Whether you prefer a challenge or just want a quiet but effective alternative for striking hogs and scattering their sounders, it’s possible to hunt feral pigs with bows and crossbows as long as you pick the right broadhead.
Hunting hogs with arrows is a tall order since they’re fast yet hardy and tend to travel in sounders, making them harder to sneak up to.
You’ll want to do as much damage as possible with the few opportunities you have, so choosing the hardest hitting broadheads is paramount.
So, you have a lot to consider when choosing your broadhead, and we don’t blame you for needing a little guidance. We’ve gathered four examples of great hog-hunting broadheads for your perusal below, so check them out.
Every product entry is a small review of each broadhead but, if you’re not up to long reading, you’ll also find they have pros and cons lists so you can see their features at a glance.
If you are up for reading, we’ve included a buyers’ guide below where you can learn which broadheads are best for hunting hogs and other similar games.
In a hurry?
If you’re itching to get out there and get some hogs in your sights, you may be satisfied with our number one broadhead suggestion from the list below.
That’d be the RAGE Hypodermic Standard 100-Grain Broadhead, a mechanical broadhead option that brings great stopping power and cutting action.
See why we liked these below:
- This is a mechanical broadhead that saves energy mid-flight so that it can be used to deliver impact and penetration into the hog you’re shooting. As it penetrates, the exclusive hybrid head on these broadheads cuts up to a 1.5” to 2” wound in the animal, allowing it to bleed.
- Their steel ferrules are narrow and aerodynamic, but they’re also durable enough that they won’t split, flake, or wear when cutting through hide and piercing bone. A retention shock collar will keep your arrows in the animal once they’ve been loosed.
- These broadheads are manufactured in the USA. As one of the countries plagued by millions of feral hogs, you can rest assured that these are up to the task and can arrive at your home in a timely manner.
In this post, we'll cover:
1. RAGE Hypodermic Standard 100-Grain Broadhead
The first broadheads you should look at are the Rage Hypodermic Standard 100-Grain Broadheads. To get some of the basic details out of the way, these broadheads are of the mechanical variety.
For those of you who don’t know why this is important, you should read about different broadhead types below, but for now, you should just know that they conserve kinetic energy and avoid wind resistance whilst flying through the air, meaning they can deliver a more devastating impact when they strike your target.
This also means that lower-poundage bows can take down larger game.
As is common with mechanical broadheads, Rage has gone with a hybrid tip for this model to only add to the devastation it can cause.
Along with the hefty impact of a mechanical broadhead, the piercing and cutting hybrid tip bores deeper into your prey’s flesh and cuts them along the way in, resulting in gushing wound channels that can be as large as two inches in diameter.
Wounds like that leak a lot of blood, allowing you to track the hog better.
When you’re placing all that power behind a narrow hypodermic tip such as this one, it needs to be durable.
Thankfully this is the case with these Rage hypodermic broadheads. Their ferrules aren’t just narrow and aerodynamic, but they’re made from strong steel that won’t split or flake under pressure and won’t wear down easily.
Every arrow is protected by a small shock collar that aids in retention when the arrow strikes its target, so you shouldn’t worry about arrows going limp and falling out of your prey’s hide.
The sourcing of products is only becoming more important to consumers, so Rage is happy to announce that most of their products, including these broadheads, are manufactured in the United States.
Here in the States, we have millions of feral hogs running around, so who better to make broadheads capable of putting them down?
Pros:
- A mechanical broadhead that conserves kinetic energy and translates it into penetration power.
- Hybrid piercing and cutting tip creates larger and messier 1.5” to 2” wound channels.
- Steel ferrules are aerodynamic and reinforced against splitting.
- Shock collars guarantee near-perfect retention with every shot.
- Rage products are made in the USA.
Cons:
- Doesn’t come with a practice tip.
- PRECISION - Rage broadheads are known for their accuracy and their wound channels are legendary
- FEATURES - Aerodynamic one-piece steel ferrule, Tough, Razor Sharp .035" stainless steel blades, 2" cutting diameter, and 100 Grain broadhead, 3-Pack
- TECHNOLOGY - Comes with improved Shock Collar Technology which ensures proper blade retention
Last update on 2024-11-08 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API
2. G5 Outdoors Montec 100% Stainless Steel Broadheads
Next up we have a more solid, fixed blade broadhead with the G5 Outdoors Montec 100% Stainless Steel Broadheads. Made from just one steady piece of steel, this arrow won’t bend or break under extreme amounts of pressure and will feel heavy when it strikes your prey.
The fact it’s a fixed blade broadhead also adds an element of simplicity since you can just screw it on and let it fly.
Another advantage of fixed blade broadheads that’s present with the G5 Montec is the fact they can be resharpened and are even designed with this in mind.
This adds a lot of reusability to the arrows since you don’t have to throw them out when they get dull, so you get more for what you’re paying for.
Once it is nice and sharp, it’ll sport a one-inch to one and one eighth inch cutting diameter that’s ideal for punching through the tough skin of a hog.
These broadheads market themselves as being for crossbows but they can still be mounted on ordinary arrows.
If anything, the fact they’re made for crossbows is even more of a testament to their durability since crossbow bolts hit harder than a lot of traditional bows will.
That said, we’d suggest you use a crossbow with these broadheads to guarantee that you pierce the hog’s thick hide.
Pros:
- A fixed blade broadhead made from a 100% steel one-piece metal injection mold that’s extremely durable.
- Designed to be resharpened, adding reusability to these broadheads.
- Cuts with a 1” to 1 1/8” cutting diameter.
- Able to be used with both bows and crossbows.
Cons:
- The blood trail isn’t prominent.
- PINNACLE OF BROADHEADS - The Montec Broadheads have a tough all-steel construction, ensuring unmatched durability; The one-piece MIM (Metal Injection Molding) construction eliminates any weak points
- SPIN-TESTED PERFECTION - Each Montec Broadhead is 100% spin-tested to guarantee perfect balance and accuracy and ensure every broadhead flies true, enhancing your shot precision
- GRAIN OPTIONS - The Montec Broadheads are available in three different grain options: 85, 100, and 125 grains; This variety allows hunters to choose the perfect weight
Last update on 2024-11-08 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API
3. Excalibur Boltcutter 150-Grain 3-Blade Broadhead
At our third spot, we have an option that looks like it’s a hybrid between our first and second broadheads, so it definitely shouldn’t be discounted if you want a tri-bladed broadhead with a hypodermic, piercing tip.
We’re talking about the Excalibur Boltcutter 150-Grain 3-Blade Broadhead, another broadhead that we recommend you use with your favorite crossbow model.
Not only are these broadheads made with good old, reliable steel, but they’re also 150 grain. This means they’re heavier and denser than the standard 100-grain broadhead, adding some more impact when the arrows land.
Also, when they do pierce the flesh of your prey, they’ll leave a wound channel about one inch and one-sixteenth of an inch in diameter.
They don’t have the stability that the second broadheads on this list offer since you don’t just screw them on after they’ve arrived preassembled.
Instead, you must assemble them yourself. To get the maximum impact power out of these arrows, which you’ll need when trying to take on hogs, you should use them with a high-speed crossbow.
Pros:
- A fixed broadhead that combines a piercing point with three sharp cutting blades.
- Denser than some of the alternatives on this list at 150 grain.
- 1” to 1/16” cutting diameter.
- Designed for use with high-speed hunting crossbows.
Cons:
- This broadhead needs to be assembled by the consumer.
- TOP PERFORMANCE - Excalibur's most accurate high-speed crossbow hunting broadhead ever, the Boltcutter Fixed Blade Crossbow Broadhead gives crossbow hunters top performance, even at long ranges; These broadheads work for Excalibur crossbow arrows
- SPECS - This 150 grain, 1- 1 /16" broadhead has proven itself to be the most accurate hunting head on today’s high speed hunting crossbows, delivering amazing accuracy even at extreme range when teamed with an appropriately designed arrow
- HIGH-QUALITY CONSTRUCTION - The Boltcutter is made entirely from high strength stainless steel to withstand the hardest hit and still deliver devastating terminal performance and delivering amazing accuracy even at extreme range
Last update on 2024-11-08 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API
4. Muzzy Bowhunting 3 Blade Trocar Tip Broadheads
Our last broadheads are the Muzzy Bowhunting 3 Blade Trocar Tip Broadheads, another broadhead type that combines a piercing tip with three large, sharp, and staggered blades for optimal cutting action.
The piercing tip is a trocar tip, meaning that it’s specifically designed to chisel away bone when they strike your prey, incapacitating them easier.
The ferrules on these aren’t the usual stainless steel and are made from aluminum instead. Aluminum is known for its lightweight properties, so these broadheads won’t add unnecessary weight to your arrows and hamper the arrow’s mid-flight performance.
It’s also suitably durable, too, so you shouldn’t have any problems with them flaking or splitting.
If you are impressed by what you’ve heard so far, you can buy these broadheads in either 75, 100, or 125-grain ratings.
This means you can get the benefits of these trocar tip broadheads with either a softer, standard or harder density depending on how much force you want behind your arrows.
That said, hog hunting will usually demand a higher grain count, so we’d suggest grabbing the 125-grain broadhead.
Pros:
- Trocar tip is ideal for shattering bone.
- Lightweight but durable aluminum ferrule ensures durability whilst penetrating.
- You have the choice between 75, 100, and 125 grain.
Cons:
- Requires assembly and can be difficult for beginners to do.
- DESIGNED TO THE MAX - Designed for Max Speed, Max Strength, and Max Cut. 100 grain 3 blade broadhead - 3 Pack
- DEEP PENETRATION - The MX-3 has a shorter profile, 1-1/4" cutting diameter and .025" thick stainless steel blades allowing it to fly truer and faster to deliver more killing power at the point of impact
- BONE SHATTERING TIP - The Trocar Tip provides superior penetration
Last update on 2024-11-08 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API
Buyer’s Guide
How to choose the best broadheads for hog hunting
Anyone who has hunted hogs will know that they’re fast, skittish, and travel in packs while being strong and having tough skin.
This is quite the combination for hunters with guns, let alone bowhunters. So, you have a challenge ahead of you if you want to use broadheads to hunt hogs, but with this buyers’ guide, we’re here to help you make the best option.
If you’re not familiar with broadheads, we’ve separated them into their parts, so you know what to look for with each segment of the arrow.
Below we’ve included information on the different broadhead types, arrow grain, point style and penetration capacity, and cutting diameter and blood trails.
Different Broadhead Types
There are three broadhead types commercially available online, though only two make an appearance in the above list. We’ll go through them here since they all have their own advantages and disadvantages.
The most basic of these designs is a fixed blade broadhead, which is just when the blades of the broadhead are permanently attached with screws or a strong adhesive. The blades aren’t meant to be taken off of the broadhead ferrules, instead of being designed as a one-piece unit.
They’re naturally durable and great at piercing because of this since there are little to no structural weak points where the broadhead could break. They require resharpening more often since the blades are fixed.
Replaceable broadheads are the ones that don’t appear on this list, but they are where the blades can be removed, either for replacement or for easier resharpening. This makes them more expensive than fixed blade broadheads, usually.
Mechanical broadheads are the most expensive type, being state-of-the-art tech that lives up to its name with a mechanical action mid-flight.
This is where a broadhead will have a sharp, piercing point but, when loosed, will spring blades out too so it can do cutting damage. This reduces drag in the air, flying like a bodkin until just before it strikes, where the blades spring out to do some damage.
They’re best used in the hands of experienced hunters since they’re fragile against poor shots but devastating when they connect properly.
Arrow Grain
Firstly, you should know the specs of your bow before you go reaching for broadheads to shoot from it.
Losing arrows with the wrong bow, no matter how great the broadheads are, is a surefire way to have weak shots or a power imbalance so strong that those expensive broadheads and arrow shafts will turn to dust when subjected to the poundage of your bow.
Once you know how much poundage you’re working with, you need to decide whether you want a lower or higher grain broadhead.
When hunting animals like hog or elk, which are known for their tougher skin, you’ll want to opt towards denser grain ratings to do more damage.
Point Style
The point of broadheads will fall into two categories, cutting tips or chisel tips. Cutting tips are a flat blade, or a combination of intersecting flat blades, that are shaped into a point.
This means the arrow is cutting from the moment it makes contact. Cutting tips are most popular with fixed blade broadheads.
Chisel tips, sometimes called trocar tips, are where thin broadhead tips come to a fine point, often with their own ridges and other features that make them better at what they do. Imagine the tip of a screwdriver, but more painful for whatever you’re hunting.
So, what do these tips do, you ask? Their chiseling action is in reference to these broadheads’ performance against the harder components of an animal, the most notable being bones. That hog isn’t going anywhere if your arrow perforated a leg bone.
Cutting Diameter and Blood Trails
Cutting diameter can and will affect how the broadhead flies through the air, with smaller diameters flying truer since there’s less wind resistance acting upon them mid-flight. This becomes a non-factor with mechanical broadheads, of course, since the blades pop out as they fly through the air.
The sharpness of those blades affects how well they cut, which will affect the blood trails they leave behind. You’ll also want your blades to be sharp enough to pierce the hide of your prey, which becomes important when hunting the bristly skin of a hog.
Sharpness doesn’t last forever though, so you should have sharpening tools handy to keep the blades on your broadhead maintained.
The secondary function of a sharp broadhead is to leave a noticeable blood trail if your target bolts. This can be handy for hunting an individual hog though we can’t be sure of its use if you’re firing into a sounder.
At best, a noticeably bleeding hog will help you to distinguish it from the rest of the pack so you can focus your efforts there.