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Turkey hunting with a bow

moundhill

Senior Member
Supporting Member
5,327
103
Hebbardsville..
I've been thinking about turkey season alot lately, and I think I might try to take my bow this year. Any tips or suggestions? Broadheads?
 

aholdren

Senior Member
Supporting Member
5,178
151
South East Ohio
I've been thinking about turkey season alot lately, and I think I might try to take my bow this year. Any tips or suggestions? Broadheads?

Thats my goal too. I missed one at 10 yrds a couple of years ago and I bought a new blind so I am hoping I get another chance.
 

brock ratcliff

Dignitary Member
Supporting Member
24,834
247
Best broadhead for turkeys is chambered in 12 ga and is at least 3" in length.

Turkeys are not esspecially hard to shoot with a bow, from a blind. They are not terribly hard to kill either, if you hit the very small kill zone. The difficulty in turkey hunting with a bow is in finding the dang things. Usually, there isn't much blood to follow, and they are only a little bigger than a football when they want to hide.

When I started turkey hunting with a bow, groundblinds were something you made from brush. I viewed turkey hunting as a great challenge with a bow. With the advent of manufactured groundblinds, it occurred to me that turkeys are probably the dumbest animal in the woods. Groundblinds take all the challenge out of turkey hunting imo, but they are still very hard to find and it isn't worth it to me on most days.
 

rgecko23

*Supporting Member*
7,466
0
Massillon, Ohio
Ground blind, and shoot em in the shield....If you look at a side view of a tom dragging his wings, there is a little off colored shield...shoot for that.
 

moundhill

Senior Member
Supporting Member
5,327
103
Hebbardsville..
Best broadhead for turkeys is chambered in 12 ga and is at least 3" in length.

Turkeys are not esspecially hard to shoot with a bow, from a blind. They are not terribly hard to kill either, if you hit the very small kill zone. The difficulty in turkey hunting with a bow is in finding the dang things. Usually, there isn't much blood to follow, and they are only a little bigger than a football when they want to hide.

When I started turkey hunting with a bow, groundblinds were something you made from brush. I viewed turkey hunting as a great challenge with a bow. With the advent of manufactured groundblinds, it occurred to me that turkeys are probably the dumbest animal in the woods. Groundblinds take all the challenge out of turkey hunting imo, but they are still very hard to find and it isn't worth it to me on most days.

I most likely wont be using a blind..i typically hate blinds. But i agree that finding this is 90% of the challenge..especially finding one to cooperate.
 

moundhill

Senior Member
Supporting Member
5,327
103
Hebbardsville..
Ground blind, and shoot em in the shield....If you look at a side view of a tom dragging his wings, there is a little off colored shield...shoot for that.

 

Milo

Tatonka guide.
8,184
157
if we get the weather to bow hunt I am going out with my grim reapers....
 

Gern186

Dignitary Member
Supporting Member
10,171
201
NW Ohio Tundra
Good picture. If they are straight on facing you then make sure you aim lower than you would think...the boiler room on a turkey is way below the beard.

I shot at a monster gobbler 2 years ago with a bow from 15 yards as he was strutting, facing directly at me. I drilled that fugger right through the middle of the chest feathers, right below his beard. He tucked and ran about 75 yards into the woods and disappeared. I looked for 2 hours and never found him. I found the arrow and I shot completely through him.....evidently didn't get into his chest cavity. I was 99% sure I had killed him when I made the shot.
 
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moundhill

Senior Member
Supporting Member
5,327
103
Hebbardsville..
Good picture. If they are straight on facing you then make sure you aim lower than you would think...the boiler room on a turkey is way below the beard.

I shot at a monster gobbler 2 years ago with a bow from 15 yards as he was strutting, facing directly at me. I drilled that fugger right through the middle of the chest feathers, right below his beard. He tucked and ran about 75 yards into the woods and disappeared. I looked for 2 hours and never found him. I found the arrow and I shot completely through him.....evidently didn't get into his chest cavity. I was 99% sure I had killed him when I made the shot.
Dang, the best way to learn is the hard way i suppose..

I never thought you woulda had to aim so low.
 

Gern186

Dignitary Member
Supporting Member
10,171
201
NW Ohio Tundra
Well, neither did I. But I have gutted plenty of them and the chest cavity on a turkey is right between his legs, and is only about the size of your fist. I think the sideways shot to the base of the wing is probably the best option. I might give it another try this year with the bow.
 

brock ratcliff

Dignitary Member
Supporting Member
24,834
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Well, neither did I. But I have gutted plenty of them and the chest cavity on a turkey is right between his legs, and is only about the size of your fist. I think the sideways shot to the base of the wing is probably the best option. I might give it another try this year with the bow.

I will respectfully disagree. You can't shoot a turkey too high. The entire lower portion of a turkey is breast meat. Look at the above pics. Most animals are nearly impossible to shoot too low, turkey are just the opposite.
 

mrex

*Supporting member*
439
79
There's an old saying about bowhunting for turkeys and shot placement...shoot em' high and watch em' die...shoot em' low and watch em' go.

Killing a turkey with a bow from inside a blind is not very difficult. Just getting drawn on one from outside a blind is the ultimate challenge.

I read a study done several years ago by the Mississippi DNR about archery hunting and turkeys and I remember the number of unrecovered birds being exceptionally high.