# this weekend



## fish4wall (Apr 14, 2004)

Well Sunday was a heart breaker. Hunted a guy I work with place in Thornville.
I had 4 does come in to my left the one bigger doe walked out about 25yds and I took the shot
The arrow hit and she SCREEMED!! 
So after about 45mins or so my buddy and I started tracking her. We found the blood trail. It was a good 2 foot wide and stretch for 200 yards. Then it got patchy then spotty then nada. The last drop of blood we found was a good 4 miles away from where we started. We called it quits 6 hours later.
Like my buddy said it looked like someone lost a fight with a machete!!!! Its unreal their will to live!!
I dont think we pushed her because at no point did she stop or bed down. She was on her feet the entire time.
Then last night I miss a doe at 30 yards!!!! This just aint my year!!! but you bet youre a$$ Ill be out every weekend till the end!!!


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## One Legged Josh (Jan 27, 2008)

4 miles? WOW... Thats a lonnnng drag if you did find her. I just wish I had 4 continuous miles of hunting property with written permission.

Stick with it.....OLJ


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## fish4wall (Apr 14, 2004)

man i wish i could hunt all that...i had to knok on some doors to ask if i could track her...
plus turkey tracks all OVER the place!!


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## hoytshooter (Apr 7, 2009)

fish4wall i hear ya about this aint my year either..i have hunted almost 45 days this year and had yet to draw on a buck that i would shoot. then last night at 5:20 pm he stops in a lane but there is one branch that i would have to get past and i knew it was gonna be him or the branch well the branch won and the buck lives another day. it was the 1st half rack i have ever had a shot at figured he would of looked good either way on my wall oh well maybe next week


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## fish4wall (Apr 14, 2004)

we just need to keep at it!!! it hard to do it..lol 
the way i see it that buck f-ed up!!! he'll do it again...keep at him.
good luck!


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## trackingirl (Jan 22, 2010)

fish4wall said:


> Well Sunday was a heart breaker. Hunted a guy I work with place in Thornville.
> I had 4 does come in to my left the one bigger doe walked out about 25yds and I took the shot&#8230;
> The arrow hit and she SCREEMED!!
> So after about 45mins or so my buddy and I started tracking her. We found the blood trail. It was a good 2 foot wide and stretch for 200 yards. Then it got patchy then spotty then nada. The last drop of blood we found was a good 4 miles away from where we started. We called it quits 6 hours later.
> ...


can I ask what BH you were using. Im keepin tabs as I have had many tracks this season end the same way. Amazing blood trails then NOTHING and the deer were seen alive later. So far the nearly BH everytime was Rage - all styles. I finally got so worried about them I pulled them from my quiver!


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## fish4wall (Apr 14, 2004)

i hate to say it but yes it was the 3 blade rage!!


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## Bulldawg (Dec 3, 2007)

I just recently switched to the 2 blade rage and have had alot people tell me my bow may not be putting out enough kinetic energy to use these BH. My bow is set at 62-63 lbs. From all my research I have not yet read anything on the rage's leading me to believe that my bow is not set high enough ! Can anybody else shed a little light on this subject ?


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## Fish-N-Fool (Apr 12, 2004)

I want to start by saying I am not just trying to stir the pot or troll, but I agree with trackingirl - the rage heads are inconsistent. I know..I know.. many bowhunters swear by them (and I don't mean all the "celeb" hunters being paid to use them).

The proof is in the pudding for me... I've always and continue to hunt with a simple fixed blade head (I've used Muzzy for years and wouldn't consider switching - if it ain't broke don't fix it). However, I know a few guys that switched over to using Rage over the last couple years..none of them still have them! I watched video of a buddy make what was a good shot on a 9 pointer 2 years ago at 17 yards....Rage head screwed up and he got minimal penetration - buck was chasing does 2 days later. Also followed a doe (same guy and he is a sucessful experienced bowhunter) with a trail very similiar to the one described here. Ditto on another farm with a different hunter & doe. Between the 3 of them, they did kill deer sucessfully with RAGE heads - they also shot and didn't recover 3 deer in 2 years. It would be simply unethical to continue to hunt with these heads after seeing the results.

Just my experience...Rage lovers go ahead and chime in - I've heard of good results too, but saw differently first hand. I don't care for these BHs and would never recommend them for any reason.


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## zcat (Aug 24, 2006)

I try to at the very least wait an hour, unless I see the deer fall on the ground as happened to me yesterday. I have lost a few deer and jumped them to early by not waiting long enoff. Best off waiting longer than you want , than running around the woods all nite. Even on those hunting shows they may wait till the next morn. even with a great shot on the deer.


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## trackingirl (Jan 22, 2010)

I never had a problem with my spitfires - Im going back to them. All my big bucks are spitfire kills. Only had a prob one year with a set with bent blades and Spitfire replaced them asap. I shot a rage at a turkey this last season and missed and it went into soft ground. Pulled it out and it was trashed - the blades are so thin. with all the tracks I did not recover on being so many Rage....Im just not doin it next season at all.


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## HUNTorFISH (Dec 1, 2008)

sorry for the loss of the deer, it happens to everyone just stick with it.

as for the rage broadhead there is a lot of "bashing" on some archery sites and also a lot of good things said about them (probably one of the most used heads so you hear a lot of positive and negatives.) last year i shot the 3 blade rage and the buck made it about 60yds or so and pilled up (not a pass through shot). this year i shot 4 does with the 2 blade rage and everyone was a pass through and the farthest any of them ran was 80 yds. the buck i shot i did not find, but i can't blame the broadhead because i shot high in the 'no kill zone'. actually seen him (i think) 3 weeks after i hit him. i think every broad head will have positive and negative things said about them and depending on your bow set up that may be what you use. i switched from muzzy fixed blades 2 years ago because i wasn't getting blood trails from them. the deer weren't going far but if i didn't hear them crash it would have been hard, just seemed like i wasn't getting a big hole with my carbon arrows. most of the bashing i have heard about rages are with deer that aren't found. without seeing the hole from where the deer was hit i think it's hard to say if it's the broad head. your eyes play tricks on you when the deer takes off making you think you had a perfect shot. now on a side note, i beleive that there is a gap between the heart and lungs on your bigger more mature deer (maybe i am completly out of my mind here). if you hit that gap you still will knick a lung but a mature buck can last 8hours with one lung. sorry so long but this topic interest me, and always like everyones opinions on broadheads. 
to the original poster sorry this may be getting off topic here


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## littleking (Jun 25, 2005)

i've used the spitfire 125 now for 5 years... awesome broadhead. never a doubt with it.


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## trackingirl (Jan 22, 2010)

the other thing i dont like is they pop open too easy. they dont stay in the band
dont have that problem with my spits


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## Bulldawg (Dec 3, 2007)

I am still really on the fence about the rage BH . A buddy of mine gave me a pack of them . He just told me if I use them replace them by next season if I dont use them I will just give them back. But in all honesty the rage shoots just as good as the muzzy . But that is out of my bow , as far as someone else's bow that could be totally different. I have 2 of each in my quiver for the time being , having total confidence in both ! I have shot muzzy's for 13 years having killing many deer with them . But after having a crappy season and loss of confidence in alot things this year I decided for a change ! 

Hunted all day today , saw 23 deer this morning and none this afternoon, but not one offered me a shot. Next weekend still holds a glimmer of hope !! I HOPE !!!


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## fish4wall (Apr 14, 2004)

Thanks for all the replies...
The reason I switched from muzzy is with my bow my arrows were all over the place! So I switch to the rage and Im happy with my groupings...
I did get about 6in or so of penetration.(I found the arrow) all the blades were open. It was just crazy that with that much blood that we never found her.
We did wait about 45mins before we started tracking her. So I dont feel like we pushed her. Plus Mother Nature was agents me...it started it raining and I think thats the biggest reason we lost the trail. I too am still on the fence about the rage...the say that this bh will make a bad shot better...well Im not too sure!!lol
this just hasn't been my year...i've seen a TON of deer!!!!see a lot of cool things also. and thats what its all about!!! taking a deer down is just icing on the cake!!


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## nicklesman (Jun 29, 2006)

I personally shoot the two blade rage and love them. I have yet to have a bad experience with them and they make one wicked whole. Now with all I have heard it makes me wonder but so far I have had no negative experiences. I always make sure my blades are snug on the o-ring and if they are not I change the ring. I have shot five or six deer with the rage and none have gone over 40 yards. I have noticed however I have not got a pass threw on some of them but I believe that is on my shot placement.
I have considered switching to the crimsons or the magnus's but for now I am going to stick with the rages. P.s. I shoot a mathews Ld at 62lbs but I am getting extra Ke because of my 31 in draw


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## Stripers4Life (May 2, 2007)

Mechanical broadheads have alot of advantages, but also alot of disadvantages. They require some energy on contact to open them, no matter what head it is. This can affect penetration, blood trail, etc. If you shoot a low poundage bow or are generating low KE a mechanical is not the way to go. Deflection is a posibilty with mechanicals, with a steep angle shot. However, they fly like field points, and are capable of some massive wound diameters. Some people have a set up that will shoot mechanicals good, others don't. Me I don't trust them, something about flimsy metal blade that doesn't sit right with me. I'll take my magnus stingers, and there blood trails all day. Plus I'd like to see those blades on a mechanical make it through a double shoulder blade shot and still be usable.


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## Bulldawg (Dec 3, 2007)

I will agree they rage bh do group alot better and shoot better further out . But since I am not shooting 70lbs I worry about penetration out to 35yds and further. I can shoot my deer target at 45yds with approx. 12" of pentration on a 29" arrow. I had a guy tell me that he shot a buck this year at 25yds. with a 2 blade rage right in the shoulder blade and went all the way through and out the other shoulder. I am not saying it cant happen but I would definitely have to see it to believe knowing his track record of B.S. 

But I am shooting a Hoyt Cybertech set approx. 62-63 lbs , with a 29" draw, and Gold Tip Xt Hunter arrows. With the cam and a half system I am somewhere in the high 200's as far as fps. I never thought with my set up I would have to worry about pass throughs with the rage. I have shot deer with my old hoyt single cam bow with a muzzy out to 35yds. + with complete pass through shots. 

Is it that the bh takes away some of the kinetic energy from the arrow to make the blades deploy ? Therefore making it harder for the guys with a bow that is 60-65 lb bows to get pass throughs ? If I had to guess that most of the time when you see these guys on tv using them for deer hunting they are shooting 70lbs plus ! I hope I am correct in some of these statements , but if I am wrong someone please correct me.


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