Turkey hunted my whole life with a gun until last year. Compound bow in a leaf suit using only natural hides. MAN is it a whole new level of both difficulty and FUN!
Last season doing soI had two jakes on my lap 5 FEET away from me with only a 3’ tall patch of briars in between us.. thought one of them was going to literally jump over the briars onto the deer trail I was hiding on. Ended up getting a shot off as they moved out a bit but I missed low.
Couple hours later I ended up spotting two toms creeping around four hens in the adjacent field.. made a move on them and set up shop about 150 yards in front of them. One of the toms ended up getting ahead of the rest of the flock and came in to a beautiful broadside shot about 15 yards out.. took my shot and watched the arrow go through him, but a little further forward than I was hoping for. He flipped as the arrow when through him, which made the arrow stick in the ground vertically. The flock took off towards a woods line and he followed behind looking a little shook up but not quite hurt. Upon checking the arrow, I found a tiny bit of blood on one of the vanes, and what looked like meat on that same side of the shaft, definitely hit him in the breast unfortunately. Looked for him for over two hours with no luck.. he either made it or became dog food.
With that being said, I will admit turkey hunting with a shotgun is probably more “ethical” for simplicity sake.. I’ve never crippled a bird with a gun and have quite a few under my belt. BUT, it was completely my fault for making a bad shot, and I’ve practiced like hell since that day to be ready for next season. It’s just way too much fun, no way I see myself going back to the gun any time soon.
