think the real reason he suggests mechanicals for crossbow hunters is because they're so fast that fixed blades plane way more causing a worse shot placement. I think you should have expressed that deer were the animal hunted. I think they should do the same study on wild boar. Mechanicals wouldn't stand a chance, unless you have enough arrow weight. Also, where were the deer taken mostly? Deer in texas are much smaller than deer in Canada. I have shot the grim reaper and have lost one animal and got pass through but 2 blades were broke in half. Not sure when it happened entrance or exit. I would use mechanical for pronghorn from now on.
It’s all about experimentation and deciding what’s best for you ..WHOWI !!! Rich ...That red light reminds me of my Navy days on Shore Patrol ..know what I mean
Lol it's kind of funny I've always liked the camera stuff as you know and when I played around with that light I am now hooked. When I left it off and I'm editing the video looking at it I really miss it LOL
I'm not trying to make you feel old, you graduated in 1989, that's the year I was born, I turn 30 this year. I really enjoy your videos. I'm saving for my first crossbow, you have thought me alot. Thanks rich
@@Deathbybunjie thanks Rich. I am wondering if you could do a video on how long to wait go collect an animal, specially deer, after you shoot it. It seems like people wait a long time and I haven't found much information on it. It would help me a lot thank you
Great videoi have used mechanical heads for past 18 years everyone has their own favorite head I really like a chisel point to a cut on contact for when you hit a bone i feel you stand a better chance of breaking the bone than with a razor edge good luck to everyone this year and stay safe.
When I was in the Marines I was stationed at Indian Head for 5 years and I never knew they allowed hunters to bow hunt! Boy did I miss out! There were tons of deer at that place over on the restricted side. Great video!
Come on NY get your act together! I live in Lancaster County PA and would Love to give you my out of state money for crossbow season the length of your archery season. Let’s do it!
brianandtina73 Wilkes Barre Area here! Same thing. I could be hunting in NY in less than an hour. Some of these laws are so arcane. Get with the program NY
The Family we are trying! Join the fight with us at New York Crossbow Coalition. We are fighting lobby groups who are against crossbows as archery equipment
@@nickwojieck why are they STILL fighting this? Crossbows have been used as hunting and war implements since medieval times, and yet NY thinks compound bows are archery equipment while crossbows aren't? I'm a compound hunter and even I concede that crossbows are more tighly woven into the archery tapestry than my vertical compound...
@@BeetleBuns If we could figure that out, we would win. Biggest problem is the money poured out from the NY Bowhunters Group lobby. The same guys who fought compounds are fighting crossbows.
You should take a look at Ranch Fairy heavy "Adult" arrow builds. It is pretty amazing. I have been shooting bows and crossbows for about 40 years and was absolutely stunned that once you have a properly tuned arrow WITHOUT fletching or feathers, you can watch it sail to a target without porpoising or fish tailing. The goal is to get your FOC tip weight to match the spine of your arrow or bolt while shooting a field tip and bare shaft. Ranch Fairy promotes cut on contact broadheads, which I have been using for years, but they have greatly improved with monolithic high quality steel and single bevel 2 blades. Single bevel heads, because the angle of the bevel, can produce a sharper edge, and the twisting action of the single bevel with a heavy weight arrow, over 500 grains or higher, can actual shatter bone and penetrate into the vitals. I have set up my two crossbows to shoot 600 plus grain bolt setups. May get to test out in September.
@@Kurtdog63 lol doesn’t survive impact why do you guys act like we hunt stones?? With modern crossbows you can shoot thru the shoulder and get a 2 inch hole
@@WMBCS I like broadhead refunds... mechanicals rarely survive to hunt again. I have multiple trail cam pics of mechanical impacts on wounded deer thru the years showing gapping surface wounds and no penetration.
Thank you so much! My new Griz 2 shoots my favorite fixed broadhead like a shotgun! so off to finding a solution to my accuracy issues. this episode was just what i needed to make the switch back to mechanicals! i love your RU-vids!! once again, thank you, rob
Rich love the channel. Coming from the vertical bow world as I do not have time to practice everyday and shoot at least 60 arrows a day I never realized how much stigma we get from the Vertical bow world. Growing up I just thought they were for old and disabled people but now it's more of proficiency and increased recovery of game is my motto. It's like every archery place I got to for gear hear in Texas they kinda roll their eyes when you ask about Xbow gear or they state yeah back wall left section and all products are 10 years old. Like I stated before keep up the good work and without your channel my info on xbow hunting would be limited.
I am going to Start Off With , " I Love Your Channel and The Journey you are on Passing it Forward with Your Daughter" .. I am not sure about the Mechanical Broadheads , especially with my Heavier CrossBows I am Shooting Heavy , Heavyweight is all I Do and for the Most Part I Shoot Trad Bows 115-180# Double to Triple Laminated Arrows Filled With Ballistic Gelatin depending on the Mass I am Looking For . I do Hunt Professionally and the Sponsors wanted CrossBows too so I Built out some Awesome Excaliburs ,1 in a Relayer Stock , I have 405 and 2 380's .. I do prefer Cut on Contact with the Testing I have Done , I used a Gelatin Covered Bone , The Mechanicals failed alot for what I am doing , Thankfully the Excalibur are capable of hitting dimes out to 60 yards with the Right Gear , I Used the G5 Rage ,and The Bolt Cutters ,I am for Now Sticking with the Bolt Cutters ,they all Kept Phenomenal Groups , the G5 just Didn't give me the Penetration .. My 2 cents ..
I feel like you literally have a video titled the complete opposite of all the other big names I watch as in other hunting videos about bows and hunting and just other outdoors man. The hunting public and ranch fairy. So I always got to click and see what your saying opposing others. You always have simple facts and your experiences and I love it
@@Deathbybunjie yeah I agree I’m a avid outdoorsman who loves deer hunting so I watch All kinds of hunting videos and just try to compare and contrast them and maybe even throw in my experiences and try to formulate the next new best thing as technology is always upgrading the equipment is always changing I’m all about what works best. I watch any and all videos trying to soak up any and all new information. I have hunted for a long time and I tell my wife I still learn new things every day and try to learn from my past making me a better and better hunter or so I like to believe. Lol
I shot my first turkey with a mechanical broadhead and a compound bow . I got older and started having shoulder problems and switched to a crossbow but kept the mechanical broadhead , yes I use Rage Hypodermic for three years now and out of 18 deer have only lost one , it hit a vine then hit far back on the deer, man I hate when that happens. PS I don't always comment but I have watch everyone of your videos , Good job ! From SC
Hey Rich, I'm a firm believer in mechanical broadheads. My choice is the grim reaper white tail 5 for 5 on my buck tags 4 for 4 on Doe's. Even on questionable hits they do the job. Love your videos keep them coming 😁
I have had a crossbow for the last 6 years. It was given to me by a friend who thought it was broke so I fixed it. I have used mechanicals with it shot 2 deer found one lost one. I shoot a compound bow I have had a lot of bad luck with mechanicals lost 4 out of 5. So I started researching and found the Ramcat original (hydroshock). 8 of 8 so far. I like the video by the way good info and hard to argue the stats. But that’s why I’m called DumbLuck. My point is go with the what your confidence lies in but statistically go with the better odds unless your me. Lol
Ever since I started bowhunting back in 2013 I've always used rage broadheads I tried other ones but stuck with rage the most especially the hypodermic and now with crossbow also nothing but rage
I think it’s true that hunters are creatures of habit, tradition and personal experience. When some have favorable experiences with a particular product or brand, they stay with it. Sometimes it’s statistics be damned. But nothing wrong with having confidence in your equipment and your shot. That’s the way it should be. Still, this information is very valuable and significant. There’s no denying that.
Yeah I'm definitely sharing this in my hunting Facebook group pages. Great video. Been using mechanicals for all 4 seasons including this upcoming season I've had a crossbow. So I'm a believer!
The area I hunt has very tall vegetation all around... my buddy missed a 200 incher from hitting a twig right in front of the buck and it flew right below him and he took off... I'm using fixed blades in some of my hunting spots and I also use mechanicals
I would bet, that the reason the recovery rate is higher, is because most guys don’t tune their arrows, for their fixed blade broadheads. They just shoot field tips and then put broadheads on when they go out to hunt. And mechanicals, are designed to fly like field tips. The more accurate your shot the higher recovery rate.
Big advantage is... No potential wind plane due to ill tune or outside forces. I have been a mechanical guy for over 30 years with zero issues. That said. There have been more mechanicals that have been yanked off the shelves for failures than that of fixed heads. There are a lot of mechanicals that have very real problems (skidding, jack knifing, etc.) that are still out there and some of them are super popular, due to a big advertising budget and techs spending all their time on forums, convincing people that the problems are all due to the person using them. I agree with you. Mechanicals are superior but not all are. Watch out for those hard quartering shots on rear deploy Wink Wink. Love you man!
I personally shoot an Excalibur bulldog 440. It was shooting 452 fps with the factory bolts. I now shoot 395 fps with Spynal Tapps with a 175 grain Iron Will broadhead. I use mechanical most of the time except when I use this crossbow. I pretty much use the Iron wills because of the lifetime warranty on them if I break them. They hold a 3" 100 yard group so I cant complain for a fixed blade. I always use Mechanical on my vertical compound though.
I like your videos, keep them coming. As we see crossbows crossing the 400fps line, mechanicals are starting to become more of a necessity. Yes, the mechanicals are getting better and better. I have my preference, but I'll save that for another discussion.😉 I find some of the names for broadheads to be little on the dark side, with Rage and Swhacker being the tamer ones.
This is probably the best available study regarding broadhead choice on whitetails. Certainly better than anecdotal evidence. I wish the data were more specific, to include make and model of bow, arrow and broadhead including draw weight and weights of arrows and broadheads. As it is the study paints a picture with a very broad brush. My personal opinion is that accuracy, shot placement and taking only close range shots are much bigger factors in recovering animals than choice of broadhead. While it is a very interesting topic and we all have our own experiences to guide us, I hope that new hunters don't get the idea that the Rage Hypodermic is magical and they can dispense with the hours needed to tune a broadhead/arrow combination to their bow.
Totally agree, and I hope they don't discount the fact that the average shot distance was around 20 yards, that means a lot to me. Thanks for your input!
I started out with fix blades in the 70s and 80s....and then one day Rocky Mountain came out with the Rocky Mountain Gators and Gator XPs.. since then i continued to experiment with new ones coming out year after year.. never went back to fix blades. Today i am hunting with SIK...broadheads... and "yes" they are sick cutting broadheads...the reviews on them speak for themselves... its about recovery of your kill...without it , its sleepless nights.
IMO until they make something like the swhacker or a big cutting diameter that will never open in flight and always open on an animal, then i disagree w/mechanical. I've always been a mechanical broadhead guru trying them all out, i've had rage fail me on 2 separate occasions shooting does, both were double lung shots and never recovered the deer, had it open one time practicing and literally scarred my foot stirrup showing it opened right away, all my shooting i speak of is with matrix 355 limbs. i tested the chinese swhacker last year, first doe went 30 yards and followed the red carpet and really liked it, then shot another one and not sure what happened, found 1 speck of blood arrow and never found the deer. Shot a mature 250 lb midwestern buck last year w/setup and the 150 gr excal boltcutter, heart shot him he went bout 60-70 yards and piled up, blood trail wasn't that great. So this year i'm trying the 3" 150 gr swhacker and 4 blade 150 gr slick trix, i really think the slick trix will be my new go to. i love the idea of the swhacker but having them open in flight is what scares me on xbows that shoot very much over 320 fps, time will tell...good luck
Haha, brings back memory's, the first mechanical broad head I encountered was called the punch cutter back in the late 80's or 1990 or so, not sure, but it was all the rage the rage is now lol. This broad head was a two blade design with a pointed plunger tip and a rubber band at the base to contain the blades, I harvested 2 or 3 deer with that tip and my Martin Lynx magnum compound bow at the time, they seemed to be short lived on the market probably because they lacked a chiseled bone penetrating tip, but worked fine if you dropped one in the Bunjie triangle for sure! 👍👍👍😃✌️
I worked in an archery shop back in the late 80's. I still have a bunch of un-opened new packages of Punch Cutter broad heads. I shot them for awhile back in the late 80's. I guess they are a good conversation piece when talking about one of the if not the first mechanical broadheads out there.
Actually just got my first crossbow ever. Gonna use it this season. Got the new barnette whitetale hunter II str. 380 fps. Got wasp jackhammer expandables to use on victory decimater bolts.
I have only used Rage and I have never had one not open, or open prematurely. I think the original shock collars were confusing for people causing problems. I was putting the shock collar on wrong at first, but luckily didn't take any shots. The new ones are notched and make you put it on the proper way. The only time I didn't recover a deer was a bad shot on my part.
I agree, also, that in my experience the only time I've lost deer it was my fault. I agree with you about the shock collars, also, and I am going to do a video about that soon hopefully
Great and interesting video. My knock against mechanicals are the little issues you run into with using them from the time you leave your house till you are ready to shoot. What the article doesn't cover are the missed opportunities you run into from a mechanical malfunctioning during your hunt, thus blowing a chance to make a shot. The evidence does show mechanicals being superior when everything goes according to plan but, I avoid them because they do create another opportunity for something to go wrong.
@@Deathbybunjie I found with the Rages, if they got rattled around too much or accidentally came in contact with something the blades shift out of place. It was just one more thing to worry about that I decided mechanicals weren't worth the bother.
i agree with nick and urge nys hunters to join the new york state crossbow coalition to help in increasing crossbow hunting dates and classify them as archery. i believe it will increase the sport here also
Ohio Bow season has been last week of September till first week of February and cross bows has been aloud for OVER 20 years. Plus Sunday hunting has been around for 18 years, you other states need to talk to your DNR to get with the program.
I don't think that's a bad idea, necessarily. If you want to keep your speed up you will want to go with the lighter ones but heavier ones can increase penetration and fix some accuracy issues sometimes if that's a problem. I say try them out!
I think crossbow hunter's should use whatever WE are the most comfortable using. Personally I don't like mechanicals. I also have never lost an animal using fixed broadheads. I don't like being told "should." Use whatever works for you.
I just upgraded my xbox and used fixed.....was dead on with field points, was 5in off at 20yards with broadheads.....luckily I clipped the heart after it bounced off a bone
O also went to my local bow shop wondering why they told me...."with the speed of new crossbows and fixed blades are like wings on a airplane with no one in control."
@@Deathbybunjie Though it was heavy arrow and 80lb bow, it is also on my same friends channel... I killed my first two deer with a crossbows Fall 19. I used a Trocar broadhead kind of a hybrid which is 4 total blades: 2 fixed and 2 mechanical. After my garage is sort cleaned out I will start sitting for Fall 20. At least need to dig out my hunting gear!
Rich, Just to be the devil’s advocate, do an internet search on “Dr. Ed Ashby and arrow penetration”. There are several parts to the paper. Although not related directly to crossbows, it is interesting reading. Best of luck this weekend.
great video and great info, keep them coming and subscribed now. I wonder what effect people not shooting their broadheads has on this study ? even to this day far to many use field points then throw on broadheads without confirming a zero. mechanicals are inherently more apt to fly like a field point due to the aerodynamics of them. I just have this thought in the back of my head that a lot of those hunters never practiced a lot with their hunting broadheads and or had properly tuned bows for field point to broadhead use.
When I was in high school, I made a cross bowl with a kit ,it was a 55 lb draw. I used it for many years, many for target shooting and bull frog's. Do they still make a kit now days? Back in 1964 i had a choice of a couple of kits my bow broke the other day and just need the bowl.
I worked in a sporting goods store and have seen and heard just about all the rhetoric there could possibly be concerning head configuration. I don't doubt your data but I have seen a lot of mechanical heads come back to the store that failed.
The issue I have with this study AND what the Naval Base had with the study cause they annaouced they would like more information to bre released in a better comparison is they are compaird 30 years of fixed blade use to 10 years of mechanical use. A LOT can happen to thoes numbers in 20 years which is why the Naval Base wants the mechanical numbers to continue to be recorded for the next 20 years and then get a side by side comparison of recovery rates for an equal 30 years to 30 years
Yep and I make that point in the video. Totally agree. If you looked at the last 20 years or 30 years of mechanical broadheads the numbers would be a lot worse for mechanical broadheads
Here it is now 2022 and I just had a guy last week reply "yeah well that isn't bow hunting" I asked him to please explain but have heard nothing but crickets 😂
I think they are good quality for their price point, although I've never actually shot one personally. They are made in Tucson Arizona from what I understand, and a buddy of mine lives out there so that's pretty cool! I hope it works out well for you!
have you done a video on xbow scopes, I`m a senior and well my site is not what it used to be, also i am new to xbows ordered mine a couple of months ago will be here shortly and it comes with a red-dot site. I`m disabled so thats why i`m going to a xbow, can`t pull back my compound anymore and with all the gun law bs in Canada i will use a xbow. Love your info
I haven't done one specifically on Scopes other than reviewing a scope that I use, the Twilight DLX from Excalibur. I really like it and it's better in low-light than my previous Scopes. But there might be better Scopes out there! One tip, however, would be to stick with crossbow Scopes and not look at rifle scopes. You won't have the same level of adjustment and recoil on a crossbow is different than recoil on a rifle scope which can cause things to go out of whack.
@@Deathbybunjie I looked on amazon and crossbow scopes can run $500-$1000 dollars, I`m on a disability so poor as heck, i will be buying a knockoff acog will let you know what i find thanks buddy
I tried swackers and rage last year. Never shot a deer with the swackers, but shot 1 buck with the rage. I was never able to recover that deer (it was my mistake in shot placement). This year I decided to switch to the QAD Exodus. I have been more accurate with that fixed blade than with either of the mechanicals I have tried. I can't wait to see what it does to a deer this year.
Joshua Scott I’m sure your aware that NH now allows crossbow hunting in units L and M during the entire archery season, now is the time to get vocal during the fish and game meeting this year( this year coming is a rule changing year) to allow crossbow hunting for additional units!
It’s true that there is really no comparison to modern broadheads and technology of 1991. Let’s face it, hunters can be very particular and sometimes even stubborn with their beliefs about hunting and gear. Much of their knowledge may come from traditions on some things. A bad experience from 30+ years ago May taint someone for life. Everyone must use the gear they are comfortable with. Tradition isn’t always the best determinant. Just like the idea of brand loyalty. Bias can get in the way and cut you off from growth.
Funny I was just reading some crossbow regulations and one state, I forget which one it was, maybe florida, said your crossbow must be made at least as recently as 1980. I thought that was odd.
Death by Bunjie . I use the Rage with the rubber o-ring do you think that it will prematurely open . My crossbow is 415fps I have like 12 of these broadheads I can`t afford to go out and buy the broadheads with the shock collar
I doubt they will open prematurely. Practice with them on Target and make sure they are accurate and you should be all set. Basically, I sacrifice one Broadhead to use as a Target point and then hunt with other ones that are fresh and sharp and unused. Good luck!
My fear is that being a mechanical the blades don't open or open in flight and drifting, unlike having a fixed blade. Why fix something that's worked for 10,000 years? More people should learn to shoot and use Luminox.
Rich , do you or any of your subscribers know if there is a difference between mechanical broadheads for a compound bow and mechanical broad head for crossbows? If so what would the difference be.
I think there is less difference now than there was five years ago, and I actually did record a video on that but I have not uploaded it yet, should have it up soon.
