Broadheads for Moose

[Chuby Minnow]

I was wondering if anyone can help me out. I will be moose hunting this year for my first time and I had seen an add for Rage suggesting that the two blade 2" broadheads were not recomended for game this big. This got me thinking why?

Should the broadheads be a heavier grain?

Should the broadheads be a smaller diameter to sneak between ribs?

etc?

etc?

I personally do not shoot rage heads but this really has me wondering what head to use on this trip.

Any intput would be gratly appreciated specially from someone who has moose hunted in the past using archery.

[#fishhunt#]

I don't shoot Rage but if you go back at prior threads you can read the Pros and Cons. Many say they don't get enough penetration with the 2 inch cutting diameter. With the size of the animal I assume they have a little thicker skin and hair and you will want as much penetration as possible. Shot placement of course is the is the most important.

[InTheNorthwoods]

Personally, I wouldn't worry as much about the broadhead you are shooting as I was about having sufficient kinetic energy, shot placement, and a sharp broadhead. Kinetic energy can be altered by the weight of the broadhead, but there are many factors that can change the kinetic energy.

I have shot Rage heads on deer and have not had any problems with them, but I would be a bit leary of shooting them at an animal as big and tough as a moose. There are too many things that can go wrong with all the moving parts. A solid and sharp cut on contact head would be my first choice, but any sharp broadhead properly used and placed should work.

[DonBo]

I would not shoot any expandable at a moose. Use a heavy arrow/broadhead combo with the strongest most durable head you can find. Many will tell you a smaller diameter head will penetrate better, and they probably will. Look at the G5 Montec for this type of head.

There's also several good two blade type fixed heads, Zwickey and Magnus are probably the two most popular today.

I'm sure there's plenty of other good heads out there and other people will have their ideas and personal favorites too. Do your homework, find the one that flies best from your set-up and good luck.

[Jim Uran]

Use the exploding tip like DonBo's namesake... Rambo!!!

[DonBo]

Use the exploding tip like DonBo's namesake... Rambo!!!

[Code-Man]

i think the exploding ones are only allowed on the tribe Leech! Maybe that's why you got your buck this fall!

[Scoot]

Chubby,

I've done tons and tons of research on this question while looking for a broadhead for elk. However, all of the info I found will apply equally well to moose (both are big, thick skinned/boned animals that are very, very different than whitetails with regard to what types of broadheads may be appropriate).

I'm sure I'll tick several people off with this and a bunch of people will chime in and say I'm wrong becuase they didn't do what I suggest and it worked just fine for them.

But first a question- what bow, poundage, draw length, and arrow weight make up your current set up?

If you poll 100 Westerners who hunt elk, Shiras moose, and bear every year (I'm talking about guys who have a ton of experience and really know what they are talking about regarding these big critters), you'll have about 80% or more tell you to shoot a razor sharp, cut on contact, fixed blade head. There are lots of good ones out there, but Snuffer SS's, G5 Strikers, G5 Montecs, Shuttle T's, and a bunch more are good ones.

Poll 100 people from the Midwest who almost always have far less experience with critters as thick and tough skinned/boned as moose and you'll hear a ton of answers, many of them suggesting expandables. Very few really well respected moose, elk, and bear guys (who aren't paid to promote a particular type of broadhead) will recommend expandables for the big critters. What usually happens is the guys who use expandables for deer use them for the one or two elk or moose they shoot in their life and they don't have a problem. Then they insist that they are the cat's meow.

Also, you'll hear similar info about how heavy of an arrow to shoot. Most flatlanders are just fine with a 300 grain arrow for moose or elk. Most knowledgable archers who have hunted them a ton START at 400 grains, but work upwards from there. A very common recommendation is to not even consider going below 400 grains and the closer you get to 500 or above, the better.

I'm sure lots of people will disagree with me on this. Like I said, I've done an aweful lot of digging on this topic and that's what I've seen and heard over and over. Good luck in your search and good luck with the hunt!

[mrklean]

great post scoot, another thing to look into some western states have laws against expandable broadheads. Correct me if im wrong but it might be best to look into that as well

[skolfoppa]

I was hoping Tred Barta would chime in and tell us about "his way".

I'd peruse an Alaskan bow forum for starters then fall back on Scoot.

[propster]

Actually I think Scoot's analysis is pretty good. And I'll even go so far as to agree that with most expandables, those experienced opinions are right on. I would however say that in concept, and also in actuality, the rear opening types like the Rage require far less energy than do the other type, and I normally wouldn't hesitate to use a Rage on a moose with sufficient energy (bow weight/arrow speed/arrow wt), except that I am not satisfied with the sharpness of the blades. Sharp is key for any critter, but on the bigger stuff with tougher hide and more of it, it becomes even more important. Once you get a sturdy, sharp broadhead in their vitals, moose actually succumb rather easily, much more so than an elk, so don't be afraid to go small, as smaller will actually assist penetration. Size does not matter as much as you think. Sharp and sturdy, and well placed, will kill 'em as dead as you'll need.

[N7709K]

Depending on the size of the moose, they range from 1000lbs to 1800lbs, this is why you need a heavy arrow and a fixed blade BH

[Archerysniper]

I was drawn for the 08 MN moose hunt I didn't get to shoot the moose but I used a 425 grain arrow with a 100 grain slick trick shooting 74 lbs and 285 fps I had no worries about shooting a moose with this setup. The other head that I was going to use would have been the G5 stryker.

[Chuby Minnow]

Great info. I really appreciate it.

I have shot a fixed blade my entire life now for 25 years and I do shoot an ironhead broadhead (100 grain) which is a smaller diameter head that does cut on contact. My bow is a PSE X-force at 75 pounds so I have plenty of speed. I do not know what the kenetic energy is but I will be finding out this week. It sounds like I should go to the shop and discuss increasing arrow weights and maybe even my broadhead weight?

I thought that may be the reasoning, to go with a smaller diameter. I welcome any more opinions. The more the better.

Just want to make sure I am confident in what I decide to hunt with.

[Chuby Minnow]

Archerysniper,

I will just be starting applying for moose in MN this year. Were you fortunate enough to see some moose, any bulls, etc?

[Wensel]

Another thing to consider, last year in in Canada, I did use a mechanical head, never shot a moose, but the head needed constant attention. Something that a fixed would not, depending on how you hunt moose.....

Next trip I will not be hunting with the Mechanical just to save time and have peace of mind when you're ducking under the thick alder to try to get a shot off.

[Scoot]

My bow is a PSE X-force at 75 pounds so I have plenty of speed.

Chubby, any idea how heavy your arrow is? That's a very important variable in this.

[Code-Man]

Scoot-Great advice like normal.

I shoot Mathews Drenaline 27.5" Draw @ 58# Draw. I am actually shooting 27" arrows because of my release. I am new to all this archery but trying to learn as much as I can so I'm not expert like Scoot is but what I've been learning is you want some weight behind you for penetration.

I have only shot 5 deer in my life and recovered 3 with a bow. 4 of the 5 deer were pass throughs. One was gut shot which was my fault and I spend a half day looking for it and lost it in a river bottom. The only one I didn't get a pass throgh was with a Rage Broadhead the rest were with a Muzzy. I hit the shoulder blade on a very nice Chocolate 8 pt this fall. After mile half and 3 of us searching for 8 hrs we lost him.

I shoot 400 gr arrows with a 100 gr broadhead. The guys at scheels are recomending me going to a 125 gr broadhead. Yes I know I have only hunted Whitetail but don't it seem like you'd want the most weight behind your shot? Yes your not probably going to take a shot within 30/40 yds but If i'm getting recomended to shoot heavier on a white tail why not shoot heavier to make sure you get impact on a moose instead of tracking or wounding it? Just my .02

[Scoot]

Thanks for the kind words, Code. For the record, I'm a greenhorn compared to some. Harvey and Deitz, the moderators of this forum, know a thing or three about archery. I still haven't met Deitz, but I can tell you that there is little doubt that he really knows his stuff regarding archery equipment and bowhunting. Also, harvey lee has more than a few years of experience in the woods with a bow in his hands. Those guys are the experts!

[InTheNorthwoods]

Scoot-Great advice like normal.

I shoot Mathews Drenaline 27.5" Draw @ 58# Draw. I am actually shooting 27" arrows because of my release. I am new to all this archery but trying to learn as much as I can so I'm not expert like Scoot is but what I've been learning is you want some weight behind you for penetration.

...

I shoot 400 gr arrows with a 100 gr broadhead. The guys at scheels are recomending me going to a 125 gr broadhead. Yes I know I have only hunted Whitetail but don't it seem like you'd want the most weight behind your shot? Yes your not probably going to take a shot within 30/40 yds but If i'm getting recomended to shoot heavier on a white tail why not shoot heavier to make sure you get impact on a moose instead of tracking or wounding it? Just my .02

Code-man

What you are referring to is kinetic energy. Not knowing the set-up of the original poster, I will use your specifications and some estimation (for arrow speed) to explain. You are currently shooting a 500 grain arrow at approximately 225 feet per second (estimated based on draw length, poundage and arrow weight). This would give you approximately 56 ft/lbs of kinetic energy. By increasing your arrow weight 25 grains w/ a 125 grain broadhead, you would increase your kinetic energy to approximately 59 ft/lbs.

This is releveant as it is commonly thought that a person should strive for a certain kinetic energy for different game species. For example, the larger the game, the higher the kinetic energy is desired. Here is a site you can calculate K/E and see what they suggest for different game species.

http://www.goldtip.com/calculators/kinetic.asp

[Code-Man]

Thanks for eplanding on what I was trying to explain a little bit. For me I would think for Moose you'd want the most kinetic energy as possible. Main reason you take your 300 over a 243 when moose hunting.

[Archerysniper]

Archerysniper,

I will just be starting applying for moose in MN this year. Were you fortunate enough to see some moose, any bulls, etc?

Yes we were successful my dad shot the bull on the 7th day we went up 3 day's early to lock down the area we were hunting I was scouting the 2 weekends prior to the season and had a bigger bull step onto the trail infront of me wich was exciting to be 20 yards from a bull. We hunted area 77 wich is in between tofte and lutsen to the bwca's south border.

Veiw from my stand opening morning what you can't see is the beaver dam right below my stand that would have gave me a 15 yard shot with a moose trail that is 5 feet wide.

This is the bull dad shot it with his .300 win mag

3 Am once we got back to camp

Camp broke down and heading to Grand Marais to register it and head home at 8am

[Chuby Minnow]

I will get all the specifics on my arrow this weekend. I will also get arrow speed and the opinions from the techs at the local archery shop and post that early next week.

Sniper,

That is freakin awesome. Congrats on the moose hunt! Cant wait, under 9 months now before leaving.

[Scoot]

Yes, very cool Sniper! Thanks for posting the pics and the story!!!

[mrklean]

cool pics