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Who Did Not Snort the Fairy Dust? And Why?

I see the broadhead in the video. I also remember reading that he keeps two broadheads on hand, shoots 80lbs, and shoots a heavy arrow.

I doubt a rear-deploying broadhead cost him a buck. It was a poor angle on a very alert deer. I put more stock in that than on whatever piece of steel was on the end of the arrow.

But hey...#hEAvyArrOws! Nobody shooting them will have a sad story to tell this year on the contest page.
Don't matter that the deer was alert. He hit him where he was supposed to. His arrow isn't heavy either. 470 Grains My arrow is right around 500 and I'm thinking of going a little bit heavier myself. That flimsy mechanical is what saved that deer's life.
 
Don't matter that the deer was alert. He hit him where he was supposed to. His arrow isn't heavy either. 470 Grains My arrow is right around 500 and I'm thinking of going a little bit heavier myself. That flimsy mechanical is what saved that deer's life.

Oddly enough though, the Deadmeat is one of the more sturdy mechanical heads out there. The ferrule is rock solid (G5 has that going for it), the blades are like most mech blades in construction integrity though.

Still a prime example of how penetration suffers with mechanicals.


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Great info right here. First let me say this gentleman knows his stuff. He is not preaching light fast vs. heavy momentum. He is simply reporting his test results.

Please read. This is Joel's second round of tests in the last couple of days.


I am not sure this link is working. Search Joel Maxfield on Face Book for the test results.

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Oh....and I did not snort the dust.

I am shooting the same set up that I have shot for years. Hoyt Carbon Spyder Turbo at 62 lbs. 420 grain total arrow weight. 100 grain Slick Trick Grizz Trick, 10% FOC, 77.7 KE, 285 fps. Bare shafts and broadheads have the same POI at 20 yards. This set up has shot thru Elk, Antelope, Hogs, and big bodied Iowa deer. I have a single pin sight set at 27 yards that is good from 15 yards to 35 yards. I will not shoot a deer past about 27 yards. I practice with this set up from different heights, different stands and from my saddle set up.

Shoot what works for you. Make sure your bow is tuned (nock height correct, timing correct, cam lean correct, rest timing correct) and your arrow is spined correctly with your set up.

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I wouldn't say I snorted the fairy dust because it's the latest craze and all the cool kids are doing it but rather I tried it because I was not happy with the performance I was getting from my setup and as the saying goes "the definition of insanity is repeating the same thing over and over and expecting a different result" I was at least smart enough to know I had to try something else.

The short version of why I took a stroll down ranch fairy lane...

1. Realized most of my buck kills were not complete pass through shots.
2. Poor arrow flight and penetration.
3. Always used mechanical heads ( NAP spitfires, rage, blood trailers) with 400 spine arrows between 415 - 440grs TAW.
4. Broad head blades were always damaged after hitting a buck , with the does I will say the damage was from hitting the ground after the complete pass through (which is acceptable).
5. Didn't like that loud "WHACK" and energy dump when the BH hit the deer and then said deer took off like a bolt of lightning.
6. Lost confidence in my equipment to get the job done.

What the RF did for me was open my mind to new (for me) ideas, to think in a different way and understand how my equipment works. Here's what has transpired since toying with fairy dust:

1. I've learned how important it is to have a bow in spec and tuned properly. This IMO should be first on anyone's to do list BEFORE thinking about arrow tuning. It all starts at the bow, if it's out of tune then how can one logically expect good results at the terminal end?
2. I've learned how to work on and tune my bows.
3. I've learned how to build and tune arrows.
4. I've built 640gr arrows with fixed blade broadheads at ~17.8%FOC for this year to see for myself if "heavy" works for me. They fly great and group with my field points to 35yds and the reason why I feel so strongly about the bow being in tune first is the fact that I didn't have to make any adjustments to the bow or rest to get the fixed blades to match POI with the field points. I got the same result to a tested 50 yds with my second bow set up shooting a "light" 515gr arrow at 18%FOC. This is from a guy who never shot fixed blades or ever touched his bow except to shoot it.
5. Learned that broadheads right out of the package may be"sharp" but are not "hunting sharp".
6. Confidence is overflowing knowing every piece of killing apparatus is in tip top shape and WILL get it done.

The one point that always bothers me is the "mechanicals give great bloodtrails and fixed blades don't" statement. Now I can't speak from experience for fixed blades but I definitely can for mechanicals. Some kills have left a paint trail of blood while others left virtually nothing, most of the latter were because the arrow didn't punch a hole out the other side and since the arrow remained lodged in the animal it in essence plugged the only hole available for blood to escape. And I can admit my poor arrow flight played a part in that outcome. With a fixed blade atop of a "heavier" arrow improving penetration and passing through animals, it would leave two slightly smaller holes for blood to drain from and a better blood trail in my mind. I sometimes wonder where the entry and exit wounds were when I hear guys say " I blew right through him and there was no blood trail with a fixed blade". I guess some want the larger cutting diameter of mechs for when they gut shoot them or hit them too high and hope the broadhead nicks something vital but I am opting for the smaller cutting diameter that will punch through ribs and leg bone to get to the vitals and stop in the dirt after passing through the animal . But then again I will not take shots beyond my capabilities and risk injuring an animal because of poor judgement.

Now the RF does have an abrasive personality but me being raised a city kid in NY (I swear I was switched at birth cause I'm redneck at heart) had no choice but to grow thick skin or be eaten alive so I appreciate his antics because I can relate to that. Get past his personality and listen to his message, he does mean well.

Ok for those who have been on this site during last years season, can you think back to our beginning discussions on arrow builds and remember the member who was suggesting we should bump up our arrow weights to at least 500gr, use cut on contact broadheads and raise the FOC to at least 12% or so (can't remember the exact number) and we'd see better arrow performance? I do and he was stating this before the Ranch Fairy was a household name on this site. We all should be thanking @kyler1945 for introducing us to exploring the virtues of going a bit heavier.
Cheers bud, you deserve the credit!!
 
What the RF did for me was open my mind to new (for me) ideas, to think in a different way and understand how my equipment works. Here's what has transpired since toying with fairy dust:

1. I've learned how important it is to have a bow in spec and tuned properly. This IMO should be first on anyone's to do list BEFORE thinking about arrow tuning. It all starts at the bow, if it's out of tune then how can one logically expect good results at the terminal end?
2. I've learned how to work on and tune my bows.
3. I've learned how to build and tune arrows.
credit!!

Sorry to hear you didn’t already know 1-3 but if it took the fairy for you to learn, kudus to the fairy


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One thing I find interesting after reading my earlier link to Africa's requirements was that mechanicals are legal. You just have to 5% more K.E. than the minimum requirement. I thought for certain they would be illegal. They just can't be used for cape buffalo or giraffe.

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Quartering shots with mechs is a no no unless you have a decent leading blade coupled with it. If the tip of the head cant get to the hide its just going to skip down the side of them.

I probably killed 200 deer with 385gr arrows with mechanicals going 240fps before I bought a grain scale and realized how light of an arrow I was flinging. Im at 356 this year going considerably faster and Im still going to shoot Killzones, WTS, Trypans and whatever else tickles my fancy.

The biggest benefit of a heavy arrow is a quit bow.
 

I bet you could be in a 500-600 grain setup for less than A dollar or two premium over what you’re doing now, and it would take less than an hour to make all decisions. No test kits needed.

And I’m willing to bet 24.00 that if you can shoot a 500-600 grain arrow With a cut on contact fixed 2 blade broadhead over 250FPS through the chest cavity of a deer from inside of 30 yards, your arrow will Make two holes.

that purse will cover the extra cash you had to pay to make the change if it doesn’t get that result for you. No test kits, and you can use whatever cheap arrow you like so long as you follow that 12step program...

feel free to tell yourself whatever you like. But there is an answer. I’m just here to knock down your barriers of entry.

Am I that off the mark? 27” draw 475gr arrow and cut on contact 2 blades RF loves?


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Am I that off the mark? 27” draw 475gr arrow and cut on contact 2 blades RF loves?


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Don't care about ranch fairy. Don't care what you shoot. You just said the reasons you didn't want to make a change was: You didn't have a resource to help design a 500+ grain arrow; you didn't want to spend a bunch of money; you didn't want to buy test arrows and kits.

I responded with a resource that knocks down all of those barriers of entry for you. If you don't want to do it now, you can just say you don't want to. No excuses needed!
 
Like the guys content and effort a ton- and have before he was Brittanica of bow blades.

I have a pile of the 400spine same arrows Cut to length (27) and have upped them to 475gr with 18.5ish FOC. I feel a bit inadequate on the weight because of this movement and shake my head to know at one point 15yrs ago the goal was to be at 350gr w a 70lb bow.

His efforts on terminal performance is why I became a fan. When it is time to replace me arrows, IF I can find the resource to try and determine what’s needed for a 525-550 setup with a stiffer spine I will. I’m not jumping to buy 150$ in 4 arrows and test kits while focusing on my shooting a two months before season.


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Yesterday I used 100gr. ethics inserts with 125gr. tips with a ctoc length of 28" on one .300 spine Victory and one .340 spine GT Hunter XT. My first shot with the .300 spine was a little wonky but my very second shot with the .340 produced a very acceptable bullet hole through paper. I tested it again below and the same results. I then slapped on 150gr. tips and both arrows tore to the right. I didn't have time to go up to heavier weights as I plan on hunting with 125gr. COC broadheads but I was very happy with the results so far and it didn't take long. I did cut the shafts down equally on both ends, squared them after cutting and then aligned the nock with the slight bump I feel when running my finger over the end of the shafts. I believe this process provides a better overall shaft consistency. My overall shaft weight with the .340 spine will be around 500 grains and will provide approximately 20% foc. I may try to shoot more heavier tip weights to see what else may fly good but for now I'm happy with going up to 500grains.

spine testing 08012020.jpg
 
I'm not sure if anyone has mentioned this. But heavy heads save you money in the long run, just have to learn to sharpen them. As far as that bone collector video... That's a totally unacceptable result in my opinion. I couldn't care less if anyone else loses a deer tbh. It's 2020 and all of the information a person could want is readily accessible with minimal effort.
 
Are there screw in weights available to add a little more weight to existing arrows?
 
The other thing with going heavier is that you don't have to spend money on limbsavers, limbjacks, monkey tails, string leach's etc. as the heavier arrow builds make a super quiet shot. In addition, I suspect less string wear and less stress on the bow as more of the bow's stored or potential energy is going into the heavier shaft which makes for a much more reliable setup over time. Heck, you may not even require a stablizer unless you rely on one for proper bow balance. It would be interesting for someone to develop a calculator where there is an optimal weight to speed ratio which shows and calculates PE and KE given different arrow weights, foc etc.
 
It would be interesting for someone to develop a calculator where there is an optimal weight to speed ratio which shows and calculates PE and KE given different arrow weights, foc etc.

That would be cool, I think i might take a stab at making a spreadsheet calculator.


Heck, you may not even require a stablizer unless you rely on one for proper bow balance.

I took mine off. The shot sound and feel are worlds apart. I went from total weights of 375-ish to 610-ish and its very hard to hear or feel the bow right as the shot breaks.

I find reading Ashby's reports much more interesting than watching youtube.
 
I lost a buck in northern Arkansas last year due to bad penetration from a ground shot. 11yds 70lbs bow w/ 350 spine and rage mechanicals, I saw the arrow hit and then the lighted nock fly forward towards his head. Had a bunch of blood for the first few hundred yards then nothing. I was pretty pissed so I switched to a 250 black eagle, 100grain insert and the simmons swamp shark 175 g. I ground shot a pig and a VA buck with that setup at 13/22 yards and had full penetration and the arrow was stuck in the ground on each one. I don't know how this setup would work if I was out west shooting farther distances but for 30yds and in I love it. The ranch fairy, although very annoying does make alot of good points. His best video IMO is the penetration slo-mo video
 
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