Bigger is better for turkey broadheads, and my Grim Reaper expandable, 3-blade heads proved their metal on a recent South Dakota turkey hunt. My favorite shot placement on a gobbler is the base of the neck, yet wily toms rarely stand still, especially when attacking a male decoy, so a body shot offered a larger target and the need for large cutting blades.
Barnett Raptor BCX Worked Perfectly
Rather than flying crossbows in specialty cases, I pack mine in a large Cabela’s roller bag among my hunting clothes. This method doesn’t provide as much protection as specialty cases, yet it has worked well even for African trips and saves paying for an extra bag to and from. Once I arrived in South Dakota, I set up a Morrell target and tested the Grim Reaper Crossbow heads. At 150 grains, these mechanicals are designed to withstand the torque of a crossbow launch and not open until impact. With a 1 1/2- inch cut, I was counting on a massive wound channel. The target point showed that Buk Ops scope was solidly on target, and the next arrow, tipped with a Grim Reaper, was nearly in the same hole.
Calling and Fanning
Our hunting camp consisted of six hunters, with me being the only archer. As daylight arrived on the open prairie, I extensively listened for gobbles, glassed ridges, and ravines, yet found no turkeys. One member found a roost tree and could call in a longbeard as the turkey fed on the prairie. At noon, we moved to another area where we spotted two strutting turkeys at the bottom of a small canyon. Two “gunners” and I headed down through scattered cedar trees until we heard a tom sound about 200 yards away. A fourth member called and used a gobbler decoy to lure the flock into point-blank range. The birds were reluctant at first, but eventually approached. I could see heads and tail feathers above the weeds, but had no clear crossbow shot. Boom! Boom! Two buddies tagged out, and the celebration began.
Back to the Roost
Roost trees make a great archery destination because turkeys travel to a known destination. Toms often gobble as they approach, allowing a hunter to intercept them more easily. We used the gobbler decoy with last year’s turkey feather fan and positioned it on a course we expected turkeys to take. Ironically, I saw about 50 birds circle our ambush as these birds were surprisingly still in large flocks. Patience prevailed as three red heads appeared on the horizon and began to stalk our decoy. I was sitting against the trunk of an oak tree, and when the largest gobbler stopped, head-on, at 22 yards, I unleashed the Grim Reaper that impacted just above the beard. The bird shot like a rocket, topped at 10 feet, and flopped down. In seconds, my first tag was filled.
Complete Pass-through
Wild turkeys are difficult to kill with an arrow despite their small body size. More than half of a strutting turkey is feathers, and the breast has no vital organs. After retrieving the gobbler, we looked for the arrow to no avail. The arrow struck exactly at the point of aim, and the lethality was excellent. Grim Reaper sells a series of three-blade expandable broadheads, including the Whitetail Special, which has even larger blades than the Crossbow Pro Series. For the complete line of Grim Reaper products, click here.
