First fall turkey . . .

P

Prof Young

New member
So I got my first fall turkey . . . with a bolt. Yeah, I know this is a firearms forum but I'm excited. Went out to ground blind that I build some years ago (search "Little house in the woods" on this forum) and was delighted to discover turkey tracks all over in front of it. Settled in and about 45 minutes later looked up from my book to see over a dozen turkeys on the other side of the field. Too far for a shot. Waited and waited and waited then remember a turkey call in the bottom of the back pack. Dig it out and a few clucks later they came running. Took the closest one with a chest shot. Mechanical broadhead opens to a five inch width. Bird took off but left a blood trail that Mr. Magoo could follow. A few feet into the woods she was there. Ate her this afternoon. Life is good.

Prof Young
 

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well, well

Good for you. I've not collected a turkey with a bow.......I lost one a few years back spring gobbler hunting, felt REALLY bad about that, and swore off it. I've tracked whitetails w/ good success, but when a gobbler sets his wings and sails off into a massive hollow, there's no blood trail. I looked 'til I could barely take another step and never found him. I'm still ashamed of it a bit. Couldn't really say where my hit was....but I thought he was good 'till the arrow pulled out and he flushed.

I was shooting my standard 1-1/8" cut fixed head. I note you shot a mechanical head, could you advise which make/type? Were I to try it again, I'd shoot a mechanical at turkeys........ or maybe a head lopper type ...... all or nothing.
 
Mechanical Broadheads . . .

bamaranger:

Below find a pic of the broadheads I used. I don't recall the brand name. They are 150 grains as that is what my crossbow requires for accuracy as it is set up at the factory. Anyway you can see that closed it's less than two inches and open it's at five. I've read that the vital organs in a turkey don't make a spot much bigger then a grape fruit so I thought these might give me a better chance. In fact now that I'm thinking about it I think these are specifically for turkey hunting. You see the rubber o-ring that holds it closed? It was almost down to the fletchings after I shot that turkey, but the arrow did not go all the way through her body. The arrow sliced her breast in half and then pretty much open her guts up. That was why the big blood trail. Kind of gruesome but she went down quick.

Life is good.

Prof Young
 

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got it

That head (I google searched it) is a Dead Ringer Kill Switch.

Wow, 5" cut! If I could get that to shoot from my Mathews FX, that, or something like it, is the sort of head I am considering. I am VERY skeptical about mechanicals on deer/big game, but they seem ideal for a turkey.

Again congrats, you have accomplished something that not a lot of folks have.
 
more

Reading further, The Kill Switch is advertised as a mechanical point intended for head shots, but if driven fast enough will work on body shots as well. Obviously your cross bow was fast enough. The design has morphed a bit, and now the blades have a bit of a wave to them on the leading edge to facilitate slicing I would think. Users report results like yours, and the body shots I see on Youtube appear not to fully penetrate, but cut massive wounds.

After reading a bit, though I may never do it, should I try to arrow a gobbler again, the Dead Ringer Trauma may be the way for me. Another mechanical, it opens to either 2.5" or 3"+ (it can be adjusted!) is a bit sleeker closed, and more swept when open. I suspect it should fly true and deploy well on a turkey. If limited to head shots only with a bow, I might not ever kill another gobbler!!!

I sure wish I'd shot a mechanical when I tried bow hunting gobblers, but expandable heads were not on the market then.
 
Congrats...

I bagged a young jake with my compound bow, about 17 years ago, while springtime hunting on public hunting land in Maryland.

I missed him twice before I bagged him on the third shot. He came up to me (in response to my calling) while I was in my ground blind, about 5 feet away, looking straight at me and my drawn bow. I missed him with a head shot. He then ran up the hill, about 25 yards and stopped after I gave him a few yelps -- I missed him again --- Then...he full strutted down the hill, about 25 yards away, stopped --- and I throat shot him with a mechanical broadhead.

He then flew straight up...like a quail, and flew down the bottom --- with him crashing through the trees about 100 yards away and dead.
 
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