Bowsite.com

Terrible penetration

I shot a tom around 7:30 this morning. I broke my own rule of not shooting a bird beyond 20 yards, but despite that, the shot felt great and I believe it hit exactly where I was aiming. When the bird walked off like nothing happened I was kicking myself for breaking my rule and was sure it must have been a clean miss. But when I inspected the site of the shot there was no arrow and there were a bunch of long upper wing feathers that were cut off near the base, so it seems I hit about where I was aiming. Knowing the bird had an arrow in him made me think there was a chance I would recover him. I grid searched all morning and around mid-afternoon I found the arrow about 100 yards from where he was hit. As you can tell from the picture the arrow didn't penetrate more than 1/2", no wonder we walked off seemingly fine. I just hope his wing isn't broken so he can fly up into his roost tonight. I've heard horror stories about bad penetration with mechanicals, but to only penetrate 1/2" with a 60# draw inside of 30 yards seems crazy.

Whoah... Did you use a parachute instead of fletching on that thing? :)

Joe that sucks! I have never hunted turkey with a bow but from everything I have read they are about the toughest critter to penetrate with an arrow for some reason. I will stick to pellets to the head but I would love to get one with the bow. You are doing damn well for just taking up bowhunting.

Peter, lol it sure seems like it. Starting to think my arrows might be too light for a mechanical that large, combined with hitting bone just right.

Thanks Brad, appreciate it man. I've read that also. It is surprising how dense and tough their feathers are.

Something doesn't seem right yzou definitely should've got more

Penetration than that... low leg shot maybe?

I've read articles about how their wings are like a shield... especially if your arrow makes a square hit on the wing bone, which, with long primary flight feathers on the ground, it sounds like yours did.

Was the shot a quartering away shot? Their feathers are layered like armor. I had called in a tom for my compound shooting buddy and witnessed his rage tipped arrow bounce off this turkey. Last fall I shot at a quartering away turkey with my recurve and my large cut on contact broadhead on a heavy arrow deflected off the turkey at 15yards. Damn birds wear bullet proof vests. Another issue is they only weigh 20-25# and the turkey is pushed as the arrow strikes.

I thought something seemed wrong also, Moons, but I've since read a bunch of articles and watched videos of the wing acting like a shield as Jimbo mentioned. Tough birds, that arrow thwacked so loudly and he walked away like nothing happened.

You nailed in fisherick. He was slightly quartering away.

dang.. that sucks... I have never shot one w the bow, but I have killed dozens of deer with that exact broadhead and never have had a penetration issue. Turkeys are tough animals! Sorry to hear.

Alright, my only shot at a bird opening week last year 25 yds @ 65# using rage hypodermic. Shot broadside knocked him over, he got up and walked off. The rage blades were bent up, zero penetration. I wouldn't do that again. Tough birds

They are really tough for sure. I can see how that would happen with any head when hitting all those feathers and bone and all. Bummer!

Register here to reply to this topic