Any time spent on social media and you will quickly see hunters are not without very strong opinions…too strong in many cases (although that sounds like a strong opinion right there!). Such is the case with the optimal broad head to use for hunting big game.
To be completely upfront, I’m a fairly old school type hunter, and I don’t get overly caught up in needing the latest and greatest gadget needed to enjoy my hunt. In nearly 20 years of bow hunting I have owned 3 bows. Currently, I shoot a Bear Legion that I purchased about 4 years ago, and even on that bow, I used many of the accessories from the bow I had previously. You can call me cheap, you can say I don’t deviate from something I like, or you can say I am just too lazy to keep up with the rapid changes of a billion dollar industry. All are probable true to an extent.
When I first began bow hunting there were not as many choices of products and even fewer places those products could be purchased. Making a selection on a broad head was more of an afterthought, and I really just wanted something I could find dependably without regard to where I was located; anything I could pick up at Academy or Wal-mart seemed to be the best option. The broad head I chose was a Thunderhead 125 gr. and that is what I used for a good number of years. A change was made to switch to a 100 gr. to lighten up some, but other than that, nothing much changed for a good long time.
Within the last couple seasons my interest was piqued by the outrageous pictures I saw on social media sites of the devastation caused by mechanical broad heads, but any time a decision was about to be reached to make the switch the same social media pages would yield a story of how the mechanical broad head malfunctioned leaving some poor hunter heartbroken as his prized game ran off wounded, but not fatally.
To be honest, I purchased the Rage X-Treme 2 Blade and kept it in my case for months. I even put it on an arrow, but always took a reliable fixed broad head along as my go-to. The thought of broad head malfunction always kept me away from using my new, fairly expensive, toy.
The opportunity did present itself though! On a hot afternoon during the 2016-2017 deer season, a friend and I rounded a corner to catch a male javelina cleaning up the last of corn under a feeder. Unarmed, we drove off and made our way back to camp. My hunting partner had packed up his gear and was about to head home while I was planning on staying for the rest of the week, and as he drove off, I began to wonder if that javelina would still be hanging around that feeder. Within minutes I was grabbing my bow and off to go check.
With no javelina at the feeder I figured the chance had passed, but decided to spin the feeder just in case he was still within earshot, and wouldn’t you know it, after about 5 minutes, sheepishly appearing from the brushline was the same guy.
What a great opportunity to try to the Rage! I grabbed the arrow with the X-Treme 2 blade loaded up and began to slowly and quietly stalk my way toward the collared peccary.
For those that don’t know, these animals are not known for their great eyesight. They can smell and hear, but walking quietly with little cover can often times allow the hunter to get within bow range. One thing to keep in mind is that these same creatures can make a run at you when wounded, and trust me, you do not want any part of those teeth!
Eventually, I got within 20 yards, drew, and let the arrow fly. For an animal not known for being overly cunning, they are quite fast and he nearly jumped the string. The arrow hit slightly high, but it was obvious he was hit hard and without a doubt the shot would prove fatal.
The entire stalk can be seen here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DaOx4nKZJ-I
It was not until final inspection did I see the damage inflicted by the Rage X-Treme 2 Blade. It was impressive to say the least. The exit wound and entry wound looked identical which resulted in a 2″ gaping hole that ran all the way through the game.
This was a wound I had not experienced with my old trusty fixed broad head, and now I was confident enough to try it on any large game animal. That opportunity would present itself just days later and would result in an even more impressive outcome; the details of which will be in the next blog, and trust me, you’ll want to see the result!
Without a doubt, the Rage X-Treme 2 Blade is the broad head of choice for this hunter. It flies like a field tip and when it hits it unleashes a sick amount a fury. If you are like most, once the arrow is sent on its way, you want a quick kill with an easy blood trail. I’ve never seen anything like the Rage X-Treme 2 Blade in either category.
So why all the negative press about mechanical malfunctions? Clearly some must be attributed to the broad head, but what I did to minimize issues was watch every video I could on using them correctly. This is not rocket science, but I did learn a few things from some of the videos that I didn’t know prior to watching. My suggestion is you do the same…or ask me, and I’ll do all I can to help!
The Rage X-Treme 2 Blade is one bad broad head. Pick up a box and give them a try. If you have luck, shoot me a pic with your story. I would love to see how well it works for you.
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