Well, I called this posting Strike 2 because I missed my second turkey of the season. Let me tell you the story and then I will need some input or advise from all of you. Yesterday morning I took a friend of mine, Monty, turkey hunting. He has very little exposure to turkey hunting but is an excellent deer hunter. In fact, I talked Monty into hunting with me after he finished attending a hunting expo in Madison, Wisconsin this week.
It was 6 am and the sun was coming up fast. Monty and I were speed walking a field edge to get to the far end of a huge field of cut soybeans. We finally arrived at our destination which was on a field edge, approximately 300 yards from a roosting site. Behind us was a finger of woods that separated two large fields. We were located on the edge of a logging road that was built in the wooded finger to connect the two fields. My cousin, Steve, had rolled a big tom on this logging road a few years earlier. Monty set up my Primos Vision Ground Blind for me while I unpacked the turkey decoys. If you read my previous posting from last week about the two birds that my brother and I killed, then you know I am a believer in the Primos Killer B decoy! I set the Killer B strutting tom decoy out in the field about 8 yards away from the blind.
The sun was coming up as we set up for the hunt. Once safely in the blind, we had birds gobbling all around us. For the next 30 minutes we were surrounded by gobbling toms and it was a very exciting morning. However, no birds flew down in the field or showed themselves. In fact, we did not see a bird until approximately 8:30. My brother, Jeff, was hunting another area with my cousin, Steve. They sent me a text message saying they were only seeing single hens. I thought the mating season must be kicking in. My experience (which is somewhat limited) during this turkey phase has resulted in the birds moving late. I assured Monty that we would eventually see a tom but it may not be until be 10 am. Over the next few hours, we whispered about deer hunting strategies, deer stories, family, etc. to get caught up on what was going on in each others lives. I enjoyed our conversations and hearing about his hunting philosophies.
At 8:30 we caught a hen feeding by herself on the other side of the field. Then we had a couple of hens clucking behind us in the wooded finger. I started clucking to the hens when I was able to get a couple of toms to gobble at me. It sounded like they were just out of view of my decoy, one a field to the west of us. I called to the two toms for approximately 10 minutes trying to coax them in. Finally, they showed themselves as they worked toward us, just inside the wood line. They hung up at 60 yards for an unknown reason. So, I pulled on the rope to my Killer B and moved the tail a couple of times. After two more clucks, the toms were committed and on their way across the field.
As the birds approached the ground blind I realized that Monty was between me and the birds. These two toms seemed a bit skittish so I wasn't confident that they would make it all the way to the decoy. I asked Monty (who was going to film the hunt) to change spots with me. This was a little bit challenging with a bow (arrow nocked) and two full grown men but we made it work. By now the birds were closing in fast which is what they usually do when they see this decoy. I drew back my Mathews Z7 and prepared to make the shot. I asked Monty to range the birds. "27, now 25 yards" he advised. By now the birds were moving from my left to right and I was about to lose my shooting lane. I kept the bow at full draw and moved to another window in the blind. The two birds were in my blind spot so I asked Monty to range them again. Before he could give me the distance I saw the birds and realized they were only at 20 yards. I settled my pin on the first bird because he had the longest beard. However, I decided to quickly check the second tom and noticed that he had two beards. I made him my new target and settled the pin on the double bearded bird. I had a quartering away shot so I let the arrow fly.
I drilled the bird pretty hard and watched my arrow pass right through him. The big tom was hurt bad and struggled to make it off of the field. Monty and I thought the bird fell down on the field edge but we watched him struggle to get back up and cross the fence. I was surprised to see him make it out of the field. Monty asked me if we should try to chase the injured bird down. I advised him that it was a good hit and I thought the tom would be laying dead on the other side of the field. I told Monty we should give the bird a little time. Besides, I have heard that turkeys can run 17 mph when chased. If you know me then you can attest to the fact that I can't run that fast. Monty never had the opportunity to film any of the hunt because it happened in seconds. I think he enjoyed the experience though. Next time I will probably try to use a tripod for the camera.
Monty and I picked up our gear and folded up the ground blind. We walked across the field and found my arrow. It had blood on the arrow shaft and vanes. I thought to myself, wow we pulled it off! I was pumped to show Monty what this turkey hunting was like while using a ground blind, decoys and a bow. Well, I spoke too soon because we found no blood trail from that bird. In fact, Steve and Jeff helped Monty and I look for that bird for 3 hours. We never found him. That turkey could barely walk to get off of the field but somehow he made it. Can you say DISAPPOINTMENT? I made what I thought was a great shot on that turkey. I saw the arrow hit him exactly where I was aiming and the shot looked great. However, this was my second un-recovered mature tom in a week after making two good shots. What was I doing wrong? Other archery-turkey hunters that I know have experienced similar results. I just want to do better!
I started to think about what adjustments I could make to be more successful. Practice wasn't my problem, it was philosophy. I narrowed it down to three things. Broadhead selection, shot placement, and bird recovery. I am shooting a G5 Striker which did a number on the first bird I shot this year. However, I wonder if I should be shooting the Gobbler Guillotine or Magnus Bullhead Turkey broadhead. What are you shooting? Both of these large bladed broadheads are designed for head or neck shots rather than body shots. What about mechanical broadheads like the 2 " Rages? I am thinking about giving these a try since I won't have to change my arrow shaft length or spine.
This leads me to my second issue, shot placement. Where should I be shooting a turkey if I stick with my traditional fixed blade broadheads? I have heard the back is the best place to hit a turkey as he is facing away from you. Being a deer hunter, I continue to keep going for the vitals. If you study the location of the vitals on a turkey you will realize that they are relatively higher on the bird with the heart located just slightly forward of the leg. Maybe my two un-recovered birds were shot just below the vitals. What works for you? I maybe finishing out this turkey season with my shotgun until I can sort all of this out. I always liked using my fixed blades on turkeys to gear up for deer season. However, turkeys are a completely different animal than deer so maybe my equipment should reflect that.
Lastly, when do you run down a turkey that has been shot? I have read that you should immediately go after a turkey when shot with a shotgun (obviously not actually sprinting with a round in the chamber) so you can shoot it again if a second shot is needed. However, I have also read that you should not chase a bird shot with an arrow. How do you find these extremely tough birds when they get away from you? I search the area and check every log, piece of brush and ravine. If I can make a great shot on a turkey but not recover him than I need to make some changes. What are you guys doing different as far as broadheads, shot placement, and recovering your turkeys? Give me some feedback and let me know how your turkey season is going.
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