Who has snorted the Fairy Dust?

[Horn]

Ok boys. See you in the trad forum. Good day. I look forward to the future chats.

What's the learning curve look like starting from , oh say, a 90 day compound bow archer? I think I'm going yo need to stick to my wheelie bow maybe next year

 

[Petrichor]

What's the learning curve look like starting from , oh say, a 90 day compound bow archer? I think I'm going yo need to stick to my wheelie bow maybe next year

Depended on you. Seen guys take years and others days to hunting accuracy. Most often in person I can get a guy hunting accurate in two weeks.

 

[Horn]

I've got to say you certainly make it sound amazing @Petrichor! I'm definitely curious but I'm yet to hunt a deer, I better limit how many things I'm trying to learn at once. For what it's worth I do think I'll try trad in the future, even if just for fun. The trad bow experience sounds like something I'd enjoy

 

[Petrichor]

I've got to say you certainly make it sound amazing @Petrichor! I'm definitely curious but I'm yet to hunt a deer, I better limit how many things I'm trying to learn at once. For what it's worth I do think I'll try trad in the future, even if just for fun. The trad bow experience sounds like something I'd enjoy

Look. It’s hard but simple. Easy but complicated. One of the absolute joys of my life. You will love it.

 

[woodsdog2]

Back to fletching sound. When my buddies and I were first getting into bowhunting many many moons ago, we wanted to hear if our arrows make a sound down range. So yeah….. probably not the safest thing to do but we stood about 6 feet away from The old hay bale targets we had and we launched arrows and yes, the arrows make a definite noise and in my estimation feathers make slightly more noise than vanes because of their texture compared to a smooth vane. Both are a hissing sound and the amplitude of the hissing sound will be variable dependent on the extent of the helical and the actual fletching material. The more helical the more sound, the more helical and texture of the fletching, the more sound etc. However in my opinion, flu-flus make less sound as they “catch” the wind Significantly and slow the arrow down thereby reducing its sound amplitude.

 

[woodsdog2]

What's the learning curve look like starting from , oh say, a 90 day compound bow archer? I think I'm going yo need to stick to my wheelie bow maybe next year

I know I’m going to catch hell from the purists but you know you don’t have to go completely trad to be shooting trad. I’ve shot my ILF riser with a d loop and release aide and have often thought about from a purely functional standpoint, being a compound guy with trad gear. In other words, machined ilf riser, super tuned arrows with a shoot through arrow rest on a cut past center shot ilf riser (with a long enough sight window) to accommodate……. a bowsight!!!!! So basically everything but the wheels and let off. The point? Another metamorphosis of gear use in the deer woods for the challenge, for something new to try etc.

 

[Iron_llama]

So, for someone who learns more by reading than watching videos... and someone who has spent the last decade or so not messing with my bow/arrow/sight setup...

If I want to make the switch to heavier arrows from my compound, will I have to make any adjustments to my bow, or do I leave my tuned bow alone and just fuss with my arrow configuration? Obviously I'd have to adjust my sights; I'm looking at a single-pin slider so I'll be adjusting that anyway.

Those of you hunting with heavy, high-FOC single-bevel broadhead-tipped arrows: what do you practice with? Do you swap your broadheads for equally-heavy field points? Do you run dedicated practice arrows? Come pre-season, I've always taken my 4 best arrows and swapped out field points for Montecs, verified my zero with them, and gone afield, so I've never had a difference between my practice and hunting arrows. How do you guys handle the transition between pre-season and hunting season?

 

[Weldabeast]

Yeah.... Even with a tuned bow from the get go u more than likely have to make adjustments on ur bow....I've set up 2 different bows with 2 different sets of heavy arrows....both bows started out "tuned"....1 was a real pain and took a while to get shooting right with combination of draw weight, rest, and d loop adjustments and the other was a breeze with just a d loop adjustment.

I practice with my hunting arrows and same weight field point as the hunting tips but mostly just shoot the broadheads. They are quick to resharpen. No real transition between off season and during season. We are allowed to hunt pigs year round if u are lucky enough to have the land access...so I like to be ready all the time just in case I get a last minute "wanna go shoot hogs" call

 

[Iron_llama]

No real transition between off season and during season. We are allowed to hunt pigs year round if u are lucky enough to have the land access...so I like to be ready all the time just in case I get a last minute "wanna go shoot hogs" call

That's certainly one advantage to hunting in the South. I don't want the damage feral hogs would do to the MN forests... but dang if I wouldn't enjoy hunting them year-round.

 

[NMSbowhunter]

When I set up my compound bow for high FOC arrows I had to resight it but that was easy. I use single pin HHA slider, so I just moved it to the appropriate setting. Once I found my arrow setup, the work was done.

I love to hunt hogs but currently don't have any to go after since getting out of that lease a few years ago. We had them out there and I hunted them in the off season. It was great since it was either deer season, turkey season or hog season. The hogs get free reign to multiply and destroy with impunity on our WMA's and public land when there is no open season.

Fletching noise. I have found that the tiny A&A (Ashby and Adcock) style fletching is the quietest for me on an ultra EFOC arrow setup. They are very small and straight fletched but will steer a big broadhead if ultra EFOC is there. They are also the lightest fletch I have yet to find. I mostly use 4 fletch with a turbulator. The turbulator is a small ring of tape, etc ahead of the fletching that disrupts laminar air flow and creates turbulence before it reaches the fletching. This turbulence helps the small A&A fletch work. The very light weight fletch helps you maintain your FOC. Any additional weight out on the back end of the arrow can really change FOC for the worse.

 

[Jimdude]

So, for someone who learns more by reading than watching videos... and someone who has spent the last decade or so not messing with my bow/arrow/sight setup...

If I want to make the switch to heavier arrows from my compound, will I have to make any adjustments to my bow, or do I leave my tuned bow alone and just fuss with my arrow configuration? Obviously I'd have to adjust my sights; I'm looking at a single-pin slider so I'll be adjusting that anyway.

Those of you hunting with heavy, high-FOC single-bevel broadhead-tipped arrows: what do you practice with? Do you swap your broadheads for equally-heavy field points? Do you run dedicated practice arrows? Come pre-season, I've always taken my 4 best arrows and swapped out field points for Montecs, verified my zero with them, and gone afield, so I've never had a difference between my practice and hunting arrows. How do you guys handle the transition between pre-season and hunting season?

I get real nerdy with my arrows. I like to shoot bare shafts through paper to nock tune them all to where they are all bullet holes or all giving the same tare. Then I number each vane as I fletch them. If I don’t need to tune, I then go shooting and take notes on how many inches each arrow is from the center of the bull. After lots of shooting I add up the inches for each arrow and the lowest 3-4 arrows become hunting only!
I have one broadhead that is practice only!
I just started shooting feathers and not sure how I will number them. I’ll try a fine tip sharpie on the feathers and do,”IIII” for #4
As for not tuning your bow to new heavy arrows, I would spend an extra $20 on a test pack of field points and shoot them through paper to see which weight gives you the smallest tare. If you are using your normal spine don’t expect any of them to be great. If you want to invest a little more, you can go to Siriusarchery.com and get a ranch fairy test kit with 4 arrows of 2 different spines to play with.
Lastly, I practice with 200 grain field points only.

 

[Allegheny Tom]

......Fletching noise. I have found that the tiny A&A (Ashby and Adcock) style fletching is the quietest for me on an ultra EFOC arrow setup. They are very small and straight fletched but will steer a big broadhead if ultra EFOC is there. They are also the lightest fletch I have yet to find. I mostly use 4 fletch with a turbulator. The turbulator is a small ring of tape, etc ahead of the fletching that disrupts laminar air flow and creates turbulence before it reaches the fletching. This turbulence helps the small A&A fletch work. The very light weight fletch helps you maintain your FOC. Any additional weight out on the back end of the arrow can really change FOC for the worse.

I shoot A&A 3 fletch with the turbulator and these things are so quiet.
One other thing that I like about them is that when they are in my quiver, they are not touching each other. I think that there can be noise upon release caused by feathers/vanes vibrating against each other.

 

[Bowtie747]

Anyone go heavy 3 blade? It seems most people go heavy 2 blade.

 

[NMSbowhunter]

Anyone go heavy 3 blade? It seems most people go heavy 2 blade.

I never have used a 3 blade. I use a heavy 2 blade single bevel. either the Grizzly or the Tuffheads. I use them for the bone splitting ability that the single bevel provides. The opposing bevels induce torque as they penetrate. The harder the medium, the more torque is transferred as long as momentum lasts.

I believe I read that in testing a 3 blade will tend to wedge itself into bone and get stuck since it is 3 incline planes, sort of like a tapered plug will get tighter in a bottle the harder you force it. A single bevel acts more like the action of an oyster knife prying an oyster open. It goes in and then torques the bone until it breaks. The one advantage a 3 blade has is cutting the hide in a triangle pattern. A triangular cut will spread apart more due to hide tension and stay open better, all things being equal. The L shaped cut of a single bevel does this sometimes, also.

 

[NMSbowhunter]

I shoot A&A 3 fletch with the turbulator and these things are so quiet.
One other thing that I like about them is that when they are in my quiver, they are not touching each other. I think that there can be noise upon release caused by feathers/vanes vibrating against each other.

This is a good point about the arrows in the quiver making noise upon release. I've noticed that the small fletches really help with that on my longbow. I almost always remove my quiver from my compound once I get up in the tree.

 

[BTaylor]

Anyone go heavy 3 blade? It seems most people go heavy 2 blade.

I much prefer 3 over 2.

 

[Horn]

Would adding bleeders be beneficial on the 2 blade single bevel? Bigger hole in hide but would they catch on the bone and cancel the penetration benefits?

 

[NMSbowhunter]

Would adding bleeders be beneficial on the 2 blade single bevel? Bigger hole in hide but would they catch on the bone and cancel the penetration benefits?

I really haven't researched that enough to have an opinion either way. I think at least one company offers single bevels with bleeder blades. I do like bleeders on 2 blade double bevels and have used the Magnus Stinger Buzzcut to good effect. The X shaped cut the 4 blades make helps the hide stay open. I believe that the bleeder blades function is to make this hide cut to help reduce shaft drag. I believe that Fred bear designed the first commercial broadhead with bleeder blades, the Razorhead, and the purpose was to cut the hide to reduce shaft drag. The small blades were made of brittle spring steel and designed to come off once they cut the hide so they didn't slow the broadhead down with drag.

One downside not often discussed is superficial wounding and the broadhead's shape. I think on a nonfatal hit, where the animal will survive, a 2 blade straight cut will tend to heal up better and faster than a 3 blade wound's triangular cut or a 4 blades X shaped cut, all things being equal. A deer superficially wounded with a 2 blade will likely heal faster and with less difficulty than one wounded with a 3 or 4 blade.

 

[MattMan81]

I really haven't researched that enough to have an opinion either way. I think at least one company offers single bevels with bleeder blades. I do like bleeders on 2 blade double bevels and have used the Magnus Stinger Buzzcut to good effect. The X shaped cut the 4 blades make helps the hide stay open. I believe that the bleeder blades function is to make this hide cut to help reduce shaft drag. I believe that Fred bear designed the first commercial broadhead with bleeder blades, the Razorhead, and the purpose was to cut the hide to reduce shaft drag. The small blades were made of brittle spring steel and designed to come off once they cut the hide so they didn't slow the broadhead down with drag.

One downside not often discussed is superficial wounding and the broadhead's shape. I think on a nonfatal hit, where the animal will survive, a 2 blade straight cut will tend to heal up better and faster than a 3 blade wound's triangular cut or a 4 blades X shaped cut, all things being equal. A deer superficially wounded with a 2 blade will likely heal faster and with less difficulty than one wounded with a 3 or 4 blade.

The bevel produces a S shape wound. Not just a strait cut. It rotates as it cuts thru. This a single bevel GS.

 

[Weldabeast]

I killed 1 with a dirt nap single bevel with bleeder blades. It did everything it was supposed to....almost full length penetration, broke 3 ribs, broke shoulder, and the deer died with 20yds of impact. Broadhead broke bleeders, trashed main blade, bent ferrule....I couldn't tell u if the bleeder blades helped or hindered. I use solid 1 piece broadheads now.

I have no facts but this is just my opinion as someone more mechanically inclined than most....a single bevel is a simple machine like @NMSbowhunter stated...and when u get into the more dense medium or bone hit and the bevels do what they are supposed to do and start rotating the smaller bleeders without having that same leading cutting edge are going to add drag/resistance...those smaller blades in my mind are in their own separate little wound channel, cutting staright like a double bevel should but when the rotation is happening the double bevel cutting plain is trying to rotate. Cut a box with a box cutter straight..it zips right thru but if u add rational force with ur wrist u can still cut it but it takes more force