Need a broadhead for elk

No doubt in my mind this has been covered ad nauseam through the years on LRH, but it's the first time I've had an opportunity to go archery elk hunting and it has come about really quickly (have been granted opportunity to hunt a nice piece of private in an over-the-counter tag area and I'm heading out in less than two weeks). My current whitetail setup is a 450 grain finished arrow weight including a 100 grain, mechanical Broadhead. I'm thinking I need to go to a fixed blade Broadhead, but I haven't shot those since the 90s. At that time, I was shooting a Muzzy for blade 90 grain. I'm happy to read other threads but wanted to see what kind of response I would get asking this question.

I shoot a Matthews V3X 33 at 75 pounds. I have a 30.5 inch draw length.

I don't mean to start up an age old debate. I just need a couple of solid recommendations that I can order a half dozen online and have them here in a week without spending hours reading reviews. I trust the info I get here.

Your arrow is going to be going fast, which is going to make any fixed blade very touchy to tuning.

It you hit an elk shoulder nothing is going through... fixed or mechanical.

For me accuracy is number 1,2, and 3.

My family and I all shoot mechanicals on elk.

Grim reaper razor tip 1-3/8 or 1-1/2
Nap spitfire 1-1/2

My buddy completed the archery super slam two years ago. He shoots spitfires for everything including moose, grizzly, and polar bear.

There's a thread on archerytalk about the lethality of rage trypan.... not the no collar. They discontinued the previous model but this year they came out with the trypan black which is 1.75 cutting diameter with the old retaining clips The no collar does not penetrate or open as well as the ones with retaining clips.

The Sevr is a tough broadhead. Super accurate. My only issue with it is the swinging blades affect blood trails. I shot a mule deer perfect broadside, 3 inches behind crease. Full 2 inch entry and exit. I tracked him 780 yards and never found him minimal blood. A rage would have put him down in under 100 yards. Other people have reported this problem.

But this year Sevr came out with their hybrid so you get two different cuts. Brand new and no reports but it has tested very well and should be awesome.

If you are expecting frontal shots... as in lots of calling with good chance of them coming in I would have a couple cut on contact ready to go.

I shot a giant body bull quarter to me at 76 yards. Yeah it's a long shot but I knew o could do it. My broadhead was old rocket steelhead with 1-1/4 cut. He was dead in 5 seconds. I could have never taken that shot with a fixed blade at that distance. Mechanicals are just that much better at being accurate.

My vote...
1. Grim reaper 1-3/8 pro series mechanical
2. Nap spitfire
3. Rage trypan black
4. Sevr hybrid- I would order these and if they shot perfect they might be the best of both worlds.... watch Lusk broadhead test on secr hybrid on YouTube.


Here's the trypan thread...

Here's the new model rage trypan black. Do not order rage from an unknown dealer... lots of fakes.

Here's the sevr hybrid

Grim reaper

Any questions just ask

I also have a million broadheads and would gladly send you some to try if you want.

What I tell all archery safety students. You never trust a safety on a gun because it's a mechanical device.

Tha Wisconsin State broadhead shoot required fixed blade broadheads until a few years ago. Most shooters still use fixed blade because of durability. My first three choices would be.

1. Slick Trick
2. Thunderhead
3. Muzzy Trocar

I use with great success fixed broadheads.

Out of 100 stalks I say a 1/3 end up being longer shots. I haven't had any problems as I tune the arrow to the bow.

That said, I subscribe to the two holes theory. For that reason I use single bevels. This year I'm trying out tooth of the arrow. Only taken a mile deer this far.

Prior I've used iron wills, works great. Tuffheads, ozcut are good too.

The key is tuning the arrow to the bow.
Starting with the proper spine for the set up, the arrow weight, arrow profile ( I use 4mms), helical fletched etc. I match the weight to what speeds I'm looking to get, and look for the speeds I need to at certain distances that I find while out hunting.

There's more than just the broadhead at play.

Another tuning tip is make sure the vanes are bigger than the broadhead they are suppose to steer. I personally use smaller vanes, but I use a right helical and go with smaller profile broadheads. I'm looking for pass throughs. Larger cut broadheads CAN have a harder time with penetration. Especially for elk and even more so at distance.

If you're not changing anything on your setup I see little need to change anything...if you have confidence in your arrow hitting the center why change only your head? I'd imagine in less than 2 weeks you'll have little time to tune to a new fixed blade that you haven't shot in 20 years. With little time to test much on how they fly or react to your setup, I would just stick to what you know works and will hit the center. If it were me, I'd spend what little time I have practicing my shot execution and quick execution of unknown ranges of shots. Elk hunting can be so dynamic and things happen so opposite of what you plan for. A well executed shot is going to be more important than a short time switch to a different style broadhead. Just my 2 cents. But if switching is necessary I'd take a look at the new hybrids. Someones mentioned the sevr, I like them. But any decent quality, one piece, 2 blade or 3 blade will work so long as they fly straight.

Rage HYPODERMIC NC +P the blades are swept at a decent angle for penetration, 1.75" cut. slip cam that will not rob energy. they cut a huge hole with great blood trails. good luck

The OP's 100 grain broadheads are kind of light for elk but I have to agree with southpa. 2 weeks isn't a nearly long enough to practice with a new weight broadhead IMO. Shoot what you have been using instead of changing stuff so close to the hunt.

As a shop owner knowing what your setup is, I wouldn't hesitate to use a mechanical broadhead. I will say my personal go to is a Grim Reaper 1-3/8. The g5 dead meat is a very solid mechanical too.

If you want to shoot a fixed you need to know your bow is tuned well or you will have issues. With that being said here are the fixed id recommend.

Qad
Ramcat
Afflictor k2.

I have a 28.5 draw and shoot 70lb. I shoot mechanical myself with no issues on Elk, deer, bear, and hogs.

At the end of the day with your dl and dw it's all about preference.

Just keep in mind that shots are typically a lot further than what is typically taken here in the east. With that said, I would tune up some fixed heads such as the Slick Trick or Muzzy brand in my opinion.

Bominiscious said:

No doubt in my mind this has been covered ad nauseam through the years on LRH, but it's the first time I've had an opportunity to go archery elk hunting and it has come about really quickly (have been granted opportunity to hunt a nice piece of private in an over-the-counter tag area and I'm heading out in less than two weeks). My current whitetail setup is a 450 grain finished arrow weight including a 100 grain, mechanical Broadhead. I'm thinking I need to go to a fixed blade Broadhead, but I haven't shot those since the 90s. At that time, I was shooting a Muzzy for blade 90 grain. I'm happy to read other threads but wanted to see what kind of response I would get asking this question.

I shoot a Matthews V3X 33 at 75 pounds. I have a 30.5 inch draw length.

I don't mean to start up an age old debate. I just need a couple of solid recommendations that I can order a half dozen online and have them here in a week without spending hours reading reviews. I trust the info I get here.

Click to expand...

Abowyer or vpa head.

You going to shoot a monolithic or a cup and core? If you make a good shot it will not matter, if you make a bad shot and hit big bone it will not matter if you make a bad shot and hit soft tissue go with a wide slip cam type expandable. Good hunting

I use iron will single bevel 125g , they are accurate and penetrate amazing

Critter Picker said:

What I tell all archery safety students. You never trust a safety on a gun because it's a mechanical device.

Tha Wisconsin State broadhead shoot required fixed blade broadheads until a few years ago. Most shooters still use fixed blade because of durability. My first three choices would be.

1. Slick Trick
2. Thunderhead
3. Muzzy Trocar

Click to expand...

Another vote for the Slick Trick!

Rage hypodermic has never let me down. The blood trails are amazing. I've bow hunted for a long time and started with bear razor heads then went to thunderheads but I would never change again after seeing how good the rage is