Turkey hunting without blinds

[Caleb Andes]

Hey there! Looking to be more mobile this year with the stick bow during turkey season. I can't stand being couped up in a blind hearing the toms 300 yards away. And I refuse to use a gun cause I'm stubborn like that.

I have been tossing around the idea of buying some camo mesh and putting it on stakes that I could throw up in a hurry.

Advice? Hints? Tips? Tricks? Experiences? All are welcome!!!

[Paul Shirek]

I am interested. I would rather not hunt then sit in a enclosed blind. Just feels like a lockup to me. However, I don't do very well at getting off shots without one... looking forward to  some good advice.

[Zradix]

I've been close to turkeys many times just sitting by a tree. just seems they never show up when I'm hunting for em ..lol

As far as a small portable blind goes I really like Eastman-Outdoors-Adjustable-Height-Ground-Blind.

You can get them pretty cheap....around $23 last I looked.

They're not made like a $300 blind either though.
The poles are sorta like 2 carbon arrows with a sleeve so they can slide in and out of each other.

The material seems to change over the years.
It's always been "leafy" though.
it's always been fairly tough and pretty quiet though. It's not nylon like most blinds.
It's a little thicker and quieter with a coarser weave.

Sometimes the the little sleeve the poles use to go into the the material gets "un glued" from the poles. No big deal, just reglue it on.

I just really like the adustability of them.

My oldest one is 6-7 years old now. I've had to reglue a few poles back into the sleeves but it works like new.

Even if the poles come out of the sleeves you can still just put them back in and finish the day...or the hunt. The sleeves I guess are more like a pocket really.... There is a top to it that keeps the poles from poking through. It really isn't a problem.

I just really like em and use them ever year... and for $25 or so it's really a steal.

[stabow]

Might try a bush in a bag from Big Jim set up so the turkey will walk behind a big tree or blow down so you can get drawn

[DKdc]

I dont use a blind or camo netting, Just have a leafy camo top and try to set up in areas where I will be able to draw when the bird goes behind trees or brush. I killed a bird two years ago doing this and my freind who was set up with me missed a nice tom. Last year I took a friend who had never killed a bird and got him one with a shotgun but it would have been a slam dunk with my bow. I guess what I am saying is that it can be done without a blind.
Good luck,
DK

[tracker12]

It can be done but is very difficult.  Personally I think a gobbler is the tuffest thing out there to draw and shoot without him seeing you.  I have have run and gunned with a bow but I always have a blind on the back that I put up quickly when I set up for the bird.  I can throw up my double bull in about 45 seconds.

[nineworlds9]

I'm planning on it

[macbow]

My friends have had a lot of success with a bow blind called
H.I.P.S.    Hidden In Plain Sight.
I have one and have been close but no shot yet.

[Brock]

I have hunted that way...both with natural cover and the mesh camo you can buy...also some military surplus camo.  Done both ways ...stakes with blind material mostly in front and nothing to sides or rear....but usually I try to find some natural cover that breaks up my outline and gives a little cover and use the cloth camo to fill in on sides or to both sides of my shooting lane so they cant see unless directly in lane and looking toward me.  it does limit your shooting if done like that....a blown down stump or in some palmettos just inside treeline with decoy 5-8 yards out in field from woods edge is my normal setup.

[maineac]

I have tried building ground blinds in areas that have seen a lot of use by birds in previous years.  They almost always bust me from beyond bow range.  Either I move (though I am trying to be perfectly still.  If my head and shoulders are above the blind they seem to pick me out, even with a tree behind.  I hate being inside double bull style blinds, to dark.  I purchased a ground blind from LL Bean's It is high enough that with a low seat I can be hidden.  It has two small window that can be opened and shot through.  folds up small enough to carry in the back of my vest.  Still takes me a couple of minutes to set up.  Have not tried it on birds yet, but I have high hopes.  I think the bush in a bag thing would be good, just worried about how hot they would be running and bowing in May.

[Don Batten]

You fellows need to search Joebuck's posts on the subject. I would go out on a limb and say he's probably the most successful  out there hunting blindless.

We have cedar thickets around here. A spike stool in the middle of them is better than a blind as long I one has camo that sort of matches the cedar branches. One odd thing is turkeys do not seem to have much fear of humans at long distances and thankfully they have short memories of where the humans went after they can no longer see them.  All that said, I am going to be packing a Bush in A Bag along with my spike chair.

[Hoyt]

I can't hunt out of a blind. I bought one, took it to the woods and sat in about 30mins..never used it again. I like to be able to see all around.

I'm going without decoys or blinds..if I'm not going to kill anything may as well do it the hard way.

There's about 3 to 5 gobblers that roost on the ridges and bottoms of where I took these photo's the other day. Three drainage's come together here and there's some big boulders all around. I cut a few little saplings and started a blind next to one of them.

The gobblers like to fly down right in here and strut on a flat place right out where I'm looking in the second photo.

 

 ]

[Bowwild]

I bowhunted them without blinds way back in Indiana in 1978 and 1979 before anyone had yet killed a turkey with a bow in Hoosierland. I had 5 birds inside of 15 yards during the 1978 season but couldn't get a shot.

Hunted them in Kansas (Rios) with camo screen, dug holes to get the bow lower, still no birds --Rios are often with other birds and they saw me.

When I went to blinds I started seeing more birds and finally killed a couple. A buddy of mine really uses the portable feature of portable blinds. He can take it down, bag it up and hustle to the bird. I'm not that energetic.

[John146]

Originally posted by macbow:
My friends have had a lot of success with a bow blind called
H.I.P.S.    Hidden In Plain Sight.
I have one and have been close but no shot yet.

Hey Mac, I just ordered me one of those HIPS Blinds. That is a fantastic idea. Hunting on the ground almost exclusively this ought to be the ticket. You have any issues with that thing? Tell me about your close calls. Thanks.

[m midd]

Ive killed them in kansas with just a rancho safari ghillie and a recurve. I tried the pop up blind but its too slow and to much crap to carry

[wapiti792]

I am going totally blind less this year too. Killed this fine tom with a Marc Anthony gillie and a sharp Ace last year.


 

I agree turkeys are the hardest thing to draw on, but with some good natural cover, a good suit, and a bird that is more interested in the dekes than you, it can be done!

[Whip]

I have a lot fun in the past couple of years by going blindless.  Joebuck is the master of this game, and my set up is a poor copy of what he does.  I continue to revise my set up, but this thread gives the basics.  Here is a link to a thread I did about my setup.  The key to the package is the Hidden Draw bow blind.

 http://tradgang.com/cgi-bin/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic;f=1;t=102918

[markliep]

Anybody tried the Advanish product from triple crown outdoors?
 http://www.triplecrownoutdoor.com/bowhunting.html

[Looper]

I hunt them without a popup blind. It's definitely doable, but you need to hide yourself well, from all angles. A ghillie suit can work great, if you can take the heat and can shoot without hanging up on something.  

I prefer to nestle in to some natural cover and pile some downed limbs to fill in gaps. I also take a piece of burlap with me for the same purpose. Just make sure you are hidden from behind.

Here are a couple of pics from inside a couple of different set ups from last year.

 

 

The first pic was from my setup on opening morning. I was absolutely covered up with birds. My mistake was not being hidden well enough from behind. A big sneaky gobbler busted me from 5 feet away when I went to draw on a bird that was molesting my decoy. About gave me a heart attack.

The second picture was a better setup. I had an old blow down behind me. One thing I believe is critical to success is to have some good decoys. My AvianX dekes worked perfectly, especially the 1/4 strut jake. I've never seen gobblers get so worked up over a decoy.