Broadheads That "Fly Like A Field Point"

Darien TenBoer, Greybull, Wyoming: "I realize there are a lot of new styles and designs of fixed blade broadheads on the market, each claiming to have their own version of broadhead that "flies like a field point." Is there any report or documentation out there to see which of these manufacturers' broadheads actually do fly the best? I'm wondering because it's not possible to purchase all of these to do the testing myself."

This is one of those cases where we all tend to make things more difficult than they need to be. Virtually all of the broadheads on the market these days are built uniformly, symmetrically, balanced and consistent. Any such broadhead will fly well when shot from a well-tuned bow. If your bow is not finely tuned any broadhead will negatively impact arrow flight because you're basically attaching wings to the front of the arrow. The larger the profile and weight of the broadhead the more that impact will be. That's why mechanical broadheads are said to "fly like a field point." The newest trend in broadheads is short ferrules and blades with a cut of only 1 inch or slightly more. That's because such heads are low-profile and will fly very well without the concern over blade deployment as in mechanicals. In other words, if you screw on a Rocky Mountain Ironhead 100 it will fly much better than a 170-grain Zwickey Black Diamond. If your bow is perfectly tuned both will fly well, however it has to be closer to perfect for the Zwickey to fly like a field point.

I'm always skeptical when someone tells me they couldn't get a particular broadhead to fly at all. That tells me their bow is not tuned correctly or the offending broadhead is too heavy or too light which affects arrow spine and ultimately flight. If it's a quality, well-built head, and most are, it should fly perfectly from a tuned bow with correctly spined arrows.

I look first at blade sharpness. Not all broadheads are as sharp as others and some use soft metal that allows the edge to roll when it hits bone. I prefer stainless or titanium construction and a strong tip on the ferrule. I've been shooting Barrie Archery Ti-100 heads for several years and they've never let me down. Larry D. Jones uses the Ironheads out of his recurve and has killed huge moose and kudu. Obviously, placement is the key to everything but you buy a broadhead based on what it can do for you when the shot isn't perfect. They'll all perform well on a great shot.

I don't know of an objective list of broadhead tests that prove one head flies better than another. Some Internet websites have guys doing tests but they are often far from scientific in that they shoot heads into tires, planks, barrels and so forth. It simply isn't possible to accurately simulate shooting an animal so it's all speculative. That said, good flight is crucial, as you know.

That's the long way of saying, choose a broadhead such as the various models made by Barrie, New Archery Products, Wasp, Slick Trick and others of the same design and you can expect them to "fly like a field point" if you have your bow tuned well. Let me put it another way. If you attach a Barrie Ironhead 100, for example, to your arrows and it doesn't fly well, something is wrong with your bow and arrow set-up not the broadhead. Good arrow flight will help you in building confidence in one head, then stick with it. Good luck.

What Can We Do To Attract Deer?

J.R., Arkadelphia, Arkansas: "We own about 400 wooded acres surrounded by soybeans. That sounds ideal, but deer don't use our land much. What can we do to attract deer and keep them on our land? Would food plots help?"

Your land probably lacks a cover component. Deer need thermal cover and refuge. I suggest you try two options: either plant conifers (pine, spruce, fir, hemlock), or create small clearcuts of, say, five acres. Clearcuts will open up the forest canopy, allowing sunlight to reach the forest floor. Seed sources that haven't had a chance to grow because of the 100-percent canopy will naturally sprout, creating a fantastic area full of food and cover. These areas will maximize deer numbers up until the tenth year, then they will gradually decline.