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All done with Rage broadheads


GAMBLER

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There is a discipline needed with expandables.  If you watch deer shows on outdoor channel, the outdoor hosts supported by rage, only shoot deer turned broadside.  Taking an angled shot you risk glancing off a rib.  If attempting a quartering away shot, make sure the arrow hits behind the last rib.  I have used both expandable and fixed.  I have evolved back to fixed over a decade ago.  If I lived out in Kansas or Nebraska taking shots in the wind at distance, I would still be using expandables.  Where I hunt is typically near a deer bedroom and shots are angled and less than 30 yards.  

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21 hours ago, Nautitroller said:

Correct on fixed blade! Muzzy three blade 100 grain. Fly great with a well tuned bow. Great penetration. Anything you pick make sure it's factory razor sharp.
Four problems with rage or mechanical.
1. Poor penetration usually only one hole, no exit.. High angle shots, blood must run down side of animal making a poor blood trail. Front shoulder shots are rarely fatal.
2. Blade opening problems. In flight and on animal.
3. Deflection off the animal on high angle shots, most of us hunt from a tree stand...
4. Once in the animal it stops cutting if the arrow is bumped by a tree or the front shoulder is moving unlike a fixed.



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Fixed all the way for all the reasons Nautitroller listed.  I started off many many years ago shooting Muzzy 100 three blade.  Killed a lot of deer with them but tuning was always a long process.  Then expandables came on the market and I tried several including spitfires and rages.  Lost quite a few deer that I put good hits on for a lot of reasons. Ie penetration, poor blood trails, didn't open etc.  I went back to shooting fixed heads and haven't looked back.  The short fixed blade broadheads fly really well out of a well tuned bow.  My personal preference are Slick Tricks 100 gr 1 1/8" cutting dia. but there are a ton of good ones out there.  You have to put the time in, tune the bow and practice.  Then be patient and take a good shot.  Do yourself and the deer the favor.   My 2 cents

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Do you find that you have to tune the broad heads to align with the fletchings on crossbow bolts?

I do this on my compound with fix blades and they shoot great.

Just curious what everyone finds on their crossbows with fixed blades


‘Bout Time
Mike

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I've seen some of the nastiest entry holes ever on a deer with rage or other mechanical broadhead. When they deploy right they are the real deal. Only issue I've ever had with this stuff is there are so many other variables hunting why would you want to add another one to screw something up. I'm 40 now been using thunderhead 100 since I was 14 and have never not once had any kind of broadhead failure. Couple bad shots on my part but never the broadhead. If it ain't broke dont fix it 

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Necropsy report from yesterday’s deer. To your point stuff happens with a moving target. My neck entry wound ended up going thru both sides of the opposite front quarter. No way that happens with a mechanical. 

8B8F207E-09EA-47F4-91B1-CB0E411C612B.jpeg

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I am in deer camp in Kansas. The home owner is also a deer search dog owner. While here for 2.5 days, there have been about 15 search requests. ALL of them have been hunters using Rage broadheads. I have gone on two searches at night with him and have given up on both due to lack of sign. The dog is a blue lacy that has coyote bred in. Beautiful dog that looks like a mutt Weimaraner. 

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My dog n I tracked for 12 years, (she passed this year) I am looking for a new dog and the blue lacy is on the list! Rage tracks ended up mostly not found, aka still alive. If shot thru the guts they die but give them 12 hours. Really sharp n the best penetration you can have that is the key to lethal shots.. not a huge entry hole, two holes to drian the swamp!! Lol

I am in deer camp in Kansas. The home owner is also a deer search dog owner. While here for 2.5 days, there have been about 15 search requests. ALL of them have been hunters using Rage broadheads. I have gone on two searches at night with him and have given up on both due to lack of sign. The dog is a blue lacy that has coyote bred in. Beautiful dog that looks like a mutt Weimaraner. 


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8 hours ago, Nautitroller said:

My dog n I tracked for 12 years, (she passed this year) I am looking for a new dog and the blue lacy is on the list! Rage tracks ended up mostly not found, aka still alive. If shot thru the guts they die but give them 12 hours. Really sharp n the best penetration you can have that is the key to lethal shots.. not a huge entry hole, two holes to drian the swamp!! Lol

 


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another vote for the G5 striker. it's a very rare occasion I don't get a pass through and was a little shocked... and disappointed when I didn't this year.

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Do you find that you have to tune the broad heads to align with the fletchings on crossbow bolts?

I do this on my compound with fix blades and they shoot great.

Just curious what everyone finds on their crossbows with fixed blades


‘Bout Time
Mike
X2
Took me awhile to figure this out. I shoot compound so I can't speak for crossbow bolts. They still shoot slightly different than field points but group much better when the fetching and blades line up. Just gotta sight them in just like you would a gun.

I have had good performance from G5 montec's but the majority vote seems to be the striker.

I have a buddy that has been a lifetime user of the original 3 blade muzzy 100 grain. Best part about those is that the blades are replaceable. So you have some target blades and some hunting blades. Can get a six pack and the replacement blades for the cost of a 3 pack of Rage.

For me I won't take the chance on any mechanical. Too many other things can go wrong out in the woods why would you leave your broadhead performance on that list ?

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This weekend, my buddy and I each took a doe.  Took mine at 10 yards.  Was going to be a neck shot (facing me, not the best decisions, but....), as soon as I was about to release, she put her head down and hit her just left of the shoulder blade..She expired within 10 seconds and 10 ft from where she was hit.  The arrow traveled the length of her body with the broadhead sticking out of the inside of her rear leg.  Wac 'Em 4 blade.  At about the same time, my buddy hit his doe at 25yds.  Bled well, but lost sign after about 150 yds.  Went looking the next day (deer ended up doubling back and going into the thick stuff) and found it another 150 yds from where we lost it the day before.  Arrow entered right behind the shoulder and exited just below the sternum.  Found arrow with the deer, Rage Hypodermic.  I know this is an apples and oranges comparison, but add it to the evidence pile.

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I admit, I followed the hype about rage when they first came out.  The first deer that I shot at was a picture perfect broadside buck at 30 yds and he was down within 20 yds with that “ tv” hole through both sides. The next two deer were much luckier. Watched the rage hit and glance off on an angling away shot and watched a doe run off with a rage in the shoulder blade that never went through.  One of the things that is not really talked about is the lb bow you shoot. I can only pull 55 lbs.  that’s simply not enough for a mechanical to work 100% of the time. I went back to slick tricks and other than a muzzy or two will stay with them.

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14 minutes ago, orangediablo said:

An issue fixed broadheads don't have.

And that right there is the reason I switched to fixed.  To me, it is not worth the chance having something go wrong.  There is enough that can go wrong shooting bolts or arrows.  

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We have found one. The story is the same. Either hunter got excited and tried a quartering-to shot hitting the shoulder with minimal penetration or they are gut shot. The problem with the gut shot ones is there are coyotes everywhere out here and they find them quick. Once jumped out of their bed by the coyotes, there is no blood trail to follow just clumps of hair here and there. 

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18 hours ago, Gill-T said:

We have found one. The story is the same. Either hunter got excited and tried a quartering-to shot hitting the shoulder with minimal penetration or they are gut shot. The problem with the gut shot ones is there are coyotes everywhere out here and they find them quick. Once jumped out of their bed by the coyotes, there is no blood trail to follow just clumps of hair here and there. 

When the deer is not found, is that it for the hunters hunt?  I know a lot of places have an "if you draw blood" policy.

The deer I shot on Sat with a rage had very little blood trail because he was bleeding internal from a double lung pass through.  I did not have to worry about a blood trail though because I saw him drop within sight.  That was fourth deer shot with a rage hyperdermic and never had to track.  My buddy shot this one yesterday with a rage.  No tracking needed.  

Tedsbigten.jpeg

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  • 10 months later...

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