Is 40 pounds too light to use the Magnus bullheads? Should I stick with a 4 blade stinger? If it's too risky I can hustle to get a new set of arrows tuned up for my 45 pound bow.
I can't answer as to ethical or not, but if I were going to shoot a turkey with a 40# stickbow, I would definitely use the sharpest broadhead I could get, and would prefer one that was not too wide also!
Bisch
A little more info. Its a red wing hunter with b50. Gt trad classics with 200 grains up front. I shoot this bow well and arrows fly great
Bullheads are meant for head / neck hits. If you keep the shots close, as we typically do for turkeys, and make sure the leading edges of those heads are sharp.... there should be no issues, hit em and they are dead, miss, and they fly away unharmed.
Yeah I was thinking 10 yards or less for shots. Ideally a gobbler would come whoop my Jake decoy and if nail him at 7 yards
Too Light!!!
Guru knows his stuff, but for a head shot with a bullhead I personally think it should be plenty. Body shot is a big difference. BTW, those edges sharpen up great with a RADA wheelie sharpener after you are done practicing.
I would stick with the stinger.
I'd body shoot them. I've killed 4 with a #40 longbow, turkeys are a good deal tougher than people give them credit for.
I have witnessed two bounce offs with bullheads. One with a fifty pound stickbow and the other a forty pound youth compound. Both shots under 15 yards. The broadhead struck the gobblers completely square in the head/neck. I definitely think bowhunters should give some serious thought about their equipment before using bullheads. Do what you think is best, but I like holes like this.
(http://i.imgur.com/ogPzCWg.jpg)
(http://i.imgur.com/vcboFmO.jpg)
I wonder if those 2 shots were unlucky enough to have only the relatively blunt point strike first? That would be some good shooting.
I shoot a 45lb bow and draw about 27 1/2 in. , arrow weight is 540 grn. , shoot the 125 grn. bullhead and cut the head mostly off several turkeys at 10 to 12 yards . I think you would be fine if you hit the head , neck . Our turkey season is in a couple weeks , and we plan on getting lots of pictures this year as this is of interest to a lot of folks . So far we have had nothing but good results .
Those birds are tough! I've seen shotgun loads shave a few feathers off at 30 yards and the bird fly away like the stud. Just aim for the head at that moment when everything is on the line and you'll be fine. ....I wish it was that easy.
Yeah those gobblers are tough as nails. I just want to be sure my equipment is gonna get the job done if I do my part. I don't want to wound one because I made a bad call that could have been avoided.
I wouldn't hesitate to hunt turkeys with a 40 pound bow but I would not use a bullhead. Think you would be better off with a regular broadhead.
Have been firmly convinced over the yearly previous discussions that utilizing the Bullhead per your setup would be a very poor decision.
The quarry we are gifted to pursue deserve nothing less than our best efforts.
Just a thought , how much force does it take with a sharp knife to cut the skin on a turkeys neck to the bone ?
In no way does slicing neck-to-bone penetration remotely translates into a clean kill.
The Bullhead was designed for decapitation. The Magnus website recommendation for a conventional bow is no less than 60#s for a long draw archer.
The proposed 40# traditional bow setup may equate to roughly half of the Magnus minimal recommendation.
And yet .......
QUOTE]Originally posted by FAV 52:
I shoot a 45lb bow and draw about 27 1/2 in. , arrow weight is 540 grn. , shoot the 125 grn. bullhead and cut the head mostly off several turkeys at 10 to 12 yards . I think you would be fine if you hit the head , neck . Our turkey season is in a couple weeks , and we plan on getting lots of pictures this year as this is of interest to a lot of folks . So far we have had nothing but good results . [/QUOTE]
QuoteOriginally posted by jonsimoneau:
I wouldn't hesitate to hunt turkeys with a 40 pound bow but I would not use a bullhead. Think you would be better off with a regular broadhead.
WHAT HE SAID..
ethics is something you have to decide.....as for the bow...if it is a legal weight to hunt then I would ensure I had the sharpest two blade or three blade head I have that flies accurately. Lots of feathers to push through and a solid body as well... Personally, I would not use a bullhead at all...
I would not only be cognizant of my broadhead and bow setup but would also make sure I knew where to shoot for a good lethal hit from all angles...front, side, rear, etc.
I also would not be asking this question as turkey season is opening...it is something I would be testing and shooting and working on all winter to make sure I am ready and the items work as expected.
The 'and yet' isolated success stories always float to the top.
What applicable results?
I lack the direct experience to comment further
There has been a lengthy list of threads since 2008 specifically regarding the Bullheads and another head lopper.
Consistent positive results are scarce even with heavier setups.
A well informed opinion was derived based on the integrity driven collective feedback of the Trad Gang members since 2008.
I shoot 46 lb and would agree with the majority here... stick to a good fixed blade.
Another vote for Fixed Blade. Personal Experience with BullHead and Gobbler neck, no more for me... 53lbs@27-5/8" draw. Too each his own learning/experience but you asked....
There are 3 of us here that use the bullhead , and we are 8 for 8 no one shoots over 50lbs , thats all I can tell you . Use what works for you and we will do the same . Good hunting and good luck .
Boy you guys must have tougher Turkeys than we do in Wisconsin. $0# will and has many times killed the biggest Toms I have ever came acrossed
40# should be plenty with an accurate shot and a razor sharp cut on contact broadhead. I would shy away from the Bullhead.
40# is too light, especially if you have heavier bows available and can shoot them well.
I plan on taking head and neck shots with three blades or treesharks this year. If I miss bird is alive and gone, if I hit they will be dead. I will be using heavier than 40# but I think a sharp conventional head hitting the head or neck would do the job better than wide thin blade style with a 40# bow. My only experience with the bullhead style was less than satisfactory with flight, but that was early in my trad career and my arrows might not have been tuned perfectly (though the woodsman's flew true). Plus they were a pain to carry with a bow quiver.
Well, I broke the neck of Jake with a bullhead today. 52# bow, but drawn to a little under 30". Dropped like a stone. Will get a video up soon.
(http://i.imgur.com/JWhpvIj.jpg)
(http://i.imgur.com/ZgjNEbP.jpg)
QuoteOriginally posted by pdk25:
I wonder if those 2 shots were unlucky enough to have only the relatively blunt point strike first? That would be some good shooting.
That's exactly what happen with those two shots. A little bit off center and the birds would be dead. Instead it ended up with gobblers that ran and stumbled off like a drunk without being recovered. This head has more of a cut on contact leading edge. Might be better for a stickbow.
(http://i.imgur.com/FG03llV.jpg)
Congrats on the Jake!! Good shooting!!
There is yet another turkey head out there, by Hartcraft, called a turkey lopper. The head (3 blade replaceables) uses either "deer" blades or the "lopper blades, which are oriented differently than Bullheads. I am experimenting with them for aerials like pheasant and duck. Flight seems good. My shooting, not so much.
I wasn't intending on using the bullhead, I was using the D+cap pictures above, but my top limb hit the blind roof on the shot, and I missed badly, cutting through the mesh that was pulled up with one blade. Thankfully I had a backup tipped with a bullhead. Pretty sure I would have cut his head clean off with the D-cap.
It will be more.clear exactly what happened when my buddy gets the video downloaded. Might take a week.
(http://i.imgur.com/hnyTmfq.jpg)
Is this your first year with the D-cap? Or have you used it before?
First year. I had them last year, but hadn't tested them enough for my liking, so didn't take them into the field until this year. They are more similar in weight to what I shoot for other game with standard broadheads. I do prefer the design of the tip on the D-CAP. They are pricey, but fortunately they were a gift.
Keep us posted. Good luck the rest of the season.
Here is a post from the highlights not another Hunter who was successful, with video included.
http://tradgang.com/noncgi/ultimatebb.php?ubb=get_topic