Bowhunting turkeys in the spring is an exciting time. Last fall’s November bow hunts are a fading memory and work for next fall is right around the corner.

The lull of midwinter is over, and there is a breath of fresh air as spring arrives. For many folks around the country, springtime means turkey hunting, and turkey hunting in the spring is a thrilling time to look forward to.

Turkey hunting, in general, takes an elevated skill set. Bowhunting turkeys, on the other hand, is on a whole other level.

This is a challenge making a climb in popularity in the hunting community. As more hunters continue to take this feat on, many will realize it is harder than it looks.

Heading out to bag your first gobbler? Make sure you check out our article on Turkey Hunting With A Compound Bow | Best Tips & Practices!

Those who accomplish the task quickly figure out what works and what doesn’t. What these hunters realize is that the trick to smacking a longbeard with a bow is modifying your bow setup for turkeys.

The biggest mistake hunters can make when turkey hunting with a bow is pursuing spring gobblers without changing their bow rig from the fall. Simply hitting the spring woods with the same equipment used for deer is not going to cut it. On top of that, all the other turkey hunting tactics employed with a shotgun need to be modified to be successful when bowhunting.

Here are some tips and guidelines, including how to modify a bow setup for turkeys, for those taking on the challenge of hunting turkeys with a bow.

Bow Draw Weight and Length

Short bows whether they're compound or traditional are generally shunned but when the subject turns to turkeys most will lighten their conviction and this is directly related to how turkeys are hunted with a bow - you're either operating from inside a pop-up (most popular today) or sitting flat on your butt in natural cover.

If you shoot a bow longer than 34 inches axle-to-axle, you would benefit from downsizing to a smaller bow if you want to reliably hunt turkeys. The ideal bow for turkey hunting has a fairly short axle-to-axle length, about 30 to 33 inches, and a high let-off, such as 80 percent. A high percentage let-off comes into play when you come to full draw, allowing a more comfortable, controlled shot.

Draw weight is another factor to consider when bowhunting turkeys. What you do need to keep in mind is that you may have to hold your bow back at full draw for a long period of time waiting for the turkey to close the distance or give you that right shot.

The reason is you want to reduce the arrow’s velocity, which reduces Kinetic Energy, in order to minimize a pass-through. A pass-through can lead to a bird being able to run or fly away even with an accurate shot. A rule of thumb is to reduce your normal draw weight by 10 lbs. but ideally, get it down to around 55 or 60 lbs.

When selecting poundage, choose a weight you can draw comfortably and without wasted movement. A good rule of thumb is to pick poundage you can easily draw while sitting, with the bow directly in front, and then drawing straight back.

Tuning Your Bow Accessories for Spring Turkey Hunting

Gone are the times where archers rely on their skills alone with the traditional bow and arrow to hunt. Today, there are innovative modern arrows that ease up your burden even if you’re a newbie to this sport.

Compound bows, for instance, are equipped with various accessories that help you reach your maximum potential and bow modification for turkey hunting should extend to include all of your bow’s accessories.

The main accessories to focus on for turkey hunting with a bow are your stabilizer, arrow rest, and sight.

Stabilizer

A stabilizer serves multiple functions including "stabilizing" the shot. Most stabilizers are weighted in the front, which provides a counterbalance while the shooter is at full draw. This weight also aids in keeping the bow still after the shot and can also absorb vibration transferred to the riser of the bow.

While stabilizers have become more innovative, and yes larger, stabilizers are the norm on bows today. While great for accuracy, they can trip you up while bow hunting for turkeys.

A long stabilizer can get tangled in a blind or brush on the ground and can ruin a hunt. Opt for a more compact stabilizer when spring turkey hunting.

Arrow Rest

First, understand that a compound bow is meant to be shot using an arrow rest. Shooting off the shelf, like traditional recurve and longbow archers often do, really isn’t an option.

When choosing an arrow rest for your bow, you should think about what you plan to do with your bow. Bowhunters, for example, have slightly different needs than target archers. A bowhunter has to consider all kinds of inclement weather and stalking through arrow-grabbing vegetation. The target archer, on the other hand, is only concerned about maximum accuracy.

In a perfect world, an arrow rest would cradle your arrow securely in the exact same starting place on every shot. It would hold the arrow there no matter what the vertical or horizontal orientation of the bow was.

It would be also quiet during the draw and launch the arrow consistently. During that consistent release, the rest would have minimal contact with the arrow's shaft, feathers or vanes. This last characteristic is critical. The more the rest interferes with the launch, the more arrow flight is affected. This interference can lead to tuning problems, flight issues, inconsistency and ultimately frustration and poor groups.

A hunter needs a rest that will hold a hunting arrow on it at the shot angles he or she would use in the field, from level to almost straight down, as can be the case when shooting from a treestand or bow fishing. That rest needs to be designed so that the arrow doesn't fall off or alter position when the bow is drawn or moved.

It's also critically important that this rest be quiet when the bow is raised, moved or being drawn and released. Full-capture rests, such as one of the Whisker Biscuit models, are ideal for this sort of shooting but they do contact the arrow more than other styles.

Having a full capture arrow rest when turkey hunting with a bow allows you to maneuver in different positions without having your arrow fall or having to move to hold it in place. There will be times when you have to re-position for a shot when turkey hunting.

A full capture arrow rest will keep your arrow secure and keeps you concealed.

Sights - Keep It Simple

Most bow shots on a turkey are going to be close. Few shots will or should be taken out past 30-yards.

The further the shot, the harder it is to accurately hit the small kill zones available on a gobbler.

For sights, with the growth and advancement of the archery industry the past 10 to 15 years, fiber-optic sights have become the norm.

Choose a pin size you can see easily, and use no more than five pins, but for turkeys, you only need one or two pins. A good bow setup for turkey hunting is one 20-yard pin and one 30-yard pin. More pins can clutter the sight window and cause confusion on picking the correct pin when aiming.

Fiber-optic sights also increase pin visibility during low light, which is a major factor at fly down time.

Arrows and Broadheads For Your Turkey Hunting Bow

Arrows and Broadheads deserve the time and an article of their own when it comes to turkeys, your arrow and broadhead combination will have the last say in whether you kill a bird or not.

You have three options for arrows:

• aluminum
• carbon
• aluminum/carbon arrows.

Aluminum arrows have been pushed to the wayside. Nowadays, it’s much easier to find a dozen carbon arrows than a dozen aluminum arrows, which is the opposite of 20 years ago.

Carbon arrows are more durable because they don’t bend like aluminum arrows. They are shootable or broken, but an unseen bend in an aluminum arrow can go unnoticed until the arrow is fired and wobbles off course.

There’s not really a lot to relate here. The heavy arrow used for elk will work just fine for turkeys. So will the super-light arrow used for thin-skinned pronghorn or 3-D targets. There are certainly no penetration issues - my only concern when choosing a turkey arrow is camouflage.

Arrow Fletching

While the same shafts you use for deer, elk or bear will work just fine, you might consider changing one thing about your current arrows - the fletching. Arrows fletchings are typically brightly colored in order to provide a visual confirmation of your shot on target.

While bright colors are great for big-game hunting, turkeys see color much as we do; unlike deer that see mostly black, white, gray and some color in the blue and red spectrum.

A simple tip is to use a permanent marker to darken your fletchings to avoid having to re-fletch arrows just for spring turkey hunting. Doing so will minimize the chance a bird will pick you out in a dark blind or on the ground as you draw.

Broadheads For Turkey

This is where your decisions on gear get critical. You can get by with some things, but a poor broadhead choice is not one of them. The wrong broadhead will allow your turkey to either fly away unscathed or do so with just enough life left to die somewhere else. Neither is acceptable.

There are two schools of thought on broadheads, but one key characteristic that encompasses both. The best turkey hunting broadheads deliver maximum shock first and foremost.

There are mechanical broadheads that have wide cutting diameters designed just for this. They shoot well in most bow setups and pack a punch on a gobbler.

Fixed Blades

This variation is the traditional type of broadheads and is one of the most popular. A simple design which will allow for clean and easy penetration through the turkey.

They can either be glued or screwed onto the arrow shaft and are regarded as some of the most reliable on the market. However, their required regular maintenance can be an issue.

Also, fixed blade broadheads work well for turkey hunting. These are the most versatile turkey hunting broadheads because they work for all the best places to shoot a turkey.

Expandable Blade

This blade is another widely used type as it’s extremely effective in penetrating the turkey and sticking inside the wound to create even more damage every time it moves.

Before firing a shot, you’ll need to retract the blades, and once it penetrates the turkey, these blades expand and stick inside the bird, making it almost impossible for them to shake it off. The one downside of these is that they often lack any support for the trailing edge of your arrow.

No matter if you choose a mechanical or fixed-blade broadhead, you want well over a 1-inch cutting diameter. The larger cutting diameter you can shoot accurately the better for turkey hunting.

Killing a turkey with a bow is one of hunting’s greatest challenges. Successfully hunting turkeys is difficult enough with a shotgun. A bow just complicates matters further. One of the big decisions you will face after modifying your bow setup for turkeys is the hunting tactics you will use.

Make sure you check out our article covering Turkey Hunting With A Compound Bow | Best Tips & Practicesfor some of the top pointers on bagging a gobbler!

The vital area on a turkey is very small, leaving little room for error. The correct bow set up and accessories can be the difference between success and failure.

What we covered in this article is not etched in stone. These are basic recommendations for getting started with bowhunting long beards.

It all will come down to your personal preference and your style of hunting, hopefully, this article will help get you started in one of the most challenging yet rewarding styles of hunting and give you some ideas and things to consider when taking on your next long beard adventure.

[Stay tuned to our blog page for more quality and knowledgeable content for your next adventure!]

[Show off your turkey hunting skills by snapping a few images of your most recent turkey hunting adventure on social media with the hashtag

#MySportsmansFinestTurkey]