12/06/2025
Broadhead choice....
This is a discussion not a debate. First and foremost, everyone has an opinion and their reasons for the broadhead they choose.
There were 73 answers to the poll.
53% choose Mechanical
41% choose Fixed
6% choose hybrid
At the end of the day, a well placed arrow in the vital area of a deer will produce a lethal shot. Again this means it must be placed in such a location that it will cause injury to the cardiovascular system, respiratory system or both. Does not matter what broadhead you shoot, if you hit bone, shoulder, or any other non lethal portion of a deer they will not die! Many don't know, but it takes 56oz of blood for a deer to die from blood loss. Think about that....
Here is my take and opinion over the years. Less than ideal shots happen, sometimes unavoidable. When things go unplanned, your best margin of error is a large mechanical blade broadhead. Why you ask, well I'm here to tell you, it doesn't matter what broadhead you shoot or if you shoot a ravin crossbow, if you strike the shoulder of a deer, it's most likely game over. Is there cases where broadheads go through a shoulder, sure. Is there opportunity for a large fix blade broadhead to do more damage than a mechanical, yes. But reality is, bone is hard, it's stops almost any broadhead. Now again, argue with me or not I talk to hundreds of hunters a year and track a hundred deer or more a season, I've seen a lot.
The other side to this is, fix blade broadheads passing through the stomach, liver or intestines of a deer just don't cause a large enough wound. Is this to say that the deer doesn't die? No. What it does tell me when we track this deer, the scent is less and sometimes almost non existant. I would bet to say that 90% of the time if we leave a deer in the woods unfound, it's due to a small fix blade broadhead and the dogs give up on tracking it, almost as if the scent disappeared. Believe it or not, that's the honest truth in my experience. A large, wide, mechanical blade broadhead is devastating to the liver, guts, or intestines of a deer and they leave much more scent. This is something talked about amongst many other trackers and not just my own opinion.
I'm not telling anyone what broadhead to shoot or marketing for a specific one but I thought it would be interesting to share my experience with you all. In fact, all honesty, I shoot a 1 1/4" magnus buzzcut fixed blade broadhead. Why, because I shoot light poundage and I've had to many occasions shooting a large mechanical deploying and loosing all energy with minimal pe*******on. There are so many factors to consider, each individual archer is different and I ask all of you to shoot what your comfortable and confident with!
Weather you shoot a crossbow, compound, or traditional, do your research! A WELL PLACED ARROW IS THE BEST BROADHEAD!
If things don't go as planned, have a Scent Hunter Tracking business card in your pocket! Have a great weekend and good luck to anyone that may get out!
