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I was a few hours into my first place finish of the 2020 archery season when I noticed movement down the ridge near the crossing.
The 9-point pointer stopped to scan the area when it was to my left at almost eye level. The gathering lowered its head to continue the trail before I had to stop it to get a shot. He was just over 15 yards and just inside the quarter.
Quartered arrows are risky for the archer. There is little room for error. Aim near the shoulder and you risk hitting a bone that stops penetration. Aim too far and you risk hitting your liver or intestines. Both scenarios often lead to a lost deer.
I’ve always gone through this type of shot over the years, but I switched to a dart setup ahead of the 2020 deer season. I shot a heavier, stiffer dart with a 200-grain Broadhead – for moments like these; A close shot that would allow me to place the arrow where it needed to be based on the deer’s body position.
My aiming point for quarter shots is to focus on the desired exit using the far leg as a guide. This meant shooting at the entrance of this buck that was slightly in front of his shoulder. I settled the pin and released the dart which clipped it and buried it in the bank on the bank of the creek. He fell in seconds, less than 75 yards down the trail.
Nowadays, more and more hunters are using high-quality single and double widths. I am one of them, having switched from expandable heads.
I’m not here to tell you that single phase is better than double phase. But I’ve certainly come to trust single phases after killing 16 deer with them over the last four seasons.
More white coverage from outdoor news:
Eight things to know about Bachelor Group of Bucks that can aid you as a hunter
Three food sources for whitetail bowhunters should be looking for now in preparation for the September opener
A quick chat with Bowhunting Great Andy May about early season tactics
What is a single joint?
A single shank broadhead has a grind on one side of the blade and the other side is flat, creating a cutting edge. The double shank broadhead has a grind on both sides of the blade that meet to create a cutting-edge edge.
What attracts many to one phase is that it continues to rotate the dart during penetration. The double phase cuts straight (stops rotating) as it penetrates.
Single phases are equipped with a “right” or “left” phase. If your arrow is helical, get the correct Broadhead width. If you shoot a shovel with a left helical flute, take the left bevel.
Matching the bevel to the fluting of the arrow allows the broadside to continue to rotate through the cut, in the same direction the arrow rotated from the bow. Watch this video below to understand it well.
Accuracy
My single phase setup is the most correct setup I’ve ever shot.
I apply the term “configuration” because Broadhead accuracy is more than just Broadhead. It starts with a well-tuned bow and moves to the arrow.
“If anyone ever has trouble flying a Broadhead, it’s almost always either their arrow is too weak to the spine or their blade is too short,” Bailey Cloud, technical specialist with Will Outfitters irons, told me. “Those are the two main things I see.”
My current configuration is this:
• Arrows and blades: Victory rip tko shots in 300 spine, 3 inch X blades..
• Iron will be components and broad: 50-grain insertIN 10-grain impact collarIN 150-grain single wide stems with bleeding blades.
• Bow: BowTech Revolt X shot with a 62-pound drawing weight and a 28-inch draw length, with both front and rear stabilizers.
I describe these things in detail not to say that you have to shoot the same equipment, but to remember that these specifications create a “forgiving” setup if my form is not ideal in a hunting situation. I don’t care about gaining the maximum amount of pounds or doing things to gain great speed.
I have never been more confident in my Arrow flight and easily get a complete transition to whitetails on almost every shot.
bone, eliminating deflection
One thing often mentioned about single joints is their ability to split bones due to rotation by cutting.
The goal is to avoid a hefty bone. Wait for a shot you are comfortable with; Longer shots reduce your margin for error. The deer can move and the Broadhead has no magic.
The expansive majority of my white plane shots are within 20 yards. I had passes on a deer shot with a shovel and killed two bucks in which the wide head split the extreme humerus bone and penetrated the skin. These were close shots that led to quick kills.
I’ve never hit the joint or humerus bone on the front shoulder, so I can’t attest to the Broadhead’s ability to penetrate that area. I’m not a perfect shot, but I really am Understanding deer anatomy It’s helpful to avoid hitting the thickest bones while still making shots that lead to quick kills.
Where single bevels shine for me is their ability to eliminate sag. I will sew my own deer and carefully examine each one. Too many times when using expandable wide heads there were clear examples of arrow deflection, even on quick kills.
What if my shot placement was a little off? This frustrated me. The single bevels worked great at eliminating this deflection.
Blood stains and tissue damage
No Broadhead will automatically create great blood trails.
Shot placement matters, and marginal hits can lead to marginal or non-existent blood trails. If you get a pass after taking a wide group through a kill zone where the main arteries exist near the heart and lungs, you will likely get an uncomplicated attack trail.
That said, I’ve had some great blood trails when using bleed blades with a wide single, and I think it has to do with two things. First, single phasics cause incredible tissue damage. When examining the whites, they open their eyes during the butchering process.
I believe this has saved me several times after marginal hits where the deer still died quickly due to the huge wound channel. Watch the video below for an example from last deer season.
Bleeding blades aid create huge entry and exit holes. It doesn’t hurt because it involves creating blood pathways.
Cutting-edge, careful, final thoughts
The only thing that is a bit of a concern given my experience with single bevels is that sometimes there is some damage to the cutting edge edge of the blade after the shot. It wasn’t a consistent problem, but I saw it.
I often wonder when injuries occur. If it’s after the blade breaks through the back humerus, or when it digs into the ground and catches a rock or sand… well, at that point the Broadhead has done its job. This didn’t bother me enough to change because the times I saw the blade edge chatter the deer still died quickly.
I was able to transform almost all of the blades and bring them back to pointed hunting. It’s crucial to remember this purchase: these wide heads are often exorbitant, but you can reuse them with a little care.
Last season I shot a Three Deer with the same Broadhead, spending 15 minutes going back to the Razor Sharp, using Precisely adjust elite firing with pointed operation. I will be using the same Broadhead again this fall.
Accuracy, great penetration, ability to cause incredible tissue damage and eliminate sagging – these features have made me a large believer in single phases.
