THE THANKSGIVING TURKEY
As fall approaches, most bowhunters are thinking about whitetails and big bulls. Many states also offer a fall turkey season. When most hunters think about turkey hunting, they think only about the spring turkey season but the fall turkey season can be just as much fun as the spring season. Below you will find a few reasons why you should bow hunt for turkeys this fall.
For starters, many states let you harvest hens and poults in the fall. The first time I ate a young turkey, I was pleasantly surprised how good it was. A young turkey can be saved for Thanksgiving, made into a turkey potpie, or turned into boneless poppers. All the options listed above taste great! A fall gobbler can taste great too, if it is properly cooked.
One of my favorite ways to hunt fall turkeys is with turkey hunting dogs. I own two turkey hunting dogs. The dogs find and break up the turkey flock. Then I sit down where the break took place and call the birds back in. Bowhunting turkeys can be very challenging and that is certainly the case when hunting fall turkeys, but it can be a ton of fun.
Another reason hunting fall turkeys is fun is because I can hunt with my kids. Kids don’t always want to sit in a treestand for hours on end, but they will hunt turkeys for a few hours with me. If you are not using a dog, the best way to fall turkey hunt is to hunt near a food plot or another food source. Let your kids call a little bit and often a flock of turkeys will approach your setup looking for the bird that is calling.
One great reason to hunt turkeys in the fall with a bow is because bowhunting them is extremely challenging. I practice a lot on my Morrell Back To Back Turkey target leading up to turkey season because the vitals on a turkey are extremely small. By practicing on an actual turkey target, my odds of success are pretty good in the field because I know right where to aim.
The fall hunting season goes fast and if you are lucky enough to fill your deer tag early, don’t hang your bow in the closet. Go chase turkeys!
