Tips For Bow Hunting Turkeys | Practicing The Real Scenario

While this spring is starting to feel more and more like summer, It is still turkey season for some northern and Midwest states. While summer, with its velvet bucks and 3-D courses and tournaments, gets us bow hunters amped up for deer season, we still need to practice the slightly different scenario of turkey hunting with a bow. We are all a little guilty of not practicing shooting our bow enough during the summer for deer season, but not nearly close to the number of us that do not practice for turkeys. After deer season the cold and harsh weather conditions seems to seal our bow cases shut and pin us inside. When winter does finally give way to spring, shed hunting and morel hunting get the better of us and we forget to practice shooting our bow. Whether we actually do get out to shoot or just rely on our practice from the previous year, it isn’t the practice we need. Here are some tips on how to practice for bow hunting turkeys.

Spring Turkey Hunting With A Bow | Her Quest Series – The Buck Advisors
(Video) – Each and every year, turkey hunters take to the woods with their bows. This year The Buck Advisors’ Jessica Johnson attempts the challenge of bow hunting turkeys, and takes to the blind with her G5 Quest Storm Bow and Pink Montec Fixed Blade in hopes of sticking her first turkey.


Practice Bow Hunting The Real Scenario

When practicing for bow hunting turkeys it always helps to play out the scenario. The key difference here from all the other countless shots you take while practicing normally is that you will be sitting down. Whether your back is on a tree or on you are sitting in a ground blind, your normal stance is extremely altered. Every archer knows this is a big deal for accuracy and precision.

  • Obstacles

Practicing in these scenarios not only adjusts your routine for a shot on the ground or while sitting down, but it adjusts your thinking. Any bow hunter watches out for sticks and branches in the way of a shot while deer hunting, but sitting on the ground or low on a seat creates a lot more interference. Weeds, saplings, fences, and even the ground blind can and always seem to get in the way when bow hunting for turkeys. Practicing the real scenario, shooting from a sitting position, and watching out for potential obstacles for your arrow are all necessary to some degree before turkey season opens in your state.

  • Slow Draw

Other than shooting from a different position, bow hunting turkeys differs from bow hunting deer by the concern bow hunters have with the draw. It’s no secret that the one thing turkey hunters need to beat is the bird’s keen eyesight. Because of this drawing back the bow is extremely difficult to get away with. While ground blinds make the task easier, you still need to practice drawing very slowly, or remember to draw when the bird might possibly be fanned out away from you. Either way a slow and careful draw helps.

  • Wear The Same Clothes

Just as you would for deer season, practicing from the sitting position in the clothes you are going to wear turkey hunting can greatly benefit your hunting success. While it might not make a alteration between deer and turkey hunting, long or short sleeve, the main thing this might alleviate it frustration with a facemask. If you are a face paint guy or girl move on, but wearing a facemask can mess with your routine anchor point familiarity. When the moment comes you won’t be able to take it off, so get familiar with shooting with one on.

  • Shoot At The Real Thing

Shooting on point is required for bow hunting turkeys. A puff of feathers doesn’t always mean a kill shot with a big gobbler. Practicing where to shoot a turkey with a bow and with your choice of broadheads for turkeys, should be a requirement each and every spring before you go out. Shooting a 3-D target or crude drawing of a bird, will get that all familiar buck’s chest out of your brain and replace it with a black fanned out ball shape. Practicing with the right shape, correct placement of the arrow, and with broadheads can again create that routine that contributes to an archer’s success. Practice every angle of what you might be shooting at with a gobbler, this includes fanning towards, fanning away, side fan, and feeding or normal position (not fanned out).

If your turkey season has come and gone remember these bow hunting tips for another day. If your turkey season is coming up, get out your compound bow, a turkey target, your broadheads, and get to shooting.