Coach

3.5" #5 for me. They kick like a mule but usually kill whatever is in front of you. Well, except for this morning - he he - but I forgot to tell my son that gun tends to pattern a little high at longer ranges.

Thanks for the replies. This morning I had to stay close to town. On our first setup we had a jake coming right in to the decoys. He strutted and gobbled right at the edge of the opening we were sitting. I messed up and suggested that Matt take the shot but it turned out to be a little far. I sure wish I had just kept calling. I think he would have kept coming right in. Oh well, we'll try again. Might have to go up higher tomorrow.

I also had bad results on an elk with a G5 Montec. It was a killing shot, and the bull was recovered, but the head looked like you had run over it with truck. The steel is just too soft to hold a good edge and seems to disintegrate when it hits anything other than flesh. I really like the idea of a one-piece, 3-blade, cut on contact head, so I bought some of the newer Montec CS. I haven't shot them at anything, but they seem sharper and harder, and should fly just like the Montecs, which have always flown really well for me. The thing that's tough, but at the same time really nice, when picking a broadhead there are so many choices out there that are so far superior to what most of us had availalble when we started archery hunting it's mind boggling. When I first started out, Thunderheads were pretty much the head to beat. But at $30 for 6 they were considered very expensive. The more I've gotten into bow hunting, the more great heads I seem to encounter each year. Yeah, there's also a gimmick head for every solid one. I've made a list of the ones that are well constructed, fly well in most set-ups, and have a following of serious hunters who are real picky about heads. Fixed heads: Wac'Em/G5 Striker/Cabela's Copper Head/Red Head Blackout. Many names, still the same head. This has to be the most "cloned" head anywhere. Even Horton Crossbows have an OEM version of the same head (Horton FX Pro/BF200). Why so many versions of the same head? It's a good design, period. Solid, carbon steel shank, short, high angle, razor sharp, replaceable blades. What's not to like? Muzzy 3-blade. Some people have tuning issues with these heads, according to all the stuff I've read on the Bowsite, Eber's and others. The bottom line from what I've read, is that if you can get them to fly well in your setup, there is no better head. From my personal experience, I killed a nice coues deer a couple years back in August in AZ with a muzzy. He went a few yards and fell over dead. The next week I killed a nice, big-framed 3x3 velvet muley in NM with a muzzy. It wasn't a great hit, but he bled out fast - and that's important. I have not seen Muzzys to fly any differently than any other good broadhead I've shot, and everything I've hit with a Muzzy died close to where it was hit. Don't let the fact that you can buy 3 of them at WalMart for $17 fool you. These are not "el-cheapo" broadheads when it comes to hunting. In a properly tuned bow, they fly great. And when they hit, they kill. I have as much faith in a Muzzy 3 blade as any other head I shoot, and better recovery rate than any. Slick Trick - Man, I remember when these heads first came out. A "normal guy" posted on a popular bow hunting website about his new heads. I helped out a little bit with his new website to promote them. Who could have known then how amazingly popular these heads would be? And for good reason. The design is beautifully simple. You've got a solid, carbon steel shank like a nail, with not 3 but 4 blades made from the best German steel available. They are scary sharp out of the box in 1", 1 1/8" and 1 1/4". Plus if you like the older "bear" style, you can get the razortrick, which has the main cutting head in front of the ferrule for the only short, blade first, 4 blade "bear" style of head I know of. I have shot the slick trick standard and magnum, and I can say for sure that they fly perfectly in a tuned bow. I haven't shot the GrizzTricks or the RazorTricks. If the RazorTricks fly like the standard sliks, I can't think of a better head for any game. The standard and magnum are already field-proven performers and the newer offerings appear to build on the reputation that has taken "Slick Trick" from a one-man "garage" head to a proven favorite amoung a very picky crowd. The Magnus Stinger/Buzzcut. This is the better half of today's version of the old Bear broadhead. Many guys get turned off right off the bat that it is such a long broadhead. It just looks like it will be harder to tune than the shorter heads because it "should" catch more wind, and it's so long it "should" change your FOC. Don't be fooled by appearances. While the Stinger and Buzzcut look old-school, they fly right along with the shorter broadheads in a properly tuned bow. Add in Magnus' warranty, it's basically a lifetime, no-fault warranty...I don't even know how they can do it aside from trusting people not to abuse it. You can shoot one of these heads into a rock quarry and mail it in to them and they'll send you a replacement. I think that's awesome, and I love that spirit of customer service, but I don't think any head can take a shot out of today's bows and hit anything but a target or straight vitals and not be damaged. Enough about the warranty, what do they do when they hit? They cut, and they cut big time. There is a reason old-school longbow and recurve shooters like the Bear style head. They are devastaging. You've got a long, cut-on-impact razor head, followed by a strong ferrule housing bleeder blades. The only difference between the Stinger and Buzzcut is that the Buzzcut has a serrated edge. Something that was once frowned upon, but many bowhunters now prefer. Mechanicals: Well, all I have to say about mech's is I've never shot one at an animal, they seem to do a good job of making up for an improperly tuned bow, you either love them or hate them, and I've heard as many people telling me how great Rage heads are as I've heard of people saying they stink. I bought a pack of Rage 2-blades this year. I don't know what, if anything I'll hunt with them. On the one hand, I keep hearing of great success with them. On the other hand, I'm old school enough to think that moving parts are just a chance for things to go wrong. I'd rather spend more time tuning my bow to shoot fixed blades. Nothing against those of you who shoot mechs. I definately see the appeal. But, at that critical moment, if I had to choose between a solid fixed bland and a mech, and knew I could hit where I were aiming at 40. 50 even 60 yards out, I'd choose the fixed heads.

Nice looking buck for sure. I won't pretend to be able to ground-score a deer like that based on just the photos, but the previous responses all sound about right. High 140's.

I think it follows the same pattern as most skills. You could compare it to long range shooting, even golf. Just buying the best equipment out there won't make you good. However, once you have acquired a certain skill level through hard work and practice, you can reach a point where mediocre equipment can be a hindrance. I can think of several examples of amazing "spots" while glassing where there was so little of the animal visible and/or the range was so long there is no way they would have been visible without really good glass. However, the guys behind the glass in those situations had the patience and skill to pick the details apart carefully enough make the best of the optics.

I'd also check out HuntScout.com. They do unit-specific hunting maps. I know the guy who compiles the information for these maps, and the responses he gets from customers is very positive.

We just got hammered with about a foot of snow in one day. Could be a good thing, lots of moisture, I'm thinking the White Mountain bulls will have good fronts.

Dan, shoot me a PM if you can. I know a spot near Hospital tank that was loaded with horns the last time we were in there. Couldn't pick 'em up - but you can.

Glad you found him a good home. My wife's family raised rotties, and I love seeing those awesome critters with the big, square heads, bulky frame. That's a nice one.

Awesome job - I love those family hunts. Thanks for a great post.

I'll second that. Great bow.

Cool pictures! Any idea what that bird is in the last one? Almost looks like he was going for the rabbit.

Wow - that is one great looking buck! Congrats. Nice taxidermy too.

Congratulations! I'm glad you two found eachother. I believe the keys to happiness are finding your soulmate, and finding a job you love. I'm batting 500 - I have the best wife I could dream of. "You know what is worse than a spouse that does not support your hunting addiction? One that can't wait for you to leave on your next trip." This reminds me of one of my favorite jokes... A guy wakes up early one morning to head off to his favorite hunting stand. He makes his coffee, eats breakfast and loads the truck but it's windy, with a mix of sleet and hail. He starts down the road, but can barely see the road with all the water and ice. So he turns around, heads back home and crawls back into bed. He snuggles up to his wife, and says, "Man, it's really nasty out there". She replies, "Yeah, can you believe my idiot husband is out hunting in that crap?"

Awesome! Great job Amanda! Nice write up too. One day I'd really like to hunt the SC for turkeys. Here's an idea for the tail. I took a big chunk of manzanita and sliced off about 3/4", sanded it down, inscribed when it was taken and oiled it. Wrapped some leather around the beard and tied it through a couple holes in the plate. The plate is connected to a second piece of wood with 2 small dowells and the fan is sandwiched between them.

I've got the J105, and it is a great pack for certain types of hunts. It's a lot to carry around for a daypack, IMO, but if you get a long way from roads the ability to haul out your meat without making extra trips in is huge. I use it now mostly to carry a double-bull blind around which it does quite well. For my hunting style, I go bare minimum - just a high-capacity fanny pack with shoulder straps (Cabela's Hybrid 2-in-1). If I happen to get something I hang it and come back with the J105. It will handle a full elk quarter no problem, bone-in, or a full deer boned out. 50-90 pounds is not a problem. I just don't like carrying that much pack while hunting. Even though it sinches down really small and tight, it feels hot and big for carrying around the basics like optics, a tripod and lunch. I like to stay pretty mobile, so I prefer the style of the Cabela's Hybrid or the Badlands Monster Fanny. You can strap on a Slick Sprint tripod, a stool, carry all your optics, field dressing tools, game bags, food, water, and even your first-aid/emergency essentials, and still not feel like you're carrying around a big pack all day. I even carry my 15's for long-range glassing and don't feel bogged down. However, if you go in light with a that type of fanny, you're probably going to have to come back in to haul out the meat. That's when you hang it up in bags, go back to camp, and come back the next day with a frame pack or J105/J107, and a buddy or two. If you absolutely have to go in hard, carry in all your gear, and pack out heavy, you should look at the Kifaru or KUIU packs. These are packs built with sheep hunters in mind and are definatly top-shelf packs. They are pricey, but they are designed for guys who have to pack into the roughest country around and come back out with substantially more weight than they came in with.

Very nice looking mount! I think pronghorn make some of the prettiest mounts, if done well and that one certainly was. Congrats on a great trophy.

Congratulations! What a wonderful gift!

In that range I would look at the Vortex Fury 8x42. Doug @ cameraland has them for $179 - normally $269. I haven't looked through the Fury, but have a couple of pairs of Vortex Diamondbacks that are good glass for the money. http://www.cameralandny.com/optics/vortex.pl?page=vortexfury8x32

These may look silly, but I've heard they work. http://bethedecoy.com/ Now, I sure wouldn't use one during a rifle season. Last year I was with a buddy who was archery hunting antelope in NM, and we used a variety of decoys to hide behind and try to approach, and never got very close using that tactic.

One more just to keep this awesome thread near the top. My boys followed up a great elk hunt with a great javelina hunt. Unit 23 youth, opening morning we found the pigs before we even had the big glass set up. A couple missed shots, and a couple of great off-hand shots and they were done by 9:30.

Bump. So far 100 views and only one reply. Is $550 too high?

As always, great footage, Jed. That's a great looking bull.

Nice! That took a set of big brass ones, and he earned my respect. Thanks for posting!

Thanks Jed. I think you know where I'll be concentrating my scouting efforts. I thought for sure I was on him last year with the muzzy, but, well you can imagine my surprise when that long crab-claw with nothing but beams and a short fork stepped out. I've got 3 or 4 bulls in mind this year I want to focus on, and you've got footage of at least two of them.