If I'm dreaming, please don't pinch me.
One of my lifelong hunting goals was to kill a turkey with a bow and arrow. I've never really considered that to be very obtainable but this morning that dream became a reality. I called this bird in to about 30 yards Saturday morning but he didn't like something about it and would not come to the decoys. He did jump up on a log and strut and drum for me. Here is the post with questions from that hunt:
http://tradgang.com//noncgi/ultimatebb.php?ubb=get_topic;f=1;t=032676 I went back Tuesday morning, no gobbles to be heard even to the real owl that I got fired up. I found a beautiful little knob on the end of a ridge where I believe the bird was gobbling from Saturday. I set the blind up and took the time to brush it in. I got the decoys out and everything finally set up by somewhere close to 7 am. Before getting in the blind I called on the slate, nothing. I called on my mouth call with the same results. I did a fly down cackle on my mouth call and used my wing to simulate a hen flying down, more nothing. I used the wing again to simulate another bird flying down. I got in the blind and called on the box call, still a whole lot of nothing. I just sat back to enjoy the morning and wait to see if the bird would show up. At 7:22 he gobbled and the game was on. I waited a couple of minutes and called on the box and he gobbled again. I waited a couple of more minutes and purred on the slate even though my hand was shaking almost uncontrollably, he gobbled really close. I got my bow up with the tip resting on the ground. I saw him coming from my right, he strutted some and then walked down into a small swell. I repeated to myself, hit 'em high, watch 'em die, hit 'em low, watch 'em go, let your pin settle. This was to try and calm me and to remember what I needed to do for the shot. He stopped in the swell and came out of strut and was looking at the jake decoy. Please Lord let him come to the decoy this morning. He stood there about 15 seconds and then broke into strut again and headed for the jake. He got right in the jakes face, then circled a little to his side and was pushing up against him. He was quartering slightly to my left. At that point I decided I better not wait for a straight on shot because I was afraid he was going to attack or knock over the jake and the gig would be up. He was slightly quartering to the left so I put the pin to the right of his beard and a little high, I let it settle. I didn't even think about the shot, the practice paid off though as the arrow struck almost where I was aiming. The bird started flopping and I decided to open the blind and get him. As I came out of the blind and started to him he had regained his feet and I saw him start running for the bottom, I took off after him. In hind sight I guess I was suppose to give him some time to go die but at that point I was out of the blind looking at him and my instinct to get him took over. He still had the arrow in him which was hindering him so I was keeping him about 20 yards in front of me. He stopped briefly and then started again but only went about 15 more yards before falling over, the Snuffer 125 gain broadhead had done it's job. I stood there for a long time in disbelief, I had actually killed a turkey with a bow, a lifelong dream. I reached for my phone to call the Mrs and share this moment with her but the phone was in my vest back in the blind, I called her shortly there after. It was only after I was standing there that I realized the string tracker had indeed worked and the string went back to where we had come from. Following the string later I stepped off 185 steps from the decoy to the bird. I looked at my watch when I was washing the arrow off in the creek and it was 7:39. Although I was in there before 6 AM, it was a flash hunt after the first gooble. I had put the camera in my vest this morning so I took some pictures, packed up and then kicked back, ate a pack of poptarts and drank the last of now cold cup of coffee and just enjoyed the moment. I packed the bird and the blind (about 36 lbs total) plus the rest of my gear the half mile or so back to the road. What a great feeling, packing out a turkey. The bird ended up being 21 lbs 14 oz, an 11 inch beard and 1 1/8 inch spurs. I would have been happy with a jake. He was the same bird I messed with Saturday as he had a distinctive gobble.
Thanks for taking the time to allow me to share this with you,
Doug
I would like to take a moment to thank those on this forum who shared their turkey hunting knowledge in "how to" posts this spring. I know I would never have killed this bird without others sharing their expertise.
If you look close in the setup picture you can see the string from the tracker coming out the window to the right of center.
Topic: Tuesday morning gobbler - My 1st turkey with a bow! (Read 3198 times)
