Set your decoys CLOSE I have called for several hunters and myself that have killed birds at under 5 yards.

I like-em CLOSE too Charlie . . . like to see the detail in their beady little eyes!

"Don't miss when the opportunity presents itself."

If it were only that easy.

Charlie, I love those photos!

Dirtybird... Since I use screw in heads, I simple tie the string around the the "screw" and twist it in place. Haven't had a problem doing that.

"set up in the shadows"...for Blindless hunting...i have geared my blindless set up to blend into a tree trunk. Took a while to get it like i want it but it's all in the texture and shadows your fabric absorbs and displays.  I am in the pic with no brush or foleage in front of me...good hunting

FYI....A non mortally hit gobbler can break a single lined hit with a 17# string tracker. it takes about  8# or less to break a stretched out singled line bird....go practice in yard, tie it on your cat and turn him loose!!!!...a lot people on here use it and that is cool with me...i persoanally will not use it

Lotta good stuff here fellas.JoeBuck,enjoyed your PBS tips.RC

Ever hear of those Stingerees a fishing head.  I heard of guys screwing off the field point and putting on a broadhead and use the fishing setup with a bow fishing reel.  They just shoot 'em and reel 'em in.  Prairie du Chien, WI.  I think they weren't bow hunters - compound.

TTT

Charlie,
Where can I get a string tracker?

Gary,
You were shooting an Acadian Woods bow at one time.  Did you have to camo it for the turkeys?

Joebuck & RC,
Could you give some tips on bowkilling southern turkeys.  I will be hunting out of a double bull.  What kind of decoy set up should I use?  Will this approach work in hardwoods?

For unpressured birds, you can just set up your blind w/a couple of dekes in the middle of the field and have success.

I hunt a highly pressured bowhunting only zone. Consistantly successful hunting tactics are quite different here. These birds become educated quickly and run from the site of a blind, even partially concealed and/or dekes. We set-up where the birds want to be in the 1st place. My trad partners and I may spend up to an hour getting a set-up ready to achieve virtually total natural concealment. This practise has increased our shot opportunities by 3X.

Call extremely sparingly and consider using calls that the birds haven't learned to associate with a hunter. My choices are trumpets or wingbones. The one problem I have encountered using this style call is that on least a 1/2 dozen occassions that I had inexperienced hunters actually hunting me.

We also use with much success, dummy blinds and dekes to move birds toward our concealed set-ups.
This tactic could back fire, however these birds are so pressured that they have so far gone out of there way to avoid the dummy set-up 100% of the time.

I am no expert but Turkeys are my thing and going this extra mile has paid worthwhile dividends.

Yeah, in Michigan my turkeys don't like dekes or blinds. I am going shaggy this year. Just used blinds last year of natural blowdowns but a shaggie should help. I had good luck but didn't connect. I found a brush blind on the edge of a commonly used field works well, about 3 yds from the edge. I sit on a gun hunter turkey seat and pad and shoot 68" longbows without a problem. Hoping I can connect this yr! Learned a ton last

Never used a blind or string tracker. I have been gobbler hunt with trad. The last 21 years with selfbows 7 with longbows and recurves before that.
 I can shoot off my butt with a 60 inch self bow. I never set up where gobblers have to come straight to me. I'll set up where the bird has to go past me cow trails, loging roads, bottle necks just like deer hunting.
  I never set decoys out in the open fields. It's likely the gobbler your hunting has aready been spooked with this set up. I never use the 2 hens and a jake decoy again everyone use's this set up. And again the gobbler likely been spooked with that set up.
 I never do what your surpose to. Meaning set up my decoys where they can be see from a long way. I call the gobbler to the decoy. Meaning the gobblers aready comeing and when he gets 50 or 75 yards he'll see the decoys. This way I don't get very many hang ups. And he dos'nt see the decoy never moveing the whole way to him.
 Once he see's my decoys I shut up and let the decoys do the calling. I never call when ever the birds coming or if I can see him. HE'S ALREADY BEEN FOOLED HE'S COMEING.
  This is where the most important thing to learn comes into play PATENCE and the most important thing to do is SCOUT. I could go on for ever. Best teacher is just do it.And learn from what your doing each time.
And don't beleive all you see on TV.Lots of times they call then kill the gobbler and then edit the calling in later. They want you to here all that good good calling. Most pessured or most any gobbler don't or won't come to that much calling.
  Unless the hens lost from her flock or her gobbers been killed the day before and she's looking for him. Natural hens don't call that loud or that much.

I for got to say that I've used a ghillie sence 80 or 81. Use'lly set my sites up before season. (SCOUT) No more than a couple logs to break up my out line.

Good tips Mr. Roy.I`ve found I`m a much better Turkey hunter than caller. I try to call`m the way they are already headed.RC

Lots of great tips here.  Thanks for sharing this very useful information.  

Bernie Bjorklund

NC Iowa/SW Wisconsin

Been trying for 8 seasons here in Michigan.      

State land birds are tough to trick. Lots of good info in her, keep it coming!!

QuoteOriginally posted by Gary Logsdon:
FYI: The turkey on the cover of the current (April/May)issue of Traditional Bowhunter Magazine was taken by me last year using a Shaggie and mounted decoy.

Gary,
GREAT job on the cover pic  

QuoteOriginally posted by joebuck:
"set up in the shadows"...for Blindless hunting...i have geared my blindless set up to blend into a tree trunk. Took a while to get it like i want it but it's all in the texture and shadows your fabric absorbs and displays.  I am in the pic with no brush or foleage in front of me...good hunting

 

Joey,
OUTSTANDING !!!

I agree, a lot of scouting prior to season. Learn turkey hunting from the turkeys...take you video camera, it's a blast.

I also agree with: "Be where they want to be...that's where the scouting pays off...you know where they're headed.

Good hunting!