Turkey passthrough ?

[Ryan Rothhaar]

Joe

I've got arrow holes on both sides pretty much every time with turks - I'm talking about blow through, out the other side, arrow skipping through the woods pass-thrus - just can't seem to recover those birds.  Likely not fatal - I think many lost broadside pass-throughs are too far forward and low - through the air bag in front of the keel bone.

Hard for lots of guys (myself included when I started shooting turks) to get it thru their heads to shoot turkeys up and back of where the "10 ring" on the Mackenzie birds are.  You put a Mackenzie "10 ring" on a broadside bird - good luck.

Yep, we've had 'em fly off with arrows a time or 3 as well.  A couple I found because of string trackers that flew off.  Dad had one fly off with a big Snuffer right through the wings side to side with 8-10 inches of arrow out each side.  Unless you actually BREAK the wing bones they can fly.  You can't "pin" the wings without breaking the bones.  Ditto broken legs - they can still fly if they can flop up onto a bush or something to give them the elevation to take off --- I've seen that one too.

R

[Ryan Rothhaar]

Oh, one more thing, remember - turkeys are more closely related to snakes and turtles than they are to deer.  You can cut off a snapping turtle's head and he'll try to walk away from it.  Turkeys don't have a "normal" nervous system - they take lots of killing.  I read somewhere that an "animal" needs to lose like 30% of its blood to black out whereas a bird needs to lose something like 70%.

R

[K.S.TRAPPER]

Turkey wing bones are tuff!! Even though they are hollow I have curled the tips on broad heads many times with that shot.

I shoot bows in the upper 50's and get complete pass throughs about half the time and the other half my broad heads have pass through and out the other side but still hanging in the bird. You hit the wing bone (Which you should broadside) and it kills your penetration.

 I prefer strait on or strait away, The kill zone is bigger and you hit that spine and there down and dead fast.

Tracy

[Roy Steele]

I've shot 11 gobblers with my selfbows.2 I did'nt recover.7 I had pass throughs.3of those were with knaped heads.Rest 2 blade zwicky.For some reason people think a arrow staying in the gobbler will stop it from flying away.[IT WON'T]Why,you wouldn't not want to get a pass through on a deer.I've gobbler hunted for over 30 years am I missing something.

 DEAD IS DEAD NO MATTER HOW FAST YOUR ARROW GETS THERE

[mnbwhtr]

Out of the dozen I've shot only one was a passthrough and that one was through the guts. He went about a hundred yards being gutted by brush all the way, no blood trail needed. All the others the arrow stayed in the bird, shooting 58# with snuffers. I shoot to break the tops of the legs.

[mnbearbaiter]

I have some special arrows that i practice with out of a blind all winter to get ready for spring turkey! I like a 23/64 cedar shaft with a 135gr Zwickey Delta! It weighs bout 560-575 finished and what works for me is to sharpen the main blades razor sharp and only touch the bleeders a little with a file! It gets great penetration into the bird but stays in the bird, adding to the damage inside as they run off! Penetration varies to shot angle! Works well!

[Doug S]

I've bow killed about 50 now and I also shoot for the top of the leg broadside. I use my deer setup with one addition. I put a muzzy grasshopper behind the broadhead (5 grains). (You can't with a wood arrow)  My bow is 60#. 600gr arrow. Any way I like to keep the arrow in the bird. I have lost a couple maybe 3 that I think died somewhere..  Not sure how to explain this but i think the bird, esp. Toms will submit better to a shot when the arrow is in them. Until they see me. So I try not to let them see me. I don't run after them. I have had alot just lay over too.  I'll shoot again if needed or wait till they die. Jakes seem to run more or fly. My experience.
A string tracker is fine with this setup. I have used 1 a few times.

Doug

[BEN]

I've only shot/killed 1--this past deer season. I hit it broadside using a 4-bl. 150gr. Magnus Stinger and 610gr. arrow. I hit it broadside hitting tops of both legs and the upper section of 1 wing----it jumped up once and flopped down kicking up a storm for a minute; the arrow was still in him, but sticking out on both sides.

I just hinda figured the arrow hit the ground while passing through and couldn't get out completely, but my tip was OK--not curled or anything.