I sure wish we could use expandible broadheads on big game! (Poll added)

[Machias]

Very nicely put stiknstringbow!!!

[bearpaw]

They are illegal in Idaho, I had a hunter show up with them from back east where they are popular. I told him to go to town and get some fixed blade broadheads. He went and bought the new broadheads but didn't use them.

He snuck his mechanicals out hunting. Wounded a big bull elk and a big mule deer buck, just not enough penetration. I also don't like the idea of relying on a mechanical action to open them. 

Hey BearPaw... how long ago was this? Just curious...

I am going to say about 7 or 8 years. On the elk if I remember correctly, the guide I had him hunting with said he hit the bull in the shoulder and it didn't penetrate. I have shot a muskox through both shoulders witha good fixed blade and the arrow exited the other side. 

That is why I am opposed to mechnicals, not everyone will hit the animal just right every time. There are going to be misplaced shots, anyone who knows me or reads my signature can see I am opposed to excessive regulations, but I do see the need for protecting our wildlife from excessive wounding opportunities from the lack of effective equipment.

Maybe there are improvements in mechanicals that I am not aware of in the last year or two, but I see mechanicals as more effective on small game than big game where rugged construction is needed in case of a slightly misplaced shot which most of us are capable of doing. 

[Houndhunter]

not sure if this has already been discussed, but i saw a few post saying that expandibles are barbed and will stay in the animal. well that may have been true years back, but it isnt anymore. expandibles have come along way and i see no point in not having them legal, they make a better shot every time all way around period

[h20hunter]

I don't know if you can say all shots all the time. I agree that the barbed aspect of many mechanicals are much improved. However, I have some Rage mechanicals for midwest hunting and would say that they would be much more LIKELY to back out of a wound than older styles but not as easily as a fixed blade. I also agree with some previous posts that mechanicals may not be the best choice for some types of game, ie. hogs or elk.

[MDGrand]

They are illegal in Idaho, I had a hunter show up with them from back east where they are popular. I told him to go to town and get some fixed blade broadheads. He went and bought the new broadheads but didn't use them.

He snuck his mechanicals out hunting. Wounded a big bull elk and a big mule deer buck, just not enough penetration. I also don't like the idea of relying on a mechanical action to open them. 

Hey BearPaw... how long ago was this? Just curious...

I am going to say about 7 or 8 years. On the elk if I remember correctly, the guide I had him hunting with said he hit the bull in the shoulder and it didn't penetrate. I have shot a muskox through both shoulders witha good fixed blade and the arrow exited the other side. 

That is why I am opposed to mechnicals, not everyone will hit the animal just right every time. There are going to be misplaced shots, anyone who knows me or reads my signature can see I am opposed to excessive regulations, but I do see the need for protecting our wildlife from excessive wounding opportunities from the lack of effective equipment.

Maybe there are improvements in mechanicals that I am not aware of in the last year or two, but I see mechanicals as more effective on small game than big game where rugged construction is needed in case of a slightly misplaced shot which most of us are capable of doing. 

Thanks for the info BearPaw.. Since we can not use expandables, I do not have first hand experience with them. However, I am going to MT in Sept and I know they allow them. From the videos I have reserached, there seems to be some really good mechanical onces out there.. for example, Shwacker broadheads have a video of a quartering shot through plywood that went clean through!

I am interested to know if old broadheads had the flaw of not penetrating but new ones being a lot better are more reliable?

Who here has recently shot an elk with an expandable and hit them in the shoulder? Anyone?

[pianoman9701]

not sure if this has already been discussed, but i saw a few post saying that expandibles are barbed and will stay in the animal. well that may have been true years back, but it isnt anymore. expandibles have come along way and i see no point in not having them legal, they make a better shot every time all way around period

If the extended blade isn't closed at the back or producing a forward angle, I believe it's considered barbed. I believe the concern is when the arrow doesn't pass through, the continued suffering of the animal trying to kick it out or ripping inside as it goes through brush. It won't come out as easily as a fixed broadhead. Do I have this right?

[Snapshot]

So as to not have any...what do they call it…revisionist history on here, the following is from Jay St. C.’s website:
 
Over the Winter of '52-'53 my father, Glenn St. Charles, launched a new and exciting project: a full working recurve bow limbed bow utilizing a relatively new material - fiberglass - in combination with hardwood laminations. Most innovative were its long handle riser and relatively its short fully working recurved limbs.
At the time of its introduction in the Spring of 1953 the St. Charles Thunderbird recurve was truely unique in its design. By the Spring of 1957 nearly all recurve bows in production mirrored the Thunderbird's basic style.
 
So for the record, Bear built and launched its working recurve in '53, but it wasn't the first fiberglass working recurve.

[Snapshot]

If the extended blade isn't closed at the back or producing a forward angle, I believe it's considered barbed. I believe the concern is when the arrow doesn't pass through, the continued suffering of the animal trying to kick it out or ripping inside as it goes through brush. It won't come out as easily as a fixed broadhead. Do I have this right?

I believe you do have it right.

[bearpaw]

They are illegal in Idaho, I had a hunter show up with them from back east where they are popular. I told him to go to town and get some fixed blade broadheads. He went and bought the new broadheads but didn't use them.

He snuck his mechanicals out hunting. Wounded a big bull elk and a big mule deer buck, just not enough penetration. I also don't like the idea of relying on a mechanical action to open them. 

Hey BearPaw... how long ago was this? Just curious...

I am going to say about 7 or 8 years. On the elk if I remember correctly, the guide I had him hunting with said he hit the bull in the shoulder and it didn't penetrate. I have shot a muskox through both shoulders witha good fixed blade and the arrow exited the other side. 

That is why I am opposed to mechnicals, not everyone will hit the animal just right every time. There are going to be misplaced shots, anyone who knows me or reads my signature can see I am opposed to excessive regulations, but I do see the need for protecting our wildlife from excessive wounding opportunities from the lack of effective equipment.

Maybe there are improvements in mechanicals that I am not aware of in the last year or two, but I see mechanicals as more effective on small game than big game where rugged construction is needed in case of a slightly misplaced shot which most of us are capable of doing. 

Thanks for the info BearPaw.. Since we can not use expandables, I do not have first hand experience with them. However, I am going to MT in Sept and I know they allow them. From the videos I have reserached, there seems to be some really good mechanical onces out there.. for example, Shwacker broadheads have a video of a quartering shot through plywood that went clean through!

I am interested to know if old broadheads had the flaw of not penetrating but new ones being a lot better are more reliable?

Who here has recently shot an elk with an expandable and hit them in the shoulder? Anyone?

RE: The mechanical that was shot through plywood, I wonder if it retained all it's blades, and how many times they did it before it did retain blades?  If the blades are lost on bone, you are basically shooting a target arrow after it hits bone.

If there is a mechanical that has been proven to consistently withstand big game bones, then I would certainly support it's use. To date I haven't heard of any, not to say they don't have something new out that has been recently proven.

[Snapshot]

Also, Stik, ancient asian cultures used horn bows that were recurved in design; Kahn nearly won all of Europe with them. And bamboo was used similarly. They both bent through the tips.
The invention of fiberglass allowed for the leap from static wood recurves like those that were built in the early 20th century to the recurve design commonly used today.

[MDGrand]

They are illegal in Idaho, I had a hunter show up with them from back east where they are popular. I told him to go to town and get some fixed blade broadheads. He went and bought the new broadheads but didn't use them.

He snuck his mechanicals out hunting. Wounded a big bull elk and a big mule deer buck, just not enough penetration. I also don't like the idea of relying on a mechanical action to open them. 

Hey BearPaw... how long ago was this? Just curious...

I am going to say about 7 or 8 years. On the elk if I remember correctly, the guide I had him hunting with said he hit the bull in the shoulder and it didn't penetrate. I have shot a muskox through both shoulders witha good fixed blade and the arrow exited the other side. 

That is why I am opposed to mechnicals, not everyone will hit the animal just right every time. There are going to be misplaced shots, anyone who knows me or reads my signature can see I am opposed to excessive regulations, but I do see the need for protecting our wildlife from excessive wounding opportunities from the lack of effective equipment.

Maybe there are improvements in mechanicals that I am not aware of in the last year or two, but I see mechanicals as more effective on small game than big game where rugged construction is needed in case of a slightly misplaced shot which most of us are capable of doing. 

Thanks for the info BearPaw.. Since we can not use expandables, I do not have first hand experience with them. However, I am going to MT in Sept and I know they allow them. From the videos I have reserached, there seems to be some really good mechanical onces out there.. for example, Shwacker broadheads have a video of a quartering shot through plywood that went clean through!

I am interested to know if old broadheads had the flaw of not penetrating but new ones being a lot better are more reliable?

Who here has recently shot an elk with an expandable and hit them in the shoulder? Anyone?

RE: The mechanical that was shot through plywood, I wonder if it retained all it's blades, and how many times they did it before it did retain blades?  If the blades are lost on bone, you are basically shooting a target arrow after it hits bone.

If there is a mechanical that has been proven to consistently withstand big game bones, then I would certainly support it's use. To date I haven't heard of any, not to say they don't have something new out that has been recently proven.

Good point.. it would be nice to know how much of the blade is left..

[bearpaw]

They are illegal in Idaho, I had a hunter show up with them from back east where they are popular. I told him to go to town and get some fixed blade broadheads. He went and bought the new broadheads but didn't use them.

He snuck his mechanicals out hunting. Wounded a big bull elk and a big mule deer buck, just not enough penetration. I also don't like the idea of relying on a mechanical action to open them. 

Hey BearPaw... how long ago was this? Just curious...

I am going to say about 7 or 8 years. On the elk if I remember correctly, the guide I had him hunting with said he hit the bull in the shoulder and it didn't penetrate. I have shot a muskox through both shoulders witha good fixed blade and the arrow exited the other side. 

That is why I am opposed to mechnicals, not everyone will hit the animal just right every time. There are going to be misplaced shots, anyone who knows me or reads my signature can see I am opposed to excessive regulations, but I do see the need for protecting our wildlife from excessive wounding opportunities from the lack of effective equipment.

Maybe there are improvements in mechanicals that I am not aware of in the last year or two, but I see mechanicals as more effective on small game than big game where rugged construction is needed in case of a slightly misplaced shot which most of us are capable of doing. 

Thanks for the info BearPaw.. Since we can not use expandables, I do not have first hand experience with them. However, I am going to MT in Sept and I know they allow them. From the videos I have reserached, there seems to be some really good mechanical onces out there.. for example, Shwacker broadheads have a video of a quartering shot through plywood that went clean through!

I am interested to know if old broadheads had the flaw of not penetrating but new ones being a lot better are more reliable?

Who here has recently shot an elk with an expandable and hit them in the shoulder? Anyone?

RE: The mechanical that was shot through plywood, I wonder if it retained all it's blades, and how many times they did it before it did retain blades?  If the blades are lost on bone, you are basically shooting a target arrow after it hits bone.

If there is a mechanical that has been proven to consistently withstand big game bones, then I would certainly support it's use. To date I haven't heard of any, not to say they don't have something new out that has been recently proven.

Good point.. it would be nice to know how much of the blade is left..

For me that is the deciding factor. If they have improved them so that they are tough enough to consistently go through a shoulder blade, they eliminate the barb (tailing eges must slant forward), then we should embrace them, they inherently make a bigger hole which means more kills (if those other factors are corrected) then they would be an improvement over fixed blades.

[carpsniperg2]

Glad to see some good discusion going on, and this topic staying mostly civil 

[D-Rock425]

I voted yes.  I don't have much experience with them.  Its to bad there isn't stats that have lost game with the two.  I don't know if I would use them necessarily.

[PolarBear]

Nope, don't need em.