What do you shoot?

[mallard79]

What head do you recommend for shooting turkeys with a bow?  I was looking at the gobbler guiotines.  How do they shoot compared to field points?  I am new to archery hunting so any help is apreciated.  Thanks!

[PA BEN]

Here's the one you want. NAP Spitfire Gobbler Getter
http://www.newarchery.com/products/1-13/broadheads/spitfire-gobbler-getters.html

[MuleySniper]

Unless your specifically looking for a decap, any ol broadhead works as long as you hit your mark.
MS

[PA BEN]

Trick is to keep the arrow in the turkey, helps them from fling away. 

[Gringo31]

I've killed 3 turkeys with my bow.  I've only used my 3 blade deer hunting broadheads and had decent success.  I have knocked feathers off twice where I didn't retrieve a bird.  And, two of the three I've killed have took a second arrow.  I refuse to buy the fancy broadheads because of cost.  I have trouble picking my spot when they are strutting.  I really have to concentrate on where exactly I'm aiming.

Not sure that helped you.  But if you are new to archery, get your equipment tuned properly and get consistent.

[Phantom Gobbler]

I used a fixed broadhead to take my first turkey with a bow last Fall.  It helped to have a ground blind in a very strategic location!
 

[mallard79]

Thanks!  Aren't mechanical heads illegal in Washington?  I gues I'll just get some 100grain broadheads.  What do you think of thunderheads?

[lokidog]

I got a turkey with a thunderhead about six years ago.  Side shot, broke one wing and through the lungs, didn't go anywhere.

[PA BEN]

Thanks!  Aren't mechanical heads illegal in Washington?  I gues I'll just get some 100grain broadheads.  What do you think of thunderheads?

There illegal for Big Game, not small Game.

[mallard79]

Great info!  Thanks!

[PA BEN]

Here's two links to shot placement
http://www.archerytalk.com/vb/showthread.php?t=661127
http://www.wingsupply.com/shop/Scripts/article1.htm

[CoryTDF]

RAGE 2" expendables but only for the spring season. They are not legal for the fall season.

[KimberRich]

I'm new to archery myself.  What's a set of the expandable broadheads run?  They usually come in 3 packs right??

[Tom Tamer]

I'm new to archery myself.  What's a set of the expandable broadheads run?  They usually come in 3 packs right??

Three packs yes and they're about the same as a fixed $40

[Pathfinder101]

Ok, I have limited experience in this area, but here's why I ended my brief archery turkey career.
1st turkey:  Walking into a stand in the afternoon, a flock or turkey ran in front of me.  I knocked an arrow, drew, and waited.  A minute later a Tom appeared and, as though ordained by God himself, stopped in the center of my shooting lane, 15 yards in front of me.  I released and drilled him, then watched in horror as he hopped up and flew off.  Never to be seen again.  
The next morning I stalked another tom and found him at 10 yards, standing on a log.  I drew and drilled him, straight through the breast.  Arrow went straight through him, but didn't even knock him off the log.   He regained his footing and looked around.  I knocked another arrow and shot again, hitting him a little lower this time.  He flew off, across the Colville River, never again to be seen.
I went back to my Mom's house, put my bow in it's case, pulled my shotgun out from behind the seat of my truck, and ended my turkey bowhunting career.
I know people kill them with bows all the time, but I went back to shooting them in the face with a shotgun.

[MtnMuley]

Unless your specifically looking for a decap, any ol broadhead works as long as you hit your mark.
MS

 

[Tom Tamer]

Hitting them in the breast does no good, you want to aim for the shoulder of the wing, their lungs are tucked up high in the rib cage, if you hit them in the shoulder, three things could happen,one a vitals hit, two break the wing or you may also hit the thigh, breaking their legs but also the fermoral artery runs throught the thigh.Bleed them out quick that way. My first ever bow shot on a turkey was through the breast, I dropped my bow arm on release which dropped the shot three inches below my target area.....I broke his breast bone, found gouges in my fletchings as it passed through the bone but I never cut anything with blood and never found him. Hit'em low the go, hit'em high they die. Better to get them to fan out and turn  away from you and send one up his starfish. Use a decoy to make him turn the way you want, face a hen away from you because he'll approach her from the rear or use a Jake/Tom deke and face it toward you, because he'll approach another tom from the front.

[Pathfinder101]

hmmm good info Tom. 

[KimberRich]

Ok, I have limited experience in this area, but here's why I ended my brief archery turkey career.
1st turkey:  Walking into a stand in the afternoon, a flock or turkey ran in front of me.  I knocked an arrow, drew, and waited.  A minute later a Tom appeared and, as though ordained by God himself, stopped in the center of my shooting lane, 15 yards in front of me.  I released and drilled him, then watched in horror as he hopped up and flew off.  Never to be seen again.  
The next morning I stalked another tom and found him at 10 yards, standing on a log.  I drew and drilled him, straight through the breast.  Arrow went straight through him, but didn't even knock him off the log.   He regained his footing and looked around.  I knocked another arrow and shot again, hitting him a little lower this time.  He flew off, across the Colville River, never again to be seen.
I went back to my Mom's house, put my bow in it's case, pulled my shotgun out from behind the seat of my truck, and ended my turkey bowhunting career.
I know people kill them with bows all the time, but I went back to shooting them in the face with a shotgun.

That sucks!! If happening once wasn't frustrating enough!! I've heard plenty of similar stories and would much rather shoot them with a shotgun as well for this very reason.  But..  I know where there is a huge flock of birds with a bunch of toms that don't get hunted but it's JUST inside a firearms restriction area.      So thought I would try to get one with my bow later in the season if I don't fill my tags with my shotgun. But I dread having one fly off and not be found so that's why I was thinking about getting some of the large expandables for turkeys.  I'm thinking i'd rather pay a little extra to get another set of broadheads that may help my bird not flying off.      

[Tom Tamer]

Next year if these Rage three blades don't work, I hear a lot of guys use a grabber behind the broadhead, the spring type like a judo tip, but I haven't weighed them to find out how much they'll throw me off and I don't want to go buy MORE broadheads incase it's too heavy up front and throwing me off, with three weeks left at 20 yards I'm dialed into a quarter sized area with three arrows. If I miss this year I'm blaming it on a bent string

[PA BEN]

Next year if these Rage three blades don't work, I hear a lot of guys use a grabber behind the broadhead, the spring type like a judo tip, but I haven't weighed them to find out how much they'll throw me off and I don't want to go buy MORE broadheads incase it's too heavy up front and throwing me off, with three weeks left at 20 yards I'm dialed into a quarter sized area with three arrows. If I miss this year I'm blaming it on a bent string

Back in 95 I turned down my poundage and used this grabber. Shot a big tom at 10 yds in full strut facing me, Shot him right above the beard. Cartwheeled him, he jumped up, ran to the edge of a cliff looked back and flew off, never to be seen again. The arrow went through him, but only went about a foot past him. I told myself, self, you can shoot turkeys with an arrow now. I never picked up my bow again for turkeys. I shot a nice tom that evening with my shotgun. I don't like to see birds get away. I do use a muzzleloader shotgun now. Only bad thing with it you have to wait for the smoke to clear to see if you got your turkey

[STIKNSTRINGBOW]

I am using a Ben Pearson Deadhead, a broadhead he personally designed specifically for turkeys, added a string tracker, Should work just fine out of my recurve......

[Tom Tamer]

I am using a Ben Pearson Deadhead, a broadhead he personally designed specifically for turkeys, added a string tracker, Should work just fine out of my recurve......

Where do you find a string tracker and how does it work?

PA BEN.....wow that stinks and that's where they say to hit one on a frontal shot.

Even though I'm using a normal sized broadhead( Not a guillotine,or magnus bullhead) I practice a lot at 20 yards with a head shot......If I can line it up I'll do it, that way a miss and there's NO question he survived, a hit and there's no question where he fell

[carpsniperg2]

i have been trying to shoot one with my xforce but they piss me off and i get the shotgun out lol i am using bull heads this year they shoot better than the guillotines i have maybe this year i will shot one but i don't have much patients for waiting for turkeys to play the game i want them to play

[STIKNSTRINGBOW]

I am using a Ben Pearson Deadhead, a broadhead he personally designed specifically for turkeys, added a string tracker, Should work just fine out of my recurve......

Where do you find a string tracker and how does it work?

P

I got mine at Cabelas.. They are a spool of thread that screws into stabilizer bushing and I tie the thread to my broadhead.

[mallard79]

Thanks for all the input guys.  There is a lot of great info on this site!