jroot

i want to start out saying that i use stealforce broadheads and anyone who has used them know they are extremely sharp.

I am wondering if there would be a difference in blood loss of a deer that was shot with a dull fixed-blade broadhead vs a sharp fixed-blade broadhead all else being constant (# of blades, shot angle, bow poundage, penetration, etc.).

Does anyone have an idea?

Belle Island

I don't see how the sharpness of the blade could dramatically alter blood loss, assuming both pass through. The entry and exit hole should be the same size.

The point of being sharp is to ensure that pass through and penetration on iffy shots.

deadshot

why would you even want to use a unsharpened blade is my ??? i have seen dull blades bounce off of a deer an even if you got it to penetrate chances are it would just push anything it came in contact with away from it an slide through without making a good cutting path,,, case in point i was videoing a hunt for a friend he had a nice 8 come out to his stand deer was 15 yrds away, he released his arrow and hit the deer perfect , i watched in amazement as the buck stopped 40 yrds turned his head and looked back and then just walked off.. we got down after a half hour an walked to the spot he was standing, and not 1 drop of blood the arrow had been pulled out an was mid way between this spot and his stand,, the deer was shot 3 days later by another hunter,, my friends arrow had pierced his ribcage but did no internal damage at all well my 2cents worth

Mossy_Oak_Bounty_Hunter

a cleanly cut wound is going to bleed more profusely than a cut made by a dull edge. The dull edge leaves somehwat of a serated edge on the wound, allowing clots to form more quickly.

archer 2

Another thing is with a sharp broadhead will cut through veins and arteries whereas with a dull broadhead the vein may slide around the broadhead instead of being cut by it . Try it on rubberbands to see the difference between the two.

RobinHood36

Archer 2, you are right on the money, well said!

Elkcrazy8

I would NEVER use a dull broadhead on an animal. The main purpose of the head is to cut and create blood loss. Thats how an arrow kills. Using a dull head will not leave a clean wound channel. Your blood trails would be less. Penetration would be less. Sharp heads are not just for iffy shots. Come on. The animals deserve better than this. If you cant afford new broadheads then sharpen them, but don't just figure that these will do. I don't care if I am shooting a yearling whitetail or an 800 lb. bull elk. I always make sure that my broadheads are sharp. After all if it didn't matter then why do the manufacturers spend the extra money to put an edge on them. This is just plain fact. .

hunter9022

Definatly use sharp over dull. Have you ever been cut by a dull knife, and also by a sharp knife. The dull knife doesnt bleed as much, and actually, the sharp knife doesnt hurt as much. Plus, if you only wound the animal, the wound is much more likely to heal cleanly with a hole made from a shard head rather than from a dull one.

davidmil

Mossy oak is correct too. You take what archer and he told you and you have the gist of it. Nothing beats a sharp broadhead.... period.

bigbulls

I have a question to add to the initial one. I know the importance of a sharp head and always make sure that they are as sharp as possible for all of the reason stated above.

But how much will a rib or two or a shoulder blade dull a head on the way in? Will it dull it enough to make a vein slide around a blade. I would imagine that it could.

Anyone have any opinions or first hand knowledge?