Broadheads for Turkeys
Turkey
With the spring turkey season approaching I've had thoughts of possibly trying new heads. I thought I would breach this subject with the Bowsite family to get some good intelligence on various heads.
What heads have you shot? What's you're preference and why?
NAP Killzones have worked great for me
All of my birds hated Snuffers.
I used a Steelforce 4 blade.
TBB
Spitfire or rocket, 1-1/2" is fine. Have also used 1-3/4, 2 or the 2-3/4" rockets. Only heads ive ever used on turkey
I use a big mech. on turkeys. The only time I will use them. However, you need enough bow to get through them. My wife's set up (45# Hoyt CE @ 24.5" draw, shooting 420 gr arrow), just bounces off them. She uses her regular big game head, a 125 gr, 3 blade non-vented VPA.
I've shot a pile with Jak-Hammers but will be shooting Spitfire Maxx's (trophy tip) this year with KillZone's in the quiver as well. Both 125's for 455 gr. total arrow weight.
I love Bullheads. Not much of a tracking job involved!
For expandables, I've had good luck with Vortex, & Rocket Sidewinders & Hammerheads.
Is agree with Ziek but would like to add, I've had problems with the traditional style heads like the spitfire or jackhammer deflecting. I like the mechanicals that enter the bird before the blades engage. My favorite are the aftershock hyper shock but they are not made anymore. I'm sure the schwacker would work fine. But I wouldn't shoot them unless your shooting 60lbs or more.
Been using a Vortex clone, I got three per pack for $10 on close-out at Gander Mountain several years ago. 2 3/4" cut. They're rear-deploying.
TBM uses the same heads, according to a photo he put on Bowsite a few weeks ago.
I'll be working harder on getting Bullheads ready to go for this spring. The big mechanical did a number on the breast meat of this bird last week, largely as blood from the internal organs spread into the big-azz wound.
Vortex, Buckblaster w/o the fixed blades, Stiletto( I have some of those to sell). All good heads. Avoid mechanicals without bands..they will open prematurely.
This spring i be using the vpa 125 1.5" vented blade. Big solid head will do some damage and will use only one head as long as it doesn't fly into the atmosphere like what happened last spring on my first bird.
That would be VPA 1.25" 125. I've had some good ffedback on those for the birds. Our VPA Spur does job on them too.
Does anyone here have any experience with the tom bomb?
Id like to get some input from some hunters that have used them first hand. Thanks.
The Vortex 2 3/4" are magic.
Vortex and Rocket Hammerheads have treated me well.
I have gone to the "head hunters" of late like the bullheads by Magnus as Ive had to chase a few down and don't have time to stretch in the morning;)
Magnus I, 4 blades or Magnus Bullheads is all I have ever used except the first one that I shot about 30 years ago was with a Snuffer.
I use the same rage extremes I use for deer. They shoot very true to field points and they are very effective.
I would be interested in a 1.5" VPA in a 3 blade...just to try on deer and hogs. Really don't care if it's vented or not. Are they making what is described now.
2" Grim Reaper Razortips, or if head shooting the Guillotines have worked well for me.
Will the real joehunter please stand up. Please stand up :) Vpa 3 blade for me. It's all about shot placement. I seen a huge expandable at 10 yards not make up for bad shot placement and the bird got away. Aim small miss small.
Aim small, miss small, and that extra-wide head may make up for a slight miss.
I need all the help I can get! :-)
Most of the extra wides, though are two-blades and it's possible a broadhead could be at the wrong angle going through, where a three blade may have helped.
I got lucky with a two-fer.
First bird died instantly from Magnus bullhead. Very impressive.
Second bird had a passthrough from a Rage. Ran about 20 yards and fell over. Also quite dead.
Nearly any head can kill a turkey. But turkey are tough. Lots of turkeys run off after hits that look very good. So, i prefer a large mechanical or a head-lopper.
Gonna give the new Muzzy M.O.R.E. heads a try this year. Muzzy's have always worked well for me in the past.
TBM. As noted earlier, that VPA 125 is 1 1/4" not 1 1/2". Does a great job on turkeys in addition to other animals from what I'm told. We dont make a VPA branded head that is 1 1/2" cut. Don't for that changing anytime soon.
I was impressed with the VPA on turkeys this fall. I anchored a hen with one. She didn't go 5 yards. I am still a fan of mechanicals for turkeys but I won't hesitate to light a turkey up in deer season with my VPAs.
I have shot gobblers with the Tomohawk, Vortex 2.75" cut and with the NAP FOC. Right now I am shooting the FOC. It has a huge cut and has worked well for me so far.
The winning formula for turkeys will always be learning where the vitals actually are and doing your best to put your arrow there...but, just in case you are off the mark a huge (by huge I mean 2 3/4 " or larger) WILL make up for a bad shot. My statistics say the 3.5" Tom O Hawk is 100% kill and recovery on good and bad hits. Smaller mechanicals fall off a little, but fixed heads fall off to roughly 15% recovery on bad hits(breast hits). Gut shot birds are much more likely to be recovered than breast and bigger heads help there too. It is best to allow gut shot birds to get sick and then procede with recovery.
Rocket Hammerheads and Grim Reapers work for me. I don't see why a Spitfire wouldn't be good also.
I second the Buckblaster. Two rubber bands and you can shoot through screens a well. I shoot 80lbs and FMJ arrows, I still get pass through, but the birds are dead by the time I exit the blind.
As razor said 1 1/4" not 1/2... Here's a pic. Deff gonna do well and produce carnage
Giver our bullheads a try lifetime guarantee, available in 100 grain 2 3/4 diameter and 125 gr 3 3/4
OFF WITH THEIR HEADS!
With the compound I killed piles with Spitfires. I tried to use heads to chop off their heads. Just couldn't get an arrow long enough and stiff enough to tune them right at my draw length and weight.
I tried those same heads with my longbow and 2 mornings in a row I hit toms in the neck dead center and had them bounce off. Both under 10 yards. I just didn't have enough behind them. If the hits were off center a bit I think I would have been fine. Later that second morning I put a snuffer through a toms head. Now I only use VPA 3 blades from my longbow. I usually take chest shots but somebtimes I go for the head
Good shootin' skipmaster1...ha!
Thanks guys. I put in a LOT of practice with my longbow leading up to season. This bird was probably 20 yards out too. It was this shot or nothing. Most I kill around 4 yards
Heck of a shot, none better Skip!
Vortex is one broadhead that will turn a clean miss into a kill. I've seen it happen a couple of times. It will hook into feathers and change the direction of the arrow in towards the animal turning a clean miss into a kill.
Although it appears you can't buy them any more I still have some vortex mini-max 3 broadheads and they are great on turkeys. Turkeys are my nemesis for bowhunting because I have been hitting them too low. The 3-blade has a 2-inch cut and that has saved me a couple of times. This year I am going with the 'hit em high and watch them die' approach!
That's amazing....a mechanical broadhead that is able to deploy without actually touching the animal and is able to sense when it's close enough to grab a feather and pull itself into the vitals!
Magnus Bullheads! Clean miss or clean kill!
