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Turkey hunting is challenging. Turkey hunting with a bow is challenging and frustrating. I have harvested a few turkeys with a bow in the spring and in the fall. In both seasons, putting a bird in the freezer with stick and string can be difficult. I think the toughest thing about trying to tag a turkey with a bow is the waiting game. When hunting with a gun, most hunters sit for a few hours (at most) and if they don’t get a bird, they start walking and calling until they find a hot bird. Although this is not impossible with a bow, it is more difficult so most bowhunters choose to place a pop-up blind in the woods or on the edge of a field and play the waiting game. Most hunters place a decoy or two in front of them and call occasionally, hoping that sooner or later a bird will come to the call.
After several hours of sitting in a blind, it is not common for me to second guess my sanity. I think about the work I have to do. I think about the shotgun sitting in my closet that would make my hunting so much easier. I usually get extremely bored and hot and when this continues for a few days, it can be difficult to drag myself out of bed at 4:30 in the morning. When it goes on for days and days, the shotgun starts calling my name in my sleep.
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This year, Mike Mix from EP Hunting - maker of the new Reign Broadhead - a slick new broadhead that swivels in the ferule, decided to try his hand at chasing longbeards with stick and string. To complicate things, he decided to film the hunt so he brought along a camera man. If you have ever hunted with a camera over your shoulder, you know how much that can complicate things. After several days of hunting and more close calls than you can shake a turkey beard at, Mix finally got an opportunity. “I knew the moment I saw him that I wanted to take him. He had a really nice beard,” Mix said. The bird responded to calls and slowly began working his way towards the blind. When the bird was fifty yards away, Mix was ready to shoot. “I was getting antsy and was ready to shoot but we decided to let him come closer,” Mix added. When the bird was twenty-three yards away, Mix put an arrow through the bird. The large cutting diameter of the Reign broadhead coupled with a complete pass through brought the bird down. While many birds run after being hit with an arrow, this old tom fell over. “He was worth the wait. He had an 11 ½ inch beard and 1 ½ inch spurs,” Mix happily noted.
If you want to harvest a turkey with a bow, I suggest two things. First, bring a lot of patience with you into the woods. Second, choose a broadhead with a large cutting diameter. The Reign has a 1 3/8-inch cutting diameter combined with a shatterhead tip that destroys bone and flesh. The Reign blows through turkeys. If you don’t use the Reign, choose a large cutting diameter mechanical head. They quickly bring turkeys down which eliminates the tracking job. Most unrecovered turkeys get away because they run off and hide in thick cover before they die. I have discovered that large diameter broadheads act similar to a slug when they hit a turkey. The blades do so much damage that the bird hits the ground before it can get away. |