I’m addicted to bowhunting turkeys. I admit I have a problem and don’t want any help. I spend more than 60 days each year bowhunting turkeys in at least four states. I’ve completed the Grand Slam twice with archery tackle and have run carbon through more than 100 wild turkeys.
I’ve learned a lot during my bowhunting turkey tenure. From blind placement to decoy arrangement to calling, I stay flexible and adjust my techniques to the different phases of the turkey rut.
One of the most critical mistakes I see stick-and-string turkey hunters make, though, has nothing to do with tactics and everything to do with gear. I’d argue that more wild turkeys are hit and lost each year than all other big-game animals combined. Turkeys have softball-sized vitals, and if you miss those vitals, you’re in for a really bad day.
Turkeys are thin-skinned and have hollow bones. Their thick wall of feathers does slow arrow momentum, but four inches of arrow penetration is enough for a quick kill if that arrow is properly placed. For this reason, the broadhead you choose is critical.
Stay away from fixed-blade broadheads when bowhunting turkeys. Stick with mechanical and hybrid heads that have a cutting diameter of at least 2 inches. These broadheads cut like crazy, penetrate well, and provide a margin of error if your arrow is slightly off the mark.
With that in mind, here are my favorite turkey broadheads.
The Broadheads for Turkeys: Reviews and Recommendations
Best Overall: Rage Hypo 2 +P
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Pros
- 1.75-inch cutting diameter
- Swept back blade angle
- Hypodermic hybrid tip
- Machined stainless-steel ferrule
Key Features
-
Slap cut entry hole -
Triangular Keyed Shock Collar -
.035-inch thick blades -
100 or 125 grains -
$50 for a four pack
One of my all-time favorite turkey heads, Rage’s Hypo 2 +P, is a nightmare for springtime butterballs. The biggest thing turkey goers need to know about the Hypo 2 +P is that the 1.75-inch cut diameter is not accurate. I’ve measured multiple entrance and exit wounds compliments of the Hypo 2 +P, and the swept-back blades create a slap-style cut that ups the maximum cutting diameter. The short, streamlined design ensures precision, and the Hybrid Hypodermic Tip punches a hole that the surgical-sharp blades follow.
I’ve never been a fan of O-rings or collars, but Rage did improve their Hypo 2 +P’s collar design. When the old collar system failed, which happened occasionally when Hypo heads were in the quiver, or were bumped against the blind, tree limb, etc., the pedal-style collar would require changing. The new Shock Collar blade locking system uses six pedals instead of three, allowing you to remove the collar, rotate it 120 degrees, and reinstall it.
Like other broadheads in this review, the Hypo 2 +P has proven itself in the spring woods time and time again and makes an excellent crossover big game broadhead. Rage goes against standard packaging norms and gives you four—not three—Hypo 2 +P heads per pack.
Best Hybrid: SEVR Ti 2.0 4-Blade Hybrid
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Pros
- 2.75-inch total cutting diameter
- Rated up to 525 fps
- .7-inch fixed bleeder blade
- Field point accurate
Key Features
-
Practice Lock -
Stretch Cut -
Lock-and-Pivot Blade Technology -
100 or 125 grains -
2-inch mechanical cutting diameter and .75-inch fixed cutting diameter -
$20 per broadhead
Better than the SEVR’s original 2.0, the 2.0 4-Blade Hybrid is field-point accurate, and the .7-inch fixed bleeder blade expands total cutting diameter to 2.75 inches. Last spring, I shot two longbeards—one frontal and one quartering-to—and neither made it out of the decoy spread.
The machined titanium ferrule with precision-ground tip punches a hole and creates a path for the razor-sharp blades to follow. Lock-and-Pivot blades remain open on impact but can pivot left and right to increase penetration, and the fixed bleeder blade creates additional trauma. Stretch Cut slaps the feathers and skin, creating massive wound channels from which blood can flow.
Practice Lock lets you practice with the exact broadhead you plan to hunt with. Insert the included set screw into the second hole in the ferrule, and the blades won’t open on impact. SEVR’s Ti 2.0 4-Blade Hybrid is an excellent choice for any turkey hunt, and it makes a great crossover head. I killed two Pope & Young bucks with the broadhead last fall.
Best No Collar: Speed Titanium 100
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Pros
- 2-inch cutting diameter
- No O-rings or collars
- Tested at high fps speeds
- Field point accurate
- Very sharp
Key Features
-
PVD-coated chisel tip -
Grade 5 titanium ferrule -
.039-inch-thick stainless steel blades -
Speed Reactive Technology -
100 grains -
$100 for a three pack
I shot a Speed Titanium 100 for the first time this past summer while setting up a new deer lease in Illinois. The shot was at foam from 50 yards, and my Easton 5.0 tipped with Speed’s Titanium 100 hit behind my pin. Precision accuracy is critical when bowhunting longbeards. This broadhead delivers field-point accuracy in spades.
In the fall, I shot a pair of longbeards with the Titanium 100, and its lethality spoke for itself. Neither tom made it out of sight before killing over. The Grade 5 titanium ferrule with a PVD-coated chisel tip is ultra-durable and needle-point sharp. As the PVD-coated chisel tip penetrates, the forward-facing wings engage with feathers and skin, releasing the razor-sharp blades.
Speed Reactive Technology ensures full blade deployment with 80 percent less force and eliminates the need for O-rings or collars. The Titanium 100 is sleek and slim and flies quietly, and the wound channels this broadhead creates are devastating.
Best for Turkeys and Big Game: G5 T2
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Pros
- 2-inch cutting diameter
- No O-rings or collars
- Stainless-steel construction
- Aerodynamic shape
Cons
- Requires a practice tip to confirm accuracy
Key Features
-
Balanced weight distribution -
Zip-Tip head -
Socket-Lock Retention System -
Rearward sling blades -
100 or 125 grains -
$60 for a three pack
An excellent turkey broadhead every bowhunter should consider, the G5 T2 is German-tank tough, and the rearward slicing blades move back into place upon impact rather than going forward to ensure deeper penetration. The broadhead exceeds its branded 2-inch cut diameter, which is excellent news when your arrow hits slightly off the mark.
The blades are held in place with G5’s Socket-Lock Retention System, which means no O-rings or collars and zero chance of frustrating in-the-quiver deployment. I’ve tested the G5 T2 at speeds over 330 fps and have never experienced pre-deployment.
The Zip-Tip design and flared ferrule ensure field-point accuracy, and reduced overhang boosts penetration. Like almost every other broadhead in this test, the G5 T2 is a great crossover head for big game. The T2 is durable, accurate, flies like a field point, and produces terminal results. It will make an excellent spring quiver filler.
Best New: NAP KillZone RX 2.3
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Pros
- 2-3/16-inch cutting diameter
- No O-rings or collars
- Field-point accurate
- Choice of two ferrule tips
Cons
- Blade strength is questionable
Key Features
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Nickel-coated 7075 aluminum ferrule -
Nikel-coated stainless-steel tip -
Curved blades boost cutting performance -
Rear-deploy blades -
Cut on contact or trophy tip -
100 grains -
$43 for a three pack
This is the only broadhead in this article I’ve yet to stick a turkey with but that will soon change. However, aside from some post-shot durability issues, I’ve had excellent results with NAP’s OG KillZone 2.0, and I expect similar results with the 2.3 inch. The new RX 2.3 inch expands the cutting diameter to 2-3/16 inches, and NAP’s black-nickel coating on the blades, ferrule, and stainless-steel tip may resolve some of the durability issues I had with the 2.0.
NAP engineers curved the .035-inch-thick stainless-steel blades to keep the broadhead compact while still delivering gaping entrance and exit wounds. On the range (tested to 50 yards), the KillZone RX 2.3 hits with my field points, flew quietly, and cut gaping channels into fresh foam target faces.
NAP’s spring-clip build eliminates the risk of premature blade deployment. I never had issues with its predecessor, and I’ve tested the 2.3 at 402 fps using a modern-day crossbow. The RX 2.3 is available with tip choices of Trophy and Cut on Contact, and while I wouldn’t recommend the over-2-inch-cut for use on heavier-boned big game, it should be an ideal gobbler getter.
Best Decap:Magnus Bullhead 100
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Pros
- 2-3/4-inch cutting diameter
- Durable
- Absolute lethality
Cons
- Accuracy suffers beyond 20 yards
- Loud in flight
- Blades can catch on blind, grass, etc.
Key Features
-
Blade thickness: .048″ -
100-grain and 125-grain -
Cut Diameter: 100 Grain 2-3/4″ and 125 Grain 3-3/4″ -
$45 for a three pack
I’m not big on decapitating gobblers, but if you are, these tried-and-true wide-cut fixed-blade broadheads will do the trick. Three fixed straight blades create a whopping 2-3/4-inch cutting diameter that will drop a longbeard in his tracks. Created for head-and-neck shots on turkeys and small game, the Magnus BullHead 3-Blade 100 is nearly field-point accurate to 20 yards. Beyond 20 yards, the open-blade design and wide cut diameter take their toll on ballistics. If you opt for this broadhead, set your decoys at 10 to 15 yards.
When a tom’s head is full of blood and tucked back into a wall of black feathers, his bluish/white dome makes an ideal aiming point, and if you so much as nick the head or neck with the Magnus BullHead 3-Blade 100, the bird won’t make it out of the decoys. You will need to thread these broadheads onto your arrows in the blind; they don’t work well in quivers. You’ll also need to pay attention to window clearance if you’re hunting from a blind and be careful not to snag a blade on the wall of the blind when you’re lifting your bow to shoot.
How to Choose the Right Turkey Broadhead
The mechanical/hybrid broadhead market is saturated. I’ve seen bowhunters reach for a Xanax while searching for broadheads in box store aisles. Concerning turkeys, if you stick with any of the broadheads in this article, you’ll be having drumsticks for dinner. If you opt for another broadhead, keep the cutting diameter in mind. Never drop below a maximum cut diameter of 1.75 inches unless the manufacturer claims that a specific blade-cut technology will expand that cutting diameter. And if this is the case, I recommend pre-hunt testing.
Mechanical and hybrid-style broadheads with large cut diameters will bail you out when your arrow is off the mark. Turkeys are thin-skinned and have hollow bones. Even archers pulling low poundage will get enough penetration to anchor a springtime tom using a top-end mechanical or hybrid head.
FAQs
Do I have to use a mechanical/hybrid broadhead when bowhunting turkeys?
No, you don’t. You can opt for a fixed-blade broadhead. However, fixed-blade broadheads shrink your cutting diameter and greatly reduce your margin of error.
Can I use a mechanical/hybrid broadhead for turkey head shots?
Yes, I’ve shot numerous toms and jakes in the head with the broadheads mentioned in this article. A decap broadhead is great, but if the bird hangs up at 30 yards, a de-cap style broadhead won’t provide the same accuracy as a mechanical or hybrid broadhead.
Can I shoot low poundage and still shoot 2-inch cut mechanical/hybrid broadheads?
Yes. This past spring, my youngest son shot his first longbeard at 18 yards using Rage’s Hypodermic Tryapn NC. He was pulling 45 pounds. The broadhead penetrated 6.25 inches, and the tom carried the Rage-tipped Easton 21 yards before expiring. I feel 45 pounds is the minimum draw weight to ensure blade expansion.
Final Thoughts on the Best Turkey Broadheads
Bowhunting turkeys is hard enough. Don’t add to the difficulty by picking a small cutting diameter fixed-blade or mechanical head. Don’t have a freak-out moment as you stare at the too-many-to-count broadhead options at the pro shop or sporting goods store. We’ve done the testing, and the broadheads in this feature are tried-and-true. If you put your trust in them, you’ll have more hunts end with grip-and-grin photos and fewer with sob stories.
While I’ve touched on my favorites and a head that I expect big things from in the NAP KillZone 2.3, I’m always hunting along the broadhead trail. If something new and exciting springs up, I’ll do my best to get my hands on it and add to this story throughout the spring.
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