Turkey bowhunters?
 

Hey y'all,
Wanted to see how many of y'all have taken turkeys by bow in SC or elsewhere and what gear you use. I took 2 nice birds on WMA last year using a 2" cut Rocket mechanical but each time had complete pass-thru (the vitals)and had to end up chasing the birds...thankfully both recovered. What am I doing wrong and is it possible to instantly drop a bird in his tracks using a bow?
Thanks

RE: Turkey bowhunters?
 

Check out my Post about Turkey hunting with a bow...:D;)

RE: Turkey bowhunters?
 

i have killed 3 of them with a bow. yes there is a way to drop them in there tracks the first one i got the season before last i shot with a fixed blade i shot him in the neck at about 30 yards. he droped in his tracks. the second one i got was with a 1 1/2 in mech head i shot him in the wing at 30 yards and he went about 20 yards before he droped. the 3rd one i shot was with the same mech heads and he was about 40 yards walking away from me, i shot him in the center of the back and he just droped:D[:-] but if you dont want to get a pass through muzzy makes a this little grashopper add on that help to stop the arrow. i am using a razortec set at 60 pounds[:-]

RE: Turkey bowhunters?
 

Turkeys are tough birds. Shot placement is the
only way to drop a gobbler in his tracks....and even
that, with the small margin for error, is no guarantee.

Your bow must be a "bone crusher", getting pass-thru's
with a 2" cut. As long as you're recovering the bird, I'd
say stick with what works;). I've taken gobblers with
Spitfires and Rocket Sledgehammers. The Rocket in
the pic has a 3 1/2" cut @ 150 gr. I haven't had it happen,
but several of my friends at the bowshop say their
gobblers dropped like a 'sack of flour' when hit with
this monster BH.....and no pass-thru's, even
with a couple 70+ lb setups.

RE: Turkey bowhunters?
 

Your best bet for stopping turkeys is to use a setup so you don't get a complete pass through. A arrow stuck in the bird prevents the bird from running off, or worse yet flying away. Its recommended to crank your poundage down, and use a tip that'll slow penetration. I use my bow for both deer & turkeys, as the seasons run together in the fall here in NY. I leave my bow at 60lbs, I use NAP Gobblergetter broadheads. I arrowed 2 turks this fall with the setup, and neither went out of sight from the hit.

RE: Turkey bowhunters?
 

Preciate the help fellas.
I am shooting a Parker UL 35 at 31" w/ 70# draw...chronos at 278fps w/ 395gr setup...think I will go with the monster mechanicals:D...pretty impressive stuff, 2 beards!

RE: Turkey bowhunters?
 

I shot 2 turkeys last spring with a 1.5" rocket sidewinder. Both birds were hit in the wing butt and died fast. 1 ran a short distance and was done. The 2nd one flipped up in the air and didn't move. Both pass throughs.

RE: Turkey bowhunters?
 

HAVEN'T DONE IT YET, BUT TO ME THAT IS THE ULTIMATE CHALLENGE, I LIKE SHOOTING THEM TO MUCH WITH A SHOTGUN, BUT I THINK NEXT YEAR I WILL TRY WITH MY BOW IF PA HAS THE EXTRA TURKEY THAT WE ARE SUPPOSE TOO. GOOD LUCK AND GOD BLESS.

RE: Turkey bowhunters?
 

HELLO SCBOWHNTR. I USE THUNDERHEAD 125 GRAIN BUT I PUT A WASHER UNDER THE BASE OF THE BROADHEAD. HAVE NOT LOST A BIRD YET. TAKE CARE AND SAFE HUNTING

RE: Turkey bowhunters?
 

Triplespool,
What sized washer and does it affect arrow flight?

RE: Turkey bowhunters?
 

SORRY IT TOOK SO LONG TO GET BACK WITH YOU!!!! I USE A ALUM. WASHER OUTSIDE DIA. IS 7/16 INCH. IT DOES NOT WEIGH MUCH. IT DID CHANGE MY ARROW FLIGHT ALITTLE, BUT WITH ALITTLE PRACTICE AND SOME ADJUSTMENTS YOU WILL BE RIGHT ON. GOOD HUNTING[8D]:D

RE: Turkey bowhunters?
 

preciate all the feedback...I definitely will try some of these this spring

RE: Turkey bowhunters?
 

I wish I could say that I have taken a bird with my bow but that is something I still need to accomplish. However, as for advice I think you could possibly go to an even larger cutting diameter head....like one of the Vortex models possibly or decrease your draw weight. Decreasing your draw weight would lower the KE levels and thus reduce the chances of a pass through on the bird.

RE: Turkey bowhunters?
 

I use my regular deer bow at 70 pounds with a Shockwave broadhead. Last year I shot a tom at 3 yards and the arrow didn't go through. It knocked him off his feet though. The only reason I can think of is unlike a deer, a turkey is not anchored to the ground with 100 pounds or more. The kinetic energy of the arrow in a 23 pound bird is a lot, so it knocks them off their feet. Hope this kinda helps.

RE: Turkey bowhunters?
 

two turkey tags+ two deer tags for bow season in MO for 19 dollars, moving to SC and gonna try to bowhunt down there.

RE: Turkey bowhunters?
 

I have been turkey hunting for 5 years and last year was my first with a bow. I am not hunting with a bow this year but my dad is. He has been for 3 years. Hasn't got one yet but will.