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1023's 2018-2019 Hunting Log

Why do you like the grim reapers so much. I have been sold on rage for several years now. No matter where a deer has been hit with them 🤔we always find the deer dead. Just curious your thoughts after all these years of using rage I pretty much have no idea what else is out there now.
 

bowhunter1023

Owner/Operator
Staff member
48,879
274
Appalachia
Why do you like the grim reapers so much. I have been sold on rage for several years now. No matter where a deer has been hit with them 🤔we always find the deer dead. Just curious your thoughts after all these years of using rage I pretty much have no idea what else is out there now.

Simple. Rage vs. Grim Reaper is Slit vs. Hole and I'll take a hole over a slit every time when the goal is blood loss.

I killed 6 deer with Rages. One was a 6.5 year old buck that is still the quickest, most deadly kill of my career. I also killed one that barely bled out of the two horizontal slits left by the Rage. I also have access to a bunch of evidence through this site that convinced me I needed a change, including @Jackalope's consistent stance that "anything mechanical can, and will fail".

I switched to Slick Tricks for a while, then started shooting the Montecs after experiencing better consistency with them during practice. But they are not that sharp IMO and they simply don't deliver enough damage. After losing a buck in 2016 (killed by a neighbor 24 hours later; necropsy revealed a shot that could have been deadly with a larger head) I went back to the drawing board. @JOHNROHIO suggested the Grim Reaper (which I shot way back when they launched the brand and didn't like) and after reviewing their new products, I was sold on the Whitetail Special Pros. Well built. Super sharp. Fly great. And deadly as hell with the size holes they leave. Only con that I see is that they're a mechanical, but I like their blade retention system better than others I've shot and 50+ practice shots at various angles, distances and target densities alleviated any fears I had of them not deploying.

I think I've killed deer with 10 different broadheads now and these are easily my favorites.
 

bowhunter1023

Owner/Operator
Staff member
48,879
274
Appalachia
This old boy wanted me to think long and hard about moving this morning. Looks just like my 2015 and 2017 bucks taken less than 100 yards from where he stands.

IMG_20180712_070503_236.jpg
 

bowhunter1023

Owner/Operator
Staff member
48,879
274
Appalachia
Saw the wide 8 this morning and he looks good with no velvet. His rack is dark and he still catches your attention without the added benefit of the velvet. Brought some corn and a camera home to try to get pics of him before we move. I may still make a move on him if he stays regular leading to opening weekend. Be a cool way to close out my time on this property!

Met up with one of the guys leasing the farm north and west of ours last weekend. He asked if I’d got anything done this year and I had to laugh. I’ve done the least amount of work on the farm that I’ve ever done in prep for the season. Ten years ago, I was prepping to hunt a Booner and had all much ducks in a row. Fast forward to 2018 and I’ve barely done anything to prepare other than shoot. In some ways, it’s a big relief and I have to think it might even be better hunting out there as a result. The entire farm is grown up and we’ve added a good 5-6 acres of cover and 5 acres of food since 2008. The white oaks are producing well, which is the first time I’ve been able to say that in several years. Overall, deer numbers are back to pre-2012 numbers, so it’s become a target rich environment again. If its in the cards this year, I’m going to kill a buck and finally get that buck-tag-monkey off my back out there!