THE 90% RULE – How To Look at Arrow & Broadhead Choice —
John Dudley, of Nock On Archery, recently posted a YouTube video telling viewers about how he looks at arrow and broadhead choice, and why he guides his choices by “The 90% Rule”. Dudley says that archers will have the broadhead debate for a lifetime, and explains that there is a contingency of archers who choose small-cut fixed-blade broadhead and are only seeking passthroughs, not concerned with trauma.
“Do I like passthroughs? Yes. It’s nice from an elevated position to have blood right away,” Dudley said. “For me; a large cut expandable, inside the [golden triangle], that is the broadhead that I want, and I’m not worried if it passes through.”
Dudley explains that what he really thinks about: is the trauma going to be fatal? As trauma is what has added to his success as a bowhunter. Using a 3D Elk target as an example, Dudley points out the “golden triangle” – the area of lungs/heart/vitals in which he aims for to cause maximum trauma.
When an arrow hits anywhere in the golden triangle and it’s issuing wide-cut trauma, it takes longer to clot, longer to seal up, and I’ve had tremendous success with that,” Dudley said. “Even if the arrow doesn’t pass through, I actually love the arrow to stop or break the offside shoulder/leg…if you hit a lung, and that lung cavity has [your embedded arrow] clogging the hole, the internal bleeding and pressure can theoretically stop their heart.”
Dudley continues by explaining the 90-10 rule that he preaches to archers: “In regards to the really heavy arrow shooters and those who are really worried about bone – 90% [of shots on an elk] are not fatal, even if I hit it [no matter the set up],” Dudley said. “I’m not sweating the details of the 90%, I’m being 100% confident in the 10% – You have a large amount of area that most arrows and most modern compound equipment are more than adequate for.”
Within the contingency of archers who choose small-cut fixed-blade broadhead and are only seeking passthroughs, Dudley explains that many of them say they want to be able to shoot through bone – a task that can be nearly impossible with the thick, dense bones of some big game.
I have seen bullets get stopped by the bones on an elk and moose, so the last thing I want to do is build an arrow and tailor my entire set up around the possibility of a low-percentage impact,” Dudley said. “Think about this in regards to how extreme you go with your [heavy] arrow weight and broadhead choice only based on bone matter; it’s a very small percentage of the overall target…Personally, I am practicing, building my equipment and going out to train to shoot the soft spots.”
Dudley concludes by saying: “I am more likely to shoot within the golden triangle when I am shooting a broadhead that I can control, a head that’s accurate, and a projectile that’s fast.”
FULL VIDEO – WATCH NOW: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=72AMASsryC4
NOCK ON ARCHERY – YOUTUBE CHANNEL: https://www.youtube.com/@nockonarchery/videos
EASTON ARCHERY – WEBSITE: https://eastonarchery.com/
