I need recommendations. My ladies fall hunting trip fell through, but I am determined to do some kind of hunting this fall. I need a set of broadhead arrows. Anyone have any suggestions?
Need more information to help. Bow, poundage, draw length, tip weight and overall arrow weight you would like.
68" 35# 28-29" draw length. Not sure about the other stats-only been shooting for a year. Not an expert on arrow requirements. Thank you for responding.
Miss Frost,
Here in WA we have a requirement of not less then 40# to hunt. I am not sure the requirements there in GA, I would be looking for a 2 blade BH to match the field point you are using now.
Thank you, I will check on that. My friends here said that I could kill something with that poundage if I let the arrow really fly, which I can, but I didn't think about state requirements...oops.
I would think a .600 spine shaft and 150gr point. Suggest you contact a fellow Georgia resident, Big Jim of Big Jims Bow Company, a sponsor here. He is excellent at matching spines for bows and has a great deal on gold tip blemish shafts.
http://www.shop.bigjimsbowcompany.com/Gold-Tip-Carbon-Shafts-BLEMS-GTBLEMS.htm
Cool. Thanks. I met Big Jim back in March. Cool guy. I will shoot him a message.
I checked hunting regulations at the GA DNR website. I didn't see any restrictions on primitive equipment.
What kind of arrows are you using now, and point weight? I would practice and 3D with same as I plan to hunt with. That's just me tho....
I think I have some Bear razorheads you can have if the weight is right. Think they weigh 110 as a 2 blade. If you are shooting carbon or aluminum I may have some adapters too.
Aluminum. I have a couple of different sets. This would be the first ones I will actually be having made for me. Not sure of their point weight...
I was thinking that I would have a few field points made out of the same kind to practice with. I adapt fairly quickly.
I'm sure you know this , but it is worth repeating. :)
Your arrows need to be tuned for good broadhead flight. Bare shaft shooting will tell you a bunch, different point weights will make them fly differently.
To start, I shoot bare shafts at 10 yards and see what they are doing. Most want a little weak arrow in bare shaft mode. That is tail left for a rightie. And a bit tail high.
Then I try to get bare and fletched shafts to shoot same , then field points and broadheads(shoot the broadhead first)
Finally I back up to 40 yards or so and shoot every broadhead I plan to hunt with and a couple practice broadheads. If they fly good to 40-50, I'm happy.
Like I said, I'm sure you know all this, and there are many ways to skin a cat, but that's how I roll....
If you want the Bear heads, just let me know!
I would get some two blade head's In a weight that matches your current points screw em in and see how they fly. You may already have your hunting arrows. :)
However, If you are shooting points less than 125, it would be best to start over and go for a heavier point.
Good luck with your Hunt, I wish you success.
Any 2 blade head will work well with that setup. Bare shaft tuning is important as mentioned by others. I would go ahead and prepare your hunting arrow with tuning (I'd stick with carbon arrows for penetration advantage) and then pick a two blade head that fits the tip weight you tune best with.
As long as you can stay above 450 grains arrow weight you should have no problems with small/medium sized game.
My wife took a yearling 5 point whitetail buck with a 38# longbow using 5/16 cedar shafts tipped with razor sharp Zwickey 2-blade Eskimo heads. The shot was about 8 yards out of a treestand and resulted in about 15" of penetration. The shot was placed perfectly and the buck ran about 60 yards.
Regardless of the arrow/broadhead combination you shoot, if you're hunting big game, be patient and get very close with that poundage. Place the shot on the money and any good 2-blade head will do the job ahead of whatever arrow shaft/material works for you.
Good luck and enjoy!
Thanks everyone! :) The info and encouragement means alot! I am going to give it some more thought, talking with someone here on TG about a set.
Thanks Kenny for the offer. I appreciate it. I am leaning towards carbon but I like wood arrows too. I will let you know.
QuoteOriginally posted by monterey:
I would get some two blade head's In a weight that matches your current points screw em in and see how they fly. You may already have your hunting arrows. :)
However, If you are shooting points less than 125, it would be best to start over and go for a heavier point.
Good luck with your Hunt, I wish you success.
That's good advice, but would heavily used aluminum be any good, I wonder? I have shot them so much all the fletching on all of my arrows are coming loose, two of them I had to put aside because they are bent now. That is what made me decide to get new ones. Thanks.
If you don't have enough good ones on hand, Then new is a good solution.
I like wood, but it might not be a good time to start making radical changes.
What aluminum shaft are you shooting now?
I am still shooting the autumn orange ones Woodchucker gave me didn't have any funds for new ones, but for a hunting set I will find a way!!
Good suggestions here. I would not hesitate to use an 1816 or 1916 aluminum either with the bow you mentioned.
I do my tuning the way kennym does, using woods.
My son shoots 1816 Easton Tributes or Jazz with 100gr points out of his 34# @ 28" recurve. He draws about 28-1/2". They fly great. He shot 125gr a few times just for experimentation, and there was no perceptible difference in flight out to 22 yards - he didn't shoot beyond that.
Liz, if you decide to go with wood, I can probably help you. However, it has been a long, long time since I shot aluminum (and never have shot carbon). I imagine that if you make it to the TBG banquet, you can get a lot of good advice. I think if you are getting good flight with your current arrows, you will be able to find a broad head that will work well for you.
Been shooting aluminum for years. They will get dented, dinged, and occasionally bent(usually glancing hits or hit by other arrows). But I don't think I've ever just wore one out by shooting it too many times.
Im sure they could be refletched for a fraction of the cost of new.
If they fly good with practice tips, I would just get broadheads of the same weight and keep using them.
Many others have more experience than me but it gives me confidence to get a full dozen and shoot 6 for practice and keep 6 fresh with broad heads mounted and ready for hunting.
Shoot all 12 a bit to make sure they are consistent but once I get them dialed in i like to set the 6 sharp arrows aside until it's time to harvest.
QuoteOriginally posted by Sam McMichael:
Liz, if you decide to go with wood, I can probably help you. However, it has been a long, long time since I shot aluminum (and never have shot carbon). I imagine that if you make it to the TBG banquet, you can get a lot of good advice. I think if you are getting good flight with your current arrows, you will be able to find a broad head that will work well for you.
I do like wood arrows. Still thinking about it. I will be at the TBG banquet. Don't have any field arrows that are in good enough shape. Thanks for the advice everyone.
Those Tusker Concorde single bevels work great for lower poundage set up. I killed all kinds of stuff with them last year with a 40-42lb bow
Liz, if you have arrows that are currently flying well out of your bow and the point weight is enough to make a reasonable broadhead arrow in the same weight, I'd go with them. I like carbon as it doesn't bend, but there is nothing wrong with aluminum.
Fletching is a very simple task for anyone set up to do it. If you can't find another trad archer there in GA who can refletch your beat up arrows, send them to me (not the bent ones) and I would be glad to re-fletch them for you.
Ron
I'm a geezer who got started before the age of information .You will see old photos posted occasionally of shoots at clubs around the country and there are an amazingly large percentage of women archers. Yup. Archery was a popular social activity for couples and singles of both genders . Lots of those fine-shooting women didn't buy into the machismo hunting camp lore and wanted to hunt deer and critters just like the men. Unlike the TV show lipstick and pink camo gals today shooting compound bows with 80% let off, in the 50's and 60's most women shot 25-40# recurves and a whole lot of critters were killed with 35# target bows. Most of the women were shooting skinny aluminum or fiberglass arrows cut 1" beyond their draw length with 100 gr. or less up front because that more-closely replicated their set up on the target range. Since I have an outdated mindset and don't know any better, I still don't load up my hunting arrows with massive amounts of single bevel hardened steel up front, typically shoot less than 10 grain per pound total arrow weight and I do okay, probably because my arrows hustle on down the road and I don't need a rangefinder to calculate the significant differences in my drop at 18 yards versus the drop at 22 versus the drop at 28, etc. Now we also have the carbon option which is more durable than fiberglass and aluminum, and some really well made wood shafts for lighter bows, also much quieter in the woods. So if you like how you've been shooting ( and I saw the groups you posted earlier this year) dont freak out if you're shooting 100 gr. or less. As long as its legal with the State of Georgia, a 35# bow and 100 gr broadhead will kill anything in Georgia except a big gator or boar and you'll probably place your arrows into the boiler room better. After all, its not likely you'll be taking 40 yard shots or come across one of those freakish monsters they grow in the midwest. Your Autumn Orange XX75 shafts matched to your bow will work just fine.
BTW, Bladepeek makes some mighty good-looking arrows with fletching so pretty the deer and turkeys come close just to stare at it in admiration, so dont wait too long to take up his offer to re-fletch yours to get your quiver filled for hunting season.
QuoteOriginally posted by Bladepeek:
Liz, if you have arrows that are currently flying well out of your bow and the point weight is enough to make a reasonable broadhead arrow in the same weight, I'd go with them. I like carbon as it doesn't bend, but there is nothing wrong with aluminum.
Fletching is a very simple task for anyone set up to do it. If you can't find another trad archer there in GA who can refletch your beat up arrows, send them to me (not the bent ones) and I would be glad to re-fletch them for you.
Ron
Thank you Ron. I have been thinking about it. It really is not in my budget to get a new set, and alot of you are suggesting I just use my aluminums, so I am going through them all to find the best ones and I will see about getting one of my friends here to help me refletch them. Then just find the right broadheads to screw in.
That was some great information, Mark. I agree with going old school. I don't want to try shooting with ANY extra gadgets. I just want my recurve and my arrows. Don't plan on trying to get 40, 50, 100 yard shots. And I want to do it all on my own.
P.S. What is a good cheap target for Broadheads?
Did you ever check which size of aluminum are your best flying arrows?
The number should be printed on the shaft.
Shooting bent arrows is "not smart". Discard them. If metal is beyond the elastic deformation stage and in the plastic deformation range (bent), that is the stage before breakage.
Do you have your hunting education?
Did you budget for a treestand/safety harness or blind? Attention with stands, your bow is comparably long.
Hunting license cost?
Are we talking deer hunting or small game hunting?
Did you silence your bow or do you shoot a hill style longbow?
It is great to have new hunters, but it is even better to have realistic expectations when it comes to equipment/regulations and budgets.
1.) Hunting license/game stamps etc. costs
2.) Arrow and broadhead costs (4,50 per arrow+around 6x$5=$30 for a six pack of broadheads)
3.) Please invest $30 in a fletching jig. Will last your whole life and you won't have to pay to assemble some arrows.After one doz. of arrows you buy ready made, it is paid for.
4.) Do you have a bow quiver or a quiver you can safely and silently store razorsharp broadhead arrows? I guess the cheapest decent bow quivers are around $45.
5.) Sharpening equipment for broadheads and hunting knives ($10 for a large mill file.$10 for a sharpening stone/good knife sharpener)
6.) $60 for a ladder stand (http://www.menards.com/main/outdoors/outdoor-recreation/hunting-equipment/treestands-blinds/sky-raider-15-ladder-treestand/p-1444425417797-c-13885.htm?tid=-1157772307804763975). 15ft is plenty!
This is a very good design for bowhunting with no interference above the seat (rails,armrests etc.)
7.) Do you know how to treat your animal after you kill it? Field dressing,skinning,butchering? Especially when it is "hot" out there?
Processors are pretty expensive. You have to know how to dissassemble the animal quick to cool down the meat quickly.
This is just to show you, that there is more than sticking a broadhead onto your arrow involved...do your preparations and you will enjoy the hunt.
Liz, as Sam said earlier, let us know if you decide you'd like to try wood arrows. I'm sure there's enough of us who could come up with an arrow ,or broadhead, or two, for you to get a start on it.
Many cheap target options out there from a big old pile of sand, to some compressed straw bales stacked up and ratcheted together. Feed bags (the plastic weave kind) stuffed with old clothes or plastics sacks is also a cheap option and when the sack gets too worn just dump the hole rig into a new feed sack and keep blasting.
A small game license can get you into a lot hunting for not much cash. I cut my teeth on many years of small game hunting before I went after larger animals. Honestly I still enjoy small game the most.
A cheap target is sand, a bag of white sand from home improvement store is fine-just leave it in the bag and shoot.
QuoteOriginally posted by tecum-tha:
Did you ever check which size of aluminum are your best flying arrows?
The number should be printed on the shaft.
Shooting bent arrows is "not smart". Discard them. If metal is beyond the elastic deformation stage and in the plastic deformation range (bent), that is the stage before breakage.
Do you have your hunting education?
Did you budget for a treestand/safety harness or blind? Attention with stands, your bow is comparably long.
Hunting license cost?
Are we talking deer hunting or small game hunting?
Did you silence your bow or do you shoot a hill style longbow?
It is great to have new hunters, but it is even better to have realistic expectations when it comes to equipment/regulations and budgets.
1.) Hunting license/game stamps etc. costs
2.) Arrow and broadhead costs (4,50 per arrow+around 6x$5=$30 for a six pack of broadheads)
3.) Please invest $30 in a fletching jig. Will last your whole life and you won't have to pay to assemble some arrows.After one doz. of arrows you buy ready made, it is paid for.
4.) Do you have a bow quiver or a quiver you can safely and silently store razorsharp broadhead arrows? I guess the cheapest decent bow quivers are around $45.
5.) Sharpening equipment for broadheads and hunting knives ($10 for a large mill file.$10 for a sharpening stone/good knife sharpener)
6.) $60 for a ladder stand (http://www.menards.com/main/outdoors/outdoor-recreation/hunting-equipment/treestands-blinds/sky-raider-15-ladder-treestand/p-1444425417797-c-13885.htm?tid=-1157772307804763975). 15ft is plenty!
This is a very good design for bowhunting with no interference above the seat (rails,armrests etc.)
7.) Do you know how to treat your animal after you kill it? Field dressing,skinning,butchering? Especially when it is "hot" out there?
Processors are pretty expensive. You have to know how to dissassemble the animal quick to cool down the meat quickly.
This is just to show you, that there is more than sticking a broadhead onto your arrow involved...do your preparations and you will enjoy the hunt.
Both of my sets are 1816s I believe. The autumn orange ones don't have a number or maybe the paint covers it. Gotta check with woodchucker. I went through them last night and put aside the bent ones. Only 2 of them. I have a hunting ed class to go to, luckily it is free. I work two jobs, so have to find the time.
I want to try deer hunting, but I am open to trying smaller game first. I will have to save up for the license. I am reading the traditional bowhunters handbook, I might try making some silencers. I have some broadheads coming in the mail thanks to Kennym. I am planning on ground blind hunting. A friend of mine taught me last year how to build them and how to look for signs of deer, also how to gauge the wind.
I will have to wait on the fletching jig. Yes I have a broadhead quiver.
Thanks for all the info. I do appreciate everyone passing their wisdom to me and I have friends here in GA that are also giving me guidance. I also have friends that will supervise my first field dressing. Yeah it will be hot. Archery hunting season starts mid Sept here, and it stays hot til Nov. :)
Longtoke and Selfbow, thanks for the tips on cheap targets, I will try those options.
Thanks again everyone for your advice! It is appreciated more than you know!
Guys I think I have my hunting set!!! One of my friends surprised me yesterday with this set of carbons!!!!! :D :D :D
(http://i.imgur.com/bRRCf6r.jpg)
The tips on them are 125-Kenny, I just got through re checking all of the broadheads you sent, was thinking the 110s but not sure if I should use those or a heavier grain.
Regarding the inexpensive broadhead target. You can get the foam target at wally world for 15 to 20 bucks.
I'm guessing you already have a field point target so the foam can easily provide enough life to serve it's purpose.
I recommend shooting one broadhead at a time or several field tips after one broadhead. It's unpleasant to walk up to your group and find that the he second broadhead shaved the Fletch off your first. :banghead:
I've been following this thread and believe you have your bases covered so good luck in your efforts.