Rage broadheads

[sumner4991]

TNXbow . . .how did you determine that the broadhead did not open?

[crazyfarmer]

some are always going to have horror stories with any product. The more that are produced, the more chance of someone have a problem with them. Its tons of variables that can factor in to this. Shot placement, distance, bone hit, and etc etc... Ive shot deer with muzzy bheads right behind the shoulder and hardly got any blood. Same for ML'er hunting also. Ive found that a heart hit, actaully bleeds less. The most blood I ever found when trailing a hit deer was from a bad hidequarter hit.

blood trailing is gonna rely on soley what you cut. Your bhead could hit perfectly, but not cut any major viens to get bleedout on the surface, but could bleed deadly internally.

rage redesigned their heads 2 years ago do to some opening issues..

uncle, if you dont want to take the chance, stick with a fixed blade. But Ive seen bad results from fixed heads also so its to each their own. Between me and my bro in law roughly 12 deer have gone down in 40 yards or less with the rage 3 blades with flawless results. Its impossible to tell if the head was fully open, but the holes normally a good 2inches wide. You cant tell if the head opened by looking at it after you pick it up, since the blades can pop back into place.

as said, these heads are normally a 1 shot kill head also... but I dont shoot my fixed heads again after they kill a deer so it doesnt bother me buying new bheads

[TNXBow]

15 yard shot, hitting behind lungs. Almost no blood on the ground at point of impact. The 10 PT buck stopped 20 yards after he was shot and stood for a few seconds. I could see the point of impact. Small drops of blood on ground at that point. I found blood drops from both sides ( entry and exit wound) numerous times over the 1600 yards. It was like a pencil was shot through the deer.

[Limbs and Sticks]

If your eye level with the deer and you have a pass thru, other than blood on the arrow most deer bleed inside your best advantage is take to the trees, I've never had a problem with a blood trail with useing alot of different bh in alot of yrs hunting with bows

Wes

[sumner4991]

15 yard shot, hitting behind lungs. Almost no blood on the ground at point of impact. The 10 PT buck stopped 20 yards after he was shot and stood for a few seconds. I could see the point of impact. Small drops of blood on ground at that point. I found blood drops from both sides ( entry and exit wound) numerous times over the 1600 yards. It was like a pencil was shot through the deer.

I was really hoping that you were going to tell me about field dressing the deer and/or making a visual inspection of the wound. Looking at an live animal from approx. 35 yards isn't going to give you much detail on an entry wound. The trail you described is the same I witnessed from a gut shot doe I hit a few years ago with my .270. I tracked her 400 yards after waiting 6 hours and she was still alive when I found her.

I wouldn't be so quick to blame the "almost lost" thing on Rage in this case. I'd be pissed at myself for missing the vitals on a 15 yard shot.

[TNXBow]

We all have our own opinions and I appreciate yours and that's the great thing about this forum. I was upset at myself for the poor shot placement was it not what it should have been. I neglected to take into account that the buck was moving. Clearly the 10 Pt Rack had caused some excitement. I won't make that mistake again.

The buck was 15 yards to the east and the buck ran 20 yards northwest, so it was about 25 Yards broadside from my tree when it stopped. I had a clear view from my climbing stand and saw a small entry wound. If the Rage would have opened, there would have been a 2 inch hole exit hole. I only saw the entry, so I can't be 100% sure since vultures had their pick of the chest cavity over the 3 days it took to track the deer 1600 yards. Due to the small drops of blood found coming from both sides the deer, my opinion is there is no way the Rage opened.

[sumner4991]

We all have our own opinions and I appreciate yours and that's the great thing about this forum. I was upset at myself for the poor shot placement was it not what it should have been. I neglected to take into account that the buck was moving.

That can happen with a 6 point rack too.

http://www.excaliburcrossbow.com/phpBB2 ... ight=creek

I did the same thing . . .got lucky. I'm still pissed about taking the shot like I did. The buck I harvested only went 20 yards or so and two of the blades broke off in the deer. However, I was using a larger broadhead. I complained to Trophy Ridge and they had already fixed the issue. They sent me replacements and they work great.

I just think if you are going to bash a product . . .you need a little better basis. Your broadhead could have opened and it was the errant shot that is truly to blame. There aren't many things to cut back there that will kill a deer quickly. It's not uncommon for a deer to run that far after being gut shot by a rifle . . .unfortunately I know this from experience.

[crazyfarmer]

its hard to say if the head opened.. im pretty sure it did but the problem was, it wasnt anything major to cut in that area for bleeding. Thats the problem with a gut shot deer. They hardly ever bleed, which is why if they are pushed, you never find them.

In my early days I gut shot a few and couldnt ever find blood, lost 80% of those deer also. But those were my young and rush the shot days LOL

Even a deer hit with a ML'er in the gut doesnt bleed much, if any

Im willing to bet it opened, just didnt perform well in that area of the deer as any head would. But its no biggie.. to each their own

[TNXBow]

I am not trying to bash Rage Broadheads, simply to pass on the experience I had to a forum member who asked for opions. This was not a typical gut shot deer. I saw the entry point less than 25 yards asway broadside when the deer stopped for at least 5 seconds (Seemed like an hour). The point of entry was just a couple of inches behing the lungs in the center of the body. The Rage 2 Blade did not open. If it had the blood trail over the 1600 yards I tracked the deer would have been different. I am not guessing on the distance I tracked the Buck, measured it using topo maps of the area.

I have hunted with a rifle for over 25 years and averaged over 4 deer a year before switching to a crossbow 3 years ago. I have had about every experience possible over the years, regretable a few gut shot deer as well.

[crazyfarmer]

I am not trying to bash Rage Broadheads, simply to pass on the experience I had to a forum member who asked for opions. This was not a typical gut shot deer. I saw the entry point less than 25 yards asway broadside when the deer stopped for at least 5 seconds (Seemed like an hour). The point of entry was just a couple of inches behing the lungs in the center of the body. The Rage 2 Blade did not open. If it had the blood trail over the 1600 yards I tracked the deer would have been different. I am not guessing on the distance I tracked the Buck, measured it using topo maps of the area.

I have hunted with a rifle for over 25 years and averaged over 4 deer a year before switching to a crossbow 3 years ago. I have had about every experience possible over the years, regretable a few gut shot deer as well.

I know.. i was just saying that ive taken perfect shots on deer before that just wouldnt bleed. When they were opened up to gut the heart was blown to pieces and they just didnt bleed out. Clotting blood is amazing. When we butcher beef, you can slice the neck all the way to the bone and in 2 seconds it can clot and you only get a trickle of blood, yet its a 15 inch cut there LOL. Others you can slice and blood sprays out 8ft LOL. Just the luck of the draw

its a free country and we can use anything we want to hunt with.. some like this and some like that. If we agree'ed on the same things, then what fun would it be I just hate seeing someone having bad luck with the rage heads when ive had nothing but excellent results

[sumner4991]

My Uncle gave me some 30.06 ammo he had when he was in the Army. He gave them to me in the middle of deer season, mistake #1. I was 16 years old, mistake #2. These were hard nose 30.06 shells. I decided it would be cool to use them the next day hunting, mistake #3. A nice doe came out, 20 yard shot. I aimed, fired, and the doe did nothing. I aimed, fired and again the doe did nothing. I aimed again, fired and the doe did nothing. I had one more shot in my semi-auto, so, yep, I aimed, fired again . . .the doe started running. I reloaded and went after her. Found her 50 yards away on the fence line. I aim, fire . . .I aim, fire . . .I aim, fire . . .the doe drops! Yes, finally I thought, made a hit!!! I was used to the deer dropping after one shot at 20 yards.

We got the deer to the skinning shed. We started field dressing and skinning. Didn't take us long to find 7 holes . . .all in the lung area. Never used those hard nosed shells again. That deer didn't flinch on a couple of those shots. Get this . . .there was hardly any blood trail. I didn't see any blood and I kept firing. Of course, I was 16 years old and a shooting machine.

Why am I telling this embarrassing story? Well . . .I'm guessing that the hole an arrow would make, if the broadhead did not open, is similar to the hole those 30.06 hard nose shells made. You can draw your own conclusions. We are just guessing at this point.

TNXBow . . .you were clearly bashing the Rage Broadheads. I would have no problem with that if you had inspected the deer and concluded it was a faulty broadhead. Just the fact that you found a blood trail that you were able to track for a long distance suggests to me that the broadhead opened. If it had not opened, then I seriously doubt there would have been much if any blood to follow. It was just placed in the wrong spot. It happens, no big deal. Just give the broadhead the benefit of a doubt.

I've never shot the Rage and therefore I am not a Rage fan. However, a lot of folks do and swear by them.