Turkey hunting with a bow can be an extremely rewarding experience. However it also comes with its own unique set of challenges compared to gun hunting. As a beginner, you’ll need to make sure you have the right gear practice proper shot placement, use effective tactics, and remain patient if you want to tag your first bow-harvested gobbler. This complete guide will walk you through everything you need to know to hunt turkey successfully with archery equipment.
Choosing the Right Bow Setup
The first step is making sure your bow is properly equipped for the task at hand You don’t necessarily need to buy a specialized turkey hunting bow, but you may need to make a few tweaks to your existing setup
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Reduce the draw weight to around 50 lbs if possible, This will allow you to hold at full draw for longer without fatiguing,
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Use a mechanical broadhead with at least a 2-inch cutting diameter for more forgiving shot placement. Popular options include the Rage Turkey Broadhead or G5 Striker.
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Make sure your arrows are properly spined for your draw weight and have quality components like durable vanes and sharp broadheads.
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Add some “silencers” like string leeches or bowjax to dampen noise from the shot.
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Consider lower poundage limbs if your current draw weight is over 60 lbs.
The key is optimizing your gear for stealth, accuracy at close range, and enough power for ethical kills without totally blowing through turkeys. Practice regularly with your actual turkey setup before the season.
Using Decoys Effectively
Decoys are almost essential for luring in wary gobblers to bow range. A basic setup of a hen and jake decoy works well. Make sure they have realistic postures – the hen should be in a breeding position and the jake in an aggressive stance. Place the decoys 10-15 yards away from your hiding spot. Carry collapsible decoys and pop them up once you’ve identified a gobbler to target. Artificial decoys like Dave Smith Decoys have excellent realism these days. Avoid holding up real feathers or fans yourself – keep your hands free to draw and anchor.
Concealing Yourself
Since turkeys have incredibly sharp vision, you need to remain perfectly still and hidden in order to make bow shots possible. Use the terrain and natural vegetation to break up your outline whenever you can. Sit in shade while the decoys are in sunlight to draw the gobbler’s gaze. Pop-up ground blinds are also excellent concealment options. Just brush them in and avoid unnecessary movement. Inside a blind, you can draw when the bird is occupied with your decoys. Without a blind, wait until the turkey is behind a tree or bush to draw undetected.
Calling Effectively
Work on mastering various turkey calls so you can draw birds in close. Locator calls like owl hoots can help you zero in on a gobbler before dawn. Use loud calls like box calls or slates to strike the bird initially. As he gets closer, switch to softer calls like diaphragm calls, clucks, or purrs so as not to spook him. Calling takes lots of practice, so don’t wait until the week before opening day! Watching real turkey behavior online helps you learn proper cadence as well.
Making the Shot
Aim for the head if possible for quickest kills. Otherwise, target the neck, wing butts, thighs or vitals. Allow the turkey to get distracted by your decoys before drawing. Let him hang up 20-25 yards out if needed – don’t risk drawing too soon. Slowly come to full draw when his fan blocks his vision on a frontal shot. You can also draw when the gobbler is behind a tree. Anchor solidly and visualize your aiming point. A bad hit means a lost bird, so patience is key. After the shot, stay still and listen for flopping sounds before moving.
Scouting Areas Thoroughly
Locating the birds consistently is half the battle with bowhunting turkeys. Scout heavily before the season to pattern flock travel routes and roosting areas. Then set up properly to intercept them. Restrict your movements and avoid bumping birds unnecessarily. If you locate sign like tracks, scratching or droppings in an area, hunt there first before trying unproven spots. Play the wind right and hunt evenings as well if legal. Having several setup options gives you better odds of connecting once hunting pressure increases.
In closing, hunting turkeys with archery gear is incredibly challenging but also highly addictive when done properly. Follow these beginner bowhunting tips and you’ll be tagging hefty gobblers in no time. Do your scouting, set up near strut zones, stay concealed and call sparingly, and make high percentage shots. With some persistence and learned woodsmanship, you’ll feel that incredible thrill of bow-killing a booming tom soon enough.
Where to Shoot a Turkey With a Bow: Broadside
Find the âdark triangleâ (shown at right) and aim just an inch or so behind it on a broadside strutter. John Hafner Photography
If the turkey is in strut, which is common if heâs trying to intimidate an imposter, find the dark triangle. This is where the dark line of feathers on the side or neck and chest meets the point formed by the upper and lower wing. Find this triangle, come back on the body an inch, and the bird will die in seconds. Some bowhunters like to aim right at the dark triangle, whereas I aim and inch back, but either is deadly.
If the bird is not strutting, aim in line with the legs a little more than halfway up the body. Look for the dark bar of feathers that separates the upper and lower wing and shoot at the front portion of it.
Where to Shoot a Turkey With a Bow
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Shooting at a turkey with shotgun
couldnât be more straightforward: Put the bead on that glowing red head and neck and pull the trigger. Where to shoot a turkey with bow
, however, is more complicated. You can shoot at the head and neck or at the heart-and-lung vital area, which is about the size of a softball and requires different aiming points depending on what angle the gobbler is facing.
But donât worry. Iâve chased turkeys all across the country for 25 years with archery tackle and have dialed in the ideal aiming points for clean kills. Below is a full breakdown of where to shoot a turkey with bow, each spot ranked from my favorite to my least recommended. All will kill, but some are better than others.
Bowhunting Turkeys Guide – 5 Best Tips To Get You Started
FAQ
How to shoot a turkey with a bow?
Can you bow hunt turkey without a blind?
How far can you shoot a turkey with a 12 gauge?
Where is the best place to shoot a turkey with a crossbow?
Can you hunt wild turkeys with a bow and arrow?
Hunting Wild Turkeys with a bow and arrow can be one of the most exciting and most difficult challenges a hunter can face. However, because of the challenge, it can also be one of the most rewarding experiences a hunter can have.
Do you need a blind when hunting turkeys with a bow?
Also, because every animal from foxes and coyotes to owls and eagles likes to eat them, turkeys are extremely paranoid. Therefore, they are easily spooked by even the slightest movement and thus, you absolutely must have a blind when hunting turkeys with a bow.
What rig should I use to hunt a Turkey?
Let’s dive in. Archery Turkey Gear Your whitetail or Western big-game rig will work fine for turkey. One hint: drop your bow’s poundage. There’s no reason to test the limits of your shoulders when hunting birds.
Will a Turkey see you when you raise a bow?
But, at the same time, the closer a turkey is to your blind, the more likely it is that he will see you as you raise and draw your bow. On the other hand, the farther away from your blind your decoy is, the less likely it is that a turkey will see you when you raise and draw your bow.