Blood Trail

[Phil W]

I just bought a new Matrix 355 and still waiting on a few accessories to come in the mail. I haven't bought hunting broad heads yet, still trying to make a decision. Let me say that I have been harvesting Whitetails with high powered rifles for 35+ years. Most of the deer I have shot with a 7mm Mag through the years have dropped in their tracks or only gone 20 yards or so. I have never bow hunted, and said I would never do it because I can't stand to shoot a deer and it run off. Well, here I am 51 yrs old and bought a cross bow. I have about 1500 acres of land available to hunt on and lots of deer. There is no doubt in my mind I will have opportunities this fall to harvest a few bucks with my crossbow. But I am a little nervous about deer running off shot with arrows, bolts in my case. Practically all the bow hunting videos I have watched, the deer run off after the shot like there is nothing wrong with them. I will be hunting some thick woods here in SC since crossbow hunting range is 50 yards or less and a deer running off 200 or 300 yards can be very difficult to find. So my question is, what broad heads have you guys used with your Excaliburs that left the biggest blood trails? I want to buy the 150 gr Boltcutters, but I have read they don't leave good blood trails. Also, my Matrix 355 came with Diablo bolts and 150 gr field points. I don't see many 150 gr broad heads in the catalogs for crossbows. If I go with a 125 gr broad head, should I get some 125 gr field points to sight in/practice with? Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

[BrotherRon]

Excaliburs are deadly accurate, and shot placement is the most important part of archery. A good hit in the heart (or kill zone) and the deer wont go much more than 40 yards.
I prefer Black Eagle arrows myself.
Arrow choice depends a lot on what crossbow you have.
With arrows other than the Diablo's you have a lot more choice of broadheads to use. I have used fixed blades as well as the Rage broadheads and have had great results. This year I will probably try the RamCats I won.
I prefer 125 grain broadheads as the heavier ones seem to be more accurate. Hope this helps.
Ron.

[amythntr]

....welcome to the forum Phil W....first, why not complete your registration indicating where you are from so that we know where you hail from...

....a lot of forum members shoot the 355 and love that XB...they are all great...asking people what is the best BH is a lot like asking them what truck should you buy...types and weights of broadheads is dependent upon, not only the overall weight of the arrow recipe you are trying to attain but, also what your crossbow likes, along with the speed of your crossbow....

....you are going to get a lot of recommendations but that does not mean anything unless it works for you...my one son Christopher shot a nice 8 pointer last year that ran 20 yards and dropped...all with stock Diablos on his 380, Boltcutter BH and a Lumenok lighted nock...it worked and he will not change up for this year...

....out of my 380 I shoot an 18" BEA Zombie Slayer, Lumenok, 92 G brass insert, blazer vanes, arrow wrap, and a 100g Spitfire (about 410g)...It has been a deadly combination...so why change?....the deer I shot went 40 yds....remember, most deer shot with a crossbow will bolt, stop and drop if properly hit...

.....with my 335 I shoot, a 15" BEA Zombie Slayer, Ignitor, 80 g brass insert, blazer vanes, no wrap and 100g Spitfire (374g)...looking forward to wacking my first deer this year....

.....my suggestion is to pick up a few packages of different BH's and give them a try...see what works for you and what YOUR bow likes with YOUR arrow recipe...what you don't use you can sell at a later date...

....good luck coming to a decision, welcome to the forum, stick around and be part of a great bunch men and women who love to talk about hunting and everything Excalibur!....

Anthony

[vixenmaster]

Seldom will a BH hit tick toter drop on the spot unless Spined. They all run after bein hit n some will go more than others. Yer job is to put the BH into the vitals upon yer shot, they will die! Always watch the deer after yer shot to see where it was headin fer, as thats the direction you will also follow.

[Carnivorous]

I used the NAP FOC out of my Matrix 355 last season with great results. Huge blood trails and short recoveries are the strong point of the FOC. Oh ya and they are field point accuarate as well.

[miller1buc]

I started using the Rage Hyperdermic 125 grain heads last year. Killed 2 and you could stick your hand in the entrance wound on both. Devastating. Neither ran over 50 yards. Both were double lung shots. Blood trails were very easy to follow. On the second one I could see the blood gushing out before the deer tried to run off.

[Riflemanz]

Get some 20" black eagle executioner bolts w 110 gr inserts. I shoot the .001 factory fletched out of my 355.
I shoot 3 blade 2" cut hammerheads and they shoot great w 2 bands on them to keep them closed. Slick trick 4 blade magnums also shot great all 100gr heads.

[grouse]

Any good broadhead will kill effectively if you make a good hit, so just pick one and practice with it to become confident. If you can't get tight groups at 30 yards (unlikely to happen) try another head. A deer hit through the lungs can only live a maximum of 60 seconds, so they can only run so far. I like seeing a deer drop within sight but I also like the satisfaction of following a blood trail and finding a deer. I suspect you will enjoy that too!

[Possum]

Another thing to remember is to "be patient". I have had two arrow shot deer drop on the spot and both were dead-on heart shots with a vertical compound and Muzzy 3 blade 125, but this isn't the norm. I've had them run and drop in sight, I've, seen them run out of sight and heard them go down. It is tempting to start trailing when you know you made a good hit or heard them fall, but WAIT 15 to 30 minutes before taking up the trail. Most animals if hit mid to low in the chest cavity will leave a decent blood trail with almost any legal broadhead as long as it is shaving sharp. As for which broadheads are best? i'm sure everyone here swears by a few. I prefer Muzzy 100gr and Spitfire 100 but my arrows have 110gr brass inserts. If you are intent on staying with your stock arrows you may want to consider looking over what 3Rivers Archery has to offer. They have many broadheads in the 145 gr to 200 gr neighborhood.

[nchunterkw]

Hi Phil
First off welcome to the forum. You can learn almost everything you need to know be reading and searching this forum.

Now, since you have never bow hunted....the first thing you need to remember is that you are not gun hunting. The whole goal is to bring deer in close. You say "crossbow range" is 50 yds, but I will tell you I have been hunting with a crossbow since 1996 and have never taken that shot - even in a field. Too much can happen between the time the arrow leaves the bow and gets to the deer. So IMO, as a novice you should limit your shots to 30yds or less - more preferably 20yds. Scent control, movement etc - (good woodsmanship) is paramount to making that happen.

Your goal is to achieve a 100% arrow pass-through on every shot. That is how an arrow does the maximum damage. Bringing them close helps this as well

Next is good shot placement. I prefer a double lung shot and will take that shot every time on a broadside deer, versus a heart shot. The vertical crosshair tight behind the leg and middle body should put you right in the lungs. My experience has been that double lung shot deer run about 20 to 50yds. Some don't even know they have been hit and run back and forth trying to figure out the sound they heard then they just drop over.

As for broadheads, I won't get into the "which is best" debate (for a change ) but I prefer a fixed blade broadhead. Some good ones in this category are Slick Trick Magnums, Magnus Stingers, and Ramcats, but there are a bunch more.

Once you try it, I think you will love bowhunting. Good luck and fire in the questions. Everyone here will bend over backwards to help however they can.

Keith

[paulaboutform]

Welcome to the forum. I don't want to overwhelm you with piles of information because it won't mean a whole lot to you so I'll give you some vital info, imho.
-Broadhead's kill by hemorrhage vs shock and hemorrhage of a bullet. That means putting the arrow through the vitals is VERY IMPORTANT.
-Look for broadside or slight quartering away shots which are high percentage kill shots.
-You must practice with the same weight broadheads and field points.
-If you want to buy arrows I recommend getting custom arrows as they'll be about the same price or slightly less than the standard arrows you have. However, the custom arrows are far superior. If you contact Big John on this forum he can help guide you through arrow choices. I do recommend Black Eagle Zombie Slayer arrows.
-two things that I believe are MUST haves are: a stringing aid and the ADF. You absolutely need the stringing aid!
- - The broadheads available depends on the arrows and weight you choose (talk to big john). My personal preference is for toxic broadheads, qad exodus broadheads, slick trick broadheads, FOC broadheads Spitfire Max XXX broadheads. There are many but a properly placed arrow should result in great blood trails and quick, close recoveries. Good luck.

Paul

[Hi5]

You sound like an ethical hunter, concerned at loss of game.

Plan on having to track an animal you have shot. Read up on tracking tips--there is lots of discussion on this forum. Use the search feature. Hopefully you won't have to use your tracking skills. However, if you know what to do, you will be spared the remorse of lost game.

Believe me, it IS gratifying put in the effort to track an animal that you have shot, and recover it.

[xcaliber]

Welcome aboard, and congrats on joining the archery hunting gang. Sounds like you are prepared for the tracking job, and if you make a good shot, you'll have good blood to follow. Read all you can about archery shot deer, and what to look for in the blood trail. I always smell my arrow, if you hit guts, you'll know it, and that is not the end of the world, but it does mean you should give the deer about 6 hours to expire so you don't push it into a place you cannot recover it. Experience has taught me this, if the deer is pushed, and running low on blood it gets harder to track, and the deer might be right under your nose in thick stuff, but the trail is so thin you loose it. The biggest worry is late afternoon hunts where coyotes might get there in the night before you can pick it up in the morning. All that said, sometimes you get to watch them expire right from your stand, do your practicing, take realistic shots in cleared lanes, and you'll do well.

Good luck!

[PSEWOOD]

Hey! Phil, I am from S.C. The 150gr thundervally Snuffer will leave a great blood trail,but they take some work.You need to heat the broad head with propane torch to separate from adapter use 5 minute epoxy re glue and turn & spin until no wobble. sharpen with file then flat diamond hone.I go one step farther and use wet/dry very fine sandpaper.

[UPSMAN]

A lot of good advise has already been given. Seeing as you're a newbie to crossbows,let me say this. When zeroing your bow,use a bench rest just like you would when zeroing that 7mm mag of yours. Using a bench rest will take the guessing game out of arrow placement. Also,use the same arrow when zeroing your scope. And last but not least, keep your fingers OFF the rail. You will lose some fingers if that string introduces itself to your digits. If any of you other guys want to chime in with zeroing tips,now is the time to chime in.