Hi, I am a handicapped sportsman that really wants to give turkey hunting a try. I have a hunting lease that has a good population of turkeys but I've never tried to huunt them. From what I've read, "running and gunning" won't work for me. I'm going to have to sit in my blind and try for one. I have a lot of fields on the lease that I can get to in my wheelchair or ATV. So does a ground blind and some decoys sound like a solution? If so, which decoy and how many? Any advise would be greatly appreciated.

Handicapped is not reason for you not to kill a BirdI too am like you but mine is self-induced. I am just to fat. If they are using the fields. You have a Very good Chance of getting a good Shot. I like the B-Mobile or the Pretty Boy and a Couple Hens. If they come in the field and see them they might just come running. You do know that Movement is the KEY to not being seen?? Do you have a Blind? It would be good if you do. Can you Call??? Have you done alot of hunting? Ask any questions you can think of I am sure someone will know something about it!

TF

Turkey Fife, thanks for the reply. I purchased a wide variety of calls including some mouth calls and I'm getting better all the time. I have an instructional CD from Primos that has helped a lot. I do have a ground blind that I can drive my chair right into. I think that I've got about everything that I need except for the decoys and some sights for my 11-87. Will 1 B-Mobile and 1 mobile hen be enough? I'm thinking of one of these 2 sights:

http://www.truglosights.com/content/...ies_magnum.asp

http://www.hivizsights.com/Shotgun-T...ht--P24C1.aspx

My son will be hunting with me some and he has a red-dot scope on his 870.
Any input would be greatly appreciated.

The B-Mobile line will work just fine for you.

As to shotgun sights.... here is some food for thought. You are going to be sitting in a blind, the inside of which is black. Granted, turkey hunting is not really a low-light sport.... but I had to change bow sights this past fall when I started hunting more and more out of a ground blind because I could not see my pins inside the blind, just for it being so dark. Fiber optic bow sights and fiber optic guns sights work the same way.... so it is something to consider.

I personally have a scope on my turkey gun... 2-7x32... its stays on 2x. I've used red dots before, but I'd never use anything other than a scope or a good set of adjustable FO sights, such as williams sights.

A touch of advice on set ups: I am going to assume you are right handed, but if you are a southpaw... just reverse the directions (make right left) and the same holds true. Assuming you are right handed, it is much much easier for you to point, aim and shoot a shotgun to your lefthand side. Take into consideration where the birds will likely be coming from... especially as that angle pertains to your blind and your decoys. If you put your decoys too far off to the right, the birds will side slip you, and be in a position where you will not be able to swing around to make a shot on them. You can probably rotate and shoot almost 180 degrees, but all of it on your left side.... I like to have my decoys set up almost right off my left shoulder... that way if the birds do come in from the right, I can shoot straight in front of me... it cover the field of fire so to speak.... lessons learned the hard way!

Where are you located at bigtimer?

I'm in Eastern NC. I get what your saying about how I would set up in the blind. I am a southpaw so I'll just reverse the directions that you gave me. What do you think about the decoys? I can get a B-Mobile and a mobile hen for $80.00. Are they good decoys?

Bigtimer,
I'm disabled too after two back operations. You have to learn like I did how to hunt with your eyes more than your legs. You can and will kill a bird in a blind.
Make sure you get out and scout the best you can so you can pick a good blind location. That's very important.

As for a sight, what ever you feel comfortable with. Just get out before the season and pattern your gun.

As for decoys, I use and perfer Buckwing's Bob-n-heads over any other decoys out there. Very natural movement and a hell of a lot less money. Check them out for yourself.

Want to wish you the"BEST OF LUCK" turkey hunting and keep us posted. Make sure you've got a cell phone with yea just in case.

not being able to run in gun should not prevent you from getting a bird, as they all said set up in a feild that you know the turkeys travel, two deacoys is the perfect number for turkeys, its not like duck/goose where the more the better, just set the deacs up where the birds will see them traveling their normal route, do ot call too much if you are where the birds want to be for they might get suspicious. you can call a little though and at that point of time your calling just to locate the toms and which directions they are comeing from. you have the same chance at getting a bird as someone who would goto themm, you just have a different set of challenges

Well you came to the right place for advice. The B-Moble decoys are certainly very good, the only thing is that they are pretty expensive. If that isn't a problem then by all means get them, but i think some of the cheaper plain old foam decoys can work just as well for a fraction of the cost. But a decent blind, a couple decoys, and a couple calls on the edge of the field should have you sitting pretty, Good luck!

Good thing you have feilds to hunt... Good luck

A BobbleHead hen is a good choice - you really don't more than one or two decoys - man i wish i was closer as i would set up one of my DB blinds for ya and show you how I place decoys.....in fact I can show you...

Blinds should always be placed on the shady sides of fields - look at this


Now the decoys - though the picture is deceptive - are only 10 paces (less than 10 yards) from the blind. You can see the blind is int he shadows - sun is behind me - and the blind is set right ont he edge of the field next to a cedar.

What you don't see is that Decoy set-up two Jakes - one who strutted and 1 hen came right next to my home buit fake Tom......The dead bird is a Mature 3 yr old who was ratherr relcutant to come in but I coaxed him with calls and he could not stand that his Harem left him......He got to about 30 yards and then acted like he was going to turn away so I whacked him. The whole time those 2 Jakes and Hen where amoungst those decoys you see. At the shot they ran about 20 yards and then just stood there. I could have whacked another one!

Now on this picture the blind is hard to see as I palced in between 2 cedars - but the decoys are less than 5 yards from the front of the blind. I find I like the decoys closer now - is more fun to film.


Now I like using a strutting Tom (hey be carefull it is not a given and can make birds not come in) and 2 hens. 1 hen is a full bodied hen - a garage sale find - old and heavy - that I put right ont he gound in front of the Tom - the other on the bottom of the picture is my Bobble head hen feeding

I take video's all the time from my blinds - I ahve had hens peck at the blind looking for that hen calling - I have had jakes so close I could have reached out and grabbed their neck - Sit back int eh shadows - watch you sunlight for amny slits - keep it dark as you can -
I really don't wear a headnet - and I do poke my gun barrel out
Now the trick to that is poke the barrel straight at him - means you pull it back and then slowly poke the barrel out - you'll be fine and YOU WILL Whack a bird!

Anyting else i can help you with - just ask - been using blinds for yrs now!

JW