Turkey with an Arrow

Welcome to IDO nug! Where abouts in Iowa are you from?

I would recommend the strike-lite for Iowa ice fishing. No mixing of gas, and super light. It cuts through Iowa ice like a hot knife through butter.

I have no experience with the electrics, but I like being able to drill all day long on a tank of gas-

welcome to the site!!

If you can take the truck out all the time to run your electric auger go for it, but hauling a battery around in a sled to drill holes isn’t much fun.

I bought the Strikemaster 224 last year….it is awesome. It takes very little effort to punch holes, you just hit the throttle and hold on, you barely put any downward pressure on it. The blades pull the auger through the ice.

I was hesitant to spend the extra $ going to the 224 over the express but I am really glad I did!!
JB

I am seriously considering going after my spring Wisco turkey with my Mathews… however I have never done it before. For those of you who have done it; can you share with me your experiences of regular broadhead body-shot VERSUS Guillotine head-shot?
Thank you!
-Luke

Its a blast!! Depending on if you are planning on shooting through mesh from a pop up blind, i would go with a over the top expandable. I know some guys that are shooting Rage 2 blade from their blinds. However, you can’t shoot a rear deploying broadhead through mesh because how they open up

However you want to do it, i would go with a broadhead that has a big cutting diameter. “The bigger the better” I wouldn’t go with anything less than 1 1/2″ cut. I personally am shooting the Rocket Stricknines this spring. In MN, you can’t shoot anything more than a 2″ cut, and the Stricknines are 2″ 125 grain heads. The reason why you want to shoot a big broadhead is because the vitals are so small!! This diagram should help. I know a lot of guys on here bow hunt turkeys so they should give their input on what they think

By no means am I an expert turkey archer, as I prefer to chase them using a gun with the mobility and run ‘n gun style that I like. That said, I’ve killed a handful of bow birds with each style of head, and I’m as perplexed as you are. Also, I think I’d add the massive expandables to a third “type” of turkey broadhead.

I’m also embarrassed to admit that I’ve mortally wounded AND lost a bird each with an expandable and guillotine. Both were shots that I felt were kill shots….arrow flew true, went where I thought it should go. Puzzled.

My first bow bird was actually a hen, from a tree stand while hunting deer. Never shot a regular head again, maybe that was my problem?

In theory, the guillotines or that style head is the way to go. You’ve got about 6″ north/south on a turkey’s head, 2″ left/right, and you’re shooting a 4″X”4 swath, meaning room for error from the center of your arrow shaft is nearly 2″ left/right and 5″ or so up/down. That target is much larger than a turkeys vitals, I’ll tell you that. However, the turkey’s head is more prone to sudden movement.

Also in theory, the guillotine style is supposed to kill them, or miss them. I can attest to a bad shot with the guillotines, the surface area of the head is so large that the whole deal bounces clean off the side of the bird. At the same time, I hit one a bit low on the neck 3 years ago that I trailed for almost 150 yards. Blood on the ground and all. Never found it, and I didn’t give up for hours and hours. My problem with the guillotines is that I never got that arrow to fly like it should. Too much dodginess in my setup.

So, I think if I take after them with a bow this year, I’ll be shooting massive expandables (Rockets) or the bullhead from Magnus. Haven’t decided yet.

Sorry for the novel, and I’m sure I created more questions than I solved problems, but that’s been my experience. I think a premium should be placed on what you can shoot the most consistently.

Good luck, and let us know what you figure out!

Joel

hope this can help a little bit. for the broadheads i’d go with the rage 2 blades just because of the large cutting diamiter, with all of those feathers they clot up quick.

wow thanks for the great replies and help. I think I am going to go after it with an expandable and try my best.