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Another Big Tom with my Bow !!

gunrunr

gunrunr

Life Member
I can still hardly believe it. After having such good luck and shooting a mature tom on opening day with my bow I concentrated on getting some farming done.

See Opening Day Success with a bow! Thread here on IowaWhitetail.com

With the forecast showing rain, I decided to go out and try to fill my other bow tag this morning. I tried a different spot this morning that I have always wanted to watch for turkeys. It has a lot of clover and rye grain coming up and is always loaded with sign. Wouldn't you know it, just after I got the decoys set up and was comfortably situated in the blind, it started to rain. When it got light enough I could see turkeys in the trees roosting only about 150 yards away. They didn't fly down until after 7:00 am. There were several gobblers hammering away just over a ridge from me (they seemed to love to answer to the thunder clasps) and even though it was still raining, the birds started to filter my way. After a little coaxing with my slate call, a bunch of hens and some jakes start to move in on me. Then a big gobbler crested the ridge in the clover, apparently noticed my jake decoy on the far side of the blind and came in mad in kind of a half-strut all ruffled up but the fan kind of rolled up behind him. He looked pretty pissed but soon got over it as he ran into my Muzzy launched from only 9 yards. I glanced at my watch and it showed 7:28, the same time as a week earlier when I shot my first bird.

I had him officially weighed at our local locker at 26.0 lbs. and he has a 10.5" beard and 1.25" spurs. My nicest bird so far with a bow. I can hardly believe that I shot two birds in only two days hunting with only about 3 hours total in the blind. This makes turkey #4 for me with a bow in only two years hunting since I switched to bow-only and so far I am 4 for 4 (recovered every bird I shot at)

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Great work- can't beat being in the right place. Going to need a name change to bowrunr. I keep hearing stories about bow but it has always been challenge enough with a gun. I may have to change my ways, haven't shot a bow since I was a kid.
 
You DA MAN!!!!Great job Gunner!!!
I will try a bow sometime in the near future but I need to get a blind first.
 
Do you keep your blind out in the open just like in the photo? Or was that just a photo opportunity?

Pupster
 
The photo was taken back home where someone was available to hold the camera but the blind was in the open when hunting. It was actually in a lot more open territory than that. I was in a wide opening in a marginally brushy fenceline on top of a ridge. You would think I stick out like a sore thumb but the turkeys never seem to mind. I don't worry a bit about trying to conceal the blind or brush it in for turkeys. Keep your decoys close to allow for a nice close exciting shot ( I put mine at around 10 yards) Wear dark clothes, keep as many windows closed as you can and shoot from the far side of the blind. I've never been busted in the blind yet.

I used to always go back into the timber to hunt turkeys and try to get close to the roost hoping for a fly-down shot. Now I get into the open around the timber where the birds like to get out and scratch and the toms can strut like crazy. You probably won't get that 6:15 fly-down shot but I've never had to wait more that a couple of hours to get a shot.
 
awesome job!!! wow thats something i would definitely be proud of!! way to go, and congratulations
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I tried bowhunting turkeys a few years ago but never scored. I didn't have a blind though, that probably would have helped. I did like being able to hunt all 4 seasons. I may have to try it again next year...

Good job, congrats again!
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Congratulations, I was out in the weather this morning also. Plenty of birds out in the weather but my hunt end with out my first bow kill. I am going to go crazy until I have that first one down. Great pictures and stories, thanks for sharing.
 
I am definitely jealous! Two mature gobblers with a bow, in only 3 hours of hunting...I'm speechless
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. I've hunted everyday of the season, except Saturday & Sunday...and have yet to get a shot
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Awesome accomplishment...CONGRATULATIONS!
 
Congrats to ya', I'd say you're having a pretty good season.
Whats say I send ya' some money to buy me a lotto ticket.
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