Trad Gang
Main Boards => PowWow => Topic started by: jimneye on February 16, 2007, 10:45:00 PM
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I'm going to try turkey hunting without a blind.
Any veterans willing to share any advise?
I'll be hunting the public forrests of Pennsylvania, not too many fields mostly big timber areas. Or should I just stick my head in a bucket of water?
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I got one in a ghillie suit..you better have some killer camo, and make no movement at all.
Best of luck.
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Hunt in the woods not on the edge of the feild. Lots of brush. using large trees to blind them from you is always helpful. Oh yeah, Its a wonderful challenge. Good luck turkey hunting and get a lot of good scouting in. God bless, JB
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Ive had some luck using big trees as blinds. The area ive done this in is thick with turkeys. I would wait until they walked past me then take em.
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My thoughts and suggestions:
If you have big timber set up on a tree at your back wider than you are. If you can find such a tree with two other large trunked trees in front of you at 6 to 10 feet (+/-), one to your left (if you shoot righty) and one straight out in front. These trees will hopefully provide cover for a draw if and when a turkey comes in to your setup.
Good luck!!!
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Good camo {leafy wear}, low poundage bow {40 to 45 lbs plenty}, sharp broadheads, stay as still as a dead stump, surround yourself with natural cover, learn to shoot from a sitting position,good luck this spring;
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I agree with what's been said so far. 2-3 nice size trees in front of you are the ticket. Also, two things that I've found helpful are 1) a tree seat and 2)Sneaky Leaf added to my clothes/hat. The tree seat will allow you to sit in a more ready position for longer periods of time. The sneaky leaf allows you some of the advantages of a ghillie without the downside IMO. I also had to change the way I shoot. I started practicing with my bow arm all the way up and shooting by just pulling back to anchor and releasing. This allows me to get my bow up when the turkey goes behind one of the trees. Then, when I'm ready to shoot, I draw and release in a smooth motion that doesn't seem to alert the bird. Also, I apply face paint around my eyes and tape to every inch of my bow. Also, pay attention to your background before you set up. Try to imagine how you are gonna look like when the turkey shows up at 5-10 yards. You can't get away with much on these terms. Good luck. Being free from the blind is a lot more fun to me.
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Troy,I've killed 1 gobbler while blindless(58" TD curve),its a tough go! Like said before,draw when he's behind somethin (even his fan) and bein in full shade helps too. IMO
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I was hunting and killing turkeys with a recurve before DB was invented. However some may argue my makeshift hides where in fact "Blinds". I had my best luck using cut cedars and waiting along travel areas leading to roosts.
Now I am older, lazier, use a blind and kill fewer birds..
Still think "Runnin and Gunnin" (Bowin) is the most fun a guy can have on a spring day, and an absolutely great time to be afield.
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I've only been trying for two season. First season, I got my rear end handed to me time and time again. I learned more from the not killin than I did from the killin. Last season, I shot two and recovered one. Going to try a different head and a string tracker this year. 50% recovery isn't acceptable and I'll have to quit if I can't improve on that. I sat in a blind a few years ago and I just didn't enjoy it as much even though success may have been easier to come by. I don't pretend to be an expert. I also didn't know anybody else who had done it so what I accomplished was by my own trial/error/determination.
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If your hunting eastern birds you might as well take a seat at the bar. You'll have a better chance in the wood, but not by much. In fact, you'll probably have a better chance to kill a "turkey" at the bar if your not species specific.
Bowmania
PS. My record - 10 plus years without a kill without blind, One with a blind and a recurve and 2 with a blind and a longbow. I don't know if it's fair to mention this, but I murdered one when I drew my first permit. After almost 5 full days of trying with a bow, it took me 20 minites to get a 28 pounder 11 inch beard with 20 minutes left in the season. It was the last time I ever hunted with a gun.
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DTala, I have not. Killed my first last year but it was from a blind. having said that, when I do hunt without a blind I try to find a setup as I described above, not to mention using many of the other tips posted here.
If and when the day comes I DO get one without a blind and using my trad bow I will be one happy hunter. :bigsmyl:
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How about the use of a decoy?
How should it be set up( distance, facing what dirrection, etc)?
Dockbutt, how about some do's and don'ts?
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The guys that shoot from blinds are the experts on decoys. The first bird I shot last year was coming to the decoys. I wasn't using dekes on number two. I try to let the situation at hand dictate the set up. I didn't always use decoys when I gun hunted and that's one thing I like about ditching the blind with the bow. It's a lot more like the turkey hunting I've been doing for years with the smoke pole....just much much harder to close the deal.
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If you can find the book by Jack Probst, there's a lot of good info in it on hunting turkeys without a blind. It's pretty easy to kill a turkey with a gun without a blind, but it's a whole different story with a bow. I didn't start killing turkeys with a bow until I started using a blind. On the other hand, it's pretty easy killing them with a blind so I'm thinking I might start hunting them without a blind again. I'll probably come to my senses before season though. (L0L) Good luck.
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If it's a $$$ issue, get yourself some of that military camo leafy netting that is on the market. I use that stuff on my duck boat and plan on having some in my back pack this spring for turkey hunting. Get a couple sticks shoved into the ground, hang the netting on, and you have an instant, easily moveable blind. Ideally, set the camo up in a U formation so your back and sides are covered. Once the turkey walks in front of the mouth of the U, you should have a shot.
Brian
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I'd love to get a chance at a blind turkey.
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You can use a blind set up with out a blind. By that I mean sit on a stool in some thick brush on the edge of a field with a couple decoys out in front of you. It is critical not to move when they are coming in and when you decide to draw go ahead and do it. Don't hesitate. Draw, pick a spot and shoot. Don't dally. Doesn't take long for a tom to fold up from full strut and get the heck out of there, but sometimes they just can't believe they got fooled. They stretch their necks up and look at you before turning and taking off.If your arrow isn't on the way by then, the games over.
The birds are tough.... tough to hunt, tough to kill. They can take a pounding from a heavy bow and big broadhead and still get off the ground. If they get off the ground they can set their wings, glide a long way and expertly hide in the tinyest brush pile after landing. If ya hunt turkeys with a bow much your going to lose one now and then. String tracker helps in locating but hurts in shooting if you're in brush thick enough to hide yourself in. I've shot 4 recovered 3 in 20 something years of bowhunting them. The one I lost got airborn on me. None were taken out of a blind, and I was only wearing camo on one of them, the other 2 I was wearing plaid shirt and plain brown pants. ALWAYS wear a headnet and gloves.
If you want to eat turkey.... buy a butterball before season starts. That's the only GUARANTEED way you're going to be eating turkey after seasons over. ;)
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Ferret, your post reminded me of a big tom I lost last year. I hit him solidly as he was quartered to me but he stumbled off down a ridge top taking my arra with him never to be seen again. I was hunting on a friends place in the North Georgia mountains and it was REAL think in the draws with so much for the tom to hide in. Several of us looked hard for the tom but to no avail.
My friend has killed several toms with his compound and told me to try to shoot the next one through the hip joints if I could get a broadside shot. He surmised if a tom is hit through the upper legs or hips he will not be able to jump to fly nor run off. The following week I did just that hitting my tom right next to and in front of the drumstick. He was able to get about 25 yards before expiring and I discovered that even though my arrow missed the joints it had passed through his vitals. This is now my preferred shot.
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As several have said, Super Good Camo. Leafy version. Low weight bow to allow drawing slow and possibly holding draw for awhile. Good broad heads that fly super, I like Snuffer for turkey. Stop and call only when you are in cover. Shoot sitting or kneeling. I practice kneeling, sitting with my "Seat" on my boots. A decoy would be useful as it distracts the bird coming in.
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Al I agree on the top of the leg (hip joint)shot. If they can't use their legs they can't get airborn, or run very well. They can pull themselves along with their wings on the ground at a pretty good clip but you can out run that. Only works on a broadside turkey though.
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Often times a "Cluck and Purr" will get a tom to stop for one last look, giving you that chance you've been looking for. You will have to be ready to shoot, because it will be brief. Also as someone else mentioned a strutting tom is totally blind in back of the fan..
You will definitely kill more birds with fewer hours spent hunting using a blind, but it's not an impossible task to kill one "el-naturale". The other downer is you will educate a lot of birds to the call, making them tougher hunting in the future.
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If you call a blind something that completely encloses you like a store bought blind, then is just a piece of camo cloth about 36" tall held up on stakes a blind?
Read Bowhunting for Turkeys by Jack Brobst
He is from PA and has killed many turkeys with bow and decoy sitting behind a small piece of camo fabric or whatever. He waits until the turkey gets his head behind the decoy to make his draw and shoot.
It is a real good book and if any needs to borrow it you can get if from Mike Bolin, Thats where I got it. Thanks Mike!
Todd
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Al,
Ya wanna elborate ont his hip joint shot? There was a post on here a copule days ago with a good photo for shot placements by texasbubba. I've heard of this shot but with the lack of birds to look at...well you get the idear lol.
Thanks
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Well I haven't done it but I could if I wanted to but I guess its not very fair or legal for that matter.
These are 50 feet from my back door.
http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y25/ltenga/SD550042.jpg
http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y25/ltenga/SD550012-1.jpg
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AkDan, right at the top of the rounded thigh (red dot), it's a little lower and futher back than the generally recommended shot (yellow dot), but I believe very efffective on recovering turkeys. Might necessiate a follow up shot once you get up to the bird.
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v247/theferret111/turkeyshot.jpg)
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(http://i26.photobucket.com/albums/c114/swamprooter/TurkeyBowShot.jpg)
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i was successful twice last year at having birds within range of me without a blind, but i only connected with one. wearing khaki pants and a camoflauge t shirt i sat in the shadow of a large penn oak on a stool, and had shots on both birds within 20 yards (the one i missed at 15). i think they key is knowing the actions of turkeys, and when to move. i learned this by just spending time with them and taking pictures to test my movement. you can get away with more than u think. i also believe that hunting with the mentality that u dont have a call besides a locator call is also helpful. its hard to kill a turkey when he is looking for a hen that he cannot find. the more u can stay off their minds the better off u are. i studied the two birds i had encounters with for a month and knew their patterns, narrowed it down to one hilltop and intersepted them on the way to a field. i had no need for a call.
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AkDan, this is now my preferred shot at a broadside bird. I have often wondered why the most popular shot (noted by ferret with the yellow dot) is where it is. It seems, to me at least, to be too high for the vitals. Perhaps someone will one day convince me to take the yellow dot shot. I have only shot two toms with an arrow so I am still a novice. I just know what the hip shot did for me last year and it makes since to me. (http://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b324/al33/TurkeyBowShot.jpg)
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Troy, tell us about your equipment and your preferred shot placement, decoy set-up? etc.THANKS DON WILSON
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No disrespect taken joebuck, I am always open to learning something new, that's why I come to tradgang. :) Thanks for sharing your experiences and thoughts on the turkey hunting.
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I've killed 2 and missed several before I had a DB blind. I guess I've killed 6 -8 from the blind, but using the blind just took the fun out of turkey hunting....in the right spot, it's more like turkey shooting than turkey hunting. Last year I went back to running and bow'en and the fun was back...missed what should have been a slam dunk shot after the bird being within 10yds of me for 5 min (seemed like an hour). I wear leafy camo with a thin mesh over the eye opening...a turkey can spot you blink. I sit on one of those low turkey seats with my back against a big tree (if there is one). I've had mixed results with decoys, but generally use at least a hen facing away from me...the goal being that the goobler fans out for her facing away from me. Several folks have mentioned just using a Jake, Ive never tried that. When I started, still using a compound, I would try to draw when the turkey walked behing a big tree, that plan has only resulted in shooting a tree with my longbow. If you just want to kill turkeys..take the blind....if you want to have fun....leave the blind at home.
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Thanks for the input gents! I'm really getting stoked about this longbeard bonanza!!!
I've hunted longbeards before, both with bow and gun however never did get to even draw on a bird with the bow. Still a blast however ya look at it. It's the only thing missing from Alaska, feathered turkeys!!!
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Jeff,, I hear you. I wonder why it is legal to shoot turkeys from a DB or similar blind and it is illegal to shoot deer with head lights. I also wonder why during many fire arm seasons you have to wear x amount of orange, but you don't need to display it on the out side of your pop up blind, but those are thoughts for another thread.
Runnin and Bow'n (Like that) is about as much fun as you can have with your close on.. Remember it's the experience not the kill that motivates us.
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I set up exactly the way Joebuck described. I have killed 15 without a popup, 4 with. Except I use a decoy hen or 2 sometimes on a string for movement. And I use a muzzey grasshopper behind my 2 blade broadhead with 2 of the prongs turned behind the blades so only 2 are sticking out. And I think Ferrets shot spot is the best. I learned from the book previously mentioned. Good Luck
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I love hunting them without a blind.
The pop-up type blinds just don't suit me,I feel like I'm in a tent camping,not hunting.I think I might be claustrophobic,I just don't like being in them.Almost seems like I can't hear well from a blind.
I like to find a spot,like ambushing them leaving or coming in to roost.A double,or triple trunked tree at my back,cut a few green limbs and stick them in the ground a few feet in front of me to still give plenty of room to draw,and I'm good to go.Full camo,very,very,slow movement.Got my last Gobbler at about 12 yards with 4 hens and a jake between us in a swamp bottom.So close to one hen that I could see the water dripping off her beak after she drank out of the little low spot holding water between me and the Gobbler.
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Since I just moved to S.D. most of my birds were easterns, and there is deffinatly a difference in what they will tolerate. I, 2 different times have waited 2 hrs with a bird within 30 yards for a good shot oppurtunity. They both would strut and turn gobble ect. but for different reasons, brush ect. I couldn't get a good shot. These were both easterns. I killed them both. 1 was 5 yrs old. It's tempting to draw as soon as they are coming but you have to resist. Like Joebuck I'll have 20-30 birds within 30 yards but maybe take 2-3 shots. Sometimes they just walk away because I couldn't draw undetected.
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Didn't mean to bash blinds....still hunt out of mine, particulary if hunting a field or food plot. It's just not as much fun as chasing them ....and carrying that blind all through the woods gets old in a hurry. I have found that if you set the blind out in a field or food plot, rather than on the edge...birds will walk right up to it. I think they expect more danger from the edge and will sometimes skirt around a blind setup on the edge. I agree, it's easier to call one into range without the blind, but lots tougher to get s shot, and if more than one bird, your probably just going to watch the show....but that's not so bad either. I am curious about just using a jake decoy...is that maybe better than the usual hen or hen / jake??
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A comment on shot placement....every bird that I've ever lost was hit low....a bird with 1 broken leg can fly...real well. I'd rather error on the high side.
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Don't know how many of you have seen it, but, I think I'll try the new Eastman portable blind. You just stake it in the ground and you can adjust the height of it. Saw it in Cabelas catalog, looks pretty intersting.
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Jeff,
Not sure if using just a jake decoy is better,but it does work.Good thing about it is you can set the jake decoy up FACING you and the gobbler will usually come in and circle the jake decoy to get face to face,giving you a chance to draw.
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When using a blind I'm told to set up the decoy 5yds away but, how far away if I'm not using a blind?
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Very cool chair!!
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Good stuff joebuck. Thanks for all your trial and error. Maybe it'll help some of us newbies have less errors.
That chair looks like the cat's meow for us stiff kneed fellows who need to get a little further off the ground.
Thanks again!!
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Cool chair joebuck, have you ever tried it deer hunting?? My little turkey stool works OK, but I like your setup better. Looks like a modified pack frame. Really neat idea. Noticed the white fletching on your arrows....do you use those arrows turkey hunting??
Varmint...thanks for info on using jake.
I never used decoys when hunting with a shotgun, but seem to think they are necessay with a bow.....are they really necessary?? Sometimes they work great, but in the long run I'm not sure they don't hurt more than help.
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A big thanks to all who contributed to this thread. Myself and a few others will put all this knowledge to good use.
Looks like we need to have a turkey chair build along. What do ya say Joebuck?
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Hunting the second week down in Kentucky one year, if the gobblers spotted a decoy, even from 150 yards away, the squatted and ran out of the field. Don't know how they could tell a decoy from the real thing at that range, but they were definitly call and decoy shy.
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Hey guys..thanks for all the good info....with all this turkey talk, I'm starting to get pumped.
Really nothing like roaming the woods with your bow on a spring day......fall ain't bad either.
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JOEBUCK, Thank you very for all your advice, good luck this year.
PS if you wanted to pm me those plans, it wouldn't upset me too bad.