I'm beginning to hate turkeys!!!

[Scoot]

Ryan and I have hunted our behinds off this Spring and he hasn't so much as loosed a single arrow at a bird. We took a trip with NoWiser that was a "sure thing", but he saved his good spots for his sister (LOL- sorry Jim, I couldn't help myself! ) We had a great trip with him, but couldn't get a gobbler in range. We've hunted a ton around home and located some gobblers, but we're hunting public land near the birds and can't get them to come from the land we can't get on very often. I called in a huge gobbler to 3 yards with no shot opportunity one night. I called in another to 12 yards, but he kept moving and Ryan didn't feel good about the shot, so he didn't take it. Had a few birds come check us out at 60 or 80 yards, but we just can't seal the deal. Took Monday off and hunted in the rain and wind. We saw several birds 400 yards away, but they wouldn't leave the wind protection of the trees they were hugged up against. Yesterday morning we couldn't hunt and I got several text messages from my father-in-law and a friend telling me there were gobblers right in the place we always put our blind. Dang things have our number!

In summary, turkeys are driving me crazy! I haven't carried my bow for a couple weeks and don't care one bit if I get a shot. I'd sure like to see my son get a crack at one before the season is over though. It'll likely wrap up for us this coming weekend, punched tag or not.

[Archerysniper]

Welcome to the club.

[DonBo]

Hunting turkeys with archery tackle is a tough road. Sounds like you had birds in range a couple times, that's actually pretty good. A couple opportunities like that a season is all you can really hope for, it's what you do with those opportunities that makes the difference. Don't worry, some day it'll all come together. Even if he never fires a shot this year, he's still 50% the last two seasons and not many archers can claim a better percentage.

I just hope someday you'll discover the joys of "getting even" and break out a shotgun for a much better chance at sealing the deal. It feels really good after a few frustrating seasons.

[leech~~]

Welcome to the club.

Hey, wasn't someone suppose to being wearing some fingernail polish? Didn't see the pic's!

[Scoot]

I just hope someday you'll discover the joys of "getting even" and break out a shotgun for a much better chance at sealing the deal. It feels really good after a few frustrating seasons.

Thanks for the replies, fellas. DonBo, that won't happen. If I can't seal the deal with a bow, the tag will go unpunched. I'm not anti-gun in any way at all, but I'm a bowhunter. It's not an elitism thing either- I'm just a bowhunter and that's how I choose to hunt. My son chooses the same thing so far, even though I've encouraged him to shoot a shotgun.

My daughter, however, has said she's interested in turkey hunting next year. There's no way she'll be able to pull enough pounds on a bow to hunt legally. I told her that and mentioned that she could shoot a shotgun and she was very interested in that. So, maybe next year we'll be out with a thunderstick in the blind!

Ryan and I have had a wonderful time together this Spring and I'm thankful for that. It's been so much fun! He told me the other day, when I asked him if he wanted to hunt the close/easy spot or the spot that was farther and more work, "If you put in the effort, you'll usually get rewarded. The reward may not be getting a turkey, but it might be. If we put in the effort I know we'll have fun and I'll get to spend some great time hunting with my dad." I'd say this season has been a huge success.

[NoWiser]

I just hope someday you'll discover the joys of "getting even" and break out a shotgun for a much better chance at sealing the deal. It feels really good after a few frustrating seasons.

Oh man, isn't that the truth!?! If I had my choice, every bird I'd shoot would be with a bow. But, after having been made a fool of so many times by a bird with a brain the size of a pea, pulling the trigger just feels so dang good! Not to mention the satisfaction of eating a shore lunch of bacon-wrapped turkey breast on a spring fishing trip.

Good luck Ryan! I wouldn't be surprised to see your smiling mug holding a turkey yet this spring.

[ANYFISH2]

Scoot, doesn't the frustration feed the passion?!!

I took me two years with the shotgun to figure out the land and how the birds used it to really set up for success. I sure believe those two years did more for me and my love of the sport than shooting a bird opening morning the last three years. The harder a person works for success the more rewarding it is! It is awsome your son seems to have it figured out at such a young age.

Good luck to both of you.

[Borch]

Keep after them Scoot. It should actually start getting easier soon with hens going to lay on nest mid morning and afternoon. Less of the girls around the toms makes them easier to get in close.

Good Luck!

[sticknstring]

Turks with the bow don't come easy. Like Don said, having a few birds within bowrange in MN is about all you can ask for... you've done good! When you miss at 10 yds and start shooting your decoy - then you can say you hate turkeys! True story!The frustration will make the reward pretty sweet.

Just a thought, but NE tags are $6 for kids and there's a lot of birds. Probably not in the cards for this year, but I bet Ryan would have a ball.

[Archerysniper]

Leech,I had it on till Sunday evening. Had to take it off for work,you can still see the pink in a few spots.

[Powerstroke]

CHoosing the bow is a personal choice and I generlly have fallen in line. That being said, sometimes filling the freezer is more important to me that being a purist. I will have a few days at the end of this month and I may have an extra $25 to throw at a turkey tag just to try again with the bow.

I couldn't agree more with SnS. Nebraska tags for kids are dirt cheap and there are more birds than I can deal with. Its worth it in my book. MY daughter took one last year and had 4 chances this year. They have an early bow season and a youth gun opener that is a week earlier than the gun season for adults. Opportunity is the name of the game.

Ryan sounds pretty mature about his hunting choices, but success is key when they're young. My daughter tapped out this year after missing so many times. Its too bad, but I know she will try again this fall.

[nbadger23]

Oh how I feel your pain! This bow hunting for turkeys thing is FOR THE BIRDS! Ok, maybe not that bad, but wow, it's tough. I chose to do it for the extended season so that I could spend more time out in the woods and with less pressure over a 5 day window. Wouldn't you know it, I could have tagged out opening morning with a gun as I had a clear head shot at 15 yards but no shooting lane for the body.

I did get access to a new piece of land last week that has much more promise. The birds seem to consistently use a horse pasture and if I can just simply "get in front of one" I may get it done. But it is more likely that I won't.

Good luck.. keep at it!

[leech~~]

Leech,I had it on till Sunday evening. Had to take it off for work,you can still see the pink in a few spots.

Oh man I missed the pictures, re-post them!

Also, scoot. This sentence says a lot of how you have trained your son and the maturity he has to hold off and make a good shot. It will come!

"I called in another to 12 yards, but he kept moving and Ryan didn't feel good about the shot, so he didn't take it."

[Wallydog]

Scoot, remember....."it's not the gobbler, it's the gobble!"

[Scoot]

Thanks fellas- much appreciated!

I've done all I can to get Ryan a shot and he finally got a crack at one last night. I had Ryan, a friend of his, my daughter Morgan, and me all packed one the blind last night. All was quiet and Ryan finally spotted a hen about 400 yards away. We watched her for a while and unexpectedly i caught movement out of the corner of my eye. Two jakes and a hen popped out of a steep ditch from behind us and to our left. They appeared at inside of 10 yards and to say we were caught off guard would be an understatement. Ryan tried to get his bow up and ready but the lead bird, which was locked onto the deeks, saw or heard something. They stuck around but wouldn't come to the decoys after that. Finally they made a little circle around us and Ryan took a shot at 20 yards. He just barely grazed the bottom of the bird and removed a couple feathers. It hopped, flew a few feet, and ran like crazy. Dang! So close!!!

[Boar]

Sounds like an awsome season thus far scoot, just might have to try me this turkey hunting thing, gota good freind down in worthington that has invited me and halle to go with them next year. think im a do'er. But at that time of the year its almost bear season, what to do what to do. time together scoot= total success.

[Scoot]

time together = total success.

Absolutely, Boar!

Things finally came together this morning! Almost!!! Short story is this- I called in a jake and Ryan smoked him at 7 yards as he pushed and pecked the decoy. He flopped around for a few seconds, but scrambled past the blind and behind us. I immediately popped up to chase him down, but Ryan said "Wait!" because four other jakes were coming and he hoped I'd get a shot too (since his was already dead in his mind). Short version is we didn't get another crack at one. I got out to retrieve his bird and never found a thing. He got only about 1 1/2" penetration and the arrow came out after a couple seconds.

After all the time and effort together (and it's been a TON), I thought it finally was done. I could already feel my pillow against my head past 4:00 AM!!! Nope... Major bummer. The tears started (Ryan's, not mine) as the rain did and that's how our morning ended. dam.

[Powerstroke]

I've experienced the exact same thing after shooting a pass through with a Rage broadhead. Its the main reason I've converted to Magnus bullheads.

SOunds like you're getting the chances and thats what counts. What I love the most is how many opportunities you've had. If you were gun hunting, you could have filled a tag several times. I always keep that in mind when you hear the stories from gun hunters who want to know if 40 yds is close enough for their gun. Keep up the good work.

[Scoot]

Have I ever mentioned how much I love hunting turkeys?!? 

[ANYFISH2]

What's up scoot?!?  never mind scoot.  Just noticed that Ryan scored on a tom. Congrats to Ryan and you on a well earned bird.  Very glad it all came together fishing ally.

Edited May 26, 2015 by ANYFISH2

[NoWiser]

That's one happy hunter right there!  Nice work Ryan!!!  Now you can concentrate on fishing

[DonBo]

Awesome, awesome, awesome!  Two days left for me to come up with a great hero shot like that. Way to go, both of you!

[Borch]

Very nice bird and a very happy hunter.  I bet his dad is proud...

[Scoot]

Thanks guys!  I can't tell you how shocked I was that we got another chance or how excited Ryan and I were!  Here are a few more pics from our final hunt this Spring.

[Powerstroke]

Congrats Ryan!!! So much time and hard work and it finally paid off! Great job!