Ashby on the Meateater podcast.

[Stoof]

Arrogant is not my impression. Confident for sure. But I’m not shooting a water buffalo or hippo in my lifetime. It’s just information.

[NCTx Dude]

Arrogant is not my impression. Confident for sure. But I’m not shooting a water buffalo or hippo in my lifetime. It’s just information.

Yeah I too was thinking confident due to decades of testing and data collection

[txtrophy85]

I did not think he was arrogant either in the podcast. He came off as very certain, but not in a offputting way.

I don’t disagree with his theories/findings, and his example of pushing an arrow thru a hide as a indicator of broadhead effectiveness certainly makes sense, I just don’t believe his methods are the only way to be effective on deer/elk size game.

It was certainly worth a listen

[diamond10x]

I did not think he was arrogant either in the podcast. He came off as very certain, but not in a offputting way.

I don’t disagree with his theories/findings, and his example of pushing an arrow thru a hide as a indicator of broadhead effectiveness certainly makes sense, I just don’t believe his methods are the only way to be effective on deer/elk size game.

It was certainly worth a listen

If you take the weight of an arrow out of the discussion, every point Ashby makes for better arrow penetration, nobody can argue with it. It’s what cracks me up about so many that scoff at his findings and ideas. If they actually took the time to read and listen to his findings with an open mind and not the attitude they’re the smartest guy in the room they would learn a thing or two. I mean heck the episode was chocked full of little tidbits like how to get your broadhead blades incredibly sharp (for increased penetration).

Confident yes, very. I would be too after killing 2 rhinos and studying this stuff as much as he has. Arrogant, did not come across that way at all in my opinion.

[Tom]

If you take the weight of an arrow out of the discussion, every point Ashby makes for better arrow penetration, nobody can argue with it. It’s what cracks me up about so many that scoff at his findings and ideas. If they actually took the time to read and listen to his findings with an open mind and not the attitude they’re the smartest guy in the room they would learn a thing or two. I mean heck the episode was chocked full of little tidbits like how to get your broadhead blades incredibly sharp (for increased penetration).

Confident yes, very. I would be too after killing 2 rhinos and studying this stuff as much as he has. Arrogant, did not come across that way at all in my opinion.

agree 100%. Not to mention that he is not commenting from the sidelines. He did his own research....he comments on his findings. He also mentions a dozen times that there is more work to be done. all good for me.

[DaveC]

I enjoyed the listen and had me taking a trip down memory lane of hunts gone by, and how they might have played out different.

[Miller]

So Ashby has stated that he didn't shoot farther than 30 yards. I think that is where a big part of the "problem" comes in.

If you were going to Africa and going to hunt at a water hole and hunt some of their bigger game, sure use a heavy FOC arrow. You are probably shooting under 30 yards. With that said I am sure we could fill this page up with pictures of African animals that were successfully killed with 450 grain or less arrows if we want to go that route.

For those that hunt out west and shoot over 30 yards that heavy FOC arrow may not make as much since. There is just a lot more that comes into play. You have take into account where a fixed blade will hit at 60-80 yards as opposed to mechanical that might be more accurate, getting accurate ranges on the fly, arrow drop, etc.

If you are only hunting here in Texas and shooting under 30 yards from what we see if you loose an animal penetration is not the problem 99% of the time. Whenever we have to track an animal it had to do with shot placement. It is usually hit too far back and the arrow is hard to find a lot of times, since it passed through and kept going... or it was hit at a bad angle and you only get one lung. There is the occasional high shoulder shot, and those deer usually live.

For myself I like an arrow right around 500 grains and then decide if I should use a mechanical or fixed blade...depending on what I am hunting or what kind of shot I am expecting.

[diamond10x]

So Ashby has stated that he didn't shoot farther than 30 yards. I think that is where a big part of the "problem" comes in.

If you were going to Africa and going to hunt at a water hole and hunt some of their bigger game, sure use a heavy FOC arrow. You are probably shooting under 30 yards. With that said I am sure we could fill this page up with pictures of African animals that were successfully killed with 450 grain or less arrows if we want to go that route.

For those that hunt out west and shoot over 30 yards that heavy FOC arrow may not make as much since. There is just a lot more that comes into play. You have take into account where a fixed blade will hit at 60-80 yards as opposed to mechanical that might be more accurate, getting accurate ranges on the fly, arrow drop, etc.

If you are only hunting here in Texas and shooting under 30 yards from what we see if you loose an animal penetration is not the problem 99% of the time. Whenever we have to track an animal it had to do with shot placement. It is usually hit too far back and the arrow is hard to find a lot of times, since it passed through and kept going... or it was hit at a bad angle and you only get one lung. There is the occasional high shoulder shot, and those deer usually live.

For myself I like an arrow right around 500 grains and then decide if I should use a mechanical or fixed blade...depending on what I am hunting or what kind of shot I am expecting.

I would say the problem is people have a hard time being challenged when they have just had one train of thought their whole life. The industry has promoted light and fast everything for quite sometime. Most shooters these days, myself included have never heard anything different than that. This is where the rub or problem comes in in my opinion.

I’m with you on 500gr. I strive for the 500-525 range. I’m not interested in going heavier because at that weight I know I can take a shot at about any angle with a good fixed head on most North American game. Like I said a few post above, if you take the arrow weight out of the conversation, there’s really nothing anyone can disagree with.

[enewman]

Arrogant is not my impression. Confident for sure. But I’m not shooting a water buffalo or hippo in my lifetime. It’s just information.

I not saying its bad, haha

Sometimes arrogant and confident ride a very tight line.

[enewman]

If you take the weight of an arrow out of the discussion, every point Ashby makes for better arrow penetration, nobody can argue with it. It’s what cracks me up about so many that scoff at his findings and ideas. If they actually took the time to read and listen to his findings with an open mind and not the attitude they’re the smartest guy in the room they would learn a thing or two. I mean heck the episode was chocked full of little tidbits like how to get your broadhead blades incredibly sharp (for increased penetration).

Confident yes, very. I would be too after killing 2 rhinos and studying this stuff as much as he has. Arrogant, did not come across that way at all in my opinion.

I have taken the time to read. I have broken down his study. I have spent a day at his house with him. His data is good data for low energy bows. His data is not good for compound bows. There is a lot to it. people just need to read.

The problem is how bad the heavy arrow people haven't gotten. I know I was on that train. When you start looking at physics it's easy to understand some of his tests are wrong. Not wrong outcome, but wrong on how he did it.

But when you come out and tell people you need a 650gr arrow to hunt whitetail deer. Someone is being arrogant. That is not confidence, that is ludicrous.

[txtrophy85]

he kept mentioning the devastation of a single bevel head to internal organs. I've only cleaned a few animals that were shot with a fixed blade head but the internal damage was far less than a 3 blade mechanical.

[skeeter]

Single bevel devastation also refers to bone damage. A single bevel BH will act like a drill bit, continuing to rotate thru the obstruction breaking bone vs a double bevel that stops its rotation once it hits a mass.

[skeeter]

Again, most of ashbys research deals with big, tough animals and marginal shots.

Perfectly placed shots on thin skinned, smaller animals dont neccesarily factor into the equation. The big "what if" is when you make a poor shot on a big animal. What is the outcome? What are your odds of recovery using a heavy arrow vs light arrows?

[enewman]

Again, most of ashbys research deals with big, tough animals and marginal shots.

Perfectly placed shots on thin skinned, smaller animals dont neccesarily factor into the equation. The big "what if" is when you make a poor shot on a big animal. What is the outcome? What are your odds of recovery using a heavy arrow vs light arrows?

There is a lot of what-ifs in archery.

[skeeter]

There is a lot of what-ifs in archery.

Absolutely. With so many factors, wouldnt you want to do everything to increase your odds?