daveyrock

So I'm bowhunting turkeys this spring and am looking for some input on the best strategy. Is it better for a bowhunter to hunt from a completely concealed ground blind; one that pops up, or does it not matter? Could I purchase a quick blind that conceals me from ground up to my neck lets say? Where bowhunting will require more movement, I'm nervous that if I'm not in a pop-up blind of some sort I'll be spotted.

JW

First off let me tell you I am not a bowhunter for turkeys (as of yet!)

But I can tell you to bring a bow at full draw without a blind is a higher challenge than in a blind!

This is based from my experience using blinds - whether a simple open rag panel type blind or fully enclosed! The Rag - a Flat pannel in front of you, is a bit more challenging than a fully enclosed.

Why??? - Movement - movement at the wrong time seen by that turkey and they are FLAT out gone!

A turkeys vision is such they can see 240 degrees around them. I swear at times they can see right through a big ole tree trunk as I tried to move the gun just a bit!

JW

mfd1027

JW's rt. about movement being your nemesis with turkey hunting but you don't have to have an enclosed ground blind to be successful. Personally I prefer ground blinds made from natural materials (brush, etc.). You can build them a little taller and shoot thru the blind or you can build them lower and plan to raise up while at full draw. Always try to build them in the shade. I prefer to sit in an old fashioned webbed lawn chair that i have camoed unless I'm running and gunning when I will just sit flat on theground like I would with a gun. There's no denying that an enclosed blind will allow you to get away with a little more movement than a natural blind but natural blinds have a few advantages over enclosed blinds such as better light to illuminate your sight pins (it can be nearly impossible to see your pins without a light source inside an enclosed blind esp. in low light conditions), hearing, better visablility, not frying inside a blind in the heat, lol. Enclosed blinds are nice but you don't need one to kill a turkey with a bow. Probably the best advice anyone could give you is to not be overbowed. If you candraw your bow while your sitting on the ground with your legs extended out in front of you and holding your bow with your bow arm straight you'll be fine. If you can't do that turn the weight down. Good luck!

Dan

daveyrock

Thanks guy's that is the advice I needed and will help come April...thanks

Ihuntandfish

I don't hunt turkeys with a bow, but I have tried deer hunting out of a blind with a bow. Onething that you want to make sure of is that you have enough room inside to draw back your bow. A blind may seem big when you are sitting inside trying it out, but when you try to draw a bow back inside of it you will find that it's not as big as it seemed especially if you havea bow with a large axle to axle height. Also, like mfd1027 said, make sure that you have bright pins. Especially in the morning and evening hours, it is extremely difficult to see the pins. If I were you I would hunt out of a ground blind. Turkeys don't pay any attention to them and they can conceal your movements pretty well. However, if you do get a pop-up, don't think that you can move around as much as you want inside of the blind. They still will pick you out through the windows, just not as easily as if you were sitting in the open. Good luck

SouthernStrut56

I've never taken one with a bow, but I am going to try hard this year. I've always said I wouldn't hunt out of the big pop ups you see on tv, I would want to take one with no blind and use thick cover around me to try and make it happen. If I get busted 30 times, that's fine, but I bet I'd finally luck up and be in the perfect situation to do it. That's how I'd do it. Last year I killed 3 birds with my gun in the same exact spot, and I really believe I could have taken one of them with my bow. I was just off the field edge in the woods, looking down the road at a food plot 100 yards away where I spotted him strutting. Long story short, I called him down the road, he walked behind some thick cover that was between us, then right out into the open and I shot him. I know I could have drawn back and been ready. I'm gonna try it this year. Like I said, I may get busted a hundred times or more, but one day I'll get one like that.

Wingbone

All the consistantly successful bowhunters that I know use a pop-up blind.

IL-Cornfed

Very, very true. The key word there is "consistantly". Even an inexpensive pop-up will dramatically improve your odds at bowhunting these birds. It's truly one of my all-time favorite ways to hunt. IF I couldn't use a pop-up blind than I would make sure I atleast used a full strut decoy to get that Toms attention off of you! That being said though,.... I wouldn't give up the Double Bull blinds I have. You can bet I'll be sittin' in my Dark Horse or my Matrix this Sping with my trusty Mathews DXT clutched in my hand. Good luck and good huntin'

Bernie P.

A rag blind is all you really need.The main thing is to set a decoy out near a tree large enough to block the birds view of you as you draw.At some point he'll pass behind it strutting or whatever and that's when you make your move.Good luck!