BOWHUNTING & "running & gun'n"

[lxtagle]

aka buckhuntr15: I may have posted this on the wrong topic earlier, so excuse me . Anyway, I am new to this Turkey & Turkey Hunting. I have gone through a lot of threads, and unless I have missed it (shame on me if I did), I don't see much on bowhunting. I hunt highly pressued public lands, have success with whitetail, but it's a bigger challenge with turkey. I am seeking advise on running & gunning with a bow. Anyone????

[retranger]

There has been ksome discussion on bow hunting for turkeys but most of what I have seen is hunting from a blind of some sort. I hunt with a bow but haven't tried for turkeys yet,,,,,have enough trouble getting birds with the gun. There would been quite a bit of movement drawing on a bird that was close enough but not to say it can't be done. Good luck

[arrowsonly]

BE CAREFUL, period !

I have bowhunted for turkeys in WI & MN and have had my blind set up's "stalked" into by gun hunters but what do you expect, think about what you are doing. Makin' turkey sounds, hiddn' , I used motion decoys, Bad Idea outlawed in most states ? and that was before full fan tom decoys. I was shot at in MN one year & that was it no more hidden set ups & I use orange tape on top of my blind.

If you want to run & gun hunt with a friend, there are som nice portable type screens out there & try to call em in so they need to walk past you using some large trees. Have your partner call from behind you 40 /50 yards, scratching or other flock noises.

The last few years I have used two blinds & move them & that aint working either, bow hunting turkeys is not as easy as the DVD's make it look. 12 hour days in the blinds @ dust site's or strut zones, intersections of logging roads, ect.
I have bowhunted since 96 and it is a the best ! Like it say's at the end of my postings, look em' in the eye. I have had toms @ 4/5 yards from my blind and their eyes are the BLACKEST BLACK you will ever see & to FEEL the drummin' as it vibrates off the side of my blind these are memories of a life time

[fallhunt]

Unless you have had success as a turkey hunter your going to waist time running and gunning with a bow.Bowhunting turkey without a blind seems to be the way to prove how great of a man you are now days.If your in your own backyard ok.but to take time off work and away from my family I want all odds in my favor.I hunt 3 states in the spring and 4 in the fall and have killed over 80 turkeys with a bow.As stated above it sucks when some tool stalks you.Think about it.I would be shocked if more than 5% of the users of this site fall hunted.I would bet less than that use male vocalizations in spring.So you are making hen yelps and being stalked!It is to hard to hunt early season out west,March in NE and April 1 st. in KS.with flocks of 100 plus turkeys around to draw a bow and shoot a turkey.I rarely have single birds come in anymore.Best times to run and gun with a bow are late spring and early fall.But I bet your would have more success with woodsmanship and a ground blind.

[lxtagle]

Arrowsonly, sounds like I can relate. Fall, unless a hunter's self esteem is that low to, he may be huntn for the wrong reasons. I am considering this tactic, because like arrowsonly, I have been in my blind, and hunters hv walked up on me looking for the action. I was just asking if it is similar to doing it w a shotgun, to get up and move once the hunt has been blown. Bowhuntn is a different animal ( no pun intended) and some of the the public grounds I hunt are large enough to try something new. I hunt IL, MO, and this yr, I've added KS..., April 1st! (Just excited). Oh, I do hunt without blinds sometimes, hv had success, and my self esteem is greatly in tact.

Got off the subject, any advice on running & gun'n with a bow?

[lxtagle]

Fallhunt, thanks for the tip on early spring or fall. I will give it a shot in MO, where I know the layout of the grounds a lot better.

[Limb Hanger]

Been bow hunting turkeys for a few years. Tried the running and gunning technique, and was busted while drawing the bow on a couple of occasions. Currently, I use a Dark Horse blind when bow hunting turkeys on a piece of private property; saving the running and gunning (w/gun) for state land. In my opinion, hunting out of a blind is a commitment that may limit the possibility of a quick advance on a vocal bird that is on the other side of the property. I’ll usually place my blind in a place that we call “The Field of Death” and wait them out; 9 out of 10 times the turkeys will show up in that field before noon.

[lxtagle]

Lh, is there a link to see the dark horse blind? Speaking of state prop, i will for the first time use a shotgun for turkey for at least one hunt/bird. Dark horse, hey?

[Limb Hanger]

There are a lot of really great blinds on the market, and many have changed since I’ve purchased the Dark Horse. I don’t work for Primo’s or Double Bull, but am impressed with the product. The Dark Horse should be available at most sporting goods stores, or visit the Primo’s web site. Not certain what type of bow you shoot, but a higher/taller model is available for a long bow hunter (my neighbor has the taller model, he shoots traditional bows only). Whatever blind that you may be considering, take your bow or use one of the stores bows to check it out. I’m 6’5”, with a 31.5” draw length; needing a blind that could accommodate my needs.
The Dark Horse weighs around 20 lbs.; a stool/chair is 3 lbs or so. The blind comes packaged in a bag w/ shoulder straps, a pocket for a stool, and a limb pocket and tie downs for carrying a bow. I’ve down sized my vest, attaching a fanny pack around the blind bag, and carry a decoy bag. It’s a lot to haul on that 1.5 mile walk in, and what seems to be the 4 mile walk out. I purchased the Dark Horse, because of the higher port holes on the back and a sliding window up front (or vice versa). My Matrix blind has very low port holes that saved the lives of a few turkeys. My first hunt in the Dark Horse blind presented the opportunity of an early morning fire drill to slide the front window closed, reposition, and open a side port window for a shot. The land owner’s 16 yr old son carried home a 21 pounder, with a 10.25 inch beard that morning.

Speaking of locator calls… Beware of the hubs on these type blinds, always open the blind with an open palm. The O’Dark thirty, unexpected pinching of flesh (when opening the blind) may cause unusual verbal outbursts that may result shock gobbles!

[lxtagle]

[quote="Limb Hanger"]Speaking of locator calls… Beware of the hubs on these type blinds, always open the blind with an open palm. The O’Dark thirty, unexpected pinching of flesh (when opening the blind) may cause unusual verbal outbursts that may result shock gobbles![/quo

unusual verbal outbursts, l o l!!!