9/16" blunthead arrow for turkeys

They are legal for turkeys in Iowa. I like to take a few stump shots while turkey hunting, so I carried a couple of these because a game warden thought that maybe a normal blunt could be seen as an illegal arrow to carry while turkey hunting. I shot a domestic turkey with one with an 80 pound bow, to see if they worked. I went for the head, hit low neck upper chest. The turkey was put out of its misery with a broadhead. Has anyone ever used them for killing turkeys?  I have difficulty understanding why they are legal.

[mnbearbaiter]

I think that the DNR and the lawmakers understand that the turkey isn't just a "dumb bird", but a worthy animal! Lets face it, turkeys arent curious one bit like a deer, and they rarely remain still long enough for a shot on their own terms! Any head that could help in the aid or recovery of an animal they are all for! As far as using blunthead style points for turkeys i have no experience, however a have a friend of mine that uses em regularly with success! He seems to favor the regular old slide on rubber blunt on a hickory shaft! He epoxies a nickel on the end of the blunt(dont ask me why, i think its for weight), and says that when he hits a turkey they just roll around for a few seconds and thats it! He also says that when cleaning the bird alot of the softer insides of the bird(lungs, intestines, etc.), are vaporized and depending upon where the bird was shot, he has slightly bruised the breast meat but nothing major i guess! Hope it helps!

[JC]

I can't imagine any DNR being able to justify shooting at a turkey with anything less than a razor sharp broadhead. But obviously, at least one state has...I just don't think they were right in doing so.

If you are going to take head shots with a 9/16" blunt, wouldn't a 9/16" razor sharp broadhead be even better? Not to mention how much better it would work for the million fellers who would try to shoot that "legal" blunt at the body.

[Orion]

Your friend body shoots turkeys with a blunt?  Hmmmmmmm.  

[Jim Curlee]

I would use a broadhead!
I did back hand one of my wifes pet turkeys once, (he was trying to breed me), he went down instantly.
I thought I kilt him, but a few days later he was strutting around the yard again. Layed over under a shed till he came to. LOL
In other words their head is the weakest part of a turkey! LOL
Jim

[Chuck Jones]

The idea of the 9/16" blunt, is that they be used solely for head shots. They are made using an 8-32 screw and 9/16" OD washer screwed into a carbon or aluminum arrow. I attended a seminar given by the person who tested the blunts for their DNR. He said the hunters who used the blunts wounded almost no turkeys, and their kill rate per shot was about the same as hunters who tried for body shots with broadheads. It is supposed to reduce the rate of wounded turkeys.

[luv2bowhunt]

Originally posted by Chuck Jones:
It is supposed to reduce the rate of wounded turkeys.

I am assuming with a head shot right??

The first spring turkey season we had in Iowa, I took a head shot at a tom with a rather short beard.  i was using my Jerry hill bamboo bow with aluminum arrows.  If that turkey would have held his head still it could have been a good shot, but he moved it.  the arrow stuck into the tree right next to the turkey.  He took offense to the arrow, picked at the orange and brown fletching, then jumped on it. Then jumped on it and bent my arrow. Why didn't I take a second shot?

[mnbearbaiter]

Actually shooting a blunt at a turkeys head sounds nearly impossible! I think some of you arent educated on the use of the blunt and what happens when it makes contact! Keep in mind i am not defending the idea as i use special arrows and the widest broadheads i can find when i hunt turkeys! When a blunt strikes a broadside turkey it breaks a wing and unleashes all the energy behind it into the bird! Penetration is lost energy for all you non physics buffs! Hydrostatic Shock is the force that turns the insides of the bird to jello, and its a very lethal force! How many of you shoot your turkeys and they run off and they have to be trailed for some distance, i know i do! My blunt shooting friend never has, he only takes controlled shots under 15yds, no cowboy stuff!!! Another example... Anyone here ever shoot a 2 liter bottle full of water with a blunt, thats what happens to the inside of the turkey!!! My friend shoots a 70#@28" Hill longbow with 800gr hickory arrows! Ive seen him shoot water filled bottles and its lethal!!!

I would admit that the place that I hit the test farm turkey was not direct enough. The bird was injured and it took a wild chase to get another arrow into it. What I wonder is for a low 50s bow with a 26" draw how much would happen with a not so direct hit on a body shot? I do know that a steel blunt takes pheasants down like they are hit with a hammer.  I also know that the punk that threatened me with  a shotgun went down like he was hit with a hammer as well.  It would be fun to hunt turkeys with nothing but a quiver full of bludgeons, but I really have doubts that I am putting out enough power with my new Robertson longbow (that I do not have yet). I have seen what a Bear with the bleeder blades can do and for me I think that may be a better choice.

[JC]

Originally posted by Chuck Jones:
The idea of the 9/16" blunt, is that they be used solely for head shots. They are made using an 8-32 screw and 9/16" OD washer screwed into a carbon or aluminum arrow. I attended a seminar given by the person who tested the blunts for their DNR. He said the hunters who used the blunts wounded almost no turkeys, and their kill rate per shot was about the same as hunters who tried for body shots with broadheads. It is supposed to reduce the rate of wounded turkeys.

I can see in theory where that might be an argument, but in my opinion, the reality is that many, many turkeys will be injured but not killed when frustrated hunters shoot them in the body with these blunts. You simply can't regulate "head shots only" and that's the only way a blunt could even come in the same ballpark as a broadhead. If they think they are wounding a lot of turkeys with body shots from a broadhead, wait till they get the results from body shots with a blunt.

[mnbearbaiter]

He doesnt shoot steel blunts, he would blow them right through with his setup! He has a regular steel blunt tipped arrow that he then slides the rubber blunt over! He has almost 200gr up front i believe! Alot of wallop with his 70# bow and the 800gr arrows! Works well for him! He also knows right where to shoot em and he studies turkey anatomy closely! He shoots daily out of his blind in his basement at a turkey target! He likes the head on and broadside angles best for his method, and avoids the facing or quartering away angles!

[JC]

But 90% of the guys hunting are not going to be shooting 70# and 800 gr...and I think they are going to mess up some turkeys in pitiful fashion.

[mnbearbaiter]

I would agree with you and do JC! I shoot 55#@28" with a 625gr arrow and 4 blade Zwickey Deltas for my turkeys, although im goin to switch to Snuffers this spring! I would rather see people shoot broadheads too!!!

[Ragnarok Forge]

Hitting a turkey with an 800 grain arrow from a 70 lb bow would be like being hitting by a mack truck for a human.  

Most of us don't shoot that much poundage.  I shoot 55 lbs and use razor sharp broadheads.  I am planning to try some turkey guillotines this season.  Head shots only with them. Should pretty much be a guaranteed kill if I shoot straight.

[Orion]

Granted that an 800 grain arrow out of a 70# bow hits like a sledge hammer, but turkeys aren't stationary critters.  Hit them with an arrow, and they move with it, regardless of whether it's a blunt or a broadhead. Not talking head shots here, but body shots.  That's why it's hard to get a passthrough on a turkey with a broadhead.  They're physically light and move with the arrow when hit, retarding penetration.  At that bow and arrow weight, a body shot might work most of the time, but  a head shot will definitely work every time.  All bets are off with lighter bows and arrows.

[Guru]

JC summed it up perfect in his first post...  

"why shoot a blunt when you can shoot a bh"....

Threads like this just seem to give guys bad ideas....for that reason I'm going to respectfully close it up.