Hunting Turkey help

[rluttrell]

Let me start out by saying this will be my 1st hunt of any kind. I have been invited to hunt Turkeys in New Jersey. I asked if i can use my bow instead of a shotgun. He said sure and good luck.
My arrows are Bemans MFX 400's with a 100 grain field point. What tip or point would you suggest?

[Turkhunter]

Make sure your arrows are tuned to your bow and use a good sharp broadhead. Turkeys are a lot tougher than you would think they are so use a tough broadhead. After reviewing your set up in your signature line I fear your choice of arrow is probably too stiff for your bow, so be sure you are shooting the right arrow to achieve optimum flight and penetration. Turkeys have a small vital zone(compared to say deer)and their feathers are suprisingly hard to penetrate. Have fun and call em in close.

[Rob W.]

If you are going to stick with that weight head I would go with Steelforce, Phantoms or Stingers. All are great heads.

Steelforce makes one of the best 100gr. heads IMO. The longer premium 4bld.

If you end up needing a heavier head VPA or Zwickey.

Rob

[OS]

I,m a big fan of shooting the biggest head I can shoot accurately. I would also agree with the spine of your arrows.  Make sure you have good flight, I could see the 400 spine if your shooting a 175 or 200 grain head, but as long as there flying good run with it.  Have fun and good luck

[rluttrell]

. After reviewing your set up in your signature line I fear your choice of arrow is probably too stiff for your bow,

I should of said  my draw is 31 inches and my bow is 54 pounds at my draw. I did try 340's and 500's . The 400's flew the best.
I am nervous about going but the excitement out ways being nervous.

Thank you guys for responding keep'em coming

[old_goat2]

My buddies are quite successful at taking turkeys with bow, they swear by shooting at the turkey only from fore or aft. Put your hands together thumbs touching and palms facing away, that is a good representation of turkey lungs, imagine trying to hit a target that size from the side then from the front or back. They like to use 4 blade stingers or similar with the bleeder blades being completely dulled. Now somebody will come on and poo poo all over the advice of dulling the bleeders, but what that does if it works right is keep the arrow in the bird and with an arrow sticking out it is much harder for the bird to crawl into the thick brush. Now the main blade should be shaving sharp. Another good option is a big three blade snuffer or VPA or the like. All the blades should be sharp on it:) I personally am using Magnus Bullheads and Stingers. Good luck, if you get some birds in, it will be one of the highpoints of your life.

[Lefty]

I would recommend a large 3 blade head as well.  Know where to shoot the turkey and know the distance that you can accurately hit the kill zone.  Turkeys are tough and if shot low or foward in the breast, they probably aren't going to die.  Hit them high, watch them die.

[huskyarcher]

First think about what you want out of this hunt, i dont want to be discouraging but IMO turkeys are some of the toughest animals to successfly take with a stick and string, with a blind its easier, but still a mile off from a garauntee.

If you want the experience and a good time, and dont really c are about the turkeys go for it, but if you want to kill a turkey, you might be disappointed, i would hate to see somebody get dissapointed aand want to quit simply because they didnt kill.

In whatever you do good luck!!! Pick a spot!

[rluttrell]

First think about what you want out of this hunt, i dont want to be discouraging but IMO turkeys are some of the toughest animals to successfly take with a stick and string, with a blind its easier, but still a mile off from a garauntee  

I am looking forward to the experience more than anything.  Don’t get me wrong I would love to get the turkey and have him come and drop by my feet. Isn’t that how it works?      

[old_goat2]

Get some 100gr Magnus Bullheads and go for the head neck shot,it's either a kill shot that way or the arrow will bounce off them if you hit low and body shoot them.

[old_goat2]

Oh and a big tip on shooting from a blind, take a couple practice  shots, its REAL easy to hit the blind walls with a limb and it will make your arrows fly ways you have likely never seen before!

[huntsmanlance]

Hello from another newbie turkey hunter!

Read this thread about Joebucks post on turkey hunting....
  http://tradgang.com/cgi-bin/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic;f=1;t=113791;p=1  

Look for his post on PBS ....a whole lot of great experience shared there.....and click on Terrys link for the kill zone.

And good luck!!!
Lance

[Pope Co.]

Are we talking about a tent being the blind? If so 10X what old_goat2 said. Also make sure the tent is tall enough for you and your bow. I have a tent that I can't shoot my bow out of. If I'm sitting on a stool the tent is to short. If I'm kneeling the window is to high.

Some of the old timers around my neck of the woods put a washer on between the shaft and the broadhead. This accomplished what old_goat2 said about dulling the bleeders. It is cheap. The down side is it adds weight. If your shooting short distances it may not be a problem.

[Hoyt]

If it were me and I was going to be by myself in a blind and didn't know how to call turkeys. I'd get one of those Pushpin calls.

[bsoper]

It will be my second turkey hunt, my first was unsuccessful. I am wondering what happens if I blow an arrow through its wing and part of it's body, but don't hit anything vital? Can I chase it down and cut it's throat so it doesn't have to die later from injuries or will it most likely get away?

[Charlie Lamb]

If you don't hit anything vital you probably won't ever see the bird again. If you should happen to chase one down be careful about jumping on it if the broadhead is still in it.

Consider using a multiblade head and DON'T dull any of the  blades. Turkeys are hard to penetrate in the first place and in the second place counting on the arrow slowing the bird down is grasping at straws.

A string tracker can make a huge difference in dependable recovery.

[old_goat2]

Originally posted by Charlie Lamb:
If you don't hit anything vital you probably won't ever see the bird again. If you should happen to chase one down be careful about jumping on it if the broadhead is still in it.

Consider using a multiblade head and DON'T dull any of the  blades. Turkeys are hard to penetrate in the first place and in the second place counting on the arrow slowing the bird down is grasping at straws.

A string tracker can make a huge difference in dependable recovery.

told you somebody would come along and poo poo on what I said, you can count on it on here

[bsoper]

I have some razor sharp 4 blade stingers. Hope they will do the job!

[JamesKerr]

I would use the widest 3 or 4 blade I could find in that weight.

[redpepper49]

Shoot at him when he first gets in range . It is more fun to talk about than a miss at five steps.