Americana Outdoors E-Magazine - May 2020

shot placement the hunter made was perfect only to watch the bird backflip and run away.

found success many times in areas near watering holes, feeding areas, and so forth with this type of a set up to hide both cameraman and hunter together. While I personally love and enjoy just plopping down by a tree sometimes, that’s hard to do when filming a hunt and the pop-up blind provides cover for everyone. Using decoys in this type of a set up is another bonus as you’re more apt to stay put for some time. Finally, this type of set up allows you to get where you know the turkey will likely show up and helps to camouflage your movement while you are being patient in waiting them out. Soft calls really can seal the deal on locations and set ups like this. Tip #8: Be Prepared to Track Be prepared to track when using a crossbow…yes, I said track a turkey. Amazingly turkeys are tougher than you think, and they also will bleed more than you think. I didn’t really know all this until a few year’s ago when we tracked several turkeys after they were shot with both compound bows and crossbows. One of them led to one of the most unique turkey hunts and recoveries I’ve ever been on. Farewell and Good Luck! I’ve really taken to hunting turkeys now with a crossbow. It’s a new challenge that has allowed me to learn to be more patient in calling in a tom closer than before while also giving me insight that I didn’t have on both turkeys and crossbow accessories . Good luck and I hope to see several great photos of you posing with a tom soon and if not…it’s OK – we don’t get one every time we go hunting either!

Tip #5: Practice, Practice, Practice Practice, practice and practice some more. I mention this all the time nomatter what I’mhunting with, and when I talk about practice I also mean practicing from the positions you may be shooting from, which, in turkey hunting, can be shooting at different angles than just a straight on shot. Tip #6: Scout for Success Spend time understanding where the toms are going to be later in the day and not just coming off the roost. Personally, I’ve always had better luck in calling in a tom mid-morning to mid afternoon hours when the hens have moved on and left him. I’ve had many a great hunt not getting set up on a tom until after 9:00AM. What I always keep in mind is where I’ve heard the tom gobbling on other hunts during mid-day, where I’ve seen them in the off season, and I’m always thinking about where and how I can sneak in, set up, and settle in to call in those areas. This leads into my next tip on waiting out toms in pop up blinds. Tip #7: Use a Portable Blind Use a portable pop up blind. This is a great way to hide yourself and be able to move with your crossbow and to hunt with someone else. We’ve

Click the PLAY button to watch a hunter losing against a turkey!