jackflap

Having killed a few deer last year with the Rage and not getting complete pass thru's, I had decided this BH was not complimentary of my set up that only produces 61#KE (older bow and short draw length). All deer were recovered, but I didn't like the idea of not being able to look at my arrow.

However, this past summer I sent a few PM's to Rob about this after realizingthat he had gotten few complete pass thrus with his Snypers with a lot more KE than my set up. Combine this communication along with some of the recent threads regarding this topic and his input along with Annika, I decided to try them again recently.

This year, I killed my first two doe with a Muzzy and my last two doewith the Rage and couldn't be more satisfied with the Rage. Though I didn't get a complete pass thru on either, I did get partials on both and the blood trail was invaluable on a single lung/liver hard quartering away shot in which the doe ran over 300 yards in thick cover.

Even on the last one which was a double lunger, the deer still managed to run about 150 yards in thick cover and the blood trail was incomparable to what I have normally experienced with Muzzy's making for an easy recovery.

I have now killed a total of 5 deer with the BH and have 4 partials and 0 complete pass thrus, but now that I am expecting that, I am comfortable with it and think the more proficient blood trail more than makes up for this.

In some ways this accepted handicap with this BH has made me more aware of other things that are probably more important than a complete pass thru "arrow inspection" anyway. I am speaking specifically of watching the POI, and watching the deer's reaction so that I have a good idea of what kinda hit I made.

For now, the Rage will be my BH of choice. I think the biggest lesson in this, at least for me, it to be open minded and try things with an open mind and be objective whether that be BH choice, scent control, camo, hunting tactics, etc.

I almost wrote this BH off prematurely by being too quick to come to a conclusion. Who knows, I may change my mind again, but if I do, it will ge done objectively and not emotionally.

Thanks Rob and Annika.

MN/Kyle

As long as you're confident, I suppose that is all that matters.

That will never drop in priority on my list.

NY/Al

As long as you like them, good for you.

But I have to have my pass throughs.The evidence on that arrow helps you decide the difference between what you thought you saw happen, and what really happened.

Plus, I REALLY like seeing that bright bubbly blood.

Mikey S.

I'd rather get pass thru's any day of the year. I've been flinging 350-400 grain arrows with around 55-65 ft. lbs of energy for years and years, and cannot remember the last time I didn't get a pass thru in 42 bow whitetail kills with a fixed blade head. 3 deer at the most, had the arrow stick in them, and they went no further than 100 yds. I've taken 7 deer in the past 3 PA seasons, and watched 6 of them expire, 3 of those 6 went less than 20 yards, all with a small fixed blade head. If I go back further in the years, I can come up with similar results, those are the most recent. I don't get the fasination with the big expandables. Seems like tomany negatives to me. I guess I just prefer to pull my bloody arrow out of the ground and walk to the deer and not worry about how big the blood trail is. To each his own I suppose.

GMMAT

I'll be shooting a lot of heads in the off season. If I can find a large fixed head that will fly as good as my mechanicals.....I'll switch.

I really don't wanna hear all the "if your bow is tuned" balh-blah-blah, either. I've shot enough of them to know they don't fly the same (all fixed heads and FPs). Spare me

jackflap

I hear you and until a few days ago, I was pretty much in the same camp. I don't know if I've killed 42 but probably pretty close and all have been with a 3 blade Muzzy other than the 5 with the Rage.

However, I've had a few go more than 100 yards, and I've had more than a few that were perfectly hit that did not leave much of a blood trail at all. That is okay when the recovery is within 50-60 yards, but becomes more of a challenge when further distances come into play.

As an example, one of my Muzzy shot doe this year was a solid quartering away that took out both lungs. She ran close to 100 yards, but I never found any blood beyond about 15 yards. Surely I am not the only one that has experienced this not once, but on multiple occasions.

I am not knocking the fixed and heck after a few more with the Rage, I may go back. But the end desired result is a successful, timely recovered deer, not a bloody arrow. Granted a complete pass thru is invaluable, but so is a big blood trail and I simply don't always get that with the fixed.