Do not imagine every little thing you hear on the subject of turkey searching with a bow. It may be performed — and really efficiently at that — it doesn’t matter what some individuals could declare.
March 13, 2023
I am unable to dive headfirst into debunking 5 turkey myths and anticipate you to imagine me with out telling you a little bit about my turkey tenure. Over the previous 25 years, I’ve hunted turkeys nationwide, totally on open-to-anyone grime with archery deal with and my trusty growth stick. Throughout that point, I harvested the Grand Slam and hunted with a few of the greatest turkey hunters on the earth. I’ve chased birds in each terrain possible, from Merriam gobblers at 9,000 ft within the coronary heart of the Rockies to swamp-dwelling Oscelolas.
Here is what I learn about these 5 turkey tales and why you should not purchase into them.
Turkeys Hate The Rain
That is pure bullbutter, and also you should not imagine it. Whereas I do not know the way a lot turkeys like or dislike the rain, I do know that turkeys depend on their eyesight, listening to, and skill to fly to keep away from hazard. When rain falls, sheets of water scale back a turkey’s visibility, particularly in a timbered surroundings. Birds within the woods know their eyesight is decreased as a result of rain and climate, they usually know they’re a neater goal for bobcats and different predators. Rain additionally creates a ruckus within the woods, dampening a turkey’s listening to capability. One other sensory system goes down when water splatters on leaves, sticks, and different vegetation. Lastly, turkeys are large birds and wish a runway to take flight. Dense woods aren’t the perfect place to get a working begin, spring into the air, and glide effortlessly away from hazard.
Turkeys usually transfer to open areas in periods of rain in order to not be such a straightforward goal for a toothy predator, making area edges, open pastures, small meadows, and open logging roads alongside ridges nice areas to kill a tom at any time through the day. Plus, when searching public floor, I’ve discovered most turkey goers to be fair-weather hunters, and on wet, windy days, I usually discover solitude and birds keen to work.
Roosted Gobblers Are Roasted Gobblers
Nothing is definite in searching, ever, particularly not a roosted boy chicken. Turkeys will swap timber through the evening, and could also be a few hardwoods over from the place you left them, which is not an enormous deal, however I’ve additionally come again to hunt roosted birds and located them gone.
What occurred?
There is no telling what explodes a roost through the evening — predators or different hunters strolling again from one other location through the darkish — nevertheless it does occur. Do not financial institution your total day on a roosted hunt. Do not wave the white towel for those who present as much as hunt perched birds they usually have flown the coop. The day is younger, and it is time to alter your ways.
Additionally, boy birds will tail a passel of hens within the morning, particularly through the early a part of the season when birds are nonetheless flocked up and the women aren’t sitting on nests. Should you’re not proper on the X, that means inside 150 yards of the place birds have been coming into or exiting a longtime morning locale, even essentially the most lifelike decoys, and attractive hen discuss will not break a gobbler off.
You Cannot Kill A Turkey With A Bow Outdoors A Blind
Not solely is that this assertion not true, however I additionally discover it humorous. I not often use a floor blind to bowhunt birds anymore, and I do not cloak myself in a ghillie swimsuit and lay in wait within the woods like a sniper hoping a longbeard will wander bowhunting shut.
Video That Could Curiosity You
Nowadays, I take the struggle to the turkeys and turn out to be the decoy by lashing a bow-mounted pretend to my riser. My favourite is Final Predator Gear’s MerRio Turkey Stalker. With this full-strut decoy mounted to your bow, you need to use your optics and calls to find birds after which transfer towards them. I prefer to discover a dominant tom with hens or a few toms roaming collectively. A single two-year-old chicken may be passive, however discover a pair working collectively, and also you get a dynamic bully duo that often will not hesitate to return to a full-strut decoy. As for a longbeard with hens, if the chicken is scorching and he catches a glimpse of a fan transferring about within the brush, it isn’t unlikely for the tom to return in search of a struggle.
Be a versatile turkey hunter. Whereas I do not suggest a bow-mounted decoy on public floor when shotgun seasons are in, I like them on non-public land, and even when your plan is a floor blind hunt, a folded-up material turkey decoy that mounts to your bow in seconds provides you choices.
Field Calls Do not Work On Public Floor
I’ll personal it; I wrote these phrases in a turkey e book I penned a couple of years again. I’ve additionally been adverse about field calls in seminars. Consuming crow isn’t enjoyable, but when it helps you be extra profitable within the spring woods, I am joyful to do it.
The issue with a field name is that it is the commonest sort of name, and one of many best to make use of, so birds dwelling in public areas usually hear them. What I’ve found, although, is that for those who study to manage the decision’s quantity and pitch, it may well lure in a wanting-to-breed tom nearly as good as any slate or diaphragm. Should you grasp the decision and perceive tips on how to create gentle yelps, clucks, purrs, and louder chopping yelps, you possibly can run a field name all spring anyplace within the nation and kill many birds.
World Champion turkey caller Billy Yargus is just not solely the perfect caller I’ve ever heard but additionally the savviest turkey hunter I’ve had the pleasure of sharing the woods with. Yargus informed me as soon as, “Grasp gentle single yelps, and you’ll name a whole lot of birds in.” His recommendation has confirmed true. Within the turkey woods, the extra pure and easy you retain the calling, the higher, and for those who can grasp a single gentle and refined yelp on a field name, you may enchantment to the ears of the wariest tom within the woods.
Public Floor Is not Value Looking In Late Spring
False! I’ve had a few of my greatest searching on public grime throughout Could. Why? Most turkey hunters have tagged out or referred to as it quits late within the season. I’ve discovered public areas crawling with hunters throughout April to be ghost cities come Could, particularly over the past two weeks of the month.
Birds that have been as soon as call-shy and timid can warmth up shortly if left alone, and with most hens sitting on nests, toms shall be roaming, so even when the parcel you are searching does not have a whole lot of contemporary signal, give it an opportunity to supply if birds have been utilizing it earlier within the season.
My go-to tip on public floor late within the season is to get off the overwhelmed path on extra vital properties and take note of small acreage chunks. Usually, small-acre turkey properties get ignored altogether and can have a couple of birds calling them dwelling late within the season. Should you’re searching a bigger property and that property borders non-public land, transfer towards the boundary. Do not be a fence sitter, however know that many birds within the space are doubtless staying on the non-public grime. Turkeys don’t have anything to do through the day however stroll, eat, mud, and breed. Get 100 yards from the boundary and tease a chicken in.
Do not fall for myths; they may lead you down the improper spring path. The trick to persistently killing turkeys is staying versatile and being keen to do issues different hunters aren’t doing. Usually, those that step exterior of established norms have repeat success.
