Bowhunting turkeys, as I've discussed previously, depends on having the right gear. This is especially true when it comes to choosing broadheads. Choosing the best broadheads for turkeys is all about punching a big hole, to a lesser extent knocking the bird for a loop. Oddly enough, in regard to turkeys you want broadheads that are, well, inefficient (for lack of a better term). Inefficient in this context means heads that shed arrow energy on impact. They fill the prescription of less penetration and more imparted shock.

In turkey hunting, leaving arrows in birds is a big plus, as it hinders flight or sprints through heavy cover. Some of this comes automatically; turkeys are relatively small and "give" on impact, absorbing arrow energy normally used to drive arrows deeper. Too, heavy wing quills prove fairly effective armor, and broadhead are blades forced to cut substantial fiber to access vitals. Still, you want broadhead designs with aggressive cutting diameters and/or attack angles. Cutting diameter is self explanatory; attack angle refers to cutting-edge attitude when fully deployed. Efficient broadheads slice; inefficient designs chop.

Here are some broadheads I've personally killed turkeys with and notes on performance:

Compound Bows

-New Archery Products Spitfire Gobbler Getter: I've probably shot more turkeys with this head than any other, losing, maybe, two birds out of dozens. This is essentially a Spitfire holding a blunted tip designed to smash bone, but also acting to slow penetration. It includes a 1 1/2-inch cutting diameter, which I consider minimal with compound bows. 

-Trophy Ridge Rocket Aeroheads Hammerhead: This is a mechanical with a 2-inch cutting diameter and aggressive attack angle. It's deadly effective on turkeys. I've witnessed only two birds escape hits from Hammerheads; both were direct wing-butt hits that curled blades to prevent cutting action.

-Vortex/Mar-Den Mini-Max 3: The gobblers I've shot with these heads dropped in seconds with arrow always left in the bird. They're 7/8-inch closed, assuring instant deployment, opening to 2 inches. More importantly, the "L" shaped blades include a super-aggressive 90-degree attack angle when opened, imparting shock and impeding penetration dramatically. 

-Rage: Any of the Rage broadheads prove reliable turkey medicine due to pure cutting diameter, normally in the 2-inch range, though pass-through normally results. The brand-new "Turkey" versions should remedy this situation. 

Traditional Bows

-G5 Outdoors Striker Magnum: The 125-grain head includes an aggressive 1 1/2-inch fixed-blade diameter -- also welcomed in states where mechanicals are not legal. I've shot many recurve turkeys with them, 50 percent leaving the arrow in the bird. 

-Eastman Outdoors First-Cut Magnum: Another 125-grain head, it included a 1 1/8-inch fixed, cut-on-contact main plus cross-cutting 1 3/8-inch mechanical blade. It was my favorite recurve turkey head but it has (foolishly) been discontinued -- though it frequently still appears on eBay.

-Grim Reaper: It comes in 125 grains, and includes a cutting tip and less aggressive 1 3/8-inch cutting diameter, perfect for traditional bows with lower delivered energy. The birds I've hit with it were all recovered easily.

-Thundervalley Archery Snuffer: For the heavy-tackle traditional boys, it's difficult to beat a Snuffer. It's big and nasty with three blades, 1 1/4- to 1 15/32-inch cutting diameters and weights from 125 to 185 grains.     

F.O.C. and Bowhunting

So what's the big deal about F.O.C.?

Before I answer that question, let's establish a definition: F.O.C. (Front of Center) refers to the percentage of arrow weight situated forward of center balance point.  Determine this by finding and marking arrow balance point (point installed), using a tape measure to locate and mark mathematical center (nock throat to cut-off point), dividing the length between these points by overall length (nock throat to cut-off point) and converting to a percentage (move decimal point two spaces right).

This is about balance. An arrow without enough forward weight proves unstable, the nock end trying to overtake the front in flight. Think of F.O.C. as leverage on the remainder of the arrow; leverage that produces straighter flight, keeps arrows on course after encountering a light twig or side wind and "pulls" the arrow through game for deeper penetration. In an interesting lesson in physics, as you release a bowstring, energy, provided by our muscles and transferred to the arrow by the bow, quickly travels up the arrow shaft after separating from the string. By the time the nock clears the riser, 100 percent of that energy is carried by the point. So, in general terms, the heavier the point in relation to the arrow (resulting in higher F.O.C.), the more efficiently arrows carry transferred energy.

F.O.C. as it relates to bowhunting is always a matter of compromises. At one extreme you might create 25 percent F.O.C. by installing a 300-grain broadhead -- an arrow that would fly like a dart and penetrate like crazy -- but trajectory suffers terribly, 20-to-60-yard pin gaps barely fitting inside the aperture of an average sight. At the other extreme, screwing a 75-grain broadhead into a heavy arrow to create only 7 percent F.O.C. results in a much faster arrow, but also makes it touchier to tune and group in even a light breeze.

In general, experts recommend 8 to 9 percent F.O.C. for field points, and 10 to 12 for fixed-blade broadheads. These, of course, are minimums. Bumping things up a few percentage points is no sin. In fact, while bowhunting bigger game, such as elk, I typically seek percentages up to 15 percent, giving me a penetration edge (I assemble arrows with 20 percent F.O.C. for traditional bowhunting). What this might look like is simply swapping standard 100-grain heads for 125-grain models of the same make.  It can be that easy. Other options include employing heavier brass inserts instead of lighter aluminum. Bumping forward weight can also be accomplished by removing weight from the rear of the arrow; using lighter natural feathers instead of heavier vanes, shorter broadhead vanes instead of standard 4-inch plastic, or forgoing pretty vinyl wraps (10 to 12 grains) or lighted nocks (normally double the weight of plain nocks), all without adding front weight and slowing arrows.

Increasing F.O.C. might very well sacrifice a bit of raw speed, but what you gain is a more stable arrow, easier tuning, more forgiveness and deeper penetration on game (also a quieter bow). Besides, today's compound bows are becoming so fast that you have plenty of speed to burn, while still maintaining trajectories deemed "smoking hot" only five years ago.