A friend of mine, who happens to be an avid hunter, always keeps a few in his truck. When I asked him why, he said they are the best compression bandages money can buy.
I highly recommend buying a real compression bandage instead. A maxi-pad is designed to keep a woman 'dry' so to speak. It does this by absorbing blood to keep it away from the body. It is the exact opposite of what you want. You want to trap the blood at the site of the wound so it can begin clotting and stopping the flow of blood. Using a maxi-pad when there are other alternatives, even a cotton shirt will do, is just stupid and will help kill your patient faster.