Mechanicals for elk

[Idahoarcheryhunter]

Shoot them at 15 instead of 60 and you won't have to worry about hitting the scapula. It comes down to mindset, I'm old and I learned to get close before I shoot.

so if someone makes a bad shot at 15 should they have gotten closer?

 

[Idahoarcheryhunter]

I would do some tinkering with your setup and see if you can find a combo that tunes correctly and shoots a fixed head correctly, if you don't have good flight out of a fixed switching to a mechanical might get them hitting the same as your field points but you your bow could still be a little bit out of tune and run the risk of lost energy behind the arrow.

 

[3855WIN]

Slick Tricks usually shoot well.

I saw a young bull that got very dead from a mechanical and a front on shot. I don't use em, but believe they can be effective.

 

[119bowhunter]

When I took my N.B.E.F. course the instructor brought a tanned deer hide and a cut on contact fixed blade, a chisel tip (muzzy) style fixed blade and a mechanical head. He had two people hold the hide stretched out and poked each broadhead style through it to demonstrate the amount of force required to get all 3 types to make their initial cut. I must admit I was amazed at how much difference there was between the 3 types. It is an interesting experiment if anyone ever has the chance to do it.

 

[The Hedgehog]

A bad shot is a bad shot, regardless of if it's 5 yards or 50, or with a mechanical or with a fixed blade.

I taken 5 bulls with mechanicals, from 10 - 60 yard shots. Once, an 85gr. sidewinder, (10 yard shot) went from stem to stern through a bull, in front of one front shoulder and stopped just inside the hide in the center of the opposite ham. Once a .57 grain wolverine behind the shoulder of a bull from a 53lb draw (13 yards shot). Any more there are so many great quality low profile and aerodynamic heads out there, that there really is no need for a mechanical head. Just my opinion, from what I've seen in person.

 

[JohnCushman]

Yeah, because nobody can miss at 15 yards.

They never do on TV...must be true!!

 

[Millsworks]

Shot placement Trump's almost everything in archery especially.
But the general consensus on an arrows needed energy to effectively be lethal with a mechanical is about 40 ft. pounds.

Don't know how or who got this number, but the formula to find out how much energy your set up has is as follows.

Speed x Speed. x arrow weight. divided by 450,240


With what you have posted of your set up it breaks down to

290x290= 84,100x410 = 34,481,000 divided by 450,240=
about 76.583

Over 76 and a half pounds of energy will push a sharp stick pretty far into an animal. So if you want to use mechanical broad heads then you sure could.
But even though I have never shot an elk, I am certainly a fixed blade guy.
It's up to you. Got a feeling there is something keeping your groups from tightening up though.
That would worry me.
Good luck and hope this helps.

 

[Tkaldahl2000]

I have never shot an elk, but the Rocket Steelheads I have been using on deer have never failed me when I put the arrow in the right spot, and once got lucky with a femoral artery shot. Last year I could not get my arrows to broadhead tune. Paper tuning said I needed a 350 spine, but I had to go down to 400's to finally get my fixed blades to group with my field points.

 

[rogerthat]

Check your arrow spine and Tune your bow... a well tuned bow will group a big ugly fixed head pretty tight. One trick I use is to tune with the biggest broadheads I can find then switch to a lower profile head like a wac em slick trick muzzy trocar etc. for hunting. These broadheads all group like field points on a tuned setup. Good luck!

 

[The Hedgehog]

the Wac'em 3 blade has always done as well for me, even in a light breeze, as any mechanical I've tried. The Shuttle Ts I tried also did almost as well.

 

[wannakillabigbull]

the Wac'em 3 blade has always done as well for me, even in a light breeze, as any mechanical I've tried. The Shuttle Ts I tried also did almost as well.

This is also the consensus among those that shoot at my local range. I tried a handful of heads, as did a buddy of mine. We both shot Shuttle Ts well and Wac'ms. I ultimately chose the Shuttles and he the Wac'ems

 

[JohnCushman]

Some bows just don't like certain broadheads. My old Z7 that was paper and walkback tuned would not shoot a Muzzy MX4 to save my life. I switched to 100 grain Shuttle T's and life was great. I got rid of that bow and got an Elite Answer. It just barely liked Slick Trick 125 grain magnums better than the 100 grain Shuttle T's. When I pay off my new PSE I'll be back to the broadhead search again between the 2 heads and weights. I have killed lots of animals with both heads and really like their accuracy and killing performance, so I plan on sticking to one of them. So, the moral of the story is that no matter how well tuned your bow is, it might just not like a certain head.

 

[Khunter]

Yeah, because nobody can miss at 15 yards.

yep. have never missed at 15 but sure missed an elk at 17 this year. two very very long yards additional. whoops.

 

[esracerx]

Speed magnifies whatever flaws you have in your form.

 

[SouthernNwestern]

I always love it when people say they hate mechanical with one sentence and then say but "I have never used one".. I've killed elk with both. Form, tune and spin testing will usually get your fixed BH consistent enough to get the job done.

 

[TrickyTross]

Shot placement Trump's almost everything in archery especially.
But the general consensus on an arrows needed energy to effectively be lethal with a mechanical is about 40 ft. pounds.

Don't know how or who got this number, but the formula to find out how much energy your set up has is as follows.

Speed x Speed. x arrow weight. divided by 450,240


With what you have posted of your set up it breaks down to

290x290= 84,100x410 = 34,481,000 divided by 450,240=
about 76.583

Over 76 and a half pounds of energy will push a sharp stick pretty far into an animal. So if you want to use mechanical broad heads then you sure could.
But even though I have never shot an elk, I am certainly a fixed blade guy.
It's up to you. Got a feeling there is something keeping your groups from tightening up though.
That would worry me.
Good luck and hope this helps.

Absolutely. As with everything that comes with archery, a very large portion of how something functions comes back not only to operator error, but what helps with your confidence while shooting. Seen guys with identical set-ups shoot different broadheads with identical results. Amazing the amount of bashing that comes in the mechanical vs. fixed debates. If either was so terrible, the market would have let us know. Have seen just as many post and reviews in favor of a Rage or Schwacker as I have a Slick Trick or Muzzy.

Good luck!

 

[esracerx]

I'm not saying they don't work. Just that there is more that can go wrong other than shot placement