Posted: 4/19/2009 4:36:43 AM EDT
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Just curious how many turkey hunters we have in here?
I've been lucky and killed one the last 4 years... 2 toms and 2 jakes. I haven't hunted them in the fall yet. I want one with a bow, so that's all I'm using this year.  Has anyone here taken a turkey with a bow?
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Been hunting turkeys for around 20 years now
Took 2 with a bow and now hunt almost exclusivly with a crossbow due to a back injury and surgery. Have taken 3 with the XBow to date. Now I focus more on taking my daughters, wife and my friend kids. check out the hunting section my website for photos www.hardwickshideout.com Bob |
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I'm a hardcore turkey hunter, but I've never tried to take one with a bow. I enjoy "running and gunning" more than just sitting in a blind and calling, and I'm afraid the only way I would be able to pull off getting one with a bow is from a blind. I'm with you on the running & gunning, but I'm gonna be in a blind this year. We have a "smoke phase" bearded hen on our property that I want really bad. I saw her several times during deer season. I have pictures somewhere, I just have to find them. Looks like the weather is gonna be decent! |
| I've taken 4 or 5 toms with a shotgun, and only hunt the spring season. I was too busy the last two seasons to dedicate more than a day or so to hunting. I gave a little thought to bowhunting them this year, but decided that I didn't feel like plopping down cash at this time for a good ground blind and some new arrows. Instead, I'm taking a friend of mine who has never hunted turkeys before. I'll be just as happy if he gets one as I would be to get one myself. We went out yesterday morning to try to pattern some, and only heard one gobble as we were stalking through the woods. I'm pretty sure that it heard us, and thought that we were hens scratching in the leaves. A neighbor saw 4 toms strutting on that farm last week while mushroom hunting, so I know they're there. |
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Most of the Turkeys that I have takenwith a compound and Xbow were run and gun with a $20 2 foot tall by 8 or 12foot long fabric bllind and 1 or 2 decoys.
I set the the blind up in a V with a shoulder width triee in the bottom of the V and me sitting at the top facing the tree. Set the decoy/s out in front of the tree. Not to much invested and you will have a ball. It is quick to set up and tear down with not a lot of weight to carry. I believe it is tougher with the Xbow than the Compound because the turkey will pick up limb movement quicker because they are horizontal and doesn't blend in as well as a compound. Bob |
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I've taken 4 or 5 toms with a shotgun, and only hunt the spring season. I was too busy the last two seasons to dedicate more than a day or so to hunting. I gave a little thought to bowhunting them this year, but decided that I didn't feel like plopping down cash at this time for a good ground blind and some new arrows. Instead, I'm taking a friend of mine who has never hunted turkeys before. I'll be just as happy if he gets one as I would be to get one myself. We went out yesterday morning to try to pattern some, and only heard one gobble as we were stalking through the woods. I'm pretty sure that it heard us, and thought that we were hens scratching in the leaves. A neighbor saw 4 toms strutting on that farm last week while mushroom hunting, so I know they're there. I'm taking a buddy of mine next week, it'll be his 1st turkey hunt too. He's very impatient, so I doubt it'll go well. 
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Most of the Turkeys that I have takenwith a compound and Xbow were run and gun with a $20 2 foot tall by 8 or 12foot long fabric bllind and 1 or 2 decoys. I set the the blind up in a V with a shoulder width triee in the bottom of the V and me sitting at the top facing the tree. Set the decoy/s out in front of the tree. Not to much invested and you will have a ball. It is quick to set up and tear down with not a lot of weight to carry. I believe it is tougher with the Xbow than the Compound because the turkey will pick up limb movement quicker because they are horizontal and doesn't blend in as well as a compound. Bob That's a good idea with the little blind for bowhunting. I'm gonna have to give that a try. |
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I'm taking a buddy of mine next week, it'll be his 1st turkey hunt too. He's very impatient, so I doubt it'll go well. Do you remember the scene from the movie "Platoon" with Bunny and the "physically challenged" Vietnamese guy? Let's just say if that if my buddy gets impatient, I'll be Bunny. 
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I'm taking a buddy of mine next week, it'll be his 1st turkey hunt too. He's very impatient, so I doubt it'll go well. Do you remember the scene from the movie "Platoon" with Bunny and the "physically challenged" Vietnamese guy? Let's just say if that if my buddy gets impatient, I'll be Bunny.
Wood or synthetic stock? I didn't take you for such a violent guy. 
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damn, im gona be the vietnamese guy  I hope david takes his medication saturday morning Ive had a turkey gun since 89 and just getting around to going huntingOne way or the other, you and I are both going to do our best to get you your first turkey this season.
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I'm taking a buddy of mine next week, it'll be his 1st turkey hunt too. He's very impatient, so I doubt it'll go well. Do you remember the scene from the movie "Platoon" with Bunny and the "physically challenged" Vietnamese guy? Let's just say if that if my buddy gets impatient, I'll be Bunny.
Wood or synthetic stock? I didn't take you for such a violent guy. My fondest wish is that it would have some sort of strike plate on it.
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I've taken 4 or 5 toms with a shotgun, and only hunt the spring season. I was too busy the last two seasons to dedicate more than a day or so to hunting. I gave a little thought to bowhunting them this year, but decided that I didn't feel like plopping down cash at this time for a good ground blind and some new arrows. Instead, I'm taking a friend of mine who has never hunted turkeys before. I'll be just as happy if he gets one as I would be to get one myself. We went out yesterday morning to try to pattern some, and only heard one gobble as we were stalking through the woods. I'm pretty sure that it heard us, and thought that we were hens scratching in the leaves. A neighbor saw 4 toms strutting on that farm last week while mushroom hunting, so I know they're there. I'm taking a buddy of mine next week, it'll be his 1st turkey hunt too. He's very impatient, so I doubt it'll go well. Must be Gary, cause it ain't me.
Let me know when turkey is over so we can go back and try the yotes again. |
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Indiana T-hunter here - not much of a turkey killer though.
I really enjoy getting out this time of year; with two youngins, and have just moved, the season will be a bit tight this year. But I'll make time to get out a little even if the kids tag along. Good luck to all |
big-Al after his second day of turkey hunting ever I took Alan (big-Al) hunting again this morning after getting skunked yesterday morning. As we were climbing the steep grassy field heading towards the woods at the top of the hill in the dim light, a loud gobble resounded from the treetops a little over a hundred yards to our left. Excited to hear our first bird of the season, we continued our climb straight up the hill, with plans to gain elevation on the tom, then cut over to the left to position ourselves above him. We climbed up the ridge through the woods, and suddenly heard another tom gobbling in a tree about the same distance away, but dead in front of us. Both toms were gobbling back and forth from their roosts, with the one to our left double-gobbling (which indicates a very "hot" bird.) We had no choice but to stop where we were, and set the decoys out at 20 yards in the best open area of the woods we could find. We placed our small folding seats up against a wide tree, and quickly sat down with the decoys between us and the double-gobbling tom, with the other tom somewhere off to the right. I produced a few soft yelps, and both birds gobbled even more. Mere seconds later, the gobbles indicated that they were on the ground. We could discern from the gobbles that they were walking towards each other on the backside of this little knoll. Once they met up, they followed a fence row (staying out of our sight), but their gobbles told us that they were moving toward us on our right side. I feared that they would pass us by, but one brave (or stupid) one turned and walked right to the decoys. I informed Alan as soon as I saw the bird coming, and he got ready. The tom walked right up to the decoys, and Alan asked if it was a legal bird. I indicated that it was, and he fired his 12-gauge. The time was 6:42 AM! That's the earliest myself or anyone I've called for has taken a shot at a bird. The bird dropped right there at 20 yards, and I ran up and grabbed it by its legs just in case it tried to flop away. If flapped a little then stopped. I then handed it to Alan, and it really started flapping. He held it out away from his body, as its wings flapped against his legs for a good minute (reflexes, just like a chicken with its head cut off.) After congratulations and the obligatory photo session, we headed back to the vehicle, then made our way to the check station. After a quick breakfast, we made the drive to the taxidermist for a full-strut mount.
21 pounds 10 1/2" beard 25MM spurs |
Birds weren't gobbling much today where I was. We found one around 8:30, got about 100 yards from him, and set up. Didn't take long for him to get close. He was about 30 yards away when I spotted him after he thunder gobbled, but I had my gun facing just to the left of him and I couldn't move. He went behind a tree so I made my move only to hear something crashing in the woods to the left of me. Low and behold here comes another hunter not 20 yards away from me. I thought the bird was long gone. I whistled at the other hunter and he saw me waving him off, so what does he do? You guessed it, he sat down 20 yards away from me and started calling. I couldn't believe it, he actually sat down that close to me. I was on public ground, but I would have shown some courtesy and walked away. I told my hunting partner lets just walk the other way, I give up, but he talked me out of it. Next thing I know, I hear him gobbled again down at the bottom of a ravine, so we walked around to cut him off, and called him in again. Ended up being about a 30 yard shot and he dropped. The End. 
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indybrad, congratulations on a fine (and well-earned) bird. 
I cannot understand how a hunter thinks he can just bumble through the woods toward the sound of a turkey gobbling and expect to get it. I'm also utterly shocked that the guy didn't have enough courtesy to back off when he knew someone else was pursuing the tom. I've had hunters do that to me when I'm in a stand deer hunting, but never had one brazen enough to walk right up to me while I was calling a turkey and try to compete with me. 
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I don't know what he was thinking. Maybe he was not trying to screw me up anymore and thought the best thing to do was to just sit. I didn't understand the calling though, unless he was trying to call it back into me. I'm fortunate that the bird had started walking down a hill when I first saw the other hunter, or it would have busted.
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I got a jake this morning. It was kind of cool. I was watching san hill crane parents and two chicks make their way across a winter wheat field (picture below - I only had a couple of seconds to get the picture) , and he was behind them strutting for all to see. The cranes weren't very happy about the shot.
and the cranes (toward the left of the opening) 
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