Broadhead Cutting Width Question

[Nomad]

Got my first deer with a crossbow!  Hunting between houses it's the tool I need for some doe control.  Always used traditional 2 blade Bear Razorheads or Zwicky with my longbow. Don't have any experience with the new expandables.   

 

I want to put them down quick between the houses.   For those that have a lot of experience with the newer broadheads.  Do you feel that the larger cutting diameter heads will put them down quicker?  Seems logical.

 

I have an Excaliber crossbow, Excaliber Diablo arrows, and Excaliber broadheads(boltcutters).  They are 3 blade, 150 grains, 1 1/8 cutting diameter.  On the small size as far a broadheads go.   Shoot just like field points.  

 

Pictures are of the doe, first pic exit, second entry.  I was shooting slightly up at the deer which was on a hill. After the hit at 30 yards, the deer ran 40 yards, stopped and stood for 1/2 hour until dark.  I snuck out.  Came back two hours later with a light and see eyes looking at me from bedded position.   Backed out, went back at 4 am and deer was expired and getting cold.  Been expired for quite a while.

 

Examination of the deer revealed: one lower lobe of lung just nicked and a center punch thru liver.  

 

Thanks for your replies!

Edited January 21, 2018 by Nomad

[Silver Belly62]

I was never a fan of the expandable broadheads before, until i seen some of the deer my friend recovered using spitfire maxx broadheads. Large exit with good bloodtrail. I like them for my crossbow but use regular fixed broadheads on my bow setup. I've shot the 1 3/4" & 2" Spitfires with great results

Edited January 21, 2018 by Silver Belly62

[vdep217]

In my opinion you were a touch low and back. If you hit same lateral but 2 inches higher you would have had all lung. 2 to 3 inches forward would of been heart lung. In this case I feel a bigger expandable would have given you a slight advantage in that you would have clipped more of the lower part of the lung. As you already know razor sharp head and shot placement put deer down fast.

[Rusty]

 Do you feel that the larger cutting diameter heads will put them down quicker?  

 

I don't use expandables so this is not a "use what I use" plug.  But I have seen many marginally hit deer go down very quickly with expandables.  Liver hits that would normally take several hours to die result in very quick deaths using expandables.  So yes, they do go down quicker with expandables.

[Rusty]

On a side note, the Excalibur broadheads (Boltcutters) are extremely narrow.  They are only 1 1/8" wide, they fly great but do minimal damage to a deer and leave poor blood trails.  

[Rusty]

And as others have already stated, a shot that is low and back goes under the lungs.  If you are back, it's better to be higher.

 

 

 

[Buck154]

Yeah the bigger will put them down quicker. A bigger head you would have kill that doe quicker. 

[hammer4reel]

while all of us hunting for a long time have seen small heads put deeer down quick its not always the case.

Shot lots  of deer with the small Muzzy heads, having some go down in under 25 yards, most went 75. same with many other heads.

Mainly shoot big expandables now as they normally put deer down in under 45 yards.

IMO I want the biggest cut in the animal and still get full penetration.

Why shoot a small head ten inches in the dirt  after a pass through instead of a giant head 4 " through ??
​I head such as a grim reaper whitetail special has over 6" of blade cut going through a deer, the small heads only have 3 1/2"

Bigger wound channel creates faster blood loss, and I feel on a lung shot deer allows the outside pressure to collapse their lungs faster.

 

All good broadheads kill quickly on a good hit, but IMO broadhead choice should be made for those marginal hits, to create as much damage as possible.

[nmc02]

Bigger hole, more blood loss....theoretically

[Russ 11]

Congrats on your first crossbow kill Mark . What Dan said ^^^^ .

[smoking gun]

Yes

[NotJust22s]

Grimreaper 2" cut. It will drop them quick but a better placed shot will help even more.

[Mixbaghunter]

I think the placement is more important then the size of the head. I like a double lung over a heart shot

[MGHunter66]

while all of us hunting for a long time have seen small heads put deeer down quick its not always the case.

Shot lots of deer with the small Muzzy heads, having some go down in under 25 yards, most went 75. same with many other heads.

Mainly shoot big expandables now as they normally put deer down in under 45 yards.

IMO I want the biggest cut in the animal and still get full penetration.

Why shoot a small head ten inches in the dirt after a pass through instead of a giant head 4 " through ??

​I head such as a grim reaper whitetail special has over 6" of blade cut going through a deer, the small heads only have 3 1/2"

Bigger wound channel creates faster blood loss, and I feel on a lung shot deer allows the outside pressure to collapse their lungs faster.

 

All good broadheads kill quickly on a good hit, but IMO broadhead choice should be made for those marginal hits, to create as much damage as possible.

Dan pretty much nailed it. I will add that expandables also usually hit to same POI as fieldpoints without tuning. You cant tune xbows for POI like you could with a compound. That being said in my opinion more guys with compounds shoot these small compact broadheads because they will hit either close or the same as their fieldpoints without tuning because most dont know how to broadhead tune. I like mechanicals out of the xbow but still use thunderheads out of my compound. As i said in another thread, i have no idea why my thunderrheads leave great bloodtrails out of my compound but not from my xbow but it is the very reason i shoot reapers out of my xbow now. Great blood trails and they drop within eyesight Edited January 21, 2018 by maximus66

[Lunatic]

I find deer not even running on liver shots with large diameter broadheads They arch their backs walk to the nearest cover and expire very quickly.  

I think Cross bow is made for expendable broadheads. Like H4R said with so much energy why waste it on digging your arrow deep into the dirt instead of using it to inflicting damage?