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Turkey hunting with a bow

wihunter50

wihunter50

Member
Joined
Dec 15, 2020
Messages
78
Bought my first bow. Would like to hunt Turkey with it. Any tips?


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Get good, they fly.

Use a blind. If you use a broadhead, learn where to shoot, if you use a guillotine, good luck.

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Do you just shoot right through the mesh window with a fixed blade?
 
Use a ground blind or some sort of really good cover. I use a three blade muzzy 100gr fixed blade.
878457e432c542931b88782b1b689ec5.jpg



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Patriot said:
Do you just shoot right through the mesh window with a fixed blade?
Click to expand...
I don't have an expensive blind, little pop up, no mesh. Most folks would though, makes it a lot easier.

One place I hunt now is archery only, but crossbows are cool, so I use it like a shotgun, except shot placement.

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Saddle hunt them. This is my favorite way to turkey hunt. They don’t even pay any attention to you when in a tree. I have missed them and they don’t run off. Just knock another arrow. You have to give it a try. Good luck.


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Mallard8629 said:
Saddle hunt them. This is my favorite way to turkey hunt. They don’t even pay any attention to you when in a tree. I have missed them and they don’t run off. Just knock another arrow. You have to give it a try. Good luck.


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Click to expand...

You still use a call and decoys?
 
I run and gun with my saddle. You can hook a tether up quick at ground level and hang behind a decent sized tree. The biggest plus over leaning against it is that you are setup just a bit higher and that offers an improved field of view. You can also easily shift your position if the turkey circles around, something not always possible from the sitting back to the tree position. An additional bonus is a built in gun rest.

Edit: I also started bow hunting for turkeys the last couple of years. Being able to set up behind the tree allows you draw with the tree between you and the turkey. Then all you have to do is slowly lean out to get your shot.
 
Never bow hunted them, but weighing in on the decoys and calling. Don't over call. Once a gobbler answers you, HE KNOWS EXACTLY WHERE YOU ARE. Even 200 yards off, he has you pinpointed. Decoys are awesome if you have a gobbler that wants to fight and you have a good realistic decoy (avian....). If you run into a satellite, loner bird it is a good chance a decoy will scare him off.
I did shoot a fall turkey this past year with my crossbow. Just a by catch from being in the woods deer hunting. I called him in to 50 yards. I will be hunting this spring with the crossbow though. Using grim reaper micro hybrid heads.
 
I have gun hunted Turkeys for years and went exclusively to bowhunting them a couple of years ago. I haven't used my saddle.... yet but I may try this year. Typically I use a cheap Ameristep Dog House ground blind I purchased several years ago and it still works great. I never leave my blind out I pack it in and out each morning. If it gets rained on I pop it up in my garage and run a fan on it to dry out. Never store it wet or with any moisture. Anyway, On turkeys I use flappers and my normal whitetail rig. NAP 100gr. spitfires that I've had for years or Grim Reaper Whitetail Specials... they have 2" diameter blades. You want something that's going to do maximum damage but not just completely shoot through the bird. The kill zone is only the size of a baseball or maybe softball. You want them in close with archery tackle. I set my decoys only 8 yards from my blind opening. Wear a black or darker colors inside your blind and make sure you're not backlit. I pretty much sacrifice a lot of viewing to stay concealed I have my shooting port window completely open but the other side windows I have just cracked open to peek out if something is coming up the side. I wait until the gobbler is working the decoy so he is up close and I wait for him to square up on my jake. I don't want to risk a bad shot. Some guys get bored sitting in the blind but I've had a blast seeing turkeys go by and then come back and have seen them completely ignore my setup and then an hour later they "break" and come right in. You never know what mood they're in and what they'll do next. They're not smart but very instinctual so it pays to be patient and just keep at it. I call intermittently and as the season progresses and more potential pressure, I call much less or try to call with more small talk... clucks, purrs, whines, soft yelps and let them hunt you so to speak. Be coy. Aggressive calling works on the 2 year olds but the big old field strutters have played that game before. I have also painted the head of my full fan decoy completely white to trigger the monarch to come over. It works sometimes and sometimes it scares the younger birds away. The best is a good ole' hen yelping at your decoys.... just mimic what they do.... if the gobblers are henned up. Oftentimes your calling the hens to bring the gobbler to your decoy spread. I really enjoy it. Its like deer hunting for turkeys. I used to run and gun but I've found some honey holes and don't like to pressure them so I just use my archery setup on these areas and pretty much have action all season long. Below are two jakes that came in at the end of the morning hunt. I heard birds all morning but nothing came in until about 11:30 am. I had my game trail camera set up. These two fog bank jakes came in to work my decoy spread.
JakeStrutters.JPG
 

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boyne bowhunter said:
I run and gun with my saddle. You can hook a tether up quick at ground level and hang behind a decent sized tree. The biggest plus over leaning against it is that you are setup just a bit higher and that offers an improved field of view. You can also easily shift your position if the turkey circles around, something not always possible from the sitting back to the tree position. An additional bonus is a built in gun rest.

Edit: I also started bow hunting for turkeys the last couple of years. Being able to set up behind the tree allows you draw with the tree between you and the turkey. Then all you have to do is slowly lean out to get your shot.
Click to expand...

“Then all you have to do....”. Lol. That’s funny.
 
woodsdog2 said:
I have gun hunted Turkeys for years and went exclusively to bowhunting them a couple of years ago. I haven't used my saddle.... yet but I may try this year. Typically I use a cheap Ameristep Dog House ground blind I purchased several years ago and it still works great. I never leave my blind out I pack it in and out each morning. If it gets rained on I pop it up in my garage and run a fan on it to dry out. Never store it wet or with any moisture. Anyway, On turkeys I use flappers and my normal whitetail rig. NAP 100gr. spitfires that I've had for years or Grim Reaper Whitetail Specials... they have 2" diameter blades. You want something that's going to do maximum damage but not just completely shoot through the bird. The kill zone is only the size of a baseball or maybe softball. You want them in close with archery tackle. I set my decoys only 8 yards from my blind opening. Wear a black or darker colors inside your blind and make sure you're not backlit. I pretty much sacrifice a lot of viewing to stay concealed I have my shooting port window completely open but the other side windows I have just cracked open to peek out if something is coming up the side. I wait until the gobbler is working the decoy so he is up close and I wait for him to square up on my jake. I don't want to risk a bad shot. Some guys get bored sitting in the blind but I've had a blast seeing turkeys go by and then come back and have seen them completely ignore my setup and then an hour later they "break" and come right in. You never know what mood they're in and what they'll do next. They're not smart but very instinctual so it pays to be patient and just keep at it. I call intermittently and as the season progresses and more potential pressure, I call much less or try to call with more small talk... clucks, purrs, whines, soft yelps and let them hunt you so to speak. Be coy. Aggressive calling works on the 2 year olds but the big old field strutters have played that game before. I have also painted the head of my full fan decoy completely white to trigger the monarch to come over. It works sometimes and sometimes it scares the younger birds away. The best is a good ole' hen yelping at your decoys.... just mimic what they do.... if the gobblers are henned up. Oftentimes your calling the hens to bring the gobbler to your decoy spread. I really enjoy it. Its like deer hunting for turkeys. I used to run and gun but I've found some honey holes and don't like to pressure them so I just use my archery setup on these areas and pretty much have action all season long. Below are two jakes that came in at the end of the morning hunt. I heard birds all morning but nothing came in until about 11:30 am. I had my game trail camera set up. These to fog bank jakes came in to work my decoy spread.
View attachment 45591
Click to expand...

Lots of really good advice on how to hunt turkeys in your post, no matter the weapon. Well done.

I've never set out to archery hunt for birds. I do see them frequently enough in the fall while bowhunting, but I'm after deer and let them pass. I've called them in for fun though. If I can't get some more ammo, I might try a bit of stick and bow. I thinks shooting seated would be something to practice a bunch beforehand.

A note on another post that was made, hunting for turkeys form an elevated position is illegal in some states.
 
Plebe said:
A note on another post that was made, hunting for turkeys form an elevated position is illegal in some states.
Click to expand...

Yes it is. I believe it may be in New York too in the spring but I'm not 100% sure. I enjoy calling them in and watching them more than shooting them.
 
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Patriot said:
Do you just shoot right through the mesh window with a fixed blade?
Click to expand...
You can but I wouldn't recommend it. My advise is to just make sure your blind is dark inside and they do not catch any movement. Also make sure you're not backlit.... you will not need to have the mesh on the windows. I don't know how many times I've had little song birds land right on the window opening and just sit there looking at me. I'm hoping to one day have a hummingbird do that. I hope my phone is ready!!!
 
Make sure to shoot them facing you. Small hole in large hole out. Don’t want to destroy the breast.


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