Video: The Best Target for Head-Chopping Turkey Broadheads?
Dave Maas 04.13.17
Regular visitors to OutdoorHub know that I love to pursue turkeys with archery gear. While I’ve killed my fair share with standard broadheads and shots to the heart/lung area of a turkey, my preferred method is to use a Magnus Bullhead broadhead (below) and aim for a turkey’s head or neck.
But you might be asking yourself: How do I practice with these massive fixed-blade heads?
I’m glad you asked.
The video below shows the system I use. The clip was submitted to the Magnus Broadheads Facebook page by a fan of Bullheads, and I use the same pillow trick. Note: You can support a pillow in a cardboard box (one end opened and facing the shooter), or suspend the pillow from something such as a horizontal tree branch that’s a few feet off the ground.
In this clip, the shooter used a couple of clamps to hold the edges of the pillow, then lets the pillow hang. Simple and effective.
As you can see, Bullheads will eventually tear up a pillowcase, so it’s a good idea to reinforce it with duct tape or packing tape over time. And I don’t get as fancy as this shooter with a lifelike turkey head/neck target, although it certainly works fantastic. I tear off a 6-inch piece of duct tape and stick it vertically on the pillow. If I can hammer the duct tape, then it’s a dead turkey. Period.
Regarding distance: I’ve seen online videos where archers showcase amazing accuracy at long range with Bullheads, but I like close shots best. I place my decoy (or decoys) only 5 yards from my blind. And I pass on any shots longer than 10 yards.
One final and important tip: Don’t assume that your top bowsight pin is best for point-blank shots. With a field point installed on the same Victory arrow that you plan to use in the field, test it by shooting at a bullseye the size of a nickel from 3, 4 and 5 yards. You might be surprised to learn that you must use your second bowsight pin to hit the bullseye at spitting distance.
I’ve seen it happen more times than I can count on one hand: A shooter doesn’t know that his/her arrow impacts 2 inches low at 4 yards, they aim at the base of the neck on a head-on strutter, then hit chest feathers with the Bullhead. And hitting the chest of a wild turkey with a Bullhead is much like hitting a pillow – only the broadhead goes in a little on a pillow. A Bullhead will cut feathers but bounce off a turkey’s chest. My absolute favorite scenario is a strutting tom that’s stopped and broadside at 5 yards. Put a Bullhead in his ear and it’s over!
P.S. You don’t need to draw heavy poundage to kill a turkey with a Magnus Bullhead. My 14-year-old son (below), who pulls only 35 pounds, killed his first bow bird on April 1 with a perfectly placed shot to the neck. The jake never took another step.
