The Firing Line Forums

Go Back   The Firing Line Forums > The Hide > The Hunt

Reply
 
Thread Tools Search this Thread
Old October 23, 2011, 03:33 PM   #1
nathaniel
Senior Member
 
Join Date: March 11, 2010
Location: North Dakota
Posts: 600
Compound bows

I just bought a Diamond Outlaw last week since I didnt get drawn for a rifle deer tag. I have never hunted with a compound bow before (ive always used recurve or long bows) so I must ask. What do you guys use for broadheads and why? And if you guys also have any other hints or tips for a newbie to compounds Id sure appreciate it.
nathaniel is offline  
Old October 23, 2011, 03:41 PM   #2
grubbylabs
Senior Member
 
Join Date: October 11, 2009
Location: Hansen Idaho
Posts: 1,465
I like cut on contact heads like the magnus Stingers or Buzz cuts. But pretty much any quality BH will work well.

You say that you have hunted with a re-curve before? Are you proficient with traditional gear?


I would say practice practice and practice.

Did you buy a release?

Are you going to use a sight and a rest? The newer compounds really are meant to be used with them.
__________________
* (Swinging club) Whack! whack! whack! *

Nope, the old nag's still dead .
(Capt Charlie)
grubbylabs is offline  
Old October 23, 2011, 05:16 PM   #3
nathaniel
Senior Member
 
Join Date: March 11, 2010
Location: North Dakota
Posts: 600
I have hunted with traditional equipment before, I grew up shooting re-curve and longbow and was proficiant out to 40 yards with them just instinctive shooting, thats when I practiced every day though.

The Outlaw that I bought was the RAK package (ready, aim, kill). It comes with the truglow 4-pin apex sight, octane hostage pro rest, octane stabalizer, quiver, wrist sling, alloy peep, and string loop. So I purchased a truball stinger release and 6 Beeman arrows.
nathaniel is offline  
Old October 23, 2011, 06:25 PM   #4
Doyle
Senior Member
 
Join Date: June 20, 2007
Location: Rainbow City, Alabama
Posts: 7,167
I agree with the cut-on-contact. To me, simple is better.
Doyle is offline  
Old October 23, 2011, 06:46 PM   #5
grubbylabs
Senior Member
 
Join Date: October 11, 2009
Location: Hansen Idaho
Posts: 1,465
Get at least another 6 arrows and six broad heads. Use one set of Broad heads for practice and keep 3 in the package till opening morning. Get comfortable with your anchor point. and practice holding and shooting. A blind bale exorcise will get you used to the release and able to break it easily.

If you are going to sit a stand I recommend the following.

Get some flagging or surveyor tape in the same color as your pins.

Range several different objects at different yardages and mark them with the appropriate color tape. If your 20 pin is red mark a bunch of tree's rocks what ever at 20 yards with the red tape. Be sure to mark all the entry points the game is likely to come in on.

Oh my last bit of advise is to avoid the blazer vanes until you understand how to set up and kinda tune your bow. The blazers have lots of problems with clearing cables rests and every thing else on your bow. Use a regular 4" duravane or similar vane. Once you get used to setting up your bow and making things work then play with those worthless pieces of crap. No I don't like them I like good old fashioned feathers.
__________________
* (Swinging club) Whack! whack! whack! *

Nope, the old nag's still dead .
(Capt Charlie)
grubbylabs is offline  
Old October 24, 2011, 01:04 AM   #6
bamaranger
Senior Member
 
Join Date: October 9, 2009
Location: North Alabama
Posts: 8,273
old school

I shoot........don't laugh.......vintage Bear Razorheads. Bought 217 of them 4-5 years ago for $40.00, yeah......forty. Most still in the factory bulk packing, they are the OD colored last generation type. I WAS shooting the stainless/blue ferrule Super Razorhead till they got near impossible to find.

Believe me, ol man Fred never envisioned his Razorhead on a carbon arrow, zipping along at over 250 fps!

I shot recurves with pins, as a kid. Then left the sport for a while. When I came back at age 30+ I bought a very average compound (50% let off) and shot fingers and pins again, then moved to a release. I shot worlds better with the compound, peep and pins, and release.

Go to a bow shop and get a professional to help w/ the set up. Buy some more arrows, you'll need them, as you will break, loose and tear up several. Shoot plenty, and find out what range you can CONSISTENTLY hit a pie plate. Then subtract 5-10 yds and that is your effective range.
Discipline yourself now, NOT to shoot beyond it at deer for any reason.

Back to hunting points. The 2 -edged point has been an acceptable hunting design for what......about 2000 yrs? It will work for me, too. Without springs, cams, pistons and what all else.

You have a close range hunting weapon, despite our advances in material and technology. Accept that and your personal limitations due to ability. The very best bow hunters I know pass up more shots every year than they take.

I've passed up two shots this year myself. (bad light, bad angle)
bamaranger is offline  
Old October 24, 2011, 09:42 AM   #7
PTS1
Senior Member
 
Join Date: June 15, 2006
Posts: 246
Fixed blade: Magnus Stingers. Mechanical: Grim Reaper.
PTS1 is offline  
Old October 24, 2011, 06:43 PM   #8
nathaniel
Senior Member
 
Join Date: March 11, 2010
Location: North Dakota
Posts: 600
I bought it at Scheels so they set it up to fit me. They got everything squared up and tightened up. The only reason I bought six arrows is so I can practice. I dont plan on hunting with it until I can practice with it. Im shooting Beeman 400 grain arrows with 100 grain field points, and the small feathers, yes I said the small ones. They were actually cheaper than the 4 inch fletchings and with the arrow rest I have the guy said my bow would shoot them better and theyd last longer.
nathaniel is offline  
Old October 24, 2011, 08:22 PM   #9
Antique Shooter
Senior Member
 
Join Date: August 13, 2010
Location: South Central Pennsylvania
Posts: 106
Why did you switch to the space age "bows"? Sounds like you were pretty good shooting traditional.

Real bows don't have sights, let off, stabalizers, wheels, or releases. Who can't shoot something with sights that you can hold back all day, then pull a trigger to shoot? If you want to use sights and pull a trigger, shoot a gun! Compounds have taken the skill out of bow hunting. It's funny to me how "modern bow hunters" say stick and string. How about the sight, release, wheels, and cables that they forgot to mention? (That was not directed entirely to you Nathaniel)

I would reccommend Woodsman Broadheads. They fly like a field point, and are very deadly. They come in both glue on, for the real bowhunters, and screw on. Look up the reviews, alot of people speak highly of them.

Antique Shooter
Antique Shooter is offline  
Old October 24, 2011, 08:53 PM   #10
bamaranger
Senior Member
 
Join Date: October 9, 2009
Location: North Alabama
Posts: 8,273
why

Here we go again, ................my hunting is purer than yours. Man I get tired of this. I resolved a long time ago that back biting and setting one sect of the hunting fraternity against the other was bad business and for the most part furthers the cause of the anti's.

There are lots of reasons why folks choose compounds over more traditional tackle. For one reason, most folks shoot better. Some folks cannot physically handle a hunting weight recurve or long bow, either due to injury or physique.

To shoot instinctively requires a big commmitment of time. Shoot enough you may develop overuse injuries. I did, and now only practice about half the year instead of year round.

A large part of a bow hunt is the hunt, not the tackle. What kills deer for me is 15 yd shots. Scouting, the set up, all that, come into play. What I take that shot w/ is my business.

I am more holy than thou gets old fast.
bamaranger is offline  
Old October 24, 2011, 08:59 PM   #11
nathaniel
Senior Member
 
Join Date: March 11, 2010
Location: North Dakota
Posts: 600
I bought a new fangled bow because:
a) You have to get drawn for a gun tag(which I didnt) and archery tags are over the counter.
b) I got sick of getting slapped by the string after 10 years of shooting traditional
c) I moved across the state where most of the shots are no longer under 30 yards
d) It was either a bow or that Stoeger uplander(which one are you more likely to pick?)
e) I wanted something new, do you constantly shoot the same gun and only that gun?

I know you arent being hostile, I just wanted to let you know the reasons I switched to a compound. I mean at least it wasnt a crossbow right?
nathaniel is offline  
Old October 24, 2011, 11:30 PM   #12
bamaranger
Senior Member
 
Join Date: October 9, 2009
Location: North Alabama
Posts: 8,273
Nathaniel , hunt w/ what you want to..........watch the wind, enjoy.

Good luck.
bamaranger is offline  
Old October 25, 2011, 12:02 AM   #13
mrawesome22
Senior Member
 
Join Date: November 9, 2005
Location: Ohio, Appalachia's foothills.
Posts: 3,779
I really love shooting my recurve and my Mathews Drenalin LD.

But I think we can all agree crossbows are for sissy wannabes
mrawesome22 is offline  
Old October 25, 2011, 12:04 PM   #14
warbirdlover
Senior Member
 
Join Date: December 13, 2009
Location: central Wisconsin
Posts: 2,324
Don't use wood arrows out of a compound bow! The tremendously increased force can snap them and you could get the back half of the arrow through your hand! Used to happen all the time when compounds first came out. (Yes, I date back that far!)...

(And you can still get slapped by the string with a compound bow.. only harder!)
warbirdlover is offline  
Old October 27, 2011, 07:43 AM   #15
nathaniel
Senior Member
 
Join Date: March 11, 2010
Location: North Dakota
Posts: 600
Quote:
(And you can still get slapped by the string with a compound bow.. only harder!)
Maybe once every 100 shots, not every other shot.

I finally got the chance to sight it in and I found out a few things. One I shoot better if I use my middle finger to trigger the release instead of my pointer finger. Two If you robin hood an arrow it breaks the knock and the arrow. Three you can never find the allen wrench you need. All in all Im good to go out to 30 yards so far but I might wait to go hunting until I get it fully sighted in.
nathaniel is offline  
Old October 31, 2011, 10:31 PM   #16
presence
Member
 
Join Date: April 15, 2009
Location: Wheeling, WV
Posts: 52
Rage! Rage! Rage!

enjoy your Outlaw. they are incredible bows! superior to bows double their cost. as for broadheads, mechanicals are best for short vanes. the longer vanes will help better stabalize a traditional fixed blade hole-puncher. i have one word for which to use...

RAGE!
presence is offline  
Old November 1, 2011, 04:48 AM   #17
Desertfox
Senior Member
 
Join Date: January 26, 2006
Location: Arkansas-Oklahoma Line
Posts: 336
I have hunted with a compound for 12 years. I do not pretend to know everything. I worked in a bow shop for 4 years. I have so many bowhunter friends that I share hunting experiences with it is great.
This is my advice. Once you sight in to 30 and can shoot it like you will shoot from your stand. (sitting or from the roof of your garage) You should purchase a mechanical broad head that will fly like a practice tip. NAP Spitifire has a few choices, one with razor tip. They use no "O" rings and clip closed. They fly like a field tip and I have many friends that use them. They fly like your practice tip and they just kill deer. I have seen the results. Easy set up and no arrow tuning. Double lung shot kills them every time. Replacement blades available at your local retailer.
__________________
Teach a kid to respect wildlife, then teach a kid to hunt and fish.
Desertfox is offline  
Old November 1, 2011, 05:49 AM   #18
Scout
Senior Member
 
Join Date: August 9, 2009
Location: Central Florida
Posts: 510
I predict that you'll be back with a recurve before you know it.
__________________
God bless the U.S. Cavalry
Scout is offline  
Old November 1, 2011, 07:03 AM   #19
globemaster3
Senior Member
 
Join Date: January 28, 2006
Posts: 1,482
+1 to desertfox with the Spitfires.

In 1999 I switched from fixed blade broadcasts to expandables when the USAF moved me to a state where I could use them. I found them much more accurate than the Thunderheads I had used since 1987. I attribute this to the lack of planing effect from the fixed blades.

Of all the deer I've shot with them (lost track), I've never had one fail to open, all were pass through shots, and the only 1 I did not recover was my fault for a bad shot.
globemaster3 is offline  
Old November 1, 2011, 08:32 AM   #20
Dr. A
Senior Member
 
Join Date: July 17, 2007
Location: Salina, KS.
Posts: 215
Congratulations on changing to get a tag! I also started with a recurve and still use it, though I use a compound just as much. Our larger Kansas bucks sometimes need to be nabbed at longer distances. I can easily get a 2 year old within 20 yards, but getting a 160 class buck or better that close takes perhaps more than just a little luck. You'll love your bow, and it still takes skill to use one.
Dr. A is offline  
Old November 1, 2011, 09:01 AM   #21
rjrivero
Senior Member
 
Join Date: November 17, 2008
Location: NW Ohio
Posts: 1,399
I use the Montech from G5. Hasn't let me down yet so I keep using them.
rjrivero is offline  
Old November 1, 2011, 09:14 AM   #22
Brian Pfleuger
Moderator Emeritus
 
Join Date: June 25, 2008
Location: Austin, CO
Posts: 19,578
For broadheads, in the fixed blade realm, Slick Tricks are unbeatable. They are accurate beyond a level that I would have ever thought possible. Far, far more accurate than 99.9% of shooters (including me) will ever be.

For mechanicals, I like the Hypershock line by Aftershock. We have had very good luck with them. They open on the inward side of the ribs after penetrating and this dramatically increases penetration.


The thing with mechanicals is that you want something with a big cut, or what's the point? Why bother with an 1 1/4- 1 1/2 mechanical when you can get a Grizz Trick within tiny fractions of that size and have no worries about mechanical failures and still have tack driving accuracy?

So, the problem with mechanicals is that you have to have enough energy to penetrate the animal with that big of a hole. You really need to find out what your bow shoots. If you're not getting at least 55 ft/lbs, don't bother with mechanicals. You'd need to go smaller to get the penetration and, like I said, what's the point in small mechanicals when there are equal size fixed blades that shoot just as well or better?

If your bow generates upwards of 65 ft/lbs, the mighty Rage is a real killer. You really, REALLY need to make sure you've got enough energy for the Rage and you REALLY need to not hit heavy bone. I don't recommend them for those reasons, but they certainly kill a lot of deer.

Don't worry about the "traditional" argument. It's silly beyond belief. There's always something MORE traditional. How many of these guys are handcrafting their own broadheads? How many build their own bows? After all, that's how it was "traditionally" done. Oh wait, "traditionally", there were no bows. We had to use spears first.... except, there were no spears before that either.... Now the compound bow guys are arguing about crossbows not being "real" archery equipment. What a stupid thing to argue about.
__________________
Nobody plans to screw up their lives...
...they just don't plan not to.
-Andy Stanley
Brian Pfleuger is offline  
Old November 1, 2011, 10:12 AM   #23
warbirdlover
Senior Member
 
Join Date: December 13, 2009
Location: central Wisconsin
Posts: 2,324
Fixed blade broadheads fly good if you take the time to tune it properly. This also means checking the broadhead concentricity on a arrow straightener or some other means. I personally never trusted the mechanical broadheads to open properly all the time. The "KISS" (keep it simple stupid) method always worked best for me. The mechanical broadheads help a badly tuned bow and arrows fly better but if you take the time to tune things right you won't see any difference between fixed or mechanical blade broadheads. This is only MY opinion and I am not trying to force it on anyone, just putting it out for thought.
warbirdlover is offline  
Old November 1, 2011, 10:12 AM   #24
Wyoredman
Senior Member
 
Join Date: September 6, 2011
Location: Wyoming
Posts: 1,350
You might try the G5 Montec. A thick, fixed balde, cut on impact broadhead. Works really good on tough hide and heavy bone. They can be resharpened with a stone. Just my opinion.
__________________
Go Pokes!
Go Rams!
Wyoredman is offline  
Old November 1, 2011, 08:01 PM   #25
nathaniel
Senior Member
 
Join Date: March 11, 2010
Location: North Dakota
Posts: 600
Well I thought this thread was dead so I didnt post it but I bought muzzy fixed blade broadheads, and 6 more arrows. I am good out to 30 yards as of right now.

I do have another question for you guys. I sighted my bow in at 10 yards using the first pin. I then backed up to 20 yards and using the first pin shot 3-4 inches high. I thought I was flinching so I shot 2 more groups of six. The same thing 3-4 inches high with amazing groupings. I backed it up to 30 yards and was shooting dead on. I shot another 3 groups at every range just to make sure, all the groups were nice and tight with most of the arrows touching each other. My brothers and dad said this is not normal. But if its consistant just go with it. What do you guys think?
nathaniel is offline  
Reply

Thread Tools Search this Thread
Search this Thread:

Advanced Search

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off

Forum Jump


All times are GMT -5. The time now is 03:15 AM.


Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.7
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions, Inc.
This site and contents, including all posts, Copyright © 1998-2021 S.W.A.T. Magazine
Copyright Complaints: Please direct DMCA Takedown Notices to the registered agent: thefiringline.com
Page generated in 0.10837 seconds with 8 queries