Turkey Broadhead

[bobbymalone]

Any recommendations on a broadhead?  I've seen the big guillotine heads, but I'm not sure I'm ready for that skill wise.   I'm thinking body shot.

I'm dialed in with Muzzy MX3's out to 25 yards and I'm confident out to about 35.  Is there a real benefit to a gobbler broadhead?

[Barbelboy]

I think you'll get a wide variety of opinions on that one. The only real difference I can tell is with the large head shot designs, it's either a hit or a miss.

Others report losing some birds with other types of broad heads.

[troutkingmaster]

I have used spitfire gobbler getter heads with success.  They have a blunt tip to transfer more energy to the bird and hopefully result in the arrow stuck in the bird as opposed to passing through.  That being said, any large diameter mechanical will work just fine. There are some good videos on youtube showing proper shot placement as well.

"Hit him high, watch him die. Hit him low, watch him go"...

[Scoot]

There are some guys on this forum (DonBo, as one example) who know a ton and have a lot of experience.  I don't know half as much as those guys!  However, you've got 3 options- big ol' head loppers, standard fixed heads, and mechanicals.  IMO large mechanicals are a big advantage over standard fixed heads- it gives you more room for error.  I've shot Spitfire Maxx's and I love them for deer (if you're shooting with enough KE) and they have a very big diameter, making them great for turkey.  The head loppers don't take any more skill than any other head and IMO they make one thing a whole lot easier-- knowing where to shoot.  Turkeys have a remarkably small set of vitals and the location of them change considerably depending upon the position of the turkey (full strut, standing upright, bent down and feeding).  Tons of guys have hit and lost turkeys because they simply don't know where to aim based on the position and posture of a turkey.  Because it's so much easier to see the head/neck of a turkey for a beginner/kid, I'm having my son shoot them now that he's able to pull sufficient poundage.  That'll make identifying the right spot to hit very simple and it results in one of two outcomes virtually everytime: kill or miss.  It's very unlikely to hit and injure a bird that goes unrecovered with a head lopper.  Do a little homework and know where to hit with a big mechanical and it'll be just fine too...

[paceman]

I am by no means an expert. I have killed 2 with the bow. fixed blade 100 grain muzzy's. about 15 yard shots. Both broadside. I simply aim straight up above the legs, about 1/3 down from the top of back. Both complete pass through. Both flopped right over and quickly died....

[DonBo]

I highly recommend a large diameter three blade mechanical.  Like stated, a turkeys vitals are very small, like baseball size.  A large diameter 3 blade is your best bet on getting into that small cavity.  These heads also often stay in the bird, a huge advantage IMHO.

Your standard fixed blade will certainly kill them, but shot placement is much more critical.

The "head loppers" I'm sure are very efficient, but I've never shot them.  You need longer, heavier arrows to shoot them, for me, that's not an option.  I shoot outdoor leagues and many 3D shoots during the turkey season and don't want to change anything on my bow to accommodate these types of arrows.  

[Illini Walli]

shot placement/accuracy is the key. a lot of guys use the same arrow/broadhead setup they use for deer

realtree and wasp, and others sites, have some good videos and pictures of the different shots/angles presented by turkeys and where to aim. as someone said, it might surprise you where (how high) the vitals are on a walking/standing turkey

i shot 2 fall toms this year with the gobbler getters, one at 10 yards, the other 25. both shots were upright/facing and i hit right above where the beard protrudes. both toms stumbled backward at the hit, staggered and dropped within 15 yards

[bobbymalone]

I should also note that I'm dialed in with Rage hypodermic 2 blade mechanicals as well, they have a larger cutting diameter.   I forgot about those since I stick the muzzy's on the end for deer season.   The muzzy MX3's and those rage hypodermics are the only broadheads I've shot and despite all this talk about broadheads not flying like field points, the seem to out of my bow.   The Muzzy's hit a couple inches high at 25 yards.  At 15 yards I can't tell a difference.

At a say 10 or 15 yard shot, I'm pretty confident I could drill a turkey right in the dome with either my MX3's, the hypodermics, or a field point....  Anybody got a guess on how a guillotine head would fly?   I guess my lack of confidence in taking a head lopper shot is based on a fear that those guillotine heads fly screwy and I'd have to make all sort of adjustments to my bow/arrows/sight to hit where I want.   Now that I'm thinking about it, I'm wondering if there is even time for them fly screwy if I'm taking a neck shot at 15 yards.  

Edited March 11, 2016 by bobbymalone

[DonBo]

2 minutes ago, bobbymalone said:

 Anybody got a guess on how a guillotine head would fly?   I guess my lack of confidence in taking a head lopper shot is based on a fear that those guillotine heads fly screwy and I'd have to make all sort of adjustments to my bow/arrows/sight to hit where I want.   

The "head loppers" I'm sure are very efficient, but I've never shot them.  You need longer, heavier arrows to shoot them, for me, that's not an option.  I shoot outdoor leagues and many 3D shoots during the turkey season and don't want to change anything on my bow to accommodate these types of arrows. 

[bobbymalone]

Thanks donbo.  Missed that the first time.

I'll definitely need a longer arrow to accommodate a giant head lopper head.  I might pick up some longer arrows and some lopper heads just see how they fly.  Maybe at 10-15 yards they won't require a total retune of my bow.   

Edited March 11, 2016 by bobbymalone

[Scoot]

Bobby, the guillotine brand is not well liked by many.  If you go that route I've mostly read, but also experienced, tons of great things with the Magnus Bullheads.  If your bow is tuned properly they will fly great.  If it's out of tune in at all, it takes some effort to get them to hit with your field points.  Lots of people will argue this point, but it's definitely true- most of those who argue don't understand how to tune a bow properly (they check timing and say the bow is in tune, for example).

[bobbymalone]

Yeah, i've heard that too.  I guess I was using the term guillotine as a generic term for that style.

 

[Illini Walli]

if you are dialed in and confident shooting your rage and muzzys at deer, i wouldnt mess with my setup for turkey

hit em in the right place and they're dead

it is cool, though, to see those guillotines lop a turkey's head off

[rkhinrichs]

I like how nap killzones! Did a great job on my doe this fall. But I'm going to try havics this spring! 

[x1957x]

Zwickey makes a spring type product that prevents pass threw of turkeys. I use the muzzy or rage type broadheads. Keep in mind  when ordering the zwickeys you have to make sure you get the right shaft size for your arrow. This has alot of advanatges to it.  It stays in the turkey so it cant fly and has  it has heck of a time running with it threw the grass and woods. Also you wont loose your arrow. That could get  expense very fast as we all know.

Edited March 16, 2016 by x1957x
forgot a piece of info

[MNHunter65]

I shoot the Magnus Bullheads. I bought the kit that comes with the uncut arrows and 4 fletch vanes. They fly fine for me out to 30 yards with no adjustments to my setup.