Iron Will introduced its 2nd-generation Turkey Broadhead earlier this year. This version of the head is improved over its predecessor. As a turkey hunter, I prefer a cut-on-contact head, as turkeys can be tough. Their feathers can be hard to penetrate, and the kill zone is small on these birds. Although these heads are not designed for headshots, they are very capable of all that and more. You can get them in the standard or wide version.
Iron Will Turkey Broadheads
I have killed many turkeys over the years with an arrow and have usually used the same broadhead setup that I hunt all my big game with. I have never pursued a head meant strictly for turkey, as I don’t like to change my setup and prefer the consistency that one broadhead provides year-round. However, this broadhead from Iron Will acts just the same as previous Iron Will broadheads that I have also been using for my big game seasons in recent years, so it was a natural fit to try them.
Up until now, there were times when I would have to look for my arrows as they would blow clean through the turkeys with a sharp broadhead and well-placed arrow. Having an arrow that might slow down during penetration sounded like a great idea. A turkey will travel a shorter distance, usually with an arrow still in their body, than without. So that intrigued me, too, about this broadhead.
The Iron Will Turkey Broadhead incorporates a “claw” type blade in place of where their common “bleeder” blade is positioned. This claw is meant to slow the arrow on impact, all while leaving a devastating wound channel. Most of the arrow’s energy would be transferred to the turkey, knocking it off its feet and making recovery a shorter process. This, in turn, will keep you from blowing through the turkey as well.
On their 1st Gen turkey head, these claws were blunt, not sharpened. It proved on my first bird shot with these that it wasn’t going to work for me. I happened to hit bone and feathers just right, and the arrow did not penetrate as I would have hoped. I talked to Bill, owner, founder, and mastermind of Iron Will, about the dilemma. Although others had success with the same broadhead, I did not, and Bill quickly knew he needed to change the design. Fast forward to 2026, and I had the new head in my hands.
The 2nd generation of their Turkey Broadhead was all the same, except that the claw was now sharpened. This updated Turkey Broadhead features a 90-degree double-beveled Claw for slightly increased penetration while maintaining the massive knockdown power that I liked.
The .062” thick A2 Tool Steel Blades that are cryogenically treated and triple tempered to 60 HRC hardness are on these broadheads just the same as their others. The cutting width with the wide version of the head is 1 3/8”, and with the standard heads, it is 1 1/16”. Both have the same width, with the Claw at 9/10”. I preferred the Wides because each turkey deserves a wider broadhead, especially with such a small kill zone. With a price tag of $139.95/3-pack, some will shy away from spending that on broadheads for turkeys. More serious turkey hunters may not.
Testing
I shot the Turkey broadhead next to my wide version of Iron Will broadheads with the same point of impact. I reviewed these heads in the past, and the review can be found here: Iron Will Wide Single Bevel Broadhead Review – Rokslide. These turkey broadheads flew just the same as the wide version of heads with bleeder blades that I used during previous elk and deer seasons.
Pulling them from a foam target, however, was not the most fun with the claw, as they are blunt on the back side. In the past, I have used shoot-through mesh on my pop-up blind and wouldn’t recommend shooting through mesh. The 90-degree claw tends to slow the arrow more than a full cut on contact broadhead does, and hinders the point of impact when shooting through mesh. A minor adjustment in my blind was made to remove the shoot-through mesh. Not a big deal, but I would have to be more thoughtful of my movement in the blind.
Findings
I found myself pressed to the ground, inching forward on a big strutting Merriam’s gobbler along a creek bottom. My full strut decoy was in front of me as I inched forward. The gobbler saw it but wouldn’t close the distance I needed for a shot. I slipped back into the creek edge and got aggressive and slipped up the bank. The gobbler was at 20 yards and I let go of my decoy and drew my bow, the gobbler began to run, as I called to him he slowed to a walk and at 30 yards my arrow found its mark perfectly and the gobbler went a very short distance!
I was impressed at how the broadhead impacted the turkey, knocking him from his feet and quickly stopping him. Although the turkey only went a few yards, there was absolute carnage apparent by the blood on the ground. The large cutting diameter and the claws made a very large wound channel, and the arrow remained in the bird, helping to further slow his retreat. If the arrow had not remained in the gobbler, he would have rolled into the creek, making me take a much-undesired swim to retrieve him!
I inspected the arrow, and it entered the vitals perfectly and broke one wing in the process. I was surprised to see that both tips of the Claws were missing and broken off. I am guessing from the bone impact. But regardless, the bird did go much shorter of a distance than some have gone in the past under the same circumstances, and I liked the results.
Fast forward two weeks and I found myself setting up my blind in the dark. Gobblers were gobbling from their roost. In a short time, I had a big gobbler on my decoys at 17 yards, trying his best to breed my plastic hen. I took aim and placed the arrow beautifully into the back of the gobbler as he was facing away in a half-strut. He ran a very short distance and expired!
The broadhead again proved deadly. I have shot birds much the same way in the past, and they have gone a bit further as well. When inspecting the arrow, the broadhead remained like new, and the claws did not break on this bird.
Final Thoughts
I really do like the Iron Will Turkey broadheads, and they are very lethal for turkeys, yielding great results. As I was typing up this review, I began to wonder if the reason the claws broke on the first broadhead was that that was the one I was shooting into foam, and for some reason, it weakened the claws? I may never know. Even with the small ends of the claw missing, I know I could still kill a turkey with that head if I wanted to. I talked to Bill about the claws, and he may look into strengthening them a bit as well.
Regardless, Iron Will has a remarkable warranty return program. If you damage the blades on any of their broadheads, you can fill out their warranty return information on their website, and they will send you new blades free of charge. Just must include four photos of the damage and a short description of what caused it. To be eligible for a warranty claim, the damage or defect must be covered under their warranty policy, which can be found on their website. All warranties are for one return per item damaged. Manufacturing defect items will be warrantied without these limitations.
If you are looking for a more than capable turkey broadhead that is meant to do exactly what you want them to do, look no further, as the Iron Will Turkey Broadhead may be just for you!
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