Setting up for Turkey Season!!!
With turkey season right around the corner it is time to getting all your stuff together. I start by getting all my call laid out and make sure that they are in good working condition. I also try to find a place for all the new calls I have bough over the year. This is also a good time to get ride of any call that you don't us ( which there are many). I think that most call are meant to catch hunter. I'm a strong believer in have a couple good call and stick to them. You don't want a bunch of calls that you are carrying though the woods that you never us. The biggest reason that you will need a new call is because you lost it or sat on one.
As a bow hunter for turkeys I fell that the most effective way to kill a turkey is with a blind. I believe in the "KISS" formula ( keep It Simple Sean). Get an ease to use blind. I like the tepee ones. Make sure it is big enough to shoot from a chair. I stand 6' 4'' and I have no trouble shoot from a chair in a blind that is 54" high. The other reason that I like the tepee blinds is that there are only two walls. This makes for an fast and ease setup.
If you are new to turkey hunting with a bow I would suggest a cheap tepee blind. This kind of blind can be pick up for around $100. This is my second season with this blind and it is holding up fine. What I like about tepee blinds is that there are light and ease to setup. When looking for a blind make sure that you can't be silhouetted as you hunt from with in it. Also you should be able to draw back your bow with out having to stick the arrow out a window. Most of the blinds on the market us some kind of "silent" window system. Stay away from zipper and vectored because of the nose they make as the windows is opened will scare off game. There are two thing that I look for when I buy a bind first is the size of the shooting window. The one in the photo has a window the go around the hole front of the blind. The other key element is the weight of the blind. I would not buy a blind that weight more 20 pounds.
I have been hunting turkeys with a bows and guns for years and I think that decoys are a no brainier. If the state allows decoys than us them. (Find out the Laws using the drop down memo on the home page of this webpage) When hunting with decoys a hunter must be on the look out for other hunter that might shoot their decoys. If you are using a Jake or a Tom decoys make sure that it is facing the blind for two reasons. The first reason is for safety, if a hunter see the head from the side and shoot he don't hit you or the blind. The second reason is that a Tom will walk in front of a Tom decoy. This will give you a great shoot. If you want to know where to shot a tom go to Where to shoot a tom.
The Decoy is only five yards in front of the blind.
Now that we know what we need to hunt turkey we have to get all this stuff into the woods. Most blinds have straps on then to make it easer to carry them into the woods. A turkey vest is a great way to hold all my turkey call and decoys. In all the total weight is about 25 pounds. This is about the same as carrying a tree stand into the wood.
(Going to have to change the blades before we go hunting.)
Shooting out of a blind is a lot different then shooting from a tree stand or from shooting standing up. Setup your blind in the back yard or shooting ranges, this may seem odd but you have to know what could be a problem in the woods. Setup the blind 20 to 25 yard away from the target. Setup a target so it is about the same size and high of a turkey. This is the time when we only shoot what we hunt with. If you have a bow quiver us it. Us the same broads head and chair you going to hunt with. Also shoot from you knees to see how you do. You must have all the equipment that you are going to bring into the wood in the blind with you. I made that mistakes last year thinking I have lots of room and to find out that it was a little cramp in the blind.
(Not as big as I though)
The hardest part about hunting from a blind is not being able to see everything around you. This is where you have to believe in the setup. As you set in the bind you will hear thing around you and you will want to look. Opening a window could mess up you hunt.
Now you are ready to go hunting. Get out to the rang setup you blind and shoot away. The hardest part of hunting turkey with a bow is committing to it. For any turkey hunter out there the only thing that you have to buy is a blind. Most blinds can be setup in an minute without a problem. If you are new to hunting from a blind go out in the back yard setup and break down the blind a couple times. Also when you go out scouting take 15 minute, setup and break down the blind. This way you know what to expect when the turkeys are gobbling.
good shooting and hunting!!!!.