April 19, 2021

With Garmin’s new Xero X1i crossbow scope’s robust features, crossbow hunters will have more arrows in their quiver as they pursue turkey this spring.

Maybe more than any other animal, the North American wild turkey is everywhere out of season and nowhere to be found on opening day. Speaking from experience, an educated “Tom” (adult male) turkey may be one of the most challenging animals to pursue in the spring. Like any native animals, they have adapted to their surroundings, putting hunters at a disadvantage. You are literally on their turf.

However, there is something addictive about hunting turkey that’s hard to describe if you haven’t experienced it. Like so many have written before, it’s the thrill of waking up before dawn, silently making your way through the woods and waiting for a turkey to thunder to life with a gobble that shakes the ground you’re sitting on. It’s a call that leads millions of hunters across the country into the woods and fields each spring with the hope of bringing home a coveted Tom with gorgeous fan, dagger-like spurs, and in the end, one of the best-tasting, free-range meals available.

Success is never guaranteed, however, and preparation and the right equipment are critical. This is especially true as we see more individuals getting outside and increasing popularity of public hunting areas.

As crossbow hunting grows within the sportsmen community, so does the use of crossbows within turkey season. With the new Garmin Xero® X1i crossbow¹ scope’s robust features, crossbow hunters will have more arrows in their quiver as they pursue turkey this spring.

We sat down with Chad VanCamp, Xero product manager and turkey hunting enthusiast, to discuss some of the reasons why he uses a crossbow during turkey season and how the new Xero X1i can give spring turkey hunters an advantage.

What is the advantage of using a crossbow over a shotgun or a compound bow?

Well, first you have to be willing to challenge yourself because using archery equipment for turkey is just that — a challenge. However, once you get comfortable with your equipment, there are some real advantages to using a crossbow for turkey hunting.

In pursuing turkey, the two things that will end a hunt instantly are noise and movement. Typically, people hunt turkey with a shotgun or a compound bow. Both methods have an advantage and disadvantage.

When using a shotgun, the advantage is minimal movement to aim your gun; however, the report of a shotgun will many times scatter all the turkeys in the area. The compound bow has the advantage of a silent shot when compared to a shotgun; however, the disadvantage is the movement needed to draw the bow, typically with turkeys in close range. Many times, drawing a bow will alert turkey to your presence, and you’ve been had.

This is where the crossbow gains the advantage — it effectively offers the advantages of the shotgun and compound bow, with none of the disadvantages. Using a crossbow, you aim it with minimal movement, which is the advantage of the shotgun, then when you pull the trigger, the crossbow offers the quiet shot similar to a compound bow.

Aside from the crossbow itself, how does Xero X1i give an advantage to crossbow turkey hunters?

The Xero X1i is the most advanced crossbow aiming solution on the market for hunters. It took years of work and countless man-hours developing new technology to provide the precision aiming solution within this scope.

Like the Xero A1® and Xero®A1i bow sight, it provides single-pin aiming solutions. This means when you range a target, a digital pin (or aimpoint) is dropped onto your field of view at the exact range, so you know it is precisely where it should be. The Xero platform uses various algorithms to compensate for angle and distance too. This takes the guesswork out of pin gapping, leading to more ethical harvest opportunities.

Turkey are notorious for hanging up just outside of your decoys, so being able to range with minimal movement and knowing the exact distance helps hunters decide if a shot is within their capabilities, and it also helps to make the correct shot placement. 

Unlike some camera-based scopes, the Xero X1i is based on a 3.5x magnification optical platform. In practical terms, a bird at 35 yards is going to look like it is standing 10 yards in front of you, essentially bringing the bird closer so you can better choose your aiming reference, which is also critical in turkey hunting.

A typical 400-grain crossbow bolt, fired with precision from a TenPoint RS470 or Havoc, can carry kinetic energy further than shotgun pellets, so you can extend your range. This is not to say you should take shots beyond your practiced ability or those that would be considered unethical. Just the opposite, in fact. The Xero X1i scope provides precision aiming, so when you are sending a single bolt downrange at the turkey, you have the advantage of knowing that you have increased…