bowhunterlimerick

hey guys, i just recieved information that my rich uncle has agreed to pay half making it able for a poor college kid like me to accompany him on a bear hunt in the fall, like all animals shot placement is extreemly crucial, and have had succes with both fixed and mechanicals in the past but those where on whitetails. have any of you been on bear hunts and used expandable broadheads or know of anybody who has? if so i would like some input thanks alot guys

Jeremy Limerick
Indiana, PA

slicendice

BHL,

I just booked a bear hunt in Maine for the 05 season. When discussing what equiptment to use, my guide told me not to use mechanicals. He did not go into examples, but he made it clear that in his opinion, mechanicals were not the way to go. I don't know if this helps or not.

Slice

Eider

Had a friend here in Maine shoot a 188lbs dressed bear with a Spitfire this fall, had complete pass through. Had another guy I know take a 400lbs bear in Canada last spring using mechanicals. Sounds like they work to me. If they make you a more accurate shooter than that's what I would go with. Shot placement is everything.

oniedaeagle

my thinking is use a 1 1/8 to an 1 1/2 cutting dia rocket steelhead, nap spitfires or any other decent head will work but i would stay away from 1 3/4 and bigger

Rob/PA Bowyer

A bears hide is actually thinner than that of a whitetail but the hair is much thicker limiting blood release. That being said, any setup that would work for whitetails will work on standard sized bears.....now when your talking monster blacks and bigger I'd say definately go fixed. I would still recommend a fixed if your unsure.

bowhunterlimerick

thanks for the replys guys, keep them comin, i have used NAP shockwaves in the past on whitetails but were worried about all that hair maybe clogging up the blades on the way through what do you think?

BearGuy.

Well here is my two-cents worth.
I'm a outfitter for black bear and have seen many different setups that people bring up. I really try to steer my guests into shooting a fixed blade if they can get it to group. Thats the key....they have to group. You owe it to the animal you hunt to have you and your equipment in tip top shape. Take the time to tune your set up....believe me I see alot of people that don't, and just take the easy way out and grab a pack of expandables on their way up to hunt. As much as we send info to the hunters and talk to them on the phone, this allways happens with a couple of hunters a year. Your typicall shot at a blackie over bait is going to be about 10-12 yards. Most people should be able go get a fixed head to fly and group at this distance. However if you try and try and just can't get a fixed to shoot well, an expandable will work. Don't get into the large cutting width heads though. A good bear could have a good 2" or more of fat on them in the fall. That fat I beleive takes alot of energy out of any head, but more so with an expandable. And some of them don't quite open fast enough to leave a good entry hole. Couple that with no exit hole and you have a bear that is very hard to track. Go with a small cutting diameter with an expandable if you find you can't get a fixed to fly. I actually have on video a shot that a guest put on a bear with a spitfire expandable. On the video you can actually see the arrow deflect once it hit the bear and go straight up! The hit itself was a little high on the bear and you can see the arrow on the video fall out after the bear made about 4 steps. The arrow didn't penetrate the chest cavity, it looked as if it just cut up the hair and then fell out. Now this is not common at all, but it does happen. Also even on perfectly hit bears, I very rarely see a complete pass-through with a expandable. With fixed heads it is uncommon (unless the head gets stuck the opposite shoulder) that we don't get a pass through. Now before I get flamed on here about how you don't need a pass through to kill the animal you are right. However guess which one is easier to track through the thick Canadian bush. Yep the one with a hole on both sides. Also, with a pass through you will get a lower exit hole that will leave an easier to follow blood trail. Loosing an animal does happen with both style of heads (not very often but it does happen), but the large percentage of lost animals comes from an expandable broadhead. These are just my observations that I have experienced. I have about 35 bowhunters a year, so I get to see alot of different setups. Fixed blades are the best in my opinion.
Thanks.
ps....most bear hunters like to shoot a bear like it is a whitetail, as close to the front shoulder as possible. On a bear move it back a little, go from the mid-point of the bear and go forward a bit. If you try to go from the front shoulder and move back you will most of the time hit dangerously close to the front shoulder. And if you hit a good bear in the shoulder....well sorry but the party's over, unless you cut the artery that runs down the front leg, you are out of luck. A bears vitals sit back a bit more than what most people are used to with deer. A good double lund shot is what you are after. A good hit will leave a bear only 30 or so yards from your stand, easy to track, and quite a few hunters get to see the bear go down.

Good Luck on your hunt, and don't be afraid to call or write your outfitter on any questions you may have. Most of us are hunters ourselves (yes there are some that are not) and just love to talk hunting.

MILLERTIME10

If you are going to shoot a mechanical head I would say go with a cut-on-impact head. I shoot the Scorpion XP's made by NAP. They are great heads. You said you shoot shockwaves, well this head is exactly the same as the shockwaves, the only difference is it has a cut-on-impact head. I have shot a couple deer with it and it has performed flawlessly, but the most impressive thing that this head did, is when I shot a bobcat 2 weeks ago. I shot it in the neck and it made a hole the same size on the entrance as it did on the exit. I could put three fingers all the way through his neck. A bobcat is a very thinned skinned animal and for the entrance hole being as big as it was, the head had to open extremely fast. In fact I don't think you could ask for it to open any faster, I would compare them to any mechanical on the market in that aspect. So, in my opinion, I would go with the Scorpion XP's, they are sharp, accurate, and open very, very quick for a mechanical.

ArcticBowMan

Here are two 6' bears I have taken with mechanicals. They work just fine, as long as your equipment has the right amount of energy and your bow is tuned well.


2002 Bear

2003 Bear

Most issues with mechanicals are due to poorly tuned bows and poor shot placement. Using a fixed blade will not cure a shot in the brisket or in the front shoulder blade, it also won't penetrate well if your arrow is flying sideways and fishtailing on the way to the target.

Mechanicals are bashed on a daily basis, but poor shooting skills are usually the reason to blame. Blaming equipment is so much easier for people.

BOWFANATIC

Spitfires will open a hole big enough to let that blood flow.