This is going to be a long post, so if you aren't interested in a broadhead discussion, I suggest backing out now...
Welder Guy brought this up on the "hub blind" thread and I'd like to have a reasonable discussion about broadheads. I know this topic has been completely beat to death, but I'd like to think as time has moved on, we continue to learn and I think it is worth discussing again.
I've been bowhunting since 2006. I did a ton of research then (I research everything I do to no end = blessing and curse). I settled on Montec G5 broadheads. I wanted a sturdy cut-on-contact fixed blade. What drew me to the G5 is that they make a "preseason" version of their heads, which is just a dull version of the broadhead for practice. I practice almost exclusively with the preseasons.
My results have been stellar. Believe it or not, I've never clean missed a deer (or the 1 fox I shot). I've only lost one deer so far in my bowhunting career, a doe in 2012. She went down in sight. I waited 30 minutes. When I got to her, she popped up and took off. It was user error, I hit her far back. Hours of tracking later that night and the next morning came up empty.
Aside from that one deer, I have seen all but one of the deer I've shot go down. And the one I didn't see, I heard crash and walked right to him without any tracking.
Because of my results, I've became a massive believer in cut-on-contact, fixed blade broadheads. I cannot see a reason why NOT to use them. The biggest reason is simple: the deer do not react like you just hit them in the side with a baseball bat, causing them to run like crazy! Three of the last four deer I've shot jumped, then WALKED 20 - 25 yards away from the shot and tipped over. All three were double lung shots. The one that ran was a heart shot, and running proved futile.
Over the years, I've read HUNDREDS of threads about expandables. Deployment issues, flight issues because one blade prematurely opened, deflection on bone issues, etc., etc. Also, when you hit a deer with an expandable, they know it, and they are going to run as far and as fast as they can. Expandables in my mind have 1 benefit: they do leave impressive blood trails. The issue I have is you will typically need the blood trail, because that deer is going to make it as far as it can. I reject the concept that expandables fly the same as field tips as being an advantage. Out of a properly tuned bow, a good fixed blade will also fly the same as field tips. At least that's what I've been told! I don't practice with field tips!
So what do you use and why?
