Bowhunting Wild Turkey for Beginners The wait is over. It’s finally time for spring turkey hunting. It has been a while since deerhunting and most of us are ready to get back into the woods. Spring wild turkey hunting is a great opportunity to be out in the woods with your bow. Let’s take a look at the basics of spring turkey hunting with a bow. Hunting turkeys with a bow is more difficult and challenging than most other types of bowhunting. Turkeys are very wary and hard to bring in close enough to shoot with a bow. And the vital area of a turkey is very small. You can use the same bow and arrows for turkeys as you use for deer. The main difference between deer hunting and turkey hunting is that with turkey hunting you want to shoot slower and have less penetration. It is best if your arrow stays in the turkey and doesn’t go all the way through. If you dont have a slower bow, use a arrow stopper sold at most proshops. This devices keeps the arrow from penitrating all the way through. It perfect for turky, and other small game. It is important to be comfortable and accurate with your bow and arrows. You should practice a lot because your aiming points are small. You want to be very confident with your shooting. A good broadhead is a must. You do not want your arrow to pass through the turkey. It will do more damage if it stays inside the turkey; and the turkey will be more likely to stay down. Expandable broadheads work well. The expandable broadheads have a larger cutting area and the expansion of the broadhead can help the arrow to stay in the turkey. There are several types of add on devices which help slow down the penetration of the arrow. The Zwickey Scorpio, Bateman Adder, and the Muzzy Grasshopper are all examples. You must calculate the weight of your broadhead, plus your add on, to get the proper head weight. For example, if you shoot 100 grain target tips the broadhead plus the add on should equal a total of 100 grains. Camouflage is a must when bowhunting turkeys. You need to have your whole body camouflaged (including face and hands) as well as your bow and accessories. Good camouflage includes Realtree, Advantage, Trebark, Sticks and Limbs, and Mossy Oak. Hunters do not usually wear hunters orange during turkey season. Always wear hunters orange while walking to your hunting setup. When you arrive you can slip the best off and put it away. Put it back on when your ready to leave. Check your sttes rules and regulations for the hunter orange requirement while turkey hunting. Turkeys’ eyesight is much better than humans, and they pick up movement very fast. You have to keep your movement to a minimum. This is hard when hunting with a bow. You must draw when the turkeys head is blocked by a tree or its tail feathers if it is strutting. A blind will help cover your movement while drawing your bow. This could be one you buy at a store or make in the woods with limbs and branches. A turkeys hearing is very good and you must be very quiet. Putting moleskin or rubber shrink tubing on your rest will silence your draw. Decoys can be valuable in the turkey hunt. They will often bring that gobbler in those last yards. Also, decoys will take the attention off you. It will be easier to draw if the gobbler is looking at the decoys. You should set decoys about 15-35 yards from you. There is no one way to put the turkey decoy that will work the best every time. Put them where you can see them easily and where the turkey will see them. Make sure you can make a good shot where they are, because the turkey will most likely come right by the decoys. Collapsible decoys work well, because they will move in a slight breeze. This will add some more realism to the decoy. Feather Flex is a example of a collapsible decoy. Remember to check to see if decoys are permitted in your state. One tactic that is used in deer hunting can be used for turkey hunting. You can use a treestand to get out of the turkeys field of view. Turkeys rarely look up, so this way it is easier to draw on a turkey. It would be hard to move your treestand fast though. A climbing treestand would be the best to use as long as you do not have a lot of branches on trees where you hunt. Safety is very important in turkey hunting. Be careful if you use a Jake or Tom decoy. If you see another hunter just yell to him so he knows you are there. Never turkey call or wave your hands. Wear blaze orange while carrying a turkey or walking between setups. Turkey hunting is a lot of
fun. It is a real challenge with a bow. And Spring is a great time to be
in the woods.
Paul Thedinga
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