For many folks around the country, springtime means turkey hunting, and turkey hunting in the spring is a thrilling time to look forward to as it is full of tradition and heritage. You might have experience hunting turkeys, and you might have experience with archery – but have you ever gone turkey hunting with a compound bow?

Turkey hunting can be tough. Especially if you're new to the chase. Though more difficult to get right than hunting with a gun, this method is often preferred by hunters looking for a challenge. 

Of course, just reading this won't make you a better turkey hunter. Despite possessing a brain the size of a peanut, a wild turkey is one paranoid critter. You would be too if you were walking around wearing a suit made of Thanksgiving dinner. That legendary wariness is a big part of what makes turkey hunting so damn much fun, but also quite difficult.

Recently compound bow hunting spring turkeys has become its own tradition. More and more, folks are hitting the turkey woods with bow in hand hoping to come full draw with a nice tom turkey inside the thirty-yard mark.

Top Turkey Hunting Tips For Beginners

Pursuing turkeys is one of the most exciting forms of hunting. The birds are tough to hunt yet engaging. Hunters can be conversational with their quarry. While the conversations are exhilarating, the confrontations are what turkey hunters live for. The last 50 yards of enticing that big gobbler to your location can last for hours or end in a flash. It all depends on the individual bird and the situation. If getting started in turkey hunting is in your plans for this year, the following tips will help accelerate the learning curve.

Safety First, Always

Anytime you're heading into the woods or fields with a weapon to hunt, safety is the most important thing to consider. If you've hunted other game before and are new to the sport of turkey hunting, or you've never hunted a day in your life, you should be well aware of how your weapon works.

The  National Wild Turkey Federation (NWTF) and other organizations hold events where you can try shooting different types of guns and bows to see which method works for you.

Whether your state does or doesn't require a hunter’s education certification, you must learn how to safely hunt in your area. Check with your local department of fish and game to see where a course may be held. 

Make sure you're aware of local laws and regulations and have a current hunting license for your area.

Hunt With A Friend

Hunting with a partner allows a novice turkey hunter to focus on the surroundings while allowing their companion to do the calling for them. Having someone call from twenty yards behind the shooter will also help get turkeys closer for a lethal shot.

Gear Up

Hunting turkeys with a compound bow is unlike hunting other game. You can’t rely on the same setup you might use for deer, and that holds true for both the technique and the equipment.

Basic Gear

• Compound Bow and Accessories

  If you haven't...check out our article covering Top Accessories For Your Compound Bow to make sure you have the right gear for your next hunt!

• Clothing
  
  Camo that conceals you from turkeys and keeps you dry and comfortable afield is a necessity, including a hat, gloves, and a facemask. Layer your clothing to match the weather and if it’s raining, you’ll want good raingear.  

• Good Hunting Boots
  
  Make sure your boots fit well and keep your feet comfortable. Use knee-high rubber or neoprene boots in wet areas, ankle-high hiking boots if you cover a lot of ground while hunting and knee-high snake boots in snake country.

• Game Calls
  
  Calling is the heart and soul of the turkey hunting tradition. You don’t have to sound like a pro, but make sure you are skilled and confident with your calls.

Helpful Turkey Tools

• Binoculars
  
  People who hunt in thick woods won’t use them as much as people who hunt open or mixed areas, such as fields, pastures, prairies, clear cuts or open woods.

• Decoys
  
  They can be controversial, and many people don’t use them, but if you sit and call at open areas, you’ll need one or more. A gobbler needs to see there’s a hen calling before he’ll come in. The best decoy mixes are an upright, feeding or breeding hen and a jake or gobbler. Those should cover you for almost any situation.

• Pop-up Blinds
  
  Like them or not, blinds are useful in many situations, such as field hunting, sitting for long periods, hunting in bad weather or taking young or new hunters who might move around.

Handy Helpers

• Seat Cushions
  
  Buy the best seat cushion you can afford. You can sit on the ground and shoot a turkey, but if you sit longer than an hour, your fanny will beg for some padding.

• Ratchet Clippers
  
  They may be bulky, but they make clearing brush or undergrowth for a shooting lane or cover a breeze.

• Range Finders
  
  Light, packable, easy to use and they remove questions about distance. 

You’ll need a good system to carry and organize all of this gear into the woods. Turkey vests are useful and let you tote calls, shells, and decoys while keeping things where they’re easy to access.

Over time, you’ll decide what you need in the woods and what you can leave at home. Whether you carry only a mouth call and a bow or go with a vest full of stuff, make sure your gear is in good working order and improves your time afield. Your knowledge and skill will define your success, but having the right equipment sure helps.

Learn The Difference Between Toms/Gobblers (Male Turkeys) and Hens (Female Turkeys) 

It is important to learn how to distinguish between adult toms and younger jakes, as well as knowing the difference between male and female turkeys. It sounds simple, but when you are out hunting, the differences may be less noticeable, especially from a distance. 

Male turkeys are called toms or gobblers - They weigh from 18 to as much as 25 pounds and are almost 3 feet tall, making them significantly larger than females. Adult toms boast featherless red, blue or white skin on their heads; the color changes as males grow excited. Toms possess a long “beard” on their chests, with long, hair-like feathers that stick out. Males have very dark bodies, but upon close inspection, numerous iridescent colors such as bronze, gold, copper, green, blue and red can be found. Their spurs are much larger than on females, ranging up to 1.5 inches long. These are used for fighting other toms and predators. 

Toms strut and fan out their tail feathers as part of their display. As their alternate name suggests, males make gobble sounds, along with approximately 30 other calls.

Wild female turkeys, or hens - weigh from 5 to 12 pounds and range from 30 to 37 inches long. Hens bear less colorful feathers than males, with rusty brown, white or gray-tipped breast feathers. Their heads are either white or blue-gray, with small feathers on both head and neck. Their wattles, snoods, caruncles, and spurs are small. Hens make vocalizations such as yelps, clicks, and cuts.

Adult male turkeys are typically larger in size and more colorful than their female counterparts, with colors of red, white and blue being noticeable on their head and neck.

Do not assume a bird is a male if it has a beard –  about 10 percent of hens also can have beards.

A good time to practice wild turkey identification is while scouting before the season begins. Take along binoculars, and take the time to make positive identifications. 

When & Where Turkey

One of the first questions you may ask is, "When is turkey hunting season?"

Spring is the time of year when turkeys breed, and the gobbler's hunt for a hen gives you a distinct advantage.

In the United States, every state except Alaska has a spring turkey season, with opening days ranging from the beginning of March to the beginning of May. Deep South states are usually wrapping up by mid- to late-April, just about the time things are kicking off in the Northeast and Upper Midwest.

Doing some research on your state’s department of natural resources' website can literally put the law in your hands. Knowing the laws concerning the species you will be hunting is extremely important.

However, the tradition of turkey hunting started in the fall, and as many as 44 states offer a fall turkey hunting season. If you miss your chance to bag a gobbler in the spring, you can always get a second chance in the autumn months if it is allowed in your state.

Due to the popularity of turkey hunting, some states, like Georgia, do not have a fall turkey hunting season in order to help ensure a healthy population of gobblers and hens for future years.

Scout It Out

This is hands down the most important tip on this list and I can't stress enough how critical this can be to a successful hunt. Whether you're hunting on public or private land, if you know what to look for, you'll be able to find the turkeys' patterns and habits. If you aren't doing any preseason scouting for turkeys you may want to reconsider. 

The main goal of this type of scouting is to locate one or more roosting trees. A flock of turkeys can have a couple of different roosts they like to rotate to and from, but usually, they tend to have a favorite. Scouting can take place just about any time of year, but the best time is about 2 weeks before the start of your local turkey hunting season. Waiting to scout until it's this close to the season helps to ensure that when you find an active roost, the birds will still be there when the season starts.

When looking for a good roost site there are a few things to look out for:

1. One is protection from the wind. Most animals hate to be out in the wind and elements, turkeys are no different.
2. Another is a large sturdy tree with a good amount of forking branches. The turkeys have a good sense of what is a strong sturdy tree, so keep an eye out for that.
3. Next is sun exposure. They enjoy sunning themselves. Look for a tree that isn't shaded by a mountain or other trees.
4. Last, look for a tree near food and water sources. Most animals are lazy and don't want to go far to eat or drink. 

Make sure the roost is active by looking for signs of turkeys. This can be droppings, feather molts, fresh tracks, or even scratches in the dirt from where they've been feeding.

Once you find a few trees that fall into a "roost-able" category, whip out your locator call. Crow and owl calls work great for this. Wait until just after nightfall and give a few "caws" on your crow call or "hoots" on your owl call. It won't be long before your turkeys gobble back to you. Hopefully in the direction you expect.

Once you do locate an active roost, don't return back to the area until you are ready to hunt that roost. If the turkeys feel too much pressure from you or other hunters they'll flee to another roost and may not return. 

Let the location and situation determine which hunting strategy you’ll use.

Bring The Turkeys In

After careful scouting, you've found your spot. Now, you need to bring the toms closer. There are a number of ways to entice gobblers, and we'll focus on the main two: calls and decoys.

With a bow, you’re more likely to get in a good shot if the turkey is closer to you. Ideally, you need the gobbler to be about 10 – 20 yards away in order for it to be in range. If you’re transitioning from using a gun with a 50-yard+ range, this can be hard to get used to. 

It’s also tricky because the closer the turkey gets, the more likely it is to see or hear you. But with some patience, practice and the right tools, it is possible to find success with a bow. 

Calls

Turkeys have a call for everything, locating, challenging, feeding, roosting, mating, contentment, you name it. Each one is different, and each one can sound a bit different depending on your region, species of turkey, and sex of the bird.

Getting a tom turkey on the line of your call, responding with gobbles and closing the distance is a great way to get your blood pumping. The need to have a call you are comfortable with and its ease of use is critical when bowhunting turkeys.

It is important to consider the application and techniques planned for the hunt and the use of archery equipment when choosing a call. Due to the unique challenges that bow hunting spring time turkeys present, a mouth call is often the most practical.

Hunters have the choice of box, slate, mouth, diaphragm, and locator calls to invite turkeys to their location.

• Box Call - Mostly made of wood, a box call is used by scraping a paddle bottom along the side panel's lip. With a hollow chamber, the call provides a distinct note that appeals to the birds. 
• Slate Call - The slate call features a striking surface constructed of slate, glass or aluminum inside a hollow pot with holes drilled underneath. You'll grip the wood, carbon, plastic, glass or even turkey wing bone striker like a pencil and move it along the striking surface.
• Diaphragm Call - A diaphragm or mouth call is an inexpensive choice that creates authentic sounds, and it keeps your hands ready to take aim with your firearm. A diaphragm call boasts a U-shaped frame with latex rubber stretched across.

  You will press it against the roof of your mouth with your tongue and blow air across the latex reed to create the sounds.

• Locator Call - If you enter a new area and you're not seeing any signs of activity, you could use a locator call. Also known as shock gobbling, a locator call makes a very loud sound to place a gobbler. These should be used sparingly but can be helpful in getting the birds ready to be called in.

Don't let all this overwhelm you though. All you really need to learn is a couple of calls, to begin with - The purr, the cluck, and the yelp - and remember each is different and made for a different reason. 

When you first get into turkey hunting you're going to quickly realize you inevitably have to call them in at some point or another. And with that bit of knowledge, you are going to do exactly what any normal person would do...hit up YouTube for some sweet turkey call tutorials.

The only thing I ask that you do differently is that once you learn the basics of how the different calls work, immediately flip over to videos of actual wild turkeys calling. Don't try to sound like the hunter that was teaching you how to use the call, try to sound like the turkey. 

Check out the NWTF (National Wild Turkey Federation) website site for some good sound clips of various turkey calls and what they're used for!

Decoys 

So you’ve got a gobbler in front of you, everything is aligned and you’re ready to take a shot. But the moment you draw your bow, the turkey gets spooked and runs off or flies away. What went wrong? 

This is actually the exact moment that many turkey bowhunters lose their shot. Whereas gun users simply need to move their finger over the trigger, bow users have to make more dramatic adjustments. Because of the bird’s excellent vision, they can pick up on every movement, no matter how small, including the action of your arm drawing back the bow. 

To avoid this, use decoys to create a distraction. Whether you prefer using a hen or a jake decoy by themselves, a tom decoy with a hen, or any combination of the three, the use of a decoy on a turkey hunt can be extremely productive and are critical when turkey hunting. 

Tom turkeys are very territorial and seeing a strange turkey near their flock is more than they can handle. The tom will enter the clearing, notice the decoys and come closer to investigate. Doing so effectively puts him in your shooting range while distracting him just long enough to draw back unnoticed.

This is critical, especially if you’re stationed inside a blind where you’re unable to move freely. More often than not dominant birds competing with your decoy will work all the way around your set. This is ideal as a strutting tom loses sight directly behind his fan. Whether you’re trying to attract a tom, jake or hen, you can create the perfect setup with realistic-looking decoys.

However, bad decoys can actually have the opposite effect. There are many styles of decoys on the market.  Be sure to consider realism, weight, and ease of use, not to mention your hunting style when choosing a decoy.

When should you not use a decoy? Well, there is no hard and fast rule, but there are some best practice guidelines:

• When hunting turkeys that have been pressured most of the season, especially if they've been hunted over decoys recently.
• When hunting in areas of heavy timber or dense cover. In these instances, turkeys can't see long distances. When they do spot the decoys, they may be quite close, and could even spook at the sight of the unexpected decoy. It's better to use the terrain to your advantage in this situation.
• In some places, heavily hunted public land, especially, using a decoy in conjunction with calling and full camouflage can be dangerous. You don't want to be sitting next to a jake decoy that another hunter decides he wants to shoot. This is a judgment call left solely up to you.

Concealment

Wild turkeys have incredible eyesight. Their sharp eyes will be able to discern between the natural surroundings and something that shouldn't be there – meaning you. So you will want to conceal your movements as much as possible while out hunting. And while turkey hunting with a bow comes with its own challenges, concealment is even more paramount when pursuing turkeys with a bow. 

Dressing in full camouflage from head to toe allows you to blend in with the grasses, tree bark, fallen timber or rocky terrain.

Before heading out on the hunt, make sure you have a camouflage shirt, jacket, gloves, pants and face paint or a mask, covered in a print that mimics the local surroundings. Camouflage has come a long way in recent years, but oftentimes hunters forget to conceal their faces - camouflage face mask or camo face paint should always be along for the hunt. 

Bowhunting turkeys are difficult enough without proper camouflage, adding this simple item to your arsenal will go a long way to getting birds within range on your next hunt.

Hunting from a blind, tucked under a tree or along a brushy fencerow, being able to hide from the turkey is critical. 

Blinds 

You might also want a place of concealment to hunt from. While you  can hunt turkeys by simply sitting still in camouflage clothing against a wide tree trunk, it’s hard to get in position for a shot since they have such sharp vision. 

The pop-up hunting blind has done more to improve bowhunter success rates on turkeys than any other piece of equipment in the last decade.

Most of these blinds can be set in minutes, and they fully enclose the hunter. Though their exteriors are camouflage, you're really hidden by the shadows. 

Turkeys, for reasons known only to them, rarely spook from the blinds themselves, so " brushing in" your blind (blend with the natural vegetation, as deer hunters often do) isn't really necessary for turkey hunting. Plenty of turkeys have been shot from blinds set in the middle of an open field.

Bowhunters need to consider a few primary things.

• The first is room. Some shotgun hunters like to use blinds, and they don't require much room to shoot. But drawing a bow is another matter.

  Your blind should provide enough room to sit in the center or the back of the blind and shoot out the front and side windows. It needs to be tall enough that your bow's cams have clearance from the ceiling and ground.

• Other factors to consider are weight and ease of setup. Bowhunting for turkeys from a blind is much more stationary than your typical shotgun set, but you still may move a couple of times during a week's hunt.

Hunting With A Compound Bow - Tips & Practice

Now that we have touched on some of the equipment options let’s talk about making it all come together.

Its practice time ladies and gentlemen.

Wear your camo, pop up your ground blind and practice shooting from a kneeling, sitting, and standing positions. Get used to shooting out of a ground blind, whether it’s a pop-up or one you made out of netting. Shoot with your face mask on. Make sure it doesn’t twist and obscure your vision. Practice not only on a bullseye target but a picture or a 3-D turkey target. Get yourself not only physically prepared but mentally as well. Work those bugs out so that when the moment of truth arises you can capitalize!

You can also test out your bow and arrow setup by doing field tests with paper or cardboard shooting targets.

Realistic turkey targets are also available to help simulate the real deal. See if your broadheads are flying straight and if the poundage feels comfortable. Work out all the kinks now before taking aim in the field, so that you can feel more confident when that first gobbler struts by come opening day.

Shot Placement Is Key

There are three main places to shoot a turkey with a bow. Each of which depends on how the gobbler is positioned.  

1. Head Shot – The gobbler can be broadside or facing directly towards you for this shot. If you can do it, hitting a bird in the head will drop them, especially if you are using a guillotine style broadhead. 
2. Vitals Shot – Another place to shoot a turkey is in the vitals. Turkey’s vitals are small so shot placement has to be precise. With a broadside bird, aim where the wing connects to the body. If the bird is facing you, shoot for the base of the beard. 
3. Anal Shot – A full strut bird facing away from you gives you a perfect shot. His fan will block him from seeing you draw and placing an arrow through his backside will quickly paralyze and kill the bird. 

There are special broadheads designed for taking a headshot on a turkey. Now shooting a turkey in the head with a bow can be difficult due to it being a small target, but what I like about a headshot is that it is almost an all or nothing shot. You either smoke him, or you miss him. And if you connect on a headshot there is very little tracking involved in the recovery.

If you are using mechanical broadheads only take body shots. The chest cavity of a turkey is much larger than its head so it does make it an easier target.

Many hunters make the mistake of aiming for a turkey's breast or wing butt. A turkey hit there will escape most of the time, as the vital organs sit farther back and lower in the body. Aim just above the turkey's hip, at the crease of the thigh, and you'll hit vital organs and break bone. Turkeys shot here, regardless of broadhead type, die within seconds.

Check out Dan Street on Youtube with an amazing bow hunt and shot with no blind!

"The hunter that travels out into the woods is lost to the world, yet finds himself." 

It's time to head to the woods. If you are not hunting from a ground blind, find a substantial tree to lean against during your hunt. Watching for vines, briars and the like, finding the perfect tree becomes second nature after a few hunts.

Once you set out on your hunt, keep a close watch on your surroundings, as turkeys often leave subtle clues amongst the towering pines or sturdy hardwoods. 

When settled in your blind or next to a sturdy tree, relax and get comfortable.

If you are on a morning hunt, chances are it is still dark. Watching the world come alive as day breaks, is one of the best parts of hunting. After the fly down, call to those birds that may be within hearing range. Start soft and slow with your calls. When you get an answer, you are in business. 

With this guide, you now have a wealth of knowledge to get started in the sport of turkey hunting, and with Sportsman's Finest, you'll be geared up and ready for your first hunting trip. We hope it’s one you won’t soon forget.

Stay tuned to our Blog and Stories & Adventures pages for more quality and knowledgeable content for your next adventure!

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