Realistic decoys not only bring toms in, but keeps them focused, which allows you to draw a bow undetected.
Bow-killing a turkey is a thrill that often involves a heart-thumping encounter with a gobbler at 15 yards or less.
Each time my brother called, the gobbler roosted in the big red pine across the field gobbled. At the first glint of daylight, I scanned with my binoculars, and finally spied his head protruding from the pine boughs. Eventually, he coasted to the ground about 150 yards away. I was sure he’d march right in, but instead, he strutted back and forth for 10 minutes at the field’s opposite end. A hen finally appeared, which explained why he hung up. It was like a script out of Bowhunting Turkeys 101.
Slowly, the hen fed in our direction. Once the trailing tom got a good look at the decoy spread, he approached slowly but assuredly. He spat and drummed from 100 yards away. It was the show of all shows as he parted the lush clover on a slow-and steady mission to our decoys. At 30 yards out, I drew my bow, and when he hit 15, my arrow blew him over backwards. Seconds later, he was motionless.
I killed my first six wild turkeys with a bow before picking up a shotgun. The aforementioned tom was my fourth bird, but he was the first one to come on a rope to the decoys like they’re supposed to. I was 16 years old at the time, and dozens of archery gobblers later, the rush of thumping them at point-black range with a bow remains.
If you hunt big game with a bow but haven’t bow-killed a turkey, then why not trade the shotgun for your bow this spring? Should you rise to the challenge, the following tips will increase your odds for a successful bowhunt.
Switching to realistic decoys was a pivotal point in the author’s turkey-bowhunting career that skyrocketed his success rates.
Use Realistic Decoys
When shotgunning without decoys, setting up in tight brush and posting up just over a ridge is a great tactic. A tom responding to the calls must come looking for you, and the second his head is exposed at anywhere from 20-40 yards (farther with today’s best turkey guns), he’s toast, especially if you aim well and don’t flinch. (Properly identify the target before pulling the trigger.)
Bowhunting is an entirely different ball game. I use decoys 100 percent of the time. Here’s why. To ethically kill a turkey with my bow, I need him standing still at top-pin range and distracted. If I call in a tom and don’t have decoys out, he’ll almost never offer a top-pin shot in the wide open. He won’t see the source of the calling and will lose interest or grow suspicious. Unlike shotgunning, I can’t swat him the moment I see his head through the brush. I need a close, unobstructed shot. Decoys orchestrate that opportunity.
The decoys you use have a bearing on success, too. When I first started turkey hunting, like most, I used cheap foldable rubber and foam decoys. I killed a small number of birds over them. Most gobbling toms hung up or headed away once they saw those decoys. I grew so frustrated that I bought expensive molded decoys that look like real turkeys. That was back in 2009. My success rates instantly skyrocketed.
So, if you’re serious about bow-killing a turkey this spring, buy a hen and jake that look real, such as those from Avian-X. I’ve seen hunters who are not that great with turkey calls kill a pile of turkeys by using realistic decoys.
Place Decoys Properly
How close should the decoys be? I want a tom to be top-pin close. In the past, I often set my decoys 18-20 yards away. Today, I set them at 12 yards or closer, and I’ve often set them at 4-6 yards. First, I want a shot I can’t screw up. Second, the excitement of a gobbler beating up a decoy within spitting distance is something shotgun hunters miss by killing their birds at 25 yards and beyond. Bowhunting turkeys at point-blank distance is a show you must see to believe.
As a word of caution, know where your bow shoots at the distance you place the decoys. At 4 yards, for example, the arrow is still rising and hasn’t reached a trajectory to correspond with the top pin. In other words, it’s possible to miss the vitals completely if aiming with the 20-yard pin. Practice and learn how the bow shoots.
Darron McDougal
HuntStand Pro ContributorFurthermore, place the decoys so that you get the shot you want. The two best shots are straight through the base of the tail fan (looking dead away), or straight through the wing butt (completely broadside). Oftentimes, gobblers circle the decoys, and then come in head-on or at a slight angle. Position the decoys to get the desired shot opportunity.
As a word of caution, know where your bow shoots at the distance you place the decoys. At 4 yards, for example, the arrow is still rising and hasn’t reached a trajectory to correspond with the top pin. In other words, it’s possible to miss the vitals completely if aiming with the 20-yard pin. Practice and learn how the bow shoots.
The author prefers to position his ground blind in a wide-open field. This exact setup produced a big Wisconsin gobbler.
Hunt From a Blind
Pulling birds within easy archery range is a challenge, but reaching full draw undetected is difficult. Turkeys have unbelievable eyesight, and lifting a bow into position and drawing it back requires several motions. I’ve been bowhunting turkeys for more than 20 years, and while I’ve shot a pile of toms sitting up against a tree, I can’t ignore the advantages of a ground blind with a dark interior. There are still right and wrong times to draw, but ground blinds hide most movements. If new to turkey hunting with a bow, a ground blind is the way to go.
Besides hiding movements, a ground blind also allows you to hunt from virtually any location, including locations where there’s insufficient natural cover to hide in. I never brush-in ground blinds for turkey hunting, and I also don’t set them up weeks in advance. I usually set up the blind the morning of my hunt within 200 yards of roosted birds, and if I’m hunting a field setting, I set the blind in the wide open unless another spot along the edge improves decoy visibility. I’ve killed at least two dozen gobblers from blinds set in wide-open fields. I believe gobblers are more comfortable with approaching decoys they can see and assess from a distance, and this setup gives them that visibility.
Of course, that works both ways. Setting up in the middle of a field increases my visibility as compared to a field-edge setup. From the middle of a field, I can see birds approaching and have time to grab my bow and prepare for the encounter. On a field edge, a bird is liable to pop out unannounced right beside me and catch me off guard. I have killed a few birds from blinds positioned along field edges, but I’ve had far better success when set up in the middle of a field. It just works.
When hunting a property for the first time, McDougal loves the ability to overview a property, peg land features not visible from the road and preconceive a setup so that everything is spelled out when he arrives to hunt.
Finding the X
Since I often scout for toms from roadways and then ask landowners for permission, I usually hunt at least one property every spring that I’ve never stepped foot on before. And while I have no previous history to base my hunting decisions on, I have HuntStand Pro.
The Hybrid map provides a nice overview of the property. Identify land features not visible from the road without hiking in and potentially bumping birds. View creeks and rivers. See clearings and possible logging roads. Distinguish ridges.
Since most of my hunting is in fields, I use the Draw Line tool to measure from possible setup locations in the field to the surrounding timber. I want to be about 150-200 yards from the timber I believe turkeys are roosting in. Pushing closer risks spooking the birds during setup, and farther is likely too far outside the turkeys’ morning pattern. If the field has any topography, reference the Terrain layer to identify the highest point in the field so that decoys are visible from more directions
When you get your opportunity to shoot a gobbler, slow down and take your time. Rushed shots are a huge reason that folks don’t get it done with the bow. Slow down, aim well, and make it count.
Slow Down and Make the Shot
When you pull a bird in with decoys and reach full draw undetected, slow down. I still have to remind myself that a bird in the decoys will likely offer many shot opportunities. Something about a tom strutting 10 yards away or beating up a jake decoy creates an urgency to shoot. Shrug off that urgency, or risk rushing shots and hitting gobblers less than perfectly. There are a lot of different shot placements that will kill a turkey, but there are many more that will yield a fly-away episode that ends in floating feathers and you standing there scratching your head. Take your time. Aim well. Make it count.
There is so much more to be talked about regarding bowhunting turkeys, but the points we’ve discussed here are, to me, among the most important parts, especially for newcomers to this turkey bowhunting thing.
The author has bow-killed dozens of toms, but the rush of a gobbler in the decoys still hasn’t worn off after more than 20 years.
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Ameristep FieldView 3: The Ameristep FieldView 3 is an excellent option for bowhunters looking to hide from close-range turkeys. It offers the Extreme View tech, which is one-way, see-through mesh. The FieldView 3 also has a five-sided shape that’s 37% larger than standard blinds, which means more room to draw. It features 12 windows, silent-slide covers, and Durashell Plus fabric. MSRP: $249.99
Avian X LCD Lookout Hen: A realistic decoy spread is a must-have aspect to successful bowhunting. The Avian X LCD Lookout Hen is a great addition to that effort. This standing posture is more easily seen by turkeys, even in taller grasses. But the detail and authentic design is what makes this line of products shine. MSRP: $99.99
Flextone Beard Box: The Flextone Beard Box is a great addition to the arsenal. This box call is compact and delivers sweet turkey vocalizations. It comes with a black cherry lid and two-sided poplar base. It comes hand-tuned. MSRP: $18.99
Halo Optics XL450: Bowhunters need a rangefinder, especially if that gobbler hangs up outside the decoy spread. Being able to know that exact yardage is a good thing, and the Halo Optics XL450 is more than capable of satisfying bowhunters. It has 450-yard range, offers 6x magnification, includes angle intelligence, features auto acquisition, incorporates scan mode, is water-resistant, and more. MSRP: $119.99
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