Whether you’re preparing for the opener, or just staying sharp throughout the season, you need to be practicing your shot routine for bowhunting turkeys.
Turkeys present one of the toughest bowhunting targets hunters face all season. There’s just not much room for error. That’s why practice is so important to stay sharp.
Here’s a closer look at how to practice for bowhunting turkeys.
Ground Blind Practice
Hunting from a ground blind is the best way to kill a turkey with your bow, no doubt. You can get away with an incredible amount of movement when hunting from the blind.
But using a blind can come at a price. There will be restrictions. You will be limited in your visibility, hearing and shot angle, just to name a few. That’s why it’s so important to practice from the blind.
Take the time to practice from a ground blind chair or stool. Practice shooting from your knees as well. Can you clear the window easily when shooting from the blind? Do you have enough room in your blind to come to full draw without making noise or bumping the side walls of the blind?
Make sure you know the answer to these questions ahead of time. Spend plenty of time in the yard shooting from the blind.
Practice in the Timber
The majority of turkeys killed with a bow are taken in wide open fields from setups much like what we’d utilize when deer hunting. But don’t overlook the opportunity to practice in the timber.
Everything looks a little different when it comes to hunting in the low-light conditions inside the woods. Distance judging can be tough, as well as seeing your pins in low-light conditions.
Take the time to practice your routine in the timber and you’ll be ready to go when the opportunity comes, and you’ll build confidence for a run-n-gun bowhunting effort when the time is right.
Practice From a Chair
When I go into the woods with plans to stay awhile, I like to utilize a turkey lounger chair for long hours against a tree. Yes, they are a pain to carry, but they can be worth their wait in gold when you’re sitting still for hours at a time. They are comfortable enough to take a nap in as you wait out your bird.
Aside from their comfort, the real beauty in these chairs is the fact that you can shoot your bow nice and easy from them. Just make sure you practice from your particular setup.
Take the time to make sure you have adequate limb/cam/string clearance from various angles.
Practice Varying Target Positions & Postures
Be sure to practice and prepare yourself for a variety of positions and postures with turkeys. The latest target offerings from Delta McKenzie allow you to do just that with their series that includes a strutting bird, an upright/alert bird that’s not in strut, as well as a semi-strut gobbling turkey target.
The targets provide a more realistic practice routine, particularly when it comes to preparing yourself for varying shot positions of the wild turkey.
Conclusion
Be sure to practice both before and during the turkey season each year to boost your odds for punching more turkey tags season after season.
A more realistic practice routine will help curb the misses and keep you in that smaller group of hunters that find success while bowhunting turkeys each spring.
