Annual turkey broadhead discussion...
Turkey
It's that time again...
I've only killed 3 birds with my bow. I am very happy to say that I haven't lost one (I did hit one broadside with a bullhead. I don't think I killed that bird but I did ruin his day...)
I killed one with a bullhead at 8 yards. That would be my preferred way to get them.
I also killed 2 at about 20 yards with Rage expandables.
Last fall, I switched to VPAs for deer. I've heard other folks recommend VPAs for turkey.
What is the general consensus?
Anything sharp and well placed will kill a turkey very quickly. I prefer large expandables as they create a little more margin for error and penetration is not an issue.
Not an expert by any means, but out of all the turkey I have lost, I have hit with a fixed blade.
I have yet to lose one that I hit with a Grim Reaper mechanical broadhead.
I like the Bullheads a lot. I've also used Vortex & Sidewinders with good results as well.
When I shot them with compounds it was with large mech's and out of my stickbows with Muzzy 3 blades. Haven't noticed that one design killed them deader than another.
I've killed a pile with Jak-Hammers. This last season I switched to Spitfire Maxx. They worked great killing a tom and 2 jakes within 24 hrs.
Nick...I threw on a couple jak-hammers last year and killed two toms in consecutive trips. What goes around comes around I guess! Ha!
Spitfires, Jak hammers, Rage, Shockwaves, Hammerheads... All with great success.
I am gonnna give the old 160 grain Snuffer a go this spring be using one of my recurves and a string tracker. Can't wait.
Killed a bunch with 2-3/4" Vortex heads. Will keep using the handful of these heads I have left, until I can no longer re-sharpen them, or until they start making them again.
Killed over 40 tom turkeys and 30 geese with these NAP shockforce Mech BH. shot from a compound bow. On sale at Wally World for $15 for 3 at the end of the season.
Easy to resharpen or replace a blade.
I use cut on impact BH with the recurve bow.
Paul
Rocket Hammerheads or Grim Reapers for me.
Rocket Steelhead, Grim Reapers and Tekans have all killed birds for me...More important thing is where you hit them!
Paul, What is the cutting diameter of those NAP heads? They look similar to the Spitfire but have a larger tip. I have seen those at Walmart. If I find any I will buy them and try some. Do you know if the Spitfire blades will work in those heads?
Arrowflinger, same cut as the Spitfire. They changed the tip to the one in picture but they still kill well. Do not know about the blade exchange but do look similar. They sure do break wing and leg bones.
Big mech fan here for turkeys
Grim Reapers and Gobbler Guillotines seem to be what I have settled on.....for the most part.
I'd reccomend big expandables for turkeys.
Vpa 3 blade for me. Been killin em for years. I think some of you have seen the results. No reason to change :) know where to aim. Hit them well and you will watch them fall over. Hit them bad and you'll be one frustrated head scratching hunter. Nothing wrong with mechanicals they usually work well. But I've watched a 60 lb 370 grain arrow stop short of the vitals from feathers with a mechanical head, I've also seen same setup bounce off a wing joint. I prefer same setup as I hunt elk with. 85% of the time it's overkill. 15% of the time, I'm glad I shoot the setup I do.
Following up on Joe's remarks about Mech BH failing, with a 60 pound bow shooting a 370 gr arrow stopping short.
I shoot 64 pound compound and a 470 gr arrow with the NAP Shock force Mech BH and have never had a failure with the mech BH or lack of penetration.
Same bow weight and arrow weight that I hunt all big game, just a different type of BH.
I like a heavy arrow for all game species. I do agree, some mech BH might not work as well as some others. And important, as Joe states, hit them in the right spot and watch them fall.
Here is a tom from last year. The shot was at 10 yards and I thought I had hit him in the "right" spot for a quick kill.
One pissed off tom as I shot too low and there he stood with an arrow right through him. He quickly wandered off 20 yards behind a tree and stood there for 5 minutes.
A second arrow put him down for good.
What I did not do after the first shot was try to run him down. I waited for another shot opportunity on a wounded bird.
My best, Paul
You guys who use big mechanicals on turkeys ever have an issue with the breast meat getting jacked up?
Paul,
Those broadheads you use are called NAP Shockwave (rather than Shockforce). Just wanted to clarify that in case somebody here tries to google them.
I killed a bunch of turkeys with the 125 grain version of the Shockwave when I was still using a compound. They work great and, like you said, a guy can get them pretty cheap when Walmart clears them out at the end of deer season.
Ike, out of the dozen or so I have shot most of the have been broadside shots, little to no breast meat dinged up. I don't wait for broadside shots, just seems like I get them
I've had good luck with both Slick tricks & NAP Gobbler getters (similar to the Shockwave, but with a bullet shaped tip - meant to break bone and keep the arrow in the bird)
Ike,
Broadside shots won't be anywhere near the breast meat. You obviously get breast meat on frontals but I have eaten almost every inch of the breast meat shot by a frontal. Very little bruising.
I found a great broad and it packs a major punch. best sander - but I don't think it is necessary.
its a NAP FOB - 3 1/4" cut mechanical. 175 grain. which matches my setup great because I shoot German Kinetic 175 grain heads for my normal set up.
I shot a tom last year - right in the wing joint, and it didn't even flopped. got one hole penetration and it looked like he was hit with a base ball bat - just flipped over
Here is the Video:
http://youtu.be/1IRidqz1j6Y
sorry for the quality - its just my bow mounted cam
Its a cross bow head and i'm sure you have to have pretty good KE to shoot that big of head - which I do.
I did some testing to make sure it would open, and it seemed to do well in all my test.
I also blunted the tip of the broad head a little on a
Anybody ever try the Deadringer Killswitch? 1.75" cut closed and 5" when open. I've been using Hammerheads for a couple seasons. They've killed the birds I've shot but broken more blades than not
With a large Mech BH? Usually a clean cut with very little breast meat lost.
Just might help tenderize it some.
my best, paul
DON'T USE THE DEAD RINGER kILL SWITCH
it will fold up like an aluminum can, the blades can easily bend under finger pressure. its probably the worst broadhead I have ever tested.
they also open prematurely out of my 70lb bow tech experience.
Here is a video of some testing I did on a dead Tom.
Hey bigsquirt again your incorrect ... Joe studies shot placement on all critters more then anyone I know and his results show he's right on the spot. Joe shoots fixed heads which don't have the room of error for marginal hits and he smokes his birds like your crack dealer smokes Phillys blunts.. This is all known stuff readers know is true. Good luck this season in your blinds. Still a natural opportunity ahead for ya. ;-)
Bigsquirt TBM is back. Great. Guess we are gonna have to utilize the block button again. Do your thing. We'll do ours. Was so much more peaceful when Pat deleted ya. Hopefully he does it twice. Good luck.
Forgive me for my absence as I have not had a lot of time for bowsite lately but Bighurt sounds a lot like the old TBM? Wasn't he removed from bowsite? Joe's dots look spot on to me. I prefer a big expandable, shot two turk with Schwackers last season that went a total of 0 yards hit broadside through the wing joints. I do shoot 80lbs with a heavy arrow but one of those jokers wore a shot like a champ did a backflip and died rt there. I am not used them holding an arrow like that but a true testimate to the kind KE needed to send a big expandable through a mature birds wing joints.
Wow, went right to name calling and mines bigger than yours on a simple question thread...LMAO
Not much changes around here...
I have been aiming at turkey where I feel it will put them down. So far it's been working quite well for me. I use Rocket Hammmerheads, which 3 blades opening to 2 inches. I may try a new head this year. I'll post a pix of it in a day or so when I get them.
My very first turkey was a fall bird, I shot with a wasp 130 gr camlock
ED
Big mechs are a good idea for turkeys. There is a saying I first read on this site over a decade ago, which remains true: "Hit 'em high and watch 'em die, hit 'em low and watch 'em go.
Matt, words of wisdom rt there. Thumbs up!
I have observed that, body shot placement might be never assured as just an inch or two off "target" might mean the difference between a killed tom or one that gets away all together or wounded and not found.
And then, factor in the dark/black profile of a tom in full strut, half strut, frontal shot or the Texas heart shot, all add to the difficulty of hitting the right killing spot.
While I have never use the "off with their head" BHs. I can see the advantages of miss or no miss.
Of the 44 toms I have killed with mech BH and body shots, I have lost three.
Most of the body shots were broadside (one degree or another) and allowed a better view of the "kill" area. I like to place the arrow just up and on top of the thigh. This give me a gut shot (heart/lungs) and disables the legs most often.
I love to see them just quiver and die. I love to see them flop into the air, flip over a few times and die.
I hate to see them run off not be be found.
I try to kill them within a 20 yard range.
The saying " aim small--miss small" must have been formulated by a turkey bow hunter.
Understanding the anatomy of the tom is so important. And then upon arrow release, a little luck will also help.
My best, Paul
Paul, that work on Geese also...
;-)
Ike, that is so true also.
I have found that since geese depend a lot on their wings and not on their legs like a tom does to get away, the geese tend to flounder and give up when shot with an arrow.
Where as a tom will do anything they can, ie, hop on one leg, run on both, fly away with an arrow in them, to get away. It takes a lot more to bring down a tom turkey than a big goose for that reason.
my best, Paul
Wasp Jak-Hammer 1 3/4 inch cut. Shot placement is still critical. This head does the job.
even if we did not make the bullhead I would still shoot a head chopping broadhead. No meat damage, bird goes down right away, no tracking.
I'm sticking with Joe.
He has photos, and usually video, of all of his kills, plus most he shares with other hunters. That's solid proof.
Oh, and the "other hunters" includes good friends, kids, those who've never shot a turkey before, bowsiters, kids of bowsiters...
I can't see him traveling half-way across the nation, and being sure he shot more turkeys than his young son. In fact, pretty sure he wouldn't pick up his bow until the kid was tagged out.
His dots don't lie.
(Plus, that's where I aim on turkeys unless I'm shooting Bullheads, which I love.)
I'm sticking with Bighurt.
Over 200 arrowed Gobblers, at least 100 without decoys.
He simply has more success and experience than others.
I have hunted with him quite a bit. TENACIOUS!
Like him or not - he is the real deal. He has helped me out a lot.
I shoot the same heads I do for almost everything.... The only thing I change is I'll add bleeders more often than not. I will say they are rough critters to kill if not hit correctly that said everytime I've got right above the legs similar to where Paul described = dead bird. Even on sub par shots unless they fly I'll usually find them. So it's always zwicks, STOS, Ace etc....
Really shortbeard. Bighurt is a kid, named Cade Grace.
He's killed over 200 at his age? I thought he got his first last spring.
Or...is it now a guy stealing his own son's online identity, so he can continue to pat himself on the back?
You judge a man on the number of birds he's killed.
I judge one on that, to a lesser extent, but also how many he's helped others get, and how he treats others.
In my book, you can't be a great hunter unless you're a great person.
I don't judge anyone until I know them. You don't know him. I do. I don't bash anyone. As far as the subject matter- RE: turkey broadhead discussion ... I'll listen to him and not some writer.
Honestly....I liked it when Steve Grace was posting as his son but when TBM shows up again it is nauseating.
I learned one thing on another bowsite thread. There are many people on bowsite that have killed more that 100 birds. Many of those people have responded to this thread.
I would think that anyone who is in that club would know what they are doing. I would also think that those folks would know that there is more than one way to kill a turkey.
Great thread guys....thanks for the "red dot reminders" Joe!
Mark
Hey Midwest "pile killer", I don't need anybody's approval-especially yours. I let my bow do the talkin and not my mouth!
People who've read a few hundred of my articles know me pretty well.
Read enough of Sito's, Paul's, Chris', Joe's,... comments on Bowsite and you know them pretty well.
That's the good and bad in all of us, and goodness do I have plenty of the latter. I could go on a hunt, or meet for a beer, with any of them and know exactly what I was in for, just from what I've read.
Read enough "you ain't junk, if you ain't me," and you do get to know someone, too.
Last I read in the rules, you don't get kicked off of Bowsite because you play really well with others.
...and I never said Steve Grace isn't a heck of a turkey killer.
shortbeard, I inadvertently slammed you while slamming TBM. Sorry about that. He tends to bring out the worst in me when he comes urinating on all these threads. I removed my remark.
For the record, I have no doubt Steve is a great and "tenacious" hunter. It's just too bad his ego always ends up overwhelming the knowledge he tries to share.
It's okay to disagree with someone. Why can't he just say he disagrees with Joe and make his own red dot photos and explain his OPINION? Instead, he has to make the statement, "His (Joe's) shot dots are in the wrong spots."
Only TBM has the knowledge, experience, ability to troubleshoot, and come up with solutions. The rest of us are only selling drugs to crack heads.
In the future, I promise to go back to ignoring TBM's posts until he is removed....again.
Bowbaker- Every gobbler that has been killed by an arrow shot from one of my bows has had a 160 Snuffer on the end of it. One from a compound and the rest from long bows or recurves. Best kill shots I have made is putting the broadhead where the exhaust pipe is located. Slices as it travels through.
Redhead You mean one like this. Not quite the vent pipe but sort of close to the rear. Shot from my recurve at 10 yards. The Snuffers really look like a BH should. Big and Bad!
Paul
This is the head I'm thinking of use this spring. It a Antler Insanity,, Battle Axe 100gr and opens to 2 inches.
Paul,, how do you get the birds so clean. I just cut the breasts,wings, legs and them 2 pieces of back meat and crock pot.
ED
Paul is retired, with plenty of time to pluck!
Lou, that is very true.
Ed, I plucked that tom within an hour after the killed. Seemed like the feathers and pin-feathers came out very easy. I had 300 miles to travel back to home so figured it would cool down better, without a "coat" on.\
90% of the time, I do what you do.
My best, Paul
Shooting at the head with the bullhead or any head chopping broadhead is such a big easy target. You take their head off they don't go anywhere.
As they say on Scottish pheasant drives -
"Shoot 'em in the head, and the ass dies instantly."....wings and legs, too.
I believe I am going to go after em with the magnus Ser razor this year. I killed a few with slick tricks and also the jak-hammer.
I believe I am going to go after em with the magnus Ser razor this year. I killed a few with slick tricks and also the jak-hammer.
Magnus Bullhead is my vote. I
I got a couple of packs of Spitfire max to use for my upcoming turkey hunt but after looking at them, they seem to take a lot of force to open the blades. Is this normal or did I get a bad batch? They shoot great but don't know if they will open on a turkey. Anybody have bad experience with them not opening?
They will open just fine.
The bigger the better, when I finally used a Simmons I got a nice turkey, screwed the pooch one way or another before then and should of had a few turkeys I didn't get. Recently seen the Centaur Battle Axe broadhead which is I think another half inch wider cut than the Simmons pictured. It will probably be my next go-to turkey head when I exhaust my supply of Simmons.
Shot placement is better than size of broadhead in my opinion. I use the same broad head that I use for Deer, bear and elk. Muzzy 115 4 blade.
AZBOW, I used the Spitfire Maxx last season for the first time. They worked great and I put down 3 birds with them.
Matt and Midwest, do your Spitfire max seem pretty hard to open manually? I also have some Wacem XL's that are 1 1/4" cutting diameter or 1 3/4" Swackers that I am considering.
"Matt and Midwest, do your Spitfire max seem pretty hard to open manually?"
Fairly, but my sense is you are trying to test something that is designed to operate under a dynamic circumstance in more of a static manner.
AZBOW, I didn't think they were too difficult to open manually. I would be more concerned if they were too easy to open.
I shoot the 125's and they sure are a sturdy head. Every one spun true and flew great.
