I'd opt for a carbon shaft... stiffness with good penetration and no worries if it's bent after that slip / fall down the grassy embankment. (Gosh I hate when that happens.) You could call me old school when it comes to carbons, since I prefer the pultruded version. I once tried Carbon Express internal component shafts, (in their second year production run), harvesting a nice 8 pointer, ending up with a 2 piece shaft. The shot was a sharp downward angle. Thanks to a weight tube they offered, the shaft passed through nicely. The only complaint was that the arrow broke in half upon impacting the ground. I've shot pultruded shafts through deer and into stoney ground from close up and have yet to have one break from impact. Ever. If someone knowns of a caron arrow company that makes an IC shaft in 2004 that can do that... let me know. Pultruded shafts have a major drawback in fletching clearance due to their ultra slim diameter. Thus your bow tuning skills have to be at 100%. The IC carbon shafts do not suffer from this issue. Other than that, pick a shaft with sufficient weight and you'll be golden.

I'd buy what I'm currently shooting. Gold Tip pro hunters. I got the pretty camo one's so I'll look cool at the 3-d range while drinking my latte. The camo isn't necessary but the pro hunters are IMO.

I vote for the Pro Hunters also.

For the money I have found I like the carbon express terminator hunters with the buf-tuf finish to be the toughest carbons I have shot. I had good luck with gold tip xt hunters also. I bought half a dozen of each of these and a dozen pse carbon force dominators and I have more of the carbon express arrows left because the pse arrows kept splitting at the knock end. Total junk IMO. The gold tips were the first carbons I bought and my son is now shooting the last 4 out of 6 that I bought. The other 2 broke in deer.

Well since you said carbon and not carbon/alumium i would have to recommend the new Easton ST Axis they are plenty fast , heavy enough for any size big game here in the good ole USA i am using the ST Axis 340 cut @ 27 " 4" feathers and they fly like a bullet