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Coues Archer

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Posts posted by Coues Archer

  1. Posted · Report reply

    21 minutes ago, bojangles said:

    My experiences with shwacker have been flawless.  I’ve killed 3 deer and 2 elk.  Nothing made a 100 yards.  Only 2 were not pass throughs, one a hard quartering to shot on a bull, which I aimed for the liver as the lungs were covered by shoulder.  Arrow was lodged in the paunch, probably 8 inches of fletching sticking out of the bull.  I cut his liver in half, he went nowhere.  Other bull was a 50 yards shot, pass through, arrow went another 10-15 yards before it stopped.  One deer did not pass through, it was hard quartering away.  I shot him in front of his back leg, arrow was buried in opposite shoulder.  He went less than 50.

    other deer were pass through as far as I can remember.

    of course I try not to hit the shoulder unless it’s a white tail.  
     

    my bow is probably 320-325 FPS set up to hunt.  It is flat and fast.  One day I will hunt with a recurve.  Till then, I need every advantage.  
     

    just my opinion, but I can’t find a reason to shoot a fixed blade.  I don’t think the shwacker would break an elk shoulder.  But not sure how a fixed blade would do, either.  I hit a muley a few rears back low on the shoulder with a ulmer  edge, did not kill him. A week later he wasn’t even limping.  

    With those kind of speeds no wonder it went right through those suckers lol. Hey that works for your setup but with me being 27" draw length I don't have many options for blowing through animals unless it s fixed blade. The only reason I have my skeptics with swhacker is because I shot a coues in the shoulder blade with one and it didn't do a dam thing to him. Granted with your setup getting 325 FPS; you can blow through anything with ease.

    • Like 1

  2. Posted · Report reply

    On 7/4/2020 at 8:49 AM, bojangles said:

    It’s hard for me to imagine why anyone would want to shoot a fixed blade broadhead unless you’re shooting low poundage.  I’d look at sevr or shwacker.  You can eliminate all these tuning problems by just shooting a well designed mechanical.   You still have to shoot a tuned bow, but it’s a lot less finicky.  
     

    accuracy is everything.  Shoot the mechanical and put it in the lungs.  
     

    I don’t see any advantage to a fixed blade.

    Hello bojangles,

    I agree with you 100%. Accuracy is the most important aspect when it comes to hunting. It's imperative to be able to put that broadhead where it needs to go. But in my experience, fixed blades do have a definite plus in the penetration department. All animals I've shot with a fixed blade have died immediately with all shots completely pass through the animal with ease. I currently shoot a swhacker and well.... Can't say the same about them. If you hit bone its not gonna be good.... SEVR on the other hand might be something to look into; in my eyes. The way it's designed I absolutely know it will get WAY more penetration than a Swhacker. Thanks for the info though I do understand where you're coming from.

    • Like 1

  3. Posted · Report reply

    2 hours ago, thegunsmith2506 said:

    I know this is a little off topic, but I think its still good info. When I was a kid growing up in Willcox me and a buddy use to shoot at a range just out of town. One day we met a few guys there and they saw us shooting 12in groups at 30yds and came over to offer some advice. They were really nice guys and spent about an hour helping us set up our bows and giving  a few tips. We didn't even have knocking points and we were shooting fingers. In a short time we were shooting 6in groups at 30yds. When we were done one of the guys gave us both a couple of broadheads and told us he owned the company that makes them and to stop by his shop in town. The broadheads were Vortex brand and we used the heck out of them. 

    So all that to get to my point. This was in the late 90's and these guys were shooting 100+ yards with these broadheads. One day in the shop they showed us that they would take some heavy duty snips and cut the blades so that just a 1/16th of an inch stuck out when they were closed. They said it really improved the long range accuracy. I killed my first deer with one a year later and it worked well. I switched to Rockets when I drew an elk tag a few years later. I think Creed was spot on with his comments on little to no blade surface being exposed. I didn't draw a deer this year and I am out of broadheads so this has been an interesting thread. I am thinking I might try out the new Vortex steel to see how they shoot. I don't practice enough to shoot much past 50yds anymore so really long range isn't an issue for me. Thanks for all the info!

     

    https://vortexbroadheads.com/collections/broadheads/products/vortex-100gr-2-00-steel

    That's awesome! Thank you for the info. Please feel free to report how these vortex broadheads shoot for you.

    • Like 1

  4. Posted · Report reply

    9 minutes ago, WHT_MTNMAN said:

    I hate shooting mechanicals unless I'm shooting long range.  I do prefer to be a bowhunter instead of an archer and get in close.  In my experience with a properly tuned arrow/head combo and a bow most fixed heads will shoot the same. That being said in a pack of 3-6 broadheads only 1 or 2 fit that criteria. I've often times had a different broadhead on each arrow. They all shot the same.   

    For fixed I prefer the G5 striker and wacem. The 3 blade slick tricks did well for me. Again out of every 6 broadheads only a few work. 

    Ive had really good luck with Sevr and Bloodsport night fury for mechanicals as far as flight goes.  

     

     

    Nice. Thank you for your suggestions. I'll give those broadheads a try.

  5. Posted · Report reply

    Just now, creed_az_88 said:

    Innerloc carnage and innerloc shapeshifter. By streamline I pretty much mean no blade surface exposed. That seems to be the only way to guarantee field point type accuracy. I've tested more broadheads than I like to admit paying for, and I've come to the same conclusion that you have, even most mechanicals can be very tough to get to hit with field points at extended ranges. This innerloc heads are something special though. They aren't without flaw, but they are the most accurate ive had my hands on. Their only flaw really is that they can be fragile in the quiver. But it's a trade off I willingly accept for the accuracy. 

    Very intriguing👌🏼 Now that’s something that’s worth a try. I will be purchasing a pair of each to see how they hold up at longer ranges. Thank you for for being helpful.

  6. Posted · Report reply

    8 minutes ago, CatfishKev said:

     Looks like you are spending considerable time on this.  I was surprised slick trick wasn't included in your first round of testing.  

    If I'm understanding this correctly the smaller the cutting diameter of the blades makes them fly better? I used rockets like 10 years ago with good results. Now using slick trick magnums.

    Interesting thread, I'll be following  

    I literally just purchased a pack of slick trick standards the other day because I've heard amazing things from them. I will be testing those bad boys out soon. 

  8. Posted · Report reply

    1 hour ago, forepaw said:

    +1 on Rocket Steelheads, at least the old ones.  I printed a long article on penetration testing (independent, not a rep. or mfg.) from a few years ago, and these were rated the best of both fixed and mechanicals - at least for that round of testing.  No experience with them on bigger animals, but hopefully anyone who has used them on elk will weigh in and tell us how they performed.

     

    Nice Forepaw! I will definitely be giving those heads a try. Thank you.

  10. Posted · Report reply

    3 hours ago, WHT_MTNMAN said:

    Laws of physics do not allow a fixed head to fly the same as fieldtip at extended ranges. In my experience 70 and 80 yards is where you start to see fixed heads fly a bit low. According to some research on the hooter shooter even mechanicals will not fly a 100% the same at long distances.  That being said you can counteract all of this with changing tune slightly. (Move rest) or add a few grains to back of fieldtip to counteract drag/wind and longer ferule etc..

     

    The best ones ive found are those with the shortest ferrule and smallest cutting diameter

    Understood WHT_MTNMAN but examples of broadheads that fit your description would be much appreciated.... Given from what you explained here which makes sense but doesn't help me with the situation because you didn't suggest a broadhead lol... The forces of gravity acting upon both broadheads and field tips are the same; IFFFF in fact they're both exactly the same weight. Where they differ is in the friction coefficients. As you're aware the "field tip" and "broadhead" are much different when traveling through air; more drag acting on the broadhead rather than the field tip which doesn't necessarily mean that your broadhead will always shoot low... It can shoot high, low, left and right at those distances all depends on what the arrow is doing in flight through the medium, in this case "air" acting on the broadhead. I do however appreciate you explaining how to counteract this by changing tune slighty... I did however know of this and have done it but its changing my arrow/bow setup lol trying to see if there really is a broadhead aerodynamic enough to do just that.. What do you shoot? As for mechanical's I have two in my inventory that will hit on the money out to 120 without me tampering my sight/rest at all or adding weight in the back to stabilize. 

  11. Posted · Report reply

    Hello CouesWhitetail Members,

    I hope everyone has been doing well during these tough times. I've been practicing a lot of 3-D archery shooting lately and I have built up a setup to effectively shoot out to 120 yards and hitting vitals on demand. I have been able to achieve this type of accuracy thorugh paper tuning my bow and ensuring my arrows are perfectly tuned. Given that my bow/arrows/field points are dialed in using these two conventional methods "paper tuning" and "arrow tuning" i.e. squaring arrow/nock, spin testing etc. I've been testing to see which current fixed broadheads on the market actually fly and are accurate identical to a field point. So far I have bought/tested the QAD EXODUS, Ramcat hydroshock, ramcat diamondback, Trophy Taker ATAC, Trophy Taker Shuttle T, G5 Montec M3, Tooth of the Arrow. All in all the best performer by far which shot closest to the field point was the Trophy Taker ATAC but its not sharp which was a huge bummer. It was virtually identical to field point as far as windage but shot little low in elevation. I did adjust my rest to compensate for this drop and proceeded to shoot with extreme accuracy; I understand that this is a good thing but remember I'm looking for something that will I simply swap my field point with and will hit the target on demand. The Ramcat Diamondback finished second but required much tuning. Once dialed in I was able to get extreme accuracy as well. The Exodus came in third place but required much more tuning to get the head to fly correctly; once dialed in it could reliably hit vitals out to 80 then it started to be more inconsistent at 90 yards. The same could be said for the rest of the arrows in the list but all required to be tuned a little different. So my question to you guys is have you found a broadhead on the market that will literally give you field point flight/accuracy with a tuned setup no matter what distance. I have found expandable broadheads to achieve this but I have yet to achieve this with a fixed broadhead. Please note that I'm aware that form is a tremendous factor when it comes to shooting fixed broadheads and I know that.... Please don't bring this aspect into the conversation lol. Soon to test broadheads will be Slick Trick Standards, Strickland Helix and well any suggestions that you folks have from experience.

    Sincerely,

    Coues Archer

  14. Posted · Report reply

    On 1/17/2020 at 8:35 AM, Lazy-H98 said:

    +1.  Loss of blood such as this will cause game to feel the sensation of dehydration/thirst, and subsequently head to water.  Best of luck to you.  You mentioned Shwacker, what grain and what is the draw weight of your bow, just curious?

    It’s 70lb Mathews no cam with a gold tip hunter pro 100 grain swhacker. Arrow length 27.5”

    • Like 1

  15. Posted · Report reply

    2 hours ago, CatfishKev said:

    I also thought of the single lung hit possibility.  What broadhead were you using? Did you verify yourself they were razor sharp? 

    I believe I've made the mistake of using full broadhead in the past.  Ever poked your finger through some real stretchy stuff? The hole closes tight when you pull your finger out.  I believe the same exact thing happens with a dull broadhead.  I'm not saying this is your scenario, but either way I hope you find your buck. 

    So I personally believe I hit one lung just by his body language. I’ve killed many bucks and the lethal boiler room shots always yield a buck running like a bat out of heck! As for my Broadhead it’s a swhacker. Not more than a week old broadhead .

    • Like 1

  16. Posted · Report reply

    4 hours ago, oldwhitetail hunter said:

    I had a similar situation many years ago.

    In my case I hit the near side shoulder blade. My situation was very similar to this.

    I hit him at last light. After following a similar blood trail by flashlight I backed off and returned at daylight.

    Trailed him to a bed, where I jumped him, about 200 yrs from the initial hit.

    The bed looked identical to yours. What I see here is clotting type blood.

    Anyhow, spent another 5 hours gridding and searching but did not recover the deer.

    If you don't find him, take comfort that the hit may not be fatal.

    The bone ridge at the back of the shoulder blade is virtually impenetrable.

    For what its worth, my hit was at 20yds using a 125 grain thunderhead out of a 62 lb compound bow.

    You are doing the right thing. Doing your best to recover him.

     

    .

     

     

     

     

    Oldwhitetail hunter what you explained here is exactly my scenario. But yes I’m trying my absolute best to recover this deer. Hopefully I’ll be able to tag him🤙🏽 Thanks for the advice man.

  19. Posted · Report reply

    Hello my fellow coues experts. I had a question regarding a coues buck I recently shot. He was 73 yards and I shot him what looked like to be behind his arm pit. As soon as the arrow hit him he bucked and took off like a bat out of heck!!! Seen the arrow stick out of his cavity as he went on a strait death run. I seen him crash in some brush about 200 yards away. I got so happy because I thought it was a wrap! I gave him an hour before I started tracking, But I didn’t feel good so I backed out and came back in the morning. The blood trail was sparse as it gave decent drops of blood about every 5 yards or so. Once the trail got about 250 it virtually stopped completely. Below is a picture of some of the aftermath that was left from where I last saw him fall. From the picture below can you guys tell me where exactly I hit this buck? 

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  20. Posted · Report reply

    Hunted this buck for 8 strait days. I seen him scouting 1 time before my hunt. Never to see him again for 2 strait weeks. The times I did see him he was way out in a completely different location miles away. The buck was always on the move... For the few seconds I did have to see this buck I could tell he was an awesome deer; Deep forks, great mass and height! I called this deer “Ghost” he was unpatternable.. The buck never stayed in a certain area like almost all bucks do. This buck knew that staying in any given area for too long was bad news for him. Super smart deer! To make things even more difficult he was the only buck in the dam area not chasing does😂 Including scouting and my hunt I only seen this deer 3 times and the only time I seen him was at the last 10 minutes of shooting light; completely nocturnal animal. Below is the story on how it went down...

     

    I spotted a buck at 1 mile at dawn. When I put the spotting scope on him I could tell it was a shooter buck(not ghost). The buck was herding and rutting these does hardcore. It didn't take me long to pack up all my gear and start closing the distance on them. I get to a half mile of them and these deer rutted over the top of this hill away from me. I didn't wanna run right into them and spook them so I gave It about 30 minutes and just glassed the two drainages that came out from where they dropped into. I did this to make sure that they didn’t escape out of this pocket when I ventured into it. They never did so I headed over to the deer trail and started track them to where they went, I pursued them extremely slow because I knew I could get really close hunting this method. I tracked them for half a mile when I noticed ears walking towards me 100 yards away. I get down on my belly and just watch these deer get 20 yards to me and feed right around me lol they had no clue I was there. So then I see a 3x3 buck about 150 yards away and I grunted at him to try and pull him closer. He came in 20 yards and had a stand off with me and had no clue where the grunting had come from. He was looking around for 10 minutes right in front of me. The buck then started grazing and eventually met up with the does that were right in front of me. It was at that moment that I started hearing grunting and trampling like a stampede lol I just got ready on my belly cuz I knew something was lurking in front of me lol. I pulled my muzzleloader and have it on my side as I'm laying in my back. I then see about 25 deer within 30 yards of me. All I could see was little heads pop up out of nowhere. Then behind the does herding them up is a different buck than what I had seen this morning. An even bigger buck had pushed the big buck I seen this morning out of the group in the span of like an hour. This buck happened to be my target buck. "Ghost" I called this buck ghost because this buck I tried hunting for 7 days with no success. The smartest creature I have hunted lol. He had no pattern to hunt and never showed himself. He was nocturnal. But anyways this buck was pushing the does, nudging them in the rump and grunting like a mad man😂 I got on my knees as he got 50 yards from me and I let him have it. It took me 3 shots to bring that bad boy down. Here he is fellas, an awesome desert mule deer with a muzzleloader🤙🏽

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    • Like 19
    • Great Buck! 8
    • Wow! 1

  24. Posted · Report reply

    2 minutes ago, bigj23 said:

    With the rain that is coming Dugas will be out of play for you next week.  I would stick to Cherry Creek and head to Squaw Peak or come off Bloody Basin to the bottom side of Pine Mountain.   Either will be a decent drive and messy with the mud, but it can be done.  Saw some bulls last week in 21 and they were huntable if it did not rain.  

    Thanks for the heads up bigj23👍🏼 I appreciate the help. 

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