10 Off-Season Hunts for Bowhunters

February 02, 2012 By Patrick Meitin

For most bowhunters, whitetails occupy our thoughts and dreams. For many others, it's elk and mule deer. The problem is such seasons occupy relatively little space on our calendar. For hardcore bowhunters, a couple months of hunting a year really doesn't provide the continued fix needed to keep us sane. I'm not referring to small game and bowfishing and 3-D, which are obvious avenues to keep the bowhunting flame burning bright, but by God, big-deal stuff -- bowhunts that keep us awake at night scheming and planning. For those I offer these 10 off-season hunts for bowhunters:

3Rivers Woodsman Blood Grove

3Rivers Archery has a new 125-grain broadhead called the Woodsman Blood Groove ($60/3 pack) that is perfect for traditional bowhunters. It is a cut-on-contact, non-vented broadhead that has a groove down the center of the blade. This beefy head is built to bring down white- tails and large big game animals. The blade of the Blood Groove is 1 3„4" long and offers a 1 1/8'' cutting diameter. If you prefer a lightweight traditional head you'll be happy with the Blood Groove.

Allen Beartooth

The Allen Company has a tough new fixed-blade broadhead called the Beartooth ($25/3 pack). This head is built with metal injection molding technology so you won't have to worry about the blades ever letting you down. The blades on the Beartooth are precision sharpened and can be resharpened. Each Beartooth is spin-tested before it leaves the factory for extreme accuracy. The Beartooth is available in 100 grains.

Clean-Shot Spot-On Hollow Point

Clean-Shot Archery burst onto the scene last year with a broadhead that contained a laser in the tip. This year they're offering the Spot-On Hollow Point ($44/3 pack) broadhead. The tip of the broadhead is a hollow point similar to what you'd find in a bullet. Upon impact, the tip creates a .25-caliber hole that clears the way for the blades, resulting in more penetration and less friction. The three-blade broadhead has a 11„4" cutting diameter and is available in 100, 125, and 150 grains.

G5 Havoc

G5 Outdoors has added another mechanical broadhead to their lineup this year — the Havoc ($45/3 pack). This two-blade head comes with the Posi-Lock blade retention system that keeps the blades closed in fight, eliminating the need for problematic O-rings or rubber bands. The Havoc features extra sharp, Swiss steel Lutz blades, a generous 2" cutting diameter, and is avail- able in 100 and 125 grains. A new blade cartridge system allows you to quickly change blades. It comes with a practice head and will be available this August.

Grim Reaper Mathews Edition

Grim Reaper has teamed up with Mathews to produce an exclusive broadhead. The Mathews Edition Grim Reaper ($37.99/3 pack) has a bright gold ferrule to match the Mathews logo, a cut-on-contact RazorCut tip to increase penetration, and a 2" cutting diameter. This three-blade broadhead is available in 100 grains, and a 13„8" cut diameter version is also available.

Innerloc Claw

Innerloc makes a great small game head called the Claw ($41/3 pack). The Claw is a small device resembling the talons of a bird of prey that sits behind the Innerloc Falcon broadhead. When the Claw hits a small game animal, it instantly starts ripping apart flesh and delivers an enormous amount of shock.

Magnus Stinger Killer Bee

Magnus has a new broadhead called the Stinger Killer Bee that should perform well out of today's high-speed compounds. The Killer Bee was tested at speeds of 365 fps and reportedly few great. The head is made of knife-grade stainless steel, has an extra tough diamond tip, and the ferrule is made of aircratf aluminum. The Killer Bee is available in two-blade ($29.99/3 pack) and four-blade ($34.99/3 pack) versions, both in 100 and 125 grains.

Muzzy DX-3

Muzzy also has a new compact broadhead called the DX-3 ($30/3 pack), designed especially for

Muzzy Eichler Phantom

Muzzy has teamed up with traditional archery expert Fred Eichler to create the Fred Eichler Signature Series Phantom ($45/3 pack) broadhead. The four blades of this cut-on-contact head are extremely long, providing the sloping angle and additional cutting surface traditional, and even compound, shooters hunting large game demand. It has a 11„8" cutting diameter with 1" bleeder blades. The four- blade model is 150 grains. A 125-grain, two-blade model is also available.

NAP Big Nasty

New Archery Products and Easton Archery have joined forces to develop several broadheads designed for Easton's new microdiameter Injexion shafts and unique Deep Six Insert system. One of these new broadheads in particular — the Big Nasty ($40/3 pack) — caught my eye. The ferrule of this one-piece, cut-on-contact broadhead slides over the shaft of the arrow, creating extreme strength and perfect broadhead alignment. The Big Nasty's three all-steel blades have a 11„8" cutting diameter.

NAP Killzone

If you prefer mechanical heads, check out NAP's new Killzone ($40/3 pack). This rear-deploying broadhead, with its 2" cutting diameter, employs a new technology that opens the blades in unison to eliminate any chance of defection upon impact. The blades are placed further back on the ferrule, and there are no O-rings or rubber bands. In addition, the blades are NAP Diamized, making them extremely sharp. The Killzone weighs 100 grains and there are two tip options — cut-on-contact and Trophy Tip — or choose the Deep Six compatible model. Other Deep Six heads worth a look are the Tunderhead Razor, Spitfre Maxx, and the Bloodrunner.

QAD Exodus

Introduced last year, QAD has beefed up the blades of their Exodus ($40/3pack) for 2012 to an astounding thickness of .040". The Exodus features their B.O.S. (Blade Over Shaft) Technology, which means the blades sweep back over the shaft of the arrow. This head has a short cut-on-contact tip that blows through bone and flesh and the compact, swept-back blade design results in field- point accuracy even at long ranges. The Exodus is made of heat-treated stainless steel and has a 11„4" cutting diameter.

Rage Chisel Tip

The standard Rage broadhead is also now available with a Helix-Cut chisel point. Easily recognized by their red- anodized ferrules, the new Rage Chisel Tips ($44.99/3 pack) break through bone and cut a wide path through any size game animal. The heads are available in 2-Blade (2" cut, 100 and 125 grains) and 3-Blade (11„2" cut, 100 grains).

Rage X-Treme

The Rage broadhead is extremely popular in part because it creates amazing blood trails. For 2012, they are anticipating even better blood trails from the new Rage X-Treme ($50/3 pack). Designed for bowhunters shooting at least 60 lbs., the X- Treme has an amazing 2.3" cutting diameter. It has an extra-sharp leading blade, a single bevel main blade, and a brand new shock collar for better blade retention.

Sanford ExpanDead

In years past, Sanford Innovations' ExpanDead ($44/3 pack) was hard to get your hands on. According to company owner Chris Sanford, this year will be different. What makes this broadhead so unique is its Lock-Arm Technology, a mechanism within the broadhead that ensures the blades open. Once they are open, they are locked into position. This also means you can shoot this broad- head either as an expandable or a fixed- blade head. The ExpanDead weighs 100 grains and has a 11„2" cutting diameter.

Slick Trick VIPERTRICK

Slick Trick raises the bar every year by building subcompact broadheads that fly true and cut large holes. For 2012, they brought the VIPERTRICK ($30/3 pack) to the market. It comes with four-blade SLUG HOLES that create a devastating wound channel and copious blood trails. The head has a two-edge tip that is strong and effective at initiating penetration. The replaceable Lutz knife blades can be resharpened. This 100-grain broadhead has a 11„16" cutting diameter.

Smoke Ramcat

Smoke Broadheads has made several improvements to their Ramcat ($35/3 pack) for 2012. For starters, it comes with an O-ring for better shelf clearance. It has left-handed screws to lock the blades in the loaded position, and deep lobes on the Hydroshock Self- Centering Chisel Tip make for better aerodynamics and arrow fight. Those lobes also create a hydrofoil after penetrating the animal, enhancing penetration. The offset blades are sharp on the front and back edges so the head cuts even if the arrow starts to back out of the animal. The Ramcat is available in 100 and 125-grain models and has a 13„8" cutting diameter.

Trophy Taker Edge

If you're a mechanical broadhead fan or are considering trying a mechanical head, check out the new Edge ($45/3 pack) from Trophy Taker. This head has features found nowhere else, including a blade-retention system that prevents the blades from deploying in the quiver or in fight. The head can also be locked in the closed position so you can practice without destroying the blades. This 11„2" cut broadhead features a stainless-steel tip and a low-profile design that will easily emulate the fight of your field- points.

Vantage Point Archery Penetrator

Vantage Point Archery entered the broadhead market last year with a lineup of broadheads that were CNC-machined from one piece of steel, resulting in superior strength. For 2012, they have the new Penetrator ($45/3 pack), a compact two-blade broadhead machined from one piece of carbon steel. It's heat treated to 50 Rockwell for added strength and is double-bevel sharpened. The Penetrator, available in 150, 175, 200, 250 and 300 grains, is a good choice for traditional archers looking for an extra heavy broadhead.

Wasp Queen

The number of female bowhunters is on the rise, and so is the number of companies making products just for them. For 2012, Wasp Archery has the new Queen ($33/3 pack) broadhead designed especially for women. The Queen is a compact three-blade conventional head with a tough stainless smart tip for busting bone. The Queen tips the scales at 75 grains, which is just right for women who draw 55 lbs. or less. The Queen has a pink ferrule and a 1" cutting diameter.

Wasp Z-force

Wasp Archery has a phenomenal new three-blade mechanical broadhead called the Z-Force ($40/3 pack). At the heart of this broadhead is a ball- bearing system that ensures proper blade deployment with every shot. The Z-Force has stainless-steel blades, a unique blade retainer, and a solid steel ferrule. The head has a large 15„8" cut- ting diameter and is available in 100 grains.