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New to Bow Hunting - Seeking Advice

I am an accomplished hand gun hunter, and have decided a new challenge is needed.

I just purchased a Maniac by Mission. http://missionarchery.com/Maniac-bow.asp

Been shooting now for a week - I have enough yard to support a 20 yard target.

The wife got a bow as well, and we are going after Turkey this fall (if I feel we are ready).

If any of you out there have some tips for me, I would love to hear them.

I am using a Scott Little goose single clamp release.
The arrows are Easton Carbon (Cheap target arrows)

For turkey, what heads are you using, can you recommend a call, and perhaps what sent cover you are using.

Thanks


This pic is 20 yard grouping:
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Mike H

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Turkeys rely primarily on sight, remaining hidden and motionless is your goal. I found a small blind works best. Cover scents are not needed. As far as calls are concerned, the mouth diaphragm call is your best option because it can be operated hand free, but it is the hardest to learn. I would recommend a push button box call.

Turkey hunting in the fall is something I have not done. The techniques used are different than in the spring.

Nice grouping! You need to find an archery range are some place that will allow you to practice 40 yd shots.

Best of luck
 
Practice practice practice! Mike covered it well. Just get comfy, I like the pop up blinds because they are fairly cheap and easy to set up anywhere. I like the Cabelas carbon fiber arrows with Muzzy Broadheads. Good luck.
 
Thanks guys...

Yes I shoot every day twice no less than 30 arrows each time - limited to 20 yards, still looking for a decent range so I can get my pins set right.
 
Turkey hunting with a bow is probably the hardest hunting I've ever done. Turkeys have eyes that will pick up on the slightest movement. That said, concealment is very important. I'm still trying to take my first turkey with a bow, the 3 I've taken with a shotgun were all under 20 yards. 20 yards is plenty, all I'll say is that shoot at a range you are comfortable at. If you practice and can go further, it just gives you an additional edge. Of course, I hunt in some pretty think stuff. Just know your limits with a bow.

Everyone I know that has taken a turkey with a bow has used a Muzzy 3 or 4 blade broadhead. They make super wide head chopping broadheads, but a well placed shot in the vitals will take care of them just as well. Why limit yourself to a shot on a neck that's inches wide?

I've used all sorts of calls, but for bow hunting you will want to look at a diaphragm call. With a bow, you will need both hands available during the last few yards. Calls are like razor blades, you just have to find which one works for you.

No need for cover scent with turkeys, invest in good camo and some sort of ground blind.

Nice bow, I use the same release. You'll probably want to upgrade your arrows. I practice with my hunting arrows and broadheads year round. I just sharpen them up before season. I find I'm more consistent using my hunting setup to practice with.

Best of luck!
 
I'm interested in following this. A friend is apparently giving me his dad's old bow so we can go deer hunting this year. I've been rifle hunting for deer out of state (on a big leased property), but was hesitant to do it locally because I would have to use public land up here, and frankly, the shotgun deer season up here seems to be like going into combat on public land. There were multiple fatalities last year, and a greater number of non fatal injuries. But, as it turns out, the WMA I've been turkey hunting gets close to zero traffic during the deer archery season. I took my friend to scout for him, and in the end, he said he had a bow for me, so we're going together, which should be great. I've actually seen more deer than turkeys during my turkey hunts, but they were, of course, out of season.

As for turkey advice- I've yet to roll one, but I only have about 7 days of turkey hunting under my belt. Unfortunately, due to work obligations, I can't make it out until our last turkey season in early May, and by then, only the smart ones seem to be left. I had an almost shot last year, but didn't take it, because the bird was starting to run, and I won't fire unless I can get a clean kill. As others have said, they have great vision, and just pulling the gun up spooked him. Turkeys don't have much sense of smell, so don't worry about cover (although I kind of like those little disks that smell like wet dirt, just because I like to smell wet dirt).

Gear wise, you want camo that matches your surroundings. It doesn't have to be fancy, but of course consider the weather you will encounter. Locally, you don't have to wear any safety orange to turkey hunt. I wear a hat and vest while moving, but then switch to all camo once I am in position. I'm not sure the preferred archery position, but with a shotgun, I like to sit with my back against a tree on a padded seat. I use a little blind like this

http://www.cabelas.com/product/Hunt...C;cat104791680;cat104702580;cat104365080(mine is a different pattern, but same idea) because you can be really mobile with it. Folds down to about a foot long and fits in a pack, which is nice, because I usually end up with a couple miles of walking, so I don't want to carry a doghouse with me, but for archery, that may work better.
 
You must practice from the position you will be shooting from. Turkey hunting is so changing because you will not have an opportunity to adjust your position when the bird is in range. I would at the least practice from a sitting position on a milk crate or whatever. Also vary your target height to simulate field conditions. Raise it and lower it as much as you can in your garden. One shot that is easy to forget to practice is shooting behind yourself, this is most often encountered from a tree stand while deer hunting. Good luck and keep us informed of your progress.
 
Jim

I had not even thought about the shooting position - great advise - I will start to vary my shooting position and target height.

Bossopotamus

If the bow is begin given to you - I suggest taking it to your Archery pro shop and get it fitted to your draw length,and get the peep site set to your eye height - even if you just borrow it, it needs to fit
The archery shop I go to did a great fitting it to me - natural shooting position and all - put me on the target in a few shots
 
Jim

I had not even thought about the shooting position - great advise - I will start to vary my shooting position and target height.

Bossopotamus

If the bow is begin given to you - I suggest taking it to your Archery pro shop and get it fitted to your draw length,and get the peep site set to your eye height - even if you just borrow it, it needs to fit
The archery shop I go to did a great fitting it to me - natural shooting position and all - put me on the target in a few shots
Good to know about the fit, I don't know anything about archery, and will have about a month-6 weeks to get into practice. Of course, if I can't hit, I'll just wait until next year...
 
So I have been letting arrows fly now for a week - about 50 - 60 a day... and today I pulled a Robin Hood....
I am gonna need a raise to support my arrow habit...

I really like this Mission bow - talk about a nice piece of equipment...
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Congrats on the robin hood! The first one is always fun, but then they start to get expensive.:001_tongu Start shooting one arrow at each dot on the target to minimize damage to your arrows.

Definitely try to find a place to back out to 40 yards for practice. A good rule of thumb is that your groups should be 1" for every 10 yards that you're shooting (1" @ 10 yards, 2" @ 20 yards, etc.) When you can keep them all within 4" @ 40 yards then you are ready to hunt at that distance. Remember, just like guns, the farther you attempt to shoot, the more touchy your aim will be. Always take hunting shots within your self-imposed limit. Too long of a shot can lead to a wounded, unrecovered animal and that's never any fun.

Practice, practice, practice. If you plan on hunting from an elevated stand try to get in some practice from an elevated position. If you are up 15 to 20 feet shooting at a target on the ground and you don't bend at the waist, your arrows will hit high. If you get up higher than that they tend to hit high anyway. Also look into shooting some 3D tournaments. They are great practice for hunting. With hunting seasons so close to opening, most 3D is over for the year, but you may find a tourney or two out there. Try Tyler, TX. They have a really good archery club out there and they put on good 3D shoots. You are in an area that has a lot of bow clubs and tournaments. If you go, remember it's about having fun and practicing for hunting. Try not to worry too much about your score.

There are some good archery forums out there where you can learn a lot, but you must learn to wade through a lot of folks' opinions in order to get to the facts. There's lots of brand-bashing, hunting ethics arguments, and other nonsense that go on in those forums, but there is a lot of good info as well.

Archery is fun and highly addictive, especially traditional archery, should you ever go that route. Good luck and I wish you success this season! :thumbup1:
 
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