How to Kill Turkeys with a Bow

Millennials. Tired of hearing that term yet? Me too-Let's start by just saying, "people my age." A lot of people my age have come into the sport of hunting differently than previous generations. We of course have TV, but we also have access to countless hours of hunting footage (good and bad) on YouTube, Vimeo, Facebook, etc- and it's on every widget and device you can think of.

However you perceive this induction into hunting, it's how my dad and I got into bow hunting turkeys over 12 years ago. Since then I've learned a lot about pursuing gobblers in the Northwest and even though it is slightly old school, I'm going to write a few tips and tactics that have helped me be consistently successful.

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Over years of trial and error, using a ground blind has been by far the best way for me to kill turkeys with my bow. Here's a few key things that I always try to do.

Homework to do before you go Hunting

This may sound difficult to a generation who've been raised on instant gratification, but trust me, it's as enjoyable as the hunt itself! A day or two before the hunt, I always try to roost the flock (technically called a rafter). Bring flag tape to mark the spot back to the truck. You may think you know your way, but at 4 am it's really dark and finding your desired spot may not be as easy as you thought.

Side Note: If you can't roost a rafter before your hunt (let's face it, we don't always have that much time) the next best thing is to show up to the turkey woods extra early. Giving yourself an additional hour to listen and locate will help you be successful.

Don't be Scared to get up Early to Chase Toms

Those of us who have been hunting for any length of time will know you need to be there at least an hour before sunrise if you want to get set up and positioned without alerting the rafter. One good tip to remember when you are setting up is this: face your decoys towards your blind. Why? Dominant Toms will want to face off with your decoy giving you opportunity to draw your bow without being seen and also give you a great target (his backside) to shoot at.

Side Note: Set those decoys up close to your ground blind. Really close, 7: 10 yards. It is true that turkeys have great eye sight, but when it comes to this set up they are blind as a bat (bad pun intended)!

The Wind Never Blows Around Here Until you set up 5' kite also known as a ground blind. Always stake your blind down. Battling with the wind is real, trying to call a bird in with a flapping blind side is not really going to work.

Shot Placement You wouldn't think a 20 lb. bowling ball would be hard to kill at 5: 20 yards, until you've seen a Tom strut away with an arrow sticking out both sides and you're scratching your head wondering how he's still alive.

Tips on Shot Placement for Turkeys

Tip #1

Front on facing shot When the turkey is at full strut or not in full strut, you want to aim just under his wattles and just above the beard. Make a small imaginary triangle from under his wattles to the top of his beard and that will be the spot to shoot for. It will drive that arrow in the chest cavity, but be sure to be dead center on that spot cause if you shoot left or right you will just get breast meat and you won't make a vital shot and wound your bird.

Tip #2

Broad side shot You want to aim for where his wing connects to his body (armpit). You want that arrow to either enter into his chest cavity or break his hips. It takes a turkey at least 3-4 steps before he takes off flying so if you break his hip bones he won't be able to run and fly away. That is a good shot to take but you have to also take note that he has 4" of feathers sticking out so try and aim for the center of the bird and you should be fine.

Tip #3

Facing away strutting gobbler When your turkey is at full strut facing away from you this target is a lot smaller. But it also gives you a good bulls eye to aim for that is made by the fanned tail and the anal vent. So aim for where all his tail fan feathers meet in the center. This is a good shot to make because you will hit everything when the arrow passes through the bird.

Tip #4

Walking away (for this shot placement, bird must be standing or walking straight away from you not in full strut) There is about a 22" line you can shoot for it starts for the base of his head down to where his tail feather starts. This is a good shot to take at a bird because you have the biggest target to shoot at. You have a better chance to get your arrow into his chest cavity. Anywhere in that line is the end all shot.

Things to Remember when Bow Hunting Turkeys

Side Note: After you have made your shot on your bird sometimes its OKAY to go sprinting out of your blind to get your bird, just depends on where you hit him at. If you made a shot that broke his legs I would typically run after that bird and grab him before he gets too far away because they can still move pretty good when they are wounded. If you get a complete pass threw on your bird and he slowly walks away it's probably best to sit out and let that bird expire.