Due to the relatively healthy meat of the turkey, it is quickly becoming one of the most popular animals to hunt for.
Whether it is Thanksgiving season or not, turkey always makes for a great meal. It tastes great, it’s lean, and it’s something that you can go hunt for yourself.
Today, we are going to go through an in-depth turkey bowhunting guide to provide you with all of the turkey hunting basics you need to know. This is turkey hunting 101. Let’s get to it and help you catch a turkey.
When is Turkey Hunting Season?
The first thing to know is when turkey hunting season is. Turkeys are not animals that you can just go out and hunt at any time of the year. There are specific rules and regulations surrounding when you can and cannot hunt turkeys.
Generally speaking, turkey hunting season starts in either late March or early May. It usually goes to mid to late May, or sometimes early June.
There is also a fall hunting season for turkey. For archery or bow hunters, this generally starts at the beginning of October. This fall hunting season may go to the beginning of January. However, every state in the USA has slightly different turkey hunting seasons.
The start and end dates for these seasons differ from one state to the next. Therefore, you should do research for your specific state. You do not want to hunt turkey outside of season, there are serious legal consequences for doing so.
What You Need to Go Turkey Hunting
There are a few things that you will need to go turkey hunting with your bow. Let’s take a look at what these are.
The Right Documentation
The season or time of year is not the only important factor to consider. Generally speaking, you can’t just go out and hunt turkeys without the right kind of documentation. Just like with the hunting season dates, this can differ from one state to another.
Therefore, do some research for your specific state to determine what kind of documentation you need for bow hunting turkeys.
You may require various pieces of documentation. You will most certainly require a bow hunting license. You will also most likely require turkey tags, a hunter education card, public land stamps, and habitat stamps. We recommend contacting the turkey hunting guide for your state for more information.
Your Weapon of Choice
Of course, here we are talking about bow hunting, so you will need your bow of choice. In terms of the best type of bow to use, we will discuss this further below.
However, make sure that you have your weapon on hand. You can’t kill a turkey without your bow. Not only do you need your bow, but also arrows, a quiver, and all other necessary components. You can’t go turkey bow hunting without a bow!
Clothes and Camouflage
Turkey hunting is not something you want to do in shorts and a T-shirt. You definitely want to wear the right kind of attire. To keep yourself safe in the woods, wearing long sleeves and long pants is recommended.
You don’t want bushes and thorns scratching you. Furthermore, long sleeves and long pants will keep you safe from insects like mosquitoes. Of course, the exact clothing that you will wear depends on the season.
However, turkey season is usually never in the summer. Therefore, you can expect some cool and rainy weather. Dress appropriately and make sure to bring rain gear. You also want to bring some nice boots.
Don’t go walking around in the woods, potentially in muddy conditions, without waterproof boots. Of course, stealth is the name of the game here. Turkeys actually have really good eyesight. Therefore, all of your clothing should be thoroughly camouflaged. You want to be virtually invisible.
Turkey Calls and Bait
The other thing you will need are your methods of luring the turkey in. Turkey hunting is not something where you just endlessly walk around in the woods. Rather, you stay in one place and lure the turkeys to you. Therefore, you will need a variety of turkey calls.
Some Rules and Laws About Wild Turkeys Hunting
Let’s just quickly go over some interesting rules and facts about hunting wild turkeys in the USA. Keep in mind that these are just general rules. Specifics may differ from one state to another.
- You are not allowed to hunt turkeys on private land without express permission from the landowner.
- A private landowner with more than 25 acres that is located in a turkey hunting zone may hunt turkeys without a license.
- The use of dogs in turkey hunting is prohibited.
- Traps designed to ensnare turkeys are generally prohibited.
- Wild turkeys can generally not be bought or sold on the market.
How to Find Turkeys to Bow Hunt
For the most part, turkey hunting does not involve you walking around the woods very much. Generally, you want the turkeys to come to you. This means that you need to find areas where turkeys frequent.
To find turkeys, the first day of your hunt should be all about scouting the locations to find evidence of turkeys. This is going to save you a whole lot of time in the long run.
Examine to see if there are feeding areas, travel routes, or roost trees. You might see feathers, evidence of eaten food, or even feathers. Turkeys also tend to leave these large salad bowl sized indents in the ground.
They also usually leave scratch marks from feeding on the floor. You may also see drag marks from their wing tips.
These are all signs that turkeys are or recently were present. If you are looking for males, but only find females, don’t worry. Where there are females, there will always be males.
Once you have located the areas turkeys frequent, it’s time to set up shop. Let’s move on and talk about how to set up your ambush so you can shoot a turkey.
Setting Up the Ambush
Many people assume that turkeys are slow and stupid. However, this is not the case. Turkeys have acute senses. They can see, hear, and smell very well. They will run for the hills at the first sign of trouble. If they see you, hear you, or get your scent, they will run or fly away.
Getting a turkey within range to shoot with a bow can be difficult. However, there are things you can do to get a turkey close enough. Here, we are talking about setting up your ambush. Of course, a part of this is wearing camouflage so they can’t see you. You also don’t want to wear any powerful scents, because turkeys will smell them.
Most people choose to set up some kind of hunting blind that they can hide in. This is like a small camouflaged hut. It should have openings just big enough to see and shoot out of.
Many people also choose to set up tree stands. These are like small chairs that you attach to a tree. You can sit high up in a tree and look down from a high vantage point. It makes for a rather perfect method to shoot turkeys.
Then, the only thing left to do is to use your turkey calls. It is of course a good idea to learn how to properly use turkey calls. There are different kinds of turkey calls. Different kinds of turkey calls work well in different seasons and for different kinds of turkeys.
So, use your turkey call, wait until they appear, and then take your shot. In case you don’t know what kind of bow to use for turkey hunting, this is something we will discuss below. We will also talk about how to best shoot a turkey.
If you need more info, check out our guide to small game bowhunting.
Where to Shoot a Turkey with a Bow
The best place to shoot a turkey is between the base of the neck and the base of the beard. This provides you with the biggest target. It is also the area where the turkey is most likely to die quickly. Of course, a headshot is always a good choice. If you shoot a turkey in the head, it will die instantly.
However, a turkey head is fairly small. It is exceedingly difficult to shoot a turkey in the head with a bow. Therefore, between the base of the neck and the base of the beard is the best area to shoot turkey in.
What Kind of Bow to Use for Turkey Hunting
Generally speaking, the best type of bow to use for turkey hunting is a recurve bow. Recurve bows are fairly lightweight. They also don’t take much power to draw.
They also have good range and are easy to aim with period for any beginner, a recurve bow is ideal. A recurve hunting bow like this Bear Archery Super Kodiak Bow makes for a good option.
However, for more experienced hunters, a compound bow may be ideal as well. This Karnage Compound Bow is a great option to consider.
Some Final Archery Turkey Hunting Tips
Let’s go over a few quick tips to improve your odds at success when bowhunting turkeys.
- Be ready in your hunting blind or turkey stand before the sun comes up.
- Always take more turkey calls with you than you think you will need.
- Always find where turkeys roost before attempting to set up shop.
- Always be patient. Turkey hunting requires time.
- Only take your shot when you have a clear line of sight.