Using a simple box call, my wife Heather, and I stood on a logging road mid-mountain. Letting out a series of yelps, we were abruptly cut off by an eager gobbler. After scrambling through thick evergreens, we broke into the most perfect clearing you could imagine. It had giant fir trees to hide behind, and a steep grassy slope with a shelf for setting up the decoys.
As soon as we sat down and nocked an arrow, I hen called. Interrupted again, the bird gobbled several times. If there’s one thing that gets hunters worked up, its vocal birds. When they talk, you know exactly where they are. Over the next 20 minutes, every time I yelped, clucked, and purred, the tom would sound off and come closer. Eventually breaking from cover, as soon as he saw our decoys, he raced in and began to strut. Heather drew, and as soon as he went broadside, she sent her Easton carbon axis on its way. One hop, a tumbled down the steep hill, and all went silent. Just like that, our many days of working birds up and down the mountain paid off!
We much prefer to cover ground and call. That said, there are a few hunting strategies that work well for bow hunters.
FROM A BLIND
No doubt, hunting from a portable pop-up blind, or even a natural blind, is the most widely used strategy for taking a gobbler with a bow. Why? Mostly because when we’re hunting with archery tackle, there is always a ‘no man’s land’, or brief time, in which we have to draw our bow. Turkeys, regardless of sub-species, are notoriously schizophrenic. Hyper-aware, their eyesight is impeccable. The slightest movements can be noticed, instantly sending them on the run. A blind simply covers much of our movements.
The nice thing about wild turkeys is that, most often, they don’t seem to mind the presence of a foreign inanimate object. I’ve placed pop-up blinds and called birds in immediately. I’ve also placed them days before hunting in hopes of having the birds feed and move around it without incident. Honestly, it usually doesn’t matter when you put it out, or hunt from it.
Most importantly though, when you choose the kind of blind you want to use, make sure you have plenty of room inside to draw your bow and pivot for as many shooting angles as possible. Make sure the shooting windows are the right height to accommodate shooting from a sitting position. Folding camping-style chairs with arm rests are generally more comfortable to sit in, but they can be more restrictive when it comes to moving and shifting your position. In my experience, the more rigid folding chairs with some padding can be easier to sit and pivot in.
If you don’t want to use a fully enclosed pop-up-style blind, something like the Allen Vanish Stake-Out Blind in Realtree camouflage provides a wall of cover around the bowhunter, but leaves your head and shoulders exposed.
HIKE, CALL, SPOT & STALK
As far as set-up is concerned, placing a jake along with two or three hens anywhere from 15-25 yards out can attract interested birds. When they come in, wait until their attention is on the decoys and ideally draw when they are fanning and turned the opposite direction.
My favorite, and probably the second most common hunt strategy is hiking to cover ground and probing with a call. Prompting a gobbler to sound off, is what every turkey hunter loves. I enjoy covering ground. While we’re doing this, its imperative to stay alert. Turkeys will often see you before you see them. If they do, its usually game over. If you do happen to see them first, use available cover like the shadows of trees, ditches, hedgerows, and even buildings to conceal your presence. If you can stalk in close, that can often make the difference. As a rule, I like to get well under 100 yards before setting up my decoys. Once you feel like you’re close enough to pressure an eager gobbler, pick a spot to place the decoys from 15 to 25 yards from a decent place to hide. This might be a big tree, tall grasses, or low-lying shrubbery. Even old farm buildings or abandoned vehicles can sometimes be used for concealment. The number one challenge is finding an area that is open enough for incoming turkeys to see the decoys, but with enough cover to hide behind. Once you’re set up as close as you dare, get to calling, remain as still as possible, watch closely, and be ready. A big old tom may be vocal, announcing his presence every now and then, but more often than not, they’ll sneak in quietly. Choose your opportunity to draw wisely, and understand anatomy to ensure a quick and efficient kill with a broadhead.
FANNING
Fanning involves using either a real turkey fan (tail feathers), or a commercial simile. Both can work amazingly well for attracting curious toms and jakes – particularly in the hands of someone who knows how to open, close and pivot the fan in a manner that emulates a real turkey. While I haven’t seen success fanning for henned-up gobblers, if you manage to locate a lone tom, or even a group of two or three without hens, this can be a dynamite strategy for pulling them in.
Stealth is the name of this game. Stay low, move slowly, and use the fan to hide behind as you carefully and meticulously move in on pre-occupied toms and jakes, and you’ll be surprised how close you can get. It doesn’t always work, but when it does, it’s spectacular. Fanning solo with a bow in your hand is tough. It’s cumbersome enough to hold your bow while sneaking in close, but trying to draw your bow with a fan in your hand is extremely difficult. Yes, some bow hunters do it, but its tricky. More effective is the tag-team method where one person uses a fan to attract visible gobblers, while the shooter sets up along an anticipated route that they turkeys will travel. The idea here is for the archer to ambush birds in bow range as they focus on the personal using the fan to attract them.
Regardless of your preferred strategy, one thing is certain. Bow hunting wild turkeys is a ton of fun. It can be both frustrating and exhilarating. When it finally comes together, there’s no feeling like putting down a gobbler with a bow.
