Everywhere you look, you can find lists of best broadheads for deer or best broadheads for Elk, but what about hogs?
Hogs are a different beast, and in my opinion, while most deer or elk broadheads will work on smaller hogs, you need a little something extra on larger hogs.
Best Broadheads for Hogs
Hogs are large, tough animals with a hide to match. Choosing the right broadhead for hogs is imperative to your success.
Anything with a poor blood trail or small cutting diameter might not be enough for hogs.
Some of these broadheads are good for deer and elk also, but let me tell you why I recommend them for hogs.
Wasp Mortem
The Wasp Mortem tops our list as the best broadhead for hogs for several reasons.
The first thing that makes this great for hogs is the hardened steel trocar tip. This tip is perfect for breaking through a hog’s tough hide and thick shield.
Next, the blades are lethal sharp out of the box, and absolutely no sharpening is required.
The Mortem is a tough broadhead that packs a punch. During our testing, the Mortem Performed admirably across all tests.
On the meat damage test, it left an impressive hole that would most likely drop most animals on the spot, and if not, there would be no doubt about a blood trail.
The accuracy wasn’t the best on the day, but it was better than acceptable and would be somewhere at the top.
The durability and toughness of this broadhead is exactly what you need for hog hunting, and there is no fear of it breaking.
We fired this broadhead at many things, including bone, and we couldn’t even find one nick on the blades afterward.
Even more expensive broadheads showed more blade damage than the Mortem.
On top of being a solid broadhead that is in the top of the most accurate, with solid penetration and huge cutting damage, it is also one of the cheapest on the market.
That is why the Wasp Mortem is our number one broadhead for hogs.
- 100% hardened, stainless steel trocar tip: Precision machined and perfectly aligned with blades to i
- Surgical sharp stainless steel blades: Durable, sharp and easily replaceable.
- 100% stainless steel ferrule: One-piece solid construction for strength and penetrati
QAD Exodus
The QAD Exodus is a fan favorite for multiple species, including wild hogs.
Our tests of the Exodus reveal why it is a fan favorite. It performed well on most tests and was excellent on one test.
In my opinion, it is not as good as the Mortem for hogs, but it is certainly up there.
Where the Exodus shines is meat damage. This broadhead is able to slice up flesh like a mechanical broadhead but with the structure and surety of a fixed blade broadhead.
Out of the box, the blades were a little inconsistent with sharpness, but after a quick sharpening, they were razor sharp.
The hardened SST tip, along with the huge amount of meat damage, is what makes this broadhead one of the best for hogs.
The Exodus also has thicker blades than most other broadheads, they are .040″ thick.
I would have liked to see them secured in the ferrule a little better, but the design has them come back over the arrow shaft at the cost of more security.
However, during our tests, the broadhead withstood bone and showed minimal damage.
This broadhead is more than capable of piercing any hog shield, and there would be no doubt about a blood trail.
Wasp Jak-Hammer
There are many people who would prefer a fixed blade broadhead to a mechanical for hogs, and I usually would also.
However, if there is one mechanical broadhead that I would use on hogs, it would be the Wasp Jak-Hammer.
What’s not to like about this broadhead?
It’s at the top of the most accurate broadheads we tested. It has excellent penetration, but most of all, it leaves huge meat damage.
The sst tip is lethally sharp and will penetrate the thickest of hog shields.
We tested these heads through meat and even bone, and they showed no sign of damage after use.
This is what you want in a hog broadhead, something that is tough and durable.
However, the wound that this broadhead leaves is the main reason why it made it onto our list of best hog hunting broadheads.
- Time Tested mechanical design features a Stainless Steel Trocar Tip, Precision Machined and Hardened to Rockwell 46C and Hollow Ground to a near razor edge to blast through bone
- Razor Sharp .036 blades are Precision Ground and Honed and are always perfectly in line with the Trocar Tip edges to increase penetration
- Neoprene O-Ring deployment system with a 1-3/4 Cutting Diameter
- 100 grain mechanical - 3 per package
- Field Point Accuracy; Made in the
Nap Thunderhead
The NAP Thunderhead is probably one of the most popular broadheads across multiple species.
However, this broadhead makes an excellent hog hunting broadhead.
The Thunderhead is a huge broadhead that is extremely accurate and leaves a lot of damage.
Out of the pack, the NAP was pretty sharp.
Without any tuning, this was one of the most accurate broadheads we tested.
The tip is decent enough for hogs but not as good as the Exodus or Mortem.
I also would have preferred to see a slightly thicker blade for hogs. These blades were only measuring 26.5 on my calipers.
However, after extensive testing, the blades or any other part of the broadhead showed no damage. Hence it made it onto our list of best broadheads for hogs.
It also made it onto the list of our best broadheads for deer and even the best broadheads for deer.
You can see that the NAP Thunderhead is a very capable, well-rounded broadhead. It is also one of the most affordable broadheads on the market.
- 100 grain, 5 pack
- 1 3/16 cutting diameter
- Micro grooved Slimline ferrule
- Diamize sharpened blades
- 6 per Pack
- 1 year limited warra
G5 Montec CS
The Montec CS is the Carbon Steel version of the standard Montec and in my opinion, a much better version.
The Montec CS is a much more durable broadhead than the standard.
This broadhead is a one-piece, extremely durable broadhead that will have no problems with the largest of hogs.
This vented broadhead flies exceptionally well with minimal sound.
What I like most about this broadhead other than its quality and durability is its penetration and meat damage.
This is the type of broadhead that consistently gets passthroughs and leaves gaping holes in its trail.
On our penetration tests, it went through bones like they were butter, passed through the side faces of block targets, and showed minimal damage to the head after all of this.
- Perfect for all bows. Easily re-sharpened after repeated use
- Comes in a pack of 3
- Cutting diameter is 1-1/16-Inch
- Diamond Cut Sharpness With An Additional Honing Process to Maximize Blade Edge
- 25 percent sharper than original Mon
Grim Reaper Razercut SS
The Razercut is the only other mechanical broadhead that makes it into our hog list other than the Ja-Hammer.
It was hard to separate these two broadheads during testing, and I’m still not sure if there is a clear winner.
The Razercut SS comes with a lethally sharp tip that will help penetrate tough hide and shields.
It has a stainless steel ferrule that would be difficult to damage even if you tried.
When testing this broadhead on meat, it left a huge wound, and there was never any issues with it opening.
The penetration was excellent on all tests, with pass-throughs on meat, bone, targets, etc.
This was probably the most accurate broadhead we have tested also.
Along with the impressive meat damage, the build quality and durability is what makes this an excellent broadhead choice for hogs.
After intensive testing, there was minimal damage to the blades, with only one blade showing some nicks.
The other blades were still relatively sharp, and no other damage could be seen on the broadhead.
- Specially designed for higher kinetic energy Bows and Whitetail sized game
- 035 Thick Blades
- Includes Practice Head
- Specially designed for higher kinetic energy Bows and Whitetail sized game
- 035-Inch Thick Blades
- Includes Practice H
What to Look For in a Broadhead For Hogs
With small hogs, just about any of our top broadheads will suffice.
However, for bigger hogs, you’re going to need a little something extra to bring one down.
Fixed or Mechanical Broadheads For Hogs
There is plenty of debate out there on fixed blade vs. mechanical broadhead, and I’m not looking to add any fuel to the fire.
However, it’s been my experience that both work great in different scenarios.
With hogs though, you will find nine out of ten times you might be better off with a fixed blade cut on contact broadhead.
Hogs are tough animals that move a lot, move fast and have tough shoulder plates.
With the constant movement of a hog, you might not land the arrow at the right angle for a mechanical broadhead.
If in doubt, choose a fixed blade. If you’re out sticking 200lbs or less hogs, a mechanical broadhead will work all day long.
What Grain Broadhead For Hogs
With hogs being so tough with thick, coarse hides covering a thick shield, you need high kinetic energy with a lot of momentum to take one down.
Depending on your bow setup, a 100 grain plus head will suffice.
Cutting Diameter
Like for most animals, a large cutting diameter is preferable. Large hogs rarely go down straight away, so it’s necessary to leave a good blood trail.
While a good cutting diameter is good to have, it’s not as important as penetration.
Anything from 1 1/8″ up is suitable for hog hunting.
Penetration
Large hogs are known to have thick shields. This is a thick layer of tissue underneath their tough hide and covers half of their vital area.
You can see why penetration is important here. The broadhead should have a solid hardened tip that helps to penetrate the hide and shield.
It also needs to be pretty sharp and durable. It’s not much use if it breaks when hitting the shoulder plate or ribs.
There is a lot the broadhead has to get through on a hog to make a kill.
Final Thoughts
There are a lot of broadheads on the market, but most are aimed at deer and elk hunters.
A hog hunting broadhead needs a little more than the standard broadhead. It needs to be durable with excellent penetration, and preferably a large cutting diameter.
Both the Exodus and the Mortem are excellent fixed blade broadheads for hogs; I don’t think you could find better.
The only mechanical I would use on hogs is the Jak-Hammer; it leaves one of the largest wounds I have ever seen.
