Muddler

I'd like to try my hand at turkey hunting this year and am wondering what kind of broadhead you would recommend.

Thanks.

Wahya

I use the same broadhead for Turkey that I use for Deer, bear, pig and so on. That being a 2 blade Zwickey Eskimo. I put a stopper behind the head to keep it in the bird though, which I'd recommend to anyone wanting to kill a Turkey with their bow. I use a stout 'O' ring and it does a good job, but their are commercial types that work great.

Make em sharp and shoot em straight, or leave em home.

towerrat164

I also use the same broadheads for turkey as deer. To limit penetration I place a judo spring add on unit behind the broadhead.
Towerrat164
hunt hard, pray harder.

Muddler

This is probably a stupid question, but I'll ask it anyway. If a passthrough is desirable for a deer, why is that not the case for a turkey?

towerrat164

It is not so much you don't want a pass through as you want to deliver as much of arrows energy into the turkey. In the unarmed self-defense field we call it "fluid shockwave"- time on contact + total body mass (what generates the energy)= fluid shockwave.
Hope this helps.
towerrat164

Muddler

Now I am really confused. I thought an arrow kills by causing hemorrhaging, not shock. If that were the case, wouldn't it be better to use blunt heads rather than broadheads?

towerrat164

You are correct on the hemmoraging (sp?) but the energy transfer I mentioned stuns the birds nervous system (in theory) to the point they don't fly away or not as far away. Turkeys can fly a long way in a short time and they are not particular in what they fly. Ever tried to find a dead turkey lying among brush or leaves after losing sight of it? It is not too easy. Some hunters use string trackers, myself I have never liked them as they always let me down when I did use them. Study up on turkey anatomy, whenever I dress one out I am amazed at how their lungs are protected by the rib cage. I hope I am not muddying up the water so to say.
Vern Pratt

Wahya

I've never given much thought to shock delivered with an arrow that has a stopper behind the head. My thoughts are that because of the lack of blood trail, I can more easily find the bird with my arrow flagging out of it. Plus, if their wing is in the strut possition when I shoot, it makes it more difficult for the bird to fly with the arrow remaining in the body. Also, with the head remaining in or near the vitals as the bird moves along after the shot, the head will continue to cut, causing more damage and maybe shortening the birds travel.

Keep in mind that your target is about the size of a tennis ball and the head doesn't need to penetrate that far into the bird to reach the vitals as long as the hit is good. The bird is naturally camo'd and being able to see your fletching will help in finding the bird if it gets out of sight before it dies.

On the other hand, the best shot that I've heard of is shooting the bird up the poop shute while in full strut. Their back is towards you and they can't see you. But, because of the possition of the shot, I don't think that I'd use a stopper, unless it's one that offers resistance, yet will slide the length of the shaft so that the head can reach the vitals and still not exit the bird completely.

Good luck on your hunt. Nothing more exciting than killing that wiley ol' bird with a bow.

Make em sharp and shoot em straight, or leave em home.

Gar-Shooter

I have not had much luck recovering turkey's hit with a bow. They run as good as they fly. I was shooting heavy poundage (70#) at the time when I was losing birds- the arrows blew through the birds. I was using the old style Snuffer then. They would get in large pine plantations where you would need a bird dog to find them.

I do know you want to shoot them fairly high so you can break them down. I am going to try this year with a bow. It has been several years since I hunted them with a bow. I will be using a 45# bow this year. I will not shoot at them further than 15 yards. I sure would love to kill a long beard with my curve!

Gar

Just Say No to Crossbows!