Turkey hunting - ground blinds or ...

[jebeckjr]

Hi gang!

I am going to make a dedicated effort to at least get an opportunity at a spring turkey this year.  I am not an experienced turkey hunter, so I am piecing it all together.  I know an area at our camp which consistently produces turkeys based on trail camera footage.  I know a lot of people hunt from ground blinds (natural and man-made).  I haven't seen  / read of anyone hunting from tree stands.  Are ground blinds just that much more effective for turkeys, or are tree stands also a viable option?  It seems ground blinds give a solid shot angle.  What kind of shot placement do people use coming out of a tree stand (or maybe, that's why you don't read too much about it - there is no good shot angle?).

Just curious at what the experienced turkey hunters on board recommend.

Thanks!

[bornagainbowhunter]

The reason you don't read much about turkey hunting from a stand is that when you think about moving to draw your bow, the turks will spot you.  The popup blinds completely fool turkeys.  They will actually walk up and stick their head in one. I never hunt popups, but one of my hunting buddys kills 2 every year and has stories of turks poking their head inside his blind.  

I would opt for the blind over the stand.  Just me opnion here...

God Bless,
Nathan

[Roddo]

Since your post indicates you are from PA you might want to go to your PA hunting and trapping digest, page 35 Turkey season and the use of blinds. Manufactured blinds are legal. Blinds made by piling rocks, logs, branches ,ect are unlawful.

[Altiman94]

Hunting from treestands for turkey is extremely difficult.  They will catch you during your draw and tend to 'look up' more so than a deer will.

I would look into the hub blinds out today, those should do what you need to conceal your draw.

[jebeckjr]

Originally posted by Roddo:
Since your post indicates you are from PA you might want to go to your PA hunting and trapping digest, page 35 Turkey season and the use of blinds. Manufactured blinds are legal. Blinds made by piling rocks, logs, branches ,ect are unlawful.

That's a really good point.  I do plan on hunting in PA, but also Jersey and the Catskill region of NY.  It is real important to understand the local rules of the area, especially since they differ (significantly in some areas) between states (and sometimes localities).

For ground blinds, are there specific recommendations for trad archers as to a brand / model?  I see some of them have very low roof - some in the 64" area, which could get interesting even with a 60" bow.  What are people commonly using to sit on inside the blind?

[monsterbuck]

Try getting as tall of a blind as you can. I just missed a doe last night, by hitting the top of the blind, and I'm shooting a 56" longbow. Barronett makes some tall blinds, and if you can find one, the Double Bull Recurve model is tall. As for sitting in a blind, find something that is comfortable for you, because you may be in for a long day of hunting. I know I have sat for long periods of time waiting on them. I like my Magnus Rack Pack, which doubles as a blind carrier. And just last night I used my Huntmore 360, very comfortable. Hope this helps.  God bless.

[stagetek]

I don't know of anyone who hunts turkeys out of a treestand, but, I've found hunting for them out of a pop-up ground blind is fun, and productive.

[So-Mo Archer]

Stand hunting for turkey would be tough, as they tend to look up frequently for escape routes as they move about. Blinds are much better suited to the task, and give you the best angle for a shot. Just be sure to test the blind in the yard to see how your bow will react, maneuver, etc. That way there are fewer surprises in the woods. Good luck!

[southernarcher]

Have any of you guys tried hunting spring turkeys out of a tree?

[Jayrod]

Unless you are brushed in..in the tree its pretty much impossible with all there sharp eyes you can't draw I have yet to score on one..but got three long beards in the row outta my blind but ya need to set it up early and.let them.get used to it..at least here in Pa...hope this helps

[jebeckjr]

Has anyone tried an Ameristep Harvester blind with any 60" bow?  They don't seem to make the Double Bull Recurve blind any longer, and no one seems to have them in stock.  Looking for other options that have the required height.

[Vesty]

I use the Ameristep Penthouse. I believe it is the tallest you can get. I shoot a 66" longbow from it.

[jebeckjr]

Thanks Vesty.  Does that "shoot through mesh" really work?  Conceptually, I would think it would really throw off the arrow, but I've never tried it or even seen it up close.

[RC]

I use the ameristep brickhouse. I have killed Turkeys from it with a 66" hill bow. I shoot through the mesh. I have never got a Turkey to come in without the mesh they seemed spooked and hang out at a distance.RC

[Bowwild]

I didn't kill my first turkey's with archery tackle until I went to a pop-up blind. Apparently I move a bit more than I thought I did. My sightings and shot opportunities increased dramatically.

I aim:
-Broadside -- Above the thigh.
-Back - Up vent if in strut, middle of back other wise
- Front - Where beard joins the body

[Vesty]

The shoot through mesh doesn't seem to impede arrow flight at all. I do practice shooting through it, although, because it can distort your depth of field until you get used to it.

[TomBow]

I purchased a Baronette Big Jim 275 blind last year specifically for turkeys.  The blind is 80" tall inside so it has plenty of upper limb tip room.  I went through every blind spec I could find and went inside every blind I could to gauge window height.  As with every commercial hub-style pop-up, window height seems a bit high so that is an important consideration.  I ended up stringing a bungee cord from the outside of the blind, through the window and hooked it to the rods inside the blind in order to pull the bottom of the window down.  Before I figured that out, I put my first practice shot from the blind through the edge of the folded down window fabric.  With the bungees, I am able to have enough clearance.  I do not shoot through the mesh, just open the inside window fabric and adjust the mesh to allow for small shooting holes.  Turkeys will flat ignore a blind, even if it's in the middle of a field.  I hunted once with another guy, he killed a bird and we layed it RIGHT NEXT to the blind on the outside.  Two Jakes came in later, saw the bird and immediately ran over and stood on top of it mere inches from the blind window.  We were mouth yelping and mouth gobbling and they were gobbling  back.  Lemme tell ya, gobbles are a lot louder when you are 1 foot from the gobbling bird!  I have tape-video to prove it, too!  Yes, those were jakes but I have not had a turkey spook just at the sight of the blind.
Turkeys spook at movement so the blind blocks their eyes from movement.  Tip:  Get a blind that is black on the inside, then wear black while you are in the blind so the birds won't see you, just be careful to close the windows on the back side or the birds will catch your silhouette.  Some folks hunt them from natural ground blinds but I don't have the sit-still-itude for that!  And pop-ups are a lot more portable and take seconds to put up so you can run-and-BOW 'em. Turkeys  are preyed upon by birds from above and they have 270 degree vision so I can't imagine you'd be able to get a shot off from a treestand, unless you are one lucky dog.  Inside a ground blind you can get away with alot of movement.

Best of Luck, Spring turkeys are a ball!

TomBow

[wapiti792]

I do the blind thing and the ghillie thing...I killed a great Tom last year out of a blind. It has its pluses and minuses. The biggest thing is the draw...if you can get by with the draw. I now own the Barronett Big Mike. It is a new one with vertical windows. Last year I shot my 60 inch bow out of a very tight Predator blind.
 
 

I also trimmed out a hole in some honeysuckle and killed a bird in my Ghilli a week later. That was the most fun I have had turkey hunting in a VERY long time. It can be done either way...but treestands are usually a no-go. You MIGHT get a shot at a bird but since half the things that eat them come from above, they will be very wary. Remember...it's the draw that gets you  

 
 

[trubltrubl]

hunted turkys last spring using a ghillie suit and with the help of Jim Dahlberg and Lon and Craig . They had scouted extensively. I scored on a gobbler as well as another Canadian friend who took his from a ground blind....they both worked great(blind and suit)...of course decoys were involved and these guys calling was awesome and they brought in the turkeys to nice bowhunting range several times.....
I am new to it but scouting would be a very high priority along with the above equipment

[Stump73]

Does anyone know why it's illegal to put natural ground blinds in Pa?