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The Crossbow Edge

Crossbows are gaining popularity every spring, for excellent reasons. The author points out why they’re gaining such a following in the turkey woods.

Text and photos by Brad Fenson

Photo credit Brad Fenson

We knew it was going to be a good day shortly after leaving the truck. The sun was still a half-hour from peaking over the eastern horizon, and the gobblers were already hammering each other from their roost trees. It was a constant gobble, one blending into the other and the next. The turkeys were roosted in 400-yard stretch of trees along a meandering creek bed. One gobbler stood out from the rest and sounded like an old coffee can full of gravel being shaken and swirled.

Photo credit Brad Fenson

We traveled along the creek to hide our outlines and prevent the keen-eyed birds from spotting us. I doubt any of the other birds were still sleeping with the extreme racket from the hormone-raged gobblers. We stopped where we could start to see distinct black blobs in the tree limbs. It was now a waiting game to see which side of the creek the birds pitched down toward and whether they would split into multiple groups. It was unusual to see so many birds together during the prime breeding season.

Photo credit Brad Fenson

Fluttering wing beats increased my heart rate, knowing the competitive gobblers were now on the ground. We could still see hens in the trees, and I dug out a Rocky Mountain Hunting Calls Black Max diaphragm. I figured if the gravel-throated gobbler kept rattling off, a raspy old hen would be the perfect seduction.

A couple of clucks and yelps certainly grabbed the boys’ attention. Two red heads appeared out of the creek bottom, and tails were soon fanned out. The competitors did not move far, with the ladies in the trees and some on the ground. We called again and slowly snuck to a rise where we popped up a turkey fan. By the color change in the old boy’s head, I could tell that he was mad that an intruder had got to Gravel Gertie first.

Photo credit Brad Fenson

The two toms raced each other across the field, trying to decide whether to display or hotfoot it to the new show across the pasture. It didn’t take the duo long to close the distance, and before we knew it, they were right on top of us, with tails flexed and in full strut. One second they would be in full display, and the next, they were running toward the competition. Nothing beats a good fight in the morning if you’re an aggressive turkey.

I was off to one side and could see the large bird I had targeted since hearing his first gobble. I was willing to wait for the old boy to come out of strut and give me a broadside shot opportunity. I followed the bird’s every move, and when the chance came for a shot, I tightened up on the trigger. The arrow flew perfectly off the TenPoint Vapor RS470 crossbow and sent a shower of feathers from the gobbler as it toppled and flopped on the ground. His buddy immediately knew he was king and gave a couple of jabs to the old boy before racing back to the creek where its day had started.

Advantage 1

The bonus to this early morning success was that we had several turkey tags in hand, and using a crossbow meant we had not disturbed any of the other turkeys when harvesting the first. The birds did split into several groups, providing plenty more opportunities to decoy and call.

Photo credit Brad Fenson

Managing hunting pressure on turkeys can be as simple as managing noise. Shotguns are practical tools for tagging a gobbler, but most are shot within archery range, anyway. A well-placed arrow is just as deadly as shotgun pellets, whether you prefer a vertical or horizontal bow.

Advantage 2

Hunting without the “BOOM” can mean multiple shot opportunities. I have quickly cocked a crossbow and slid an arrow down the rail for a second shot on more than one occasion. The quiet shot is a massive advantage if you missed the first shot and the bird stays focused on the decoys or surrounding competitors. Often, a dead gobbler will attract the competition who have played second fiddle to the dominant tom all spring. This moment of payback can mean the birds are entirely occupied with revenge and overlook hunters and any movement. Where a second bird can be harvested, This is an excellent opportunity to do so. Or, if hunting with a friend or family member, it is a good chance to pass the crossbow and take the double.

Advantage 3

I must admit that I am partial to a crossbow, as it requires little movement to find a bird in the sight and wait for the right shot window. I often carry shooting sticks or a bipod to make the job even more precise.

Photo credit Brad Fenson

The ability to have the crossbow on your shoulder long before the birds get in range is a significant advantage. However, crossbows are heavy enough that your arms will start shaking if you try to hold them for long periods. So use a rest to take advantage of the crossbow and its ready-to-shoot capability.

Advantage 4

There is no loud shotgun-like report with a crossbow, but there will still be noise. If there is any wind, it might cover the sound of bow’s limbs and string deploying. If you shoot when another bird is gobbling, the bird’s chatter will undoubtedly cover the noise of the crossbow. My favorite technique for reducing noise is to use a heavy arrow and broadhead. Modern crossbows spit arrows at incredible speeds and convert some of the horsepower into noise, so some extra vibration dampening is an advantage. A heavy projectile offers several benefits in addition to absorbing vibration from the crossbow. The extra weight also increases kinetic energy and penetration.

A wild turkey can seem like it’s armor-plated. I have experienced hunts where an arrow is launched and does not penetrate the bird. How is that even possible? Archery target manufacturers could take a lesson in ultimate stopping power by duplicating the composition of a giant bird. Every feather is made of a hollow quill, fluffy down and plumes. Feathers are complex branching structures and are composed of a protein known as beta-keratin. The calamus, or quill, extends into a central rachis, splitting into barbs and eventually down to barbules. The multi-branching structures steal energy from a cutting projectile at every level.

Photo credit Brad Fenson

The feather is locked together with Velcro-like structures that keep them aligned, smooth, and flexible when looked at under a microscope. An arrow must cut thousands of plumes and quills before getting to the vitals. Turkeys’ skin is elastic and stretches. A broadhead needs to stretch the skin before it can cut, stealing more energy. The next layer is hollow bones that the broadhead needs to cut on the way in and out. Each bone steals energy better than any layered foam target.

Understanding the stopping power of a bird’s anatomy lets you know why increased penetration from a heavy arrow is an intelligent decision.

More on Quiet

With a modern, high-performance TenPoint crossbow, I already have the advantages built into the bow for noise reduction. Like the Vapor RS470 or Havoc RS440 (www.tenpointcrossbows.com), quality crossbows come with string dampening rods and systems already installed. You can add string silencers, limb dampeners and other anti-vibration attachments to make your bow even quieter.

Photo credit Brad Fenson

There are some simple things you can do to your bow to help reduce noise, and the easiest is to ensure the string is waxed correctly. The wax prolongs the life of the string and also dampens noise as it transfers energy.

By ensuring you have lube on the rail, you can also avoid any contact noise that the arrow makes, and ensure there’s minimal friction.
The little things all add up to a quiet crossbow, so don’t overlook some of the basics before you head out hunting.

Build a Heavy Projectile

It is easy to modify or build a heavy projectile by increasing the weight of your arrow and broadhead. It is insurance and assurance for a quick, clean kill on a big strutter. SEVR introduced the Robusto broadhead last year. A 150-grain head like this will pack more punch, transfer more energy from the bow to the arrow, and optimize penetration. The increased weight also boosts the front-of-center weight ratio and improves accuracy, and increases momentum for a three-point advantage.

You can also beef up your arrows and shoot an Easton Full Metal Jacket (FMJ) with brass inserts. Moreover, before you start complaining about arrow drop and trajectory, consider that most turkeys are shot at less than 30 yards. Close range targets make flat trajectories less important, and sighting in a heavier broadhead and arrow for busting through turkeys is simple, innovative and strategic. Increased kinetic energy makes short work of hollow bones and feathers, and the aluminum shaft provides better viscosity for better penetration.

Shot Options

The broadside wing shot is championed as the best option to kill a turkey with archery equipment. This broadside shot allows an arrow to be placed in the vitals, on the top third of the back. The bottom of the turkey is mostly breast meat and bone, so make sure you know a turkey’s anatomy before deciding to bowhunt. The wing shot means passing through large bones and layers of dense wing feathers and quills, so consider heavy broadheads and arrows for this approach.

Photo credit Brad Fenson

More and more archers are talking about shooting a bird head-on or standing facing directly away, allowing you to visualize where the spine is located. It is significantly easier to take a bird out with a clean killing shot through the backbone with a 2-inch cutting diameter broadhead, than it is with a broadside wing shot. Feathers and quills on the breast and back are much smaller than in the wing area. The facing or straight-away shot also takes out the lungs and possibly the backbone with good penetration or a pass-through. Check out the vitals on a 3D decoy to know precisely where to place an arrow.

The Delta McKenzie Strutter or Alert Turkey Decoy are both great examples to practice with and ensure your arrow finds the kill zone on a bird. Remember, the lungs on a turkey are located high in the back, along the spine, and seeing a decoy helps form the mental image of a live bird in the field. A low-placed arrow is problematic on a big turkey, so know precisely where to aim. A quick and efficient kill is always preferred, so practice and know the kill zone to get your crossbow gobbler this spring.

Learn the Best Shot Placement for Bowhunting Turkeys

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