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Try Changing Things Up This Spring

Some say that spring turkey hunting is challenging enough. Finding, setting up and calling a longbeard within 30 yards with a 3 1/2-inch magnum is plenty difficult to do on a consistent basis.

So, why would some folks want to make things more difficult, some would ask. I would suggest the challenge is what makes turkey hunting exciting and fun.

No matter what one chooses to use, the weapon of choice is up to each individual. It’s been well documented that spring gobbler hunters in the past have moved to 20 gauge, while others are using crossbow, and the new move is using 410 gauge. We can argue all day about which is the best, in terms of a good, clean, kill shot.

That is a conversation for another day.

For me, moving to archery equipment to hunt spring birds is the way to go. Let me explain. A well-placed arrow will dispatch a turkey just as quickly as a 12-gauge. The key is a well-placed shot. With practice and the proper arrow, the broadhead combination is deadly for taking a bird.

Using stick and string for hunting is nothing new. Native Americans have been chasing wild critters around with stick and string since the beginning of time. Many of us have continued with the tradition to hunt anything that moves with a bow and arrow.

Back in the day, I started my hunting journey with a borrowed recurve bow and cedar arrows. I remember watching video after video of Fred Bear hunting around the world with either a recurve or longbow. Somehow in my young, naive mind, I was hunting like Fred, but the only difference was I was sitting in a woodlot in Chautauqua County, willing to shoot any deer that strolled by my set-up.

Today’s archery hunting is leaps and bounds from the days of just a recurve, but no matter what type of archery equipment you chose to use today, we are still hunting with a stick and string. The one thing that hasn’t changed is the challenge of getting game into archery range.

Having hunted with just about every type of “archery” equipment that has come down the pike over the past four decades, today’s archery hunters have more choices to hunt with than ever before. From recurve to longbow, compound to crossbows, it’s a new world for stick and string hunters.

This coming Friday, May 1, is like Christmas morning for a 5-year-old. Like all things in today’s world, spring turkey hunting has also changed. The one thing that hasn’t changed is the birds still gobble and we need to call them close enough to kill them.

For those who want to take their spring gobbler hunting more seriously — like needs to be done — their weapon of choice in the spring is the bow and arrow. The only thing that hasn’t changed over the years is accuracy. While practice is important, having the proper equipment for your style of hunting and your confidence in said equipment is just as important.

With the advent of new bows, broadheads, arrows and the like, hunting with archery equipment is exciting. At the top of anybody’s list of archery equipment should be a good quality sight. I have shot the IQ Bowsight and have found it easy to use and forgiving.

With its patented Retina Lock technology, the IQ Bowsight quickly became regarded as the world’s most accurate archery sighting system.

IQ Bowsight has bridged the gap between multiple-fixed-pin sights and rapid-adjustable single-pin sights with the addition of the new IQ Pro One and IQ Pro Hunter to the IQ Pro Bowsight lineup. As with all IQ Bowsight models, the IQ Pro One and IQ Pro Hunter feature the patented Retina Lock alignment technology that provides instant feedback to identify even the slightest torque or anchor-point change.

The proper shot placement for a turkey with a bow is fairly easy, as long as you can hit a quarter at a given distance. The head shot is best, when taken at good distance. For this shot, it’s not so much a shot at the head, but just below the head on the neck. This can be difficult just because of the size of the target, but remember you are hitting a target that doesn’t stay still. A turkey head is always moving and looking around, but a good old-fashion “putt” will stop that head for a brief movement, just long enough to take a shot.

A couple other shots are just below the butt of the wing, where the wing comes together with the body. Another sure-fire kill shot is the Texas heart shot. This shot is best when the bird is facing away from you and basically is taken at the butt of the turkey, which will send the arrow through the body into the heart.

Out of the above, in my opinion, the best is the head/neck shot. While it is the most difficult, it is the most deadly.

When it comes to chasing spring long beards, trusting your equipment is important and having a sight that works for you and not against you can be the difference in a filled tag or looking for your arrow in the grass.

In the world of spring gobbler hunting, there is always something new and different to try out each year. This year I caught the beginning of a ground swelling at a recent camp. It seems there are folks in the turkey world who are taking their spring gobbler hunting to the next level by going down in gauges.

Over the years I have guided and watched many folks fill their spring tags with 20- gauge guns using a 3¢-inch shell. It’s no big secret that archery hunting is taking off in the spring woods, but I have uncovered a small, but growing, group of veteran turkey hunters using a .410-gauge shotgun, with special loaded .410 3-inch shells.

OK, before you all go off on me, I am just passing along a new trend. I am not saying I agree with it or would like to try it, but there is a growing group of hunters who are looking for the next challenge and feel that .410 is it.

From what I understand, the selection of .410s isn’t that large so most are finding 1100 or 870 skeet guns that use full or extra full chokes in. The shells are a bit more difficult to come by, as one can imagine The .410 shells aren’t the most popular. Once you get your hands in, some hand loading seems to be the best bet, because at this time there are no commercial turkey loads available in .410.

Most the shots are inside 20 yards with most being no more 15 yards. From what I understand, if you can get a gobbler that close, a .410 will give him a dirt nap.

Archery or gun this spring, make sure we do our best to make it a one-shot deal. A quick kill shows more respect to the critter than anything we could dream up. Have a safe and enjoyable spring gobbler season.

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