Rage's are a must

[96trigger]

Quote:

There's no way that head hit that deer unless it deflected off it's antlers or a branch on its approach.

No branches in the way, clear unobstructed shot. Broadhead laying on the ground like a I dropped it, undeployed, not even dirt on the tip, never hit its antlers, had the sights right in the bread basket. I wasn't hurried or rushed.

We just saw a muzzleloader bullet bounce off a buck, why can't a broadhead? Strange things happen.... I am not embelishing this story at all. Trust me, it is a vision that is burned in my memory forever.

Quote:

A crooked flying arrow would explain the bent ferrule if it hit something solid like a shoulder at just the right angle.

I'm assuming something like this happened. Everything was just too perfect not to have made that shot. When we are in our stands envisioning the perfect shot, this was it.

[crazyice]

That broadhead looks familiar. Rocket Sidewinder??? I used to shoot them, used to being the key phrase. No complaints about penetration, or ability to kill quickly, but try to replace the blades after a shot, and you will be one frustrated guy real quick.

[Kyle]

how close was the shot?

[sticknstring]

Replacing the blades aren't too bad. I've used Hammerheads on turks for years and just keep replacing the blades. Pretty small set screws and I wouldn't want to try it caffeinated!

96 - I don't doubt an arrow won't bounce out of deer. Heck I had it happen to me last fall on a shoulder hit. BUT not without some blood or hair.

Quote:

The only thing that I can think of is it hit its hoof.

At 10 yards you really had no idea where the arrow went... you said you watched it bounce off his back but thought you may have hit a hoof? I'm not denying what happened - only you were there. Yes we did witness a muzzy ball glance off a deer so strange things do happen and what you had happen is apparently one of those. That's one reason I started to film my hunts... what you see and what actually takes place are sometimes two very different things.

[vister]

lining up the edge of the screw in tip to the wing tip of the mechanical, there is no way that hit any part of the deer with out deploying. maybe an antler, but their hooves aren't that hard to bend and arrow tip flying 200 miles an hour.

I think ya hit well high or low, directly into the face of a rock, which stopped it right now. then ya would think there would have to be some arrow damage of some sort. maybe a wrinkle, bulge, split, crack or tear??

But then the tip would be mooshed. as my signature says:

[bottom-bouncer]

The guy in the muzzy video Is bill miller former editor of north american hunter the magazine and the current host of ESPN outdoors. I know him well I will have to ask him about it.

[96trigger]

Quote:

lining up the edge of the screw in tip to the wing tip of the mechanical, there is no way that hit any part of the deer with out deploying. maybe an antler, but their hooves aren't that hard to bend and arrow tip flying 200 miles an hour.

The tip is 5/8 of an inch long, it is plenty long to bend and not deploy. Also, with the rubber band around it, there is nothing to say that it didn't deploy somewhat, but then get pulled back in by the band because there wasn't enough penetration. Also, no rocks, only dirt, and, I am not that bad of shot. I'll give the fact that I may have aimed too far forward and hit shoulder blade, but at that range, with that big of a deer, no way was I too high or too low. As close as I was, 6 inches high or low still would have put him down.

[fishinmajishin]

A huntin buddy of mine lost a ten pt. shooting a mechanical like that. Figured it didn't open up, and didn't pass thru. Said he hit it just a smidgen high but should have worked. Minimal blood and between a 1/4-1/2 mile of tracking. I switched him over to the Rocket heads after that, and now he uses Rage heads, too. With the other options on mechanicals now, those would be in my trash can.

[PerchJrkr]

i know 3 people that have lost deer to penetration issues with rage's... i also know a couple people that have had other front opening mechanicals go through deer and never open up- they made good shots and the deer wound up going down, but never deployed.... said it looked like the deer was shot with a 22 or something similar. i know that anyone that i know that has tried rages went back to COC heads within half a season of buyin the "rage"

[Christopher Quast]

Sounds like it was more of a shot placement problem than anything I was skeptical of the Rage heads after shooting Rockets, but then I double lunged my doe with the 2 blade and all I can say is HOLY SCHMIDT!!!! What a hole and she went about 60yds and was done. Gut shot or shoulder shots usually dont do the job!!!

[harvey lee]

This weekend we shot numerous deer and they were all shot with rage 2 blade heads. Large holes and good blood trails and we hunted in the rain all weekend.

[updecreek]

Yes two not three. I use two blade G5 mech. Solid tip like broad head and two mech blade. Three is too big if it hits a bone it it more likly not to got threw the deer.

[Doug Smotherman]

I shot a doe saturday morning with a rage 2 blade. She was 12 yards and walking and I made the mistake of shooting on the move. I hit her behind the lung close to the liver and in the center of the body. My arrows had green a yellow with little blood on it, so I let her lay for 6 hours. I found one drop of blood and jumped her 100 yards from where I shot her. Her bed had little blood in it, so I stop looking and came back later not finding her. I love the rage, but this shows shot placement is the key not the broadhead.

[PerchJrkr]

A guy i work withs dad shot a doe with a spitfire and it never opened up last night. He said it was a pinky sized hole through the deer, luckily caught a major artery at the top of the heart and it was enough..

[huntfish365]

IMO there isn't a better expandable broadhead out on the market than the rage 2 blade but there are penetration issues. I will still be using them but cant compare to how fast a muzzy zips through a deer without even slowing the arrow down.

[sticknstring]

Quote:

I love the rage, but this shows shot placement is the key not the broadhead.

Well yeahhh.

Sounds like your deer was gutshot and most likely is lying dead not too far from where you last jumped her.

[vister]

I'll bet she's hit in the guts, but will die. right around the 1/4 mile range, just gotta keep looking for her, but if she jumps even the next day, she may make it.

[Jeremy Donabauer]

What happens on shoulder shots of a mature buck with rages? I contemplate switching but just don't know.

[Mark Christianson]

Shot my first deer this weekend with the Rage 2 blade.

Holy hanner what an entrance wound.

Now the odd thing was the exit wound was smaller. I didnt find the arrow, and still am scratching my head on that.

Oddly enough we found a blade in the leaves. The broadhead came apart at some point in the pentration. That would explain the smaller exit wound I guess.

So my first experience with Rage is impressed as heck, and at the same time disappointed.

Impressed - blood trail was crazy good

Disappointed - broadhead fell apart, and it only hit ribs on the entrance. The exit wound was parrallel to the ribs and went right between.

[UMDSportsman]

BLB-Were your blades held in by a set screw, or a roll pin?

[vister]

i'm guessing with enough arrow speed, they'll still get the job done. even more likely just behind the shoulder. i am a firm believer in rage, as they do the job. however, one would complain that they don't get the penetration of a fixed blade.

they advertise the deepest penetration in the ballistics gel. but, if a deers vitals were protected by the gel, then anything would work. too many strong bones for rages to get complete pass throughs. unless the blades deploy vertically, then they could sneak through the ribs without slowing down.

if you're worried about penetration, try the three blade rage. a lot smaller cutting diameter, but just as effective.

[vister]

only sounds like a problem if you plan on re-using your broadhead. kinda odd you found a blade outside of the deer. more than likely it broke with the deer running through the woods.

[Jeremy Donabauer]

I shoot 70lb draw but man I don't wanna see a buck running away with 3 inches of penetration. I think I am going to switch I'll just make sure I get ribs.

[Mark Christianson]

Vister,

The blade was within feet of the shot.

Besides, I wouldnt think a deer running with an arrow sticking out of it, could catch something and make the broadhead fall apart. If it caught on something that solid, it would surely pull the arrow through, versus the broadhead falling apart.

UMD,

I dont have a clue about the rollpin or set screw. I didnt know they made different ones...

[vister]

it is a screw. thats how you can replace the blades. was the blade broke, or intact. if intact, the screw broke