Whos done it without the blind?

[Old York]

Who's done it without the blind?

That's a little too personal, don't you think?   :D

[straitera]

IMO, turkeys are as fun to hunt as to eat. They have radar vision, the more eyes in the group the more likely you'll get busted. Concealment, stealth, & a good bit of luck are imperative, including camo, calls, blinds, whatever, is to your advantage. Public land makes me real nervous with all the gunners; so, I don't use a blind or camo. I've bowkilled half dozen or more turkeys since my first in 1989 (none on public land).

[Biggie Hoffman]

Originally posted by FerretWYO:
I have taken around a lot of turkeys with a bow and have never used a blind.

Merriams don't count    

[IndianaBowman]

Killed quite a few Easterns without a blind. You just don't move if you can see their head.

George, you need to move my friend. : ) Everything around where you live is tougher to kill than a snapping turtle. I lived in PA for 7 years and had great luck on public land for deer and turkey.

[dan ferguson]

Have had the good fortune of killing alot of them, most were without a blind. We have alot of turkeys, hunt in remote areas with little pressure coming from hunters of the human kind, the landscape makes it easier to pull it off, spot and stalk will work, but spotting and circling and trying to intercept them works better, One thing I have found out is when they get into range your bow better be back and ready to shoot. Knowing where there coming and going really helps.

[George D. Stout]

I don't have any trouble at all, IndianaBowman who lives in New York 8^))). I'm good where I live.  I was telling those southern bows that their turkeys aren't any smarter than the Pa. ones.....maybe just smarter than the hunters. 8^))))))))).

[IndianaBowman]

George, I've been humbled more times than I want to remember by a bird with a brain the size of a pea! Kind of leads you to follow the old axiom of trusting your instincts doesn't it!

Your in a beautiful part of the world!

[COMBER]

I did it once just to see if it could be done. I got mine just by letting him get in very very close and a quick suprise shot. I missed a couple before the one that I made a fast shot on. He was suprised and stood there not knowing which way to run. My favorite by far is being in a blind and having them totally fooled. I was fortunate enough to get a second shot two different times from a blind.

[mrpenguin]

I sat in a blind with my wheel bow last season.  Used a crow call to find a bird, had my boy coming, then he stopped responding... 30 mins later BANG!!  So, basically I called in a nice bird for some gunners.  Fun part was, they came up on my spot, saw my decoys and started to load their shotguns until one whispered "decoys! decoys!"... that had my heart going...

Almost got another one in the Fall, but the bird lost interest in my calls about 25 yds out... I like to shoot inside of 20.

THIS YEAR... I will be out there, no blind, with my new Widow PSR III, maybe a ghillie suit or GOOD 3D camo and a low natural blind to draw on opening AM.  Should be a good day!

GEORGE I DON'T AGREE Turkeys are super smart with Xray vision.  A couple years back, I had three doe tags and no turkey tag. I was sitting on my chair with my feet up, enjoying a cigar and a cup of tea, (I call it deer hunting) when a large flock of turkeys came down the hill in single file.  Everyone greeted me, as they passed within 15 feet of me, they said things like "nice day, how ya' doin', there's a deer on the other side of the hill,".  They could tell somehow or see that there were no turkey tags in my billfold.

[GMMAT]

Personal opinion....but I view the NA wild turkey as a VERY worthy adversary.  And, taken without a blind, with traditional tackle.....I think this may be the ultimate trophy.

Been after them for 2 yrs with trad tackle (with and without the blind).....and I've yet to drop the string.  I'll keep trying.

Kudos to all of you who have....and continue to "get it done" this way!

[mrpenguin]

What are some of the things you guys do that have been successful that you think can help us rookies??

[Doug S]

Taken around 25 without a popup blind. Things that worked for me.
1 Jack Probst book George mentioned. I just mimicked what he did. hide well and place 2 decoys at 45 degree angles. Draw when the birds fan away. Can take a long time. get comfortable. be patient. I waited 2 hrs for a shot once. While the bird was within 40 yards strutting the whole time. I Let lots walk away and never drew.
2  natural blinds I made on previous hunts just in case I needed them later.
3  Windy days sneakin in leafy camo
4  PATTERNING the birds and waiting
5  Not changing my bow/deer setup, just adding muzzy grasshoppers behind my arrow.  
6 NOT giving up and getting the shotgun
7 decoy on a string
8 finding birds that haven't been messed with to much
9   little netting for run and gunning
10  shooting for the top of the leg
lost 2-3 birdes out of around 50 now.
11  call very little except for jakes

 Thats my story
Gotta go eat

Doug

[Duckbutt]

I have and it is tough.  Some seasons I go in real fired up about the effort.  I'm leaning more towards taking kids and the shotgun this year.

[wollelybugger]

I got to talk to Jack last year and he is still alive and kicking, I don't think he hunts anymore. He was using a breeding setup with decoys twenty years ago. He was way ahead of his time when it comes to hunting with a bow. He also invented a attachment to fit on your longbow to use a string tracker. It was the same principle they use to strap on quivers today. He had his own mouth calls, called in my first gobler with one of his calls and bought some turkey hunting arrows off of him.  Jack Brobst was one of those legends who you never hear about.

[bohuntr]

Hey Doug S.,
 Good to see you here! We miss you in SD. I hear that you and Al are going to be gone during the South Dakota Bowhunters Convention hunting down in Texas.
    Back on the topic, my first turkey with my bow was without a blind and it was a cool experience and my most recent turkey this fall was without a blind. I hate to sit in a blind but I have to admit it is especially deadly when it comes to turkey. I hear it is the same way with antelope but I just can't stop crawling through the cactus hoping one of them will be stupid enough to let me kill him!
     Good luck this spring guys and gals of Trad Gang!!!

[Robert Honaker]

One word....ghillie  

[Goke]

I actually took a nice Tom stalking him, kinda. What happend is he saw me and tried to sneak away through a trail that ran down a ridge. I was able to cut him off at the pass because I knew where the trail ended up. He stopped for less than a second at about 20 yards, just long enough for the bullhead to do its job. Literally took his head off. I was shocked. I've yet to be able to reproduce that hunt and perhaps will not for many of the reasons discussed in this post.

[2treks]

OH sheesh! I hope I can this year. I got me a big ole dry spell,with the bow and no blind going right now. Maybe I will make a ghillie.

[joevan125]

Im with RC on this one.

It would take a miracle to kill a turkey without any kind of blind in Alabama.