broken braodhead

[sbooy42]

Another thread as led me to ask this. I have asked this at other sights and got interesting comments.
we all know what could go wrong will and when it does what would you prefer to happen??? You shoot and hit something hard shoulder, brisket bone...etc
Would you rather

1) broad head holds together and does not pass through?

2) blade breaks and continues on and passthrough?

Yes I know shooting 120 KE tipped with a silverflame will elimanate this but thats not what I asking.

[Kelly Johnson]

I'd prefer to have an exit wound even if only the size of the shaft.

[Michihunter]

I want my broadhead to stay intact and continue on with the killing process. No telling when that thing broke and therefore it may or may not have reached the vitals before failing.;)

[Swamp Monster]

Since it is highly unlikely all the blades will fail, I'll take the pass thru. And if all the blades fail, it's likely a solid shoulder shot and therefore I still want a full pass thru as full pass thru shoulder shots are usually lethal and quick like.

[soggybtmboys]

I would prefer that my broadhead held together. Hitting something that hard, I would really want it to hold together to continue to cut and do damage thus killing the animal more quikly than a pinhole sliding thru possibly inbetween vital organs. That could possibly lead to an animal surviving days before expiring. You can, and lots of people recover game on pindrops of blood or track them and recover with no blood.

[sullyxlh]

I'd rather have a pass thru,especially from an elevated shot,
a drain hole as opposed to filling up the chest cavity,
plus the fact that the recovered arrow can tell you alot about where you hit it or where you think you may have hit it

[QuakrTrakr]

I'd rather have a pass thru,especially from an elevated shot,
a drain hole as opposed to filling up the chest cavity,
plus the fact that the recovered arrow can tell you alot about where you hit it or where you think you may have hit it

Same here. Blood trail=recovered deer.

[wildcoy73]

had this happen to me years ago when the bows where slower i watched the arrow hit the deer perfect, when i did get down from the stand i had good blood on the arrow no damaged to the tip of the broadhead but had no blades on it. i looked around and found all three blades laying on the ground with no blood or even hair on them. that deer was hard to track the holes both clog up and only by sure luck did i find him. so give me an arrow left in the deer with all blades on it any day thanks

[fasthunter]

Either way doesn't matter to me. My focus is on finding the deer.;):)

[GVDocHoliday]

I want my blades intact.

[Joe Archer]

If your broadhead blades break upon impact with bone, it can be similar to shooting a deer with a field point. The odds of a humane kill and recovery with a field point would be slim. The odds in my opinion are decreased even more in the situation described; hitting bone is most likely an indication of a poor shot. If (and I emphasize "if") this deer dies it is going to take some time.

On the other hand, an intact broadhead in the chest cavity will cut a good size hole in the lungs. It will continue to cut as the deer runs and will do even more damage to the vitals. The deer will very likely die within a few 100 yards. It may be a tough recovery, but I have enough confidence in my tracking ability to know that I will find this deer.
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[mhodnettjr]

intact. that's were other IMPORTANT things like watchingand listening for the deer until you see or here nothing anymore. Even without blood a good chestshot will kill the deer. Plus I hate the idea of suddenly finding a blade stuck in my hand while field dressing or cutting.

[kerby1]

Lots of what ifs. I voted for the pass through, but in the end it is about what puts the deer down the quickest and allows recovery. So many factors to consider. I voted for the pass through, based on the concept that you would not have a complete failure, only lose one blade and that an exit hole is going to increase the blood trail and recovery.

I don't like the thought of having a blade in the deer when you are gutting the animal. Probably not hard to make the argument that if the head holds together, it is doing extra cutting as the animal is moving, also going to have more energy transfer to the animal, blah, blah, blah.

In the end, quick kill, and recovery of the animal.

[rzdrmh]

i find it highly unlikely that a broadhead would break and continue to pass through.

i would consider a broken broadhead 100% failure and would probably cease any use of them.

i've never broken a broadhead though. i've actually hit a large rock that was sitting beside my target on a long shot, and not broken the magnus stinger that i use. there's nothing inside a deer that should break a broadhead.

[wolverines]

It's all about the exit hole for me.
That's a hard one though because if the deer was quatered away and your head goes through both lungs and stops at the opposite shoulder, I wouldn't complain...that deer isn't going far. It doesn't sit right with me to say I'm ok with my broadhead breaking but I went with the exit hole.

[Chuck]

I use thunderheads and never yet have I had a broadhead failure. I have had a few arrows break apart when I hit the opposite shoulder. The damage done from the broadhead was allot! I lost allot of meat in the opposite shoulder of one deer and he ran only 40 yards. The inside of his shoulder was destroyed though. It was held on only by the skin.

So as long as the broad head stays in tack and gets in deep enough to cut the right stuff I would say I would vote for it staying together without a pass threw.

If my choice is to penetrate the shoulder and have broadhead failure on exit then that would be ok but I would change to another brand. Most of todays fixed blade broadheads should not fail with a bone hit.

One year while bow hunitng in Oregon I filmed a buddy shooting a bear. He shoots thunderheads also. He hit the bear in the front shoulder at a quarting to angle. The arrow went all the way into the back leg bone and destroyed it but did not pass threw. The broadhead was intact but the arrow broke into lots of pieces. The bear only went 50 yards and died fast. So I would have to say based on expeience I would rather my broadhead stay intact and still cutting then to fail in most cercumstances.