2010 Wild Turkey Chronicles Hunt #7

Archery Fall Turkey!

Turkey number seven was an unexpected bonus. The Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency adds an either sex turkey tag to the Archery Only deer season which allows a bow hunter to take one turkey during the archery hunt. They offer this concession with tongue slightly in cheek since the annual harvest of turkeys during archery season seldom exceeds 300 birds and 99% of them are incidental to deer hunters.
As an avid deer hunter, October usually finds me hanging up in trees with my bow in hand in hopes of putting venison in my freezer and horns on the wall. I was aware of the fall archery tag but I’ve never been able to get my bow drawn on a turkey from a tree stand and years back I’d had some frustrating experiences bow hunting turkeys in the fall. Back in the mid 80’s when the only fall turkey hunting opportunities were brief and limited to archery tackle, I did it all by the book and I can tell you, it is hard to scatter turkeys when you don’t have a shotgun and it is harder still to get your bow drawn on a turkey that is responding to your calls if you don’t have a blind. In three years of fall turkey hunting with my compound bow, I got one shot at a called up turkey. When I finally got a young hen within range and got my bow drawn, I was so wired up and anxious, my hastily hurled arrow hit 2 feet low at 20 yards. Needless to say, when Tennessee finally opened a fall turkey season that allowed the use of shotguns, I lost interest in bow hunting fall turkeys.
Until this year, that is. While walking back from deer hunting, I disturbed a flock of turkeys feeding under a large red oak tree on two consecutive mornings. I had experimented with portable blinds and decoys the previous fall with some success so I was equipped and the season was open so I decided to go turkey hunting.
I drug my Boiler Room ground blind out of my storage room and rounded up the “ “Lip Sisters” (My two super realistic Dave Smith decoys “Hot Lips” and “Sweet Lips”) , I was ready. I got the “Boiler Room” set up close to the red oak at high noon to avoid spooking the turkeys again and stored the Lip Sisters and my Hunt Comfort chair in it. The next morning before first light I set the decoys 10 yards in front of the blind, got my turkey calls and bow placed in easy reach and waited to hear the first yelp.
And waited, and waited and waited. Not a peep. I had been making some lost yelps and kee kee runs, trying to get a sympathetic response since fly down time but nothing would answer. I was beginning to believe the turkeys were feeding in a different area and thinking seriously about dragging up when I thought I heard a turkey purr from the closed up side of the blind. I made a soft yelp and picked up my bow. My soft yelp was answered by another purr and a soft cluck. I hooked up my release and waited. 8 hens came scratching and pecking into view about 10 yards from the blind. They acknowledged the Lip Sisters with clucks and purrs and went about their business feeding on the plentiful acorns. In an attempt to blend in with the dark inside of the blind, I was wearing my only available “Ninja” outfit (a pair of black work out pants and a black fleece Yamaha shirt) but the turkeys still got nervous and started drifting away when I drew my bow. I held at full draw until they settled down. When one of the hens turned sideways and stopped 10 yards out, I settled the pin on her wing butt and squeezed the release. The Rage broad head performed as advertised and my first bow killed fall turkey was in the bag. Fifteen years ago I could call the turkeys in but they were nervous when they got close and I could never get my bow drawn without getting caught. The blind and the decoys did the trick. The decoys relaxed the turkeys enough so they didn’t pay any attention to the blind which concealed my movement enough to get my bow drawn. Next archery season I will hunt deer and I will hunt turkeys on purpose.
Fall firearm turkey season starts Dec. 6 for 11 days-I’ll keep you posted.