now i know some peolpe are going to think this question might be stupid BUT if it gets in my head i have to ask...does any turkey hunters worry about arrow weight..if so what weight do you hunt with....and do you prefer light weight for speed or heavy for more knock down power...if you think its dumb just pass the topic..thanks..
Turkeys can be tough to penetrate, never had a pass thru. I use my whitetail setup, 48-50# 500-550 gr arrow. Shots limited to 20yds max, heart/lung is a small target.
thanks katman,in fact we have all most the same set up...so that makes me better... i was curious what others use OR if people even think about it...thanks again..
I agree that turkeys are tough to penetrate, because of the feathers and feather quills, but also because they are light enough to move a little with the arrow on impact, which further reduces penetration. they don't do this intentionally, of course, it's just that when the arrow hits them, it tends to push them a bit as it penetrates. I've shot them with 2-blade, 3-blade and 4-blade heads and now use mostly Woodsman's and Snuffers. I use the same set up I use for deer. Bows in the 45# range and arrows about 500 to 525. I'd say about one out of five have been pass throughs.
(I'll add that a pass through to me is an arrow that goes completely through the bird and exits the off side. I don't count it a pass through if the broadhead is protruding from the off side, but the arrow is still in the critter. )
I agree about hunting with your deer set up. Had good luck with this approach but Like my buddy Joey Buchanan, I go with the 2" silver flames for turkeys with my stick bows. get about 50 percent passthrough with low 40lb bows but 100 percent dead turkeys that are hit and most of them are. DB
Same as the others, they are very solid though the center, much more so than deer. I would go with the heavy shaft. One from last season with a two blade broadhead and barely got enough penetration. Probably a 550 gr. arrow.
Am no turkey hunting expert however, I do get after them.
Working to successfully arrow number 39 this season. Have been using Tree Sharks the past decade.
Typically. have pass thrus, which I personally desire. Have used my loaded deer arrows in the past.
Used a light setup last season, for the 1st time, tipped with a Tree Shark on a filmed hunt in Oklahoma. Experienced a complete at 16 yards.
Note: Had experienced one pass thru ever prior to switching to Tree Sharks. Have even intentionally taken a head off. My recoveries have easily doubled.
What Orion said. Turkeys are one of those animals that 'roll with the punches'. Kinda like ground hogs.
:campfire:
Same bows and arrows for deer. Marginal hit, who knows how it will all turn out. Good hit, nothing to worry about.