The heart-lung area of a wild turkey is the size of a baseball, and gobblers are a master at “the hidden ball trick.” If you plan on hunting spring gobblers with your bow, these images furnished by the National Bowhunter Education Foundation are absolutely critical. The best way is to practice on a 3-D turkey target or a target with turkey vitals, like the Back-to-Back by Morrell.
Save to Your Phone
Spring turkey hunting is a mixture of adrenalin rush, suspense as you wait for a bird to approach, and patience as the woods becomes quiet and you wait for a tom to spot your decoys. This is prime time to review the kill zone of a wild turkey and it helps if you have a phone image of a fully feathered birds at full strut and other stances. Just like you would do with a deer, pick the shot location on a gobbler picture in various positions.
Broadside is Best
If you compare the two pictures above, you will see that everything above this bird’s beak, parallel to the ground, is feathers. Many turkey hunters like to pick the vitals by aiming up the leg to the point where it intersects a line with the waddle, the red, bumpy section of the neck. The trick is to get the bird to stand still. A hen decoy will cause the gobbler to strut stoically, while a jake will cause it to rush in and attack the decoy.
Other Shot Angles
A frontal shot will be lethal if you strike just above the beard. That patch of whiskers makes a clear aiming target, but you must be careful that the tom is facing you directly. Gobblers often rotate their fans so that they appear to be facing you when their body is at an angle. Patience is the key as is a large broadhead, with three-blade models preferable.
Quick Kill or Clean Miss
The head/neck section is very vulnerable to an arrow and a hit in this area disables the turkey instantly. A spring gobbler’s head and upper neck is the size of a soda can, so it’s larger than many hunters think. You can hit this instantly lethal target from the front or the side. If you are competent with a diaphragm caller, make an alarm putt and the gobbler will raise its head and fully exposing its neck. Normally, when a turkey hears this alarm sound, it will hold this pose for a few seconds, so you must be ready to shoot.
Practice, Practice, Practice
If you anticipate bagging a deer at ranges from 20 to 30 yards, it makes sense to practice at 40 to 50 yards to increase your accuracy and test your limits. For wild turkeys, especially when hunting from a blind over decoys, your shooting distance will be about 15 yards. Practice shooting at exact spots, holding at full draw for a minute or more while wearing your hunting gear. Crossbow hunters should use a tripod and all archers should shoot through a blind opening. Shooting windows should be small and more vertical than horizontal to avoid aiming through the opening and hitting the fabric below your sight-of-aim. Bagging a gobbler with a bow takes discipline and dedication, but the juice is definitely worth the squeeze. Best of luck.
