Turkeys without a blind.

[J-dog]

I think these dudes in eastern NC can evaporate like that cat in Alice and Wonderland.

I am just taking advice here, none to give as I have not chased a turkey in 10 yrs. Thing shave settled now so I can get after em this yr.

Believe in run and "bow" on most anything around here. Tactics this yr will be closed roads on game lands hunting off a mountain bike, (as well as some bblind work). After morning hunt I am going to patrol that road stopping and calling looking for a gobble will have ghille suit for these times. Also going to spend some time on a creek outta the boat/kayak to access even more remote game lands. Got to clear the crowds

Worth a shot -

J

[ChuckC]

Look for this Guru post in April 2010
***This years turkey challange..."Ghillie up"!***

Without the ***'s
ChuckC

[wollelybugger]

Jack Brobst phone no. is 610-498-4676, dont know if he is still selling his books or not.

[joebuck]

Here's my list in order of importance to kill a turkey without a blind.
1. You have to be still to get the bird close to Traditional range so you have to be COMFORTABLE.   use a seat. I recommend the Waldrop Pac Stool.  it leans against a tree and is right height to get bow tip off the ground.
2 Calling.    You have to have some skill to call the bird up. Less is better in my book.  Soft clucks and yelps from wood calls. Gobbles and cutts from my mouth call. I make all my own mouth and wood calls. I am constantly practicing and listening to real turkey talk .
3  Hide your draw......some people put this first but if you
can't sit still and call bad....you'll never get to draw!  I have a shield in front of my bow that hides my draw when bird is attacking my decoy. Or I draw when his fan helps me or goes behind a tree
4 Decoys!!!!  Dam if you do and dam if you don't......but I always tote 2.  Struting Jake and hen.   All my decoys are full body.  As season progresses and birds get smarter.     I use my hen. I do not skimp on $$$ on my decoys either.. They are either DSD or stuffed.  They look real...there is a difference at least
on these wily eastern I hunt.

5. my setup is my deer setup.  Same bow ,bh , everything. I do not change a thing. in short I shoot my most accurate setup. Why change.

[Covey]

Lots of good advice. I have plans on hitting the turkey hunting purdy hard this year. I'm gonna take everything said here and put it to good use. Best of luck to everybody! Jason

[La. bowhunter]

I have killed a few without a blind and it is extremely hard. What I do is wear a Ghillie suit and a pair of carpenter knee pads. I try to find a tree big enough that I can hide behind and get on my knees and get as close to it as possible. This limits you to shooting on only one side of the tree but it works if everything is perfect and the birds come on the right side of the tree. It is hard but very very rewarding and there will be many more birds that get away than birds that die.

[tim roberts]

That picture of Jim Dahlberg, is one of the coolest turkey picture I think I have ever seen!!!   :D

[Overspined]

I sit on one of those low fold up seats w a pad just a touch off the ground then. Set up with a direction of bird travel in mind. Don't call much and don't move. I shoot a 68" bow and just lay it over. Missed several this way! Key is getting shots relatively close and b very camo'd

[HcSmitty]

Thanks for all the info.  By far this has been the most replys out of any post ive made since bein a member.  ALL were positive.  Thanks guys.  Keep em coming.  I will say this whole idea was born of nastalgia and some part egotism.  I wanna show everbody that says "ohhh nahh u aint gona pull that off" that i can.  whether i do that or not, im thinkin this is gona be one  BIG RUSH.

[Cory Mattson]

Joey is your shield home made or bought ?

and do you have a favorite ghillie ?

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[Cory Mattson]

Gary what kind of Ghillie is that you are wearing ?

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[RPolk]

I like to use my ghille suit, and natual cover.

All of my Turkey hunting is done on public land here in the North GA Mountain WMA's and NF. Carrying a pop up blind would suck all of the fun out it. Too steep in places and too thick in others. Some hunters will bring in a blind, set it up and leave it...not sure that's allowed, and often someone else will find it and walk off with it.

This time of year I scout while pig hunting, closer to season I'll go out in the evenings and roost them, then try and get back in the morning to see where they go.

My set up is ghille suit, longbow, pack with quiver attached, and a folding stool.

Our birds stay fairly quite in the early season so the biggest mistake most make is calling too much. I carry a Robert's Brother's glass over slate call and Lynch's Super Hen for long distance calling and use mouth calls when they're in close. I'll set out a decoy if I have time, but more often than not they come in before I have time to set them.

I have 4 or 5 "ridge-line loops" that I walk and never hunt them back to back. However, being public land that doesn't mean someone else isn't in there.

It may not be the way the experts do it, but it works for me. Looking forward to the coming season because my son will be old enough to go with me this year.

[Cory Mattson]

Yeah Ray - I agree  - I have been carrying so much stuff it isn't fun any more. But my turkey sightings and shot ops while bowhunting have skyrocketed using a blind - so I want to think this through and scale down carefully.
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[RPolk]

Corey,

If it works, stick with it. Nothing wrong with seeing more birds and having more shots.

Maybe try one of the "screen-type" blinds, they're lighter and set up/break down fairly quickly.

[HcSmitty]

Well i havent totally ruled out carryin a blind myself.  Its that id like to not have to.  But if thas whats required thas what ill do.  Id carry the blind call..No bird?  git up n move repeat.  Ideally id like to strike a bird as soon as the fly down n go set up on him.  dies nebody do this as well?  sitn a blind up n one spot n sitn n it an calln all day for several days doesnt sound real fun to me.