Unfortunately, most hunters who have tried it end up going home empty handed for one reason or another. Regardless of how skilled hunters are with a compound bow and arrow, harvesting a turkey with a bow is extremely challenging. In some ways, it is more challenging than harvesting a deer with a bow. Turkeys are smaller and their vital area is extremely small, making it difficult to hit the mark.

On the other hand, killing a tom with archery gear isn't impossible. If hunters possess the right gear and pay attention to the fine details, they may end up smiling with a harvested bird they took with a bow. It may take an extra few days in the woods to accomplish the task, but how many of us would object to spending an extra day or two in the woods?

PRACTICE MAKES PERFECT

For starters, if you want to kill a turkey with a bow, you need to be extremely accurate. Mere inches separate the difference between going home with a turkey and going home empty handed. Purchasing a 3D turkey target is a wise investment. You can shoot at a block target all day, but once you shoot at a turkey target, you will realize just how small their vitals are. Most experts say their vitals are about the size of a softball. Due to the size of their vitals, I wouldn't recommend shooting at a turkey that is more than twenty yards away unless your last name is "Robin Hood." Almost anyone can consistently group arrows inside something the size of a softball at close ranges. However, at thirty yards, it is a whole different story.

SHOT PLACEMENT

Another great place to shoot a turkey is in the head. If you hit them in the head, the game is over instantly. If you miss them, they live to see another day and aren't wounded unlike many birds that are shot in the body. The disadvantage to this method is not many of us are good enough with a bow to lop off a turkeys' head.

BROADHEAD SELECTION

Picking out the perfect broadhead is very important. For deer hunting, almost any broadhead will do the job. With turkey hunting, the right broadhead makes all the difference in the world. I've found a few broadheads that stand out above the crowd. The Steel Force Talon is a great cut-on-contact head that was designed for turkey hunting. The serrated edges on the talon points forward, which decreases penetration. This keeps the broadhead in the turkey, creating massive damage instead of passing completely through. Turkey hunters do a variety of things to decrease penetration on a bird, including using dull broadheads and putting a large washer on the head to slow it down. The Talon eliminates the need for extra gadgets.

Another broadhead worth mentioning is the Gobbler Guillotine Broadhead. This head was designed to be shot at turkeys' heads. It has a whopping four-inch cutting diameter, so if you are not dead on, the blades will still come in contact with the turkeys head and get the job done. If you use this style of broadhead, keep in mind that your only option is a head shot.

POP-UP BLINDS

Another problem associated with hunting turkeys with a bow is being seen when you come to full draw. The way to solve that problem is to use a pop-up ground blind. In recent years, companies like Double Bull have introduced ground blinds that pop up in a few seconds and weigh less than twenty pounds. They also have a black interior so turkeys can't see inside them. A hunter could do jumping jacks in a ground blind and not be seen, thanks to the black interior. A pop-up blind makes harvesting a turkey with a bow easier than it used to be.

DECOYS

Turkey decoys are a must when hunting with a bow. They serve a few purposes. They help you judge distance and help bring a tom within bow range. If you set a decoy at ten yards and see a turkey at twenty, you can use the decoy as a reference point. Having a decoy present often brings a tom those last few yards that we often need to feel comfortable with a shot. When choosing decoys, consider using a strutting decoy like a Pretty Boy. Strutting decoys often bring territorial toms within bow range.

OTHER OPTIONS

Another thing you won't want to leave home without is a rangefinder. When turkey hunting, if you misjudge the distance by a few yards, you may miss the turkey completely. Having a rangefinder allows you to know exactly what the yardage is. The click of a button can make the difference between success and failure.

Some hunters don't leave home without a string tracker. Although it can be very useful in locating your bird after the shot, it can also impact arrow flight. If you are going to use one, practice with it a lot before you go hunting. If you aim for the vitals above the legs as previously discussed, you won't need one.

Knowing how to use mouth calls is vital when bowhunting for turkeys, especially if you are hunting alone. If you use a box call or a slate call, you can't operate the call and shoot your bow at the same time. With a diaphragm call, you can cluck a few times while at full draw, just before letting the arrow fly. This keeps the tom interested and standing still while you take the shot.

With the right gear and knowledge, killing a tom with a bow isn't as difficult as it seems. The hardest thing is the recovery after the shot, and we can eliminate that problem using the options listed above. Owning the right gear can make or break a hunt, as with all hunting. However, if you don't know how to use the gear you own, you won't succeed. Practice with your bow as much as possible before the season opens. If you have a few of the items listed above and can hit an apple at twenty yards, you just might end up smiling over a tom harvested with a stick and string on opening day.