Turkey Headshots: How to Perfect Them With a Bow

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The carbon shaft slashed through the heavy mat of ebony feathers. I smiled, waiting for the flop to begin. It never did. Instead, the bird walked, ran and then flew out of sight. I never recovered that tom.

Turkey's body vitals are small—a little bigger than the circumference of a baseball. Plus, aiming references can be challenging to distinguish depending on body position. I'd argue more longbeards are hit and lost by bowhunters than all other big-game animals combined.

That's not a knock on bowhunting turkeys. I'm a stick-and-string addict. However, I've changed my thinking. When the spacing between the collagen fibers swells the head, and the gobbler shrinks his neck up into his dome and leans it back against a wall of black feathers, you have an ultra-defined, highly colorful aiming point just a tick smaller than the circumference of a baseball.

Yes, I'm suggesting head-shooting turkeys. It eliminates the guesswork and the chances of wounding a bird. Slice the head or neck with even a single blade, and the bird is dead.

Get Em' Close

What makes turkey hunting fantastic is calling/decoying a boisterous bird close. When bowhunting, the closer, the better. When hunting from a ground blind using my trio of Avian-X decoys (two hens and one 1/2-strut jake), I typically place the LCD Half-Strut Jake over the LCD Laydown Hen precisely 12 yards from my position in the blind. Some bowhunters prefer closer, but 12 yards works well for me, and should a bird hang up, I feel comfortable executing a headshot out to 20 yards.

20 Yards Too Far?

The average size of a turkey's head is 2.2 inches wide and nearly 3 inches long. The center ring of an NFAA/5-Spot Target is 1.5 inches across, and 5-Spot Target rounds are shot from 20 yards. No, 20 yards isn't too far if you spend time executing. Remember, the goal is closer than 20 yards, but no further.

I highly recommend purchasing some NFAA/5-Spot Targets and using them to shoot 60-arrow practice rounds in preparation for shooting turkeys. I also suggest a Delta McKenzie's Strutter Turkey 3-D target. I only shoot it during turkey season and only once per day. However, settling the pin on a life-size head and executing will pay dividends in the spring woods.

You also need to practice from distances between three yards and eight yards. If I use my 20-yard pin, my bow/arrow/broadhead combo will typically hit low, between three and eight yards. Why? The arrow's trajectory at such a close range drops as it flies toward the target. For this reason, I typically split my 30- and 40-yard pins on shots under eight yards, but you need to prove this for yourself and know where you're hitting.

I also highly recommend practicing from a ground blind in the same chair you plan to hunt from. Creating realistic hunting situations boosts accuracy and game-time performance. If you plan to try UPG's Stalker Turkey, practice with it on your bow. The decoy doesn't add much weight, but it will add some riser movement in the wind.

Broadheads

I hate decapitating guillotine-style broadheads. Not because the heads decapitate birds, but because they fly like garbage and aren't a crossover big-game broadhead. Broadheads are expensive, and I want to use the same broadheads for turkeys as I do on whitetails and other species of medium-sized big game.

When you opt for a high-volume (no less than 1-3/4 inch), mechanical head with a streamlined design that resists wind drift and flies like a dart, accuracy is boosted, and killing power is maximized. Plus, if you're like me and capture grip-and-grin moments with your camera, complete head decapitation is rare.

My go-to turkey broadheads are SEVR's Ti 2.0, Rage Hypodermic NC and NAP's KillZone. All three have a cutting diameter of 2 inches, fly like field points and kill quickly.

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