THE 90% RULE- How I look at Arrow & Broadhead Choice

Throughout this video series on Truth About Arrows I have tried to give you logical things to consider when choosing your bow & arrow combination. In this segment I talk about the 90% RULE that I use mentally for considering Broadheads, Shot Angle and Arrow Choice. There will always be a debate about types of projectiles and the variations of options. I go with what has proven to work time and time again for me. This video gives you something to think about when making your choices. Everyone has a different viewpoint on many of these topics, I ask that you keep an open mind and think through these topics instead of just simply not knowing about the pros and cons. In the end a well placed arrow eliminates either side of the arguments about broad heads and my goal is for everyone to choose the option that lets them hit the middle- the soft spot! Don't neglect practice or whatever gear choice makes you shoot the best groups!

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[brokenarrow]

I agree shot placement is the most important thing. I hunt whitetails mostly from a tree stand and i prefer a entry and exit hole. I easily blow through them with a 1.75" mechanical.

[caseyhille]

JD always makes me smile. This guy just shot sub 1MOA with a bow from 80 yards. I think he can use any broadhead he wants and find success 😅

[Sean-pwyr]

Interesting perspective. I was hunting elk last year and called in a massive big old bull. At 34 yards shooting a 80lb bow with a 31.5” draw he dropped and spun on the shot and put his shoulder in-between him and the arrow. If I was shooting a mechanical I would have lost a bull of a lifetime, my iron will penetrated through the should and into the lungs, he died within 300 yards. Mechanicals are great when they hit the right spot and function. I choose fixed because I want the extra 10% ha.

[bigz]

That group at 77 is unreal! Your school of knock playlist really helped me shoot more consistent groups, still have to work to do though

A surgical sharp cut on contact broadhead will cause more trauma than a giant cheap metal mechanical. A full pass through will cause the animal to die faster. We should be hunting to kill, not to wound. Yes the hatchet will do more blunt force damage but that’s not how arrows kill

[km]

ive smacked the elk humerus at 46 yards broadside and had no problem breaking it with a 650 grain and single bevel and 63 pounds and 30 inch draw. I prefer less trauma. The first arrow went all the way through on a quartering to and exited the rear ham. It didn't hit any bone and she just stood there. On the second shot, when i hit the bone the real trauma happened and she freaked out and sprinted down the hill and tripped over a brush pile then died shortly after. Had she not tripped, she may have been a half mile away. Less trauma in the head with a vital shot is way better than high trauma in the head and it runs frantically off until it falls over which could be quick or it could be a lot longer.

[sojddew]

This has been a great series John. The increased drop from the heavier arrow is expected and undeniable. What I would like to see, and what I think really matters, is what happens if you misjudge the yardage in a real world hunting scenario, how much additionally do you miss by with each heavier arrow? For example, shoot your 4 different arrow weights again with your sight set for 48 (correct tape for each arrow weight) but have the target at 52. If you hit 1” low with the 415gr arrow and 8” low with the 680gr arrow, that’s significant. If it’s 1” low with the 415gr arrow and 4” low with the 680gr arrow, the heavier arrow isn’t as disadvantageous as the total drop would indicate. Thoughts?

[kevinanderson]

Regardless of what side of the fence we’re all on we owe it to the game we hunt to be as accurate and as lethal as possible for a clean ethical kill. We must tune our bows, practice and take ethical shots for our set up. From personal experience I say shoot your broad heads to make sure they group with your field points, if not keep tuning and practicing until they do. When a bh company says they fly like your field points, they mean out of a tuned bow.

[davidholliday]

Thanks John but I beg to differ a little. Your one of the best there is and you get a lot of hunting opportunities. The average hunter has limited days in the field and limited opportunities. Can't sit and wait for a broadside shot. Frontal especially for a bull elk who will come in for a fight is not off the table as they ain't coming in sideways. A heavier setup with a sharp single bevel broadhead can and does go clean through. Two holes always better. Most expandable heads are not surgically sharp. Average guys who are the majority need to maximize our very limited opportunities. We just are not as good as you. You are one of a few guys of your caliber that is trying to help.Thank you.

[williamstewart]

I second "caseyhille8293" comments below. 1MOA with a bow is OUTSTANDING! It's even hard to do with a rifle setup on a good day. Keep going John Dudley and thank you for putting together these video.

[Jimbowiejr]

Everybody has an opinion, staying with iron will 125. Mechanical have failed to many times. Pass through is a must for me, just saying.

[Matt_hasshots]

So from the information given he is for a heavy arrow system he said he's shooting 500+ grains above 70# draw weight that is a heavy setup... id say that does aid in mechanical heads being a lil more effective

[jeffmichel]

Consider this massive detail .

You’re wrong about preferring the arrow to stay in the wound channel. paramedics, EMTs, and first responders are trained that any penetrating wound with a foreign object in it to leave the foreign object in and stabilize whatever is left outside of the wound, because massive hemorrhaging will happen when it is removed. when the object is in the wound channel it is slowing blood loss and preventing the massive drop in blood pressure.

[youngin]

Yep, this is a GREAT common sense explanation to the heavy arrow/fixed head fad that’s getting popular. No arrow, nor even most hunting bullets fare well hitting those huge shoulder/leg bones at extreme angles. To each their own, shoot what you want, but hit em in the vitals. Accuracy wins every time.

[browning]

Great groups! Thanks for the input JD but Give me pass thrus for my style of hunting all day so I can be home eating back straps with the family by night. . I mainly hunt from a tree saddle at elevation. I only shoot 60 lb from the saddle for ease of draw and execution while swinging from trees. For my style of hunting in my region, its cut on contact around 500 grains to get that paint roller blood trail coming from the exit wound on the lower quarter of the opposite side of the animal. With a COC, bring on the scapula on these smaller southern deer, not that I'm aiming for it but it does happen. I also encounter wild hogs in my neck of the woods occasionally. They give a hefty grunt and hit the thicket with mechs into their shield with extemely difficult vital area (golden triangle). In my experience, mechs make for long nights in the river botooms because these animals in high pressured MS don't hold still very long and perfect 12 rings don't always happen in my experiences. I need blood everywhere in the wet forest floor to make sure I get a quick recovery. Also, the animals react differently when a clean pass thru is achieved. Like Forrest said in the movie: it's like the animal thinks "something just jumped up and bit me"! 😂😂. I've witnessed them bound about 40 yd and just stand there literally dead on their feet until collapse. With mechs, they react like theyve been slapped on the rump with a hearty HA-YAH and they bolt off in a wild sprint. Our regions and hunting styles differ and we must figure out what works best for us as individuals and respect one anothers styles and choices.

[kodiakfisher]

I find myself in absolute agreement with most things from you Mr. Dudley. I am hunting Roosevelt elk in steep brushy terrain on the coast range. In a few spots we are likely to see an elk die within sight but most of the time they are going to disappear into reprod or thick brush. Following tracks can often be impossible. I believe exit holes for blood trailing are key to recovery. I will agree that expandable broad head you are using by all reviews is pretty impressive. Using your 90% analogy I am probably in that small group of 10% of all elk hunters. Thank you for all of your content.

[joelgraber]

So if a heavy/fixed blade combo is better for low poundage setups then that tells me in terms of efficiency it’s a better arrow, and thusly only gets more deadly when you add poundage to the equation, and by so doing those heavy bone areas don’t have to be avoided as much and that ups the options as far as shot angles you are able to take ethically. And by heavy I mean 450-550grains taw. Not talking 600-insanity!! 😂

[kevinanderson]

JD you’re one of the best. I’m willing to say most couldn’t shoot that group at 77 yards. I wish everyone who picked up a bow including myself was as consistent as you are. I’m a 27 1/2/60 set up. I shoot fixed blade for when I don’t hit exactly where I want to. I figure on a marginal shot, 2 holes have to be better than one. My arrow is around 550 grains, which most consider to be on the heavy side.

[marksamluk]

Structural integrity thicker blades I would consider expandables shot placement is Also a big factor.

[tannergreen]

Agree with everything you say here. Shot placement is everything and if you can’t hit your mark it doesn’t matter what you shoot. But I also know about Murphy’s law and anything that can happen will happen eventually. I also know an animal can react and change the shot placement. That’s why I like fixed heads. Shot mechanicals for a long time and had no problems with them. But I’ve had great success with single bevel fixed heads and have had the same success because of shot placement. And like I said to begin with that’s all that matters anyways

[gigharborfishinclub]

A 539 grain arrow is not what i see most mechanical shooters using. You snuck into heavy. I certainly wouldn’t compare most of the mechanical heads to a hatchet either unless your hatchet is made of cheap Chinese steel and folds up like a cheap lawn chair if it hits anything more dense than jello. You’re a great shooter John and avoiding bone should be everyone’s goal. Lots of us choose more substantial heads (or go back to them) after witnessing substantial expandable failures. If you’ve never had one fail and you have confidence by all means use what you think is best. But planning to execute a perfect shot every time with no margin for error or contingency plan is not on my list of ethics. Any broadhead or arrow combination does not excuse poor shot selection or passing a bad shot because it’s too risky. YMMV