turkey hunting set up, photo custom turkey head added

[bjrogg]

Good Luck Brad. Thats a beautiful bend you got in that short stick and those heavy arrows should penetrate those feathers I would think.
Ed thats a sweet setup you got there to
bjrogg

[bradsmith2010]

Beadman,, that is a nice set up,, they should just drop dead of fear to see that   thanks bjrog,, I think it will work great,,if I hit the mark,,
I actually been shooting a shorter bow today for fun, and hit really well with that too, so I have a backup,,

[BowEd]

That would make things ohhhhh so much easier Brad...lol.Too easy.No fun in that.....lol.I'd have to find a way to make it harder then I guess.

[bradsmith2010]

   well I been praticing pretty much every day, ,sitting down,, and close range,,
I really pay attention to my very first shot of the day with no warm up,,
I am shooting at a piece of paper about the size of a turkey head, today my first shot hit right on it ,, just under,, it would have hit the base of the neck,,
   ok I know hitting a piece of paper is alot easier than a real turkey, but it does build the confidence,, I am not really planning on trying a head shot unless that is all I get,, but i figure if i am consistant at that, I have a good chance hitting the turkey kill zone,, I plan on shooting 10 yards or less with my decoy set up,, but if I have to go 20 I feel like I can do it,, I have practiced more this year than in a long time, I just kept it up after elk season last year, and it feels great not trying to play catch up,,
    my main bow is still the 54 inch bow,, with long heavy arrow,,,, ok that being said,, if I get there and cant get any close shots,, I will have my elk bow with me,, and I am confident at longer range with it,, it is just longer than I like for shooting out of a blind or sitting down,, that would be my back up plan of shooting with the leafy suite no blind,, ok I am not a bit excited about this,, turkey hunting,

[bradsmith2010]

ok here is my first shot in the afternoon,, no warm up, no glove or arm guard,, just went out and shot one arrow at 15 yards to see how that would feel,, kneeling,, this is happening more consistantly ,, but as stated I have been shooting a little every day,, but it seems to be having a positive effect, ,slowly,,  
   you guys that have shot shorter bows know it is a bit of a challenge to get consistant,, but with practice it can be done,, 15 yards is not far by any standard,, but consistancy at any range is key, how many of you have missed a whole deer at 10 yards,, I have,, well,, practice at your close hunting range is key,:) 

[BowEd]

Pretty good..Now just hope he don't come up from behind ya.

[bradsmith2010]

you know he gonna come from behind,,

[Badly Bent]

Good luck on the turkeys guys. Your gear looks up to the task if you can just get to full draw without them knowing. I've always wanted to take one with a primitive bow and have had a few chances but so far not even a feather touched by one of my arrows. I like your practice routine Brad, hope you get that 10 yd. shot and connect. Also like that bow, has a real primitive look with the backing and the overall shape/profile of it.

[bradsmith2010]

    yep it is so hard to get drawn,, I have had them in full flight as I drew my bow,, I am going to use leafy suite and blind and decoy this year to tip the odds in my favor I hope,,,, I have never had one just strut around with his back to me like utube,,
but I love hunting them,,, so will give it my best shot,,, I have practiced more this year than in a long time so odds are Im gonna hit pretty close to where I aim,,thats still no gaurantee,, they make me nervous when they are that close,,, and so my shooting is not as accurate as on the calm pratice range,,
      thanks for the comments on the bow,, I made it just for turkey hunting,, it is a bit wide, but I wanted it shorter to suite turkey hunting sitting or in blind,, it shoots really nice for a shorter bow,, I was gonna heat it and try to get a bit more out of the profile,, I wrote Marc and he felt leaving as is was best so I took his advice, so it is just natural no heat,, the arrow in the photo is a 700 grain maple shaft,,, i dont have a place to test it right now, but I have a feeling my point on is about 30 yards with that heavy arrow,, I cant tell any difference at 10 to 15 yards,, so I really dont have any excuses(yet)   

[bjrogg]

Good Luck Brad, I like that same technique of practice. I have my bow in my work shop and several times throughout the day I string it and shoot 2-4 arrows then put it away and get back to work. Always try to make that first shot a good one. Don't forget when your hunting to concentrate on that spot. It's easy to split your attention between animal and spot and guess where your arrow goes, at least that's what happened to me the first time I shot at a animal.
Bjrogg

[bradsmith2010]

yes you are right about the spot, I am pretty good at getting tunnel vision and just looking only at where I want the arrow to go,, but easier said than done, but I really try to just look at the spot,,  I have been able to get out to 17 yards now,, and hitting pretty good,, but am still working on the 10 yard skillet shot,, I feel like I should be able to hit that with a blind fold, but not there yet,, still a work in progress,,but really fun working on it,,

[BowEd]

Been hearing hens clucking around lately Brad.Turkey vultures are here too.So it's spring. (S

[bradsmith2010]

Ed,, when is your season open,, can you hunt by your houise,,

[BowEd]

Brad the youth season[16 years and under] residents only April 9 to the 17th starts it off.
Lots of requirements,stipulations,and fees waived too[veterans,disabled,and retired] depending on circumstances too many to type but a hunting license is required for any able bodied adult nonresident or resident and if he or she is hunting land other then what he or she owns or public hunting ground they need to buy a tag for one of the seasons.If wanting to hunt another season another tag is purchased for that time period.
The regular seasons are set up this way:
season 1----April 18-21
season 2----April 22-26
season 3----April 27-May 3
season 4----May 4-22
Resident archery only license April 18-May 22  hunting straight through.
Yes I hunt on just my own land here by the yard.

[bradsmith2010]

i used to hunt next to my house in Tenn, and the turkeys were so tame off season ,,, but when the season hit man they got smart and were hard to hunt,,, but I still enjoyed it and had other places to hunt too, but Tenn was a challenging place to hunt the turkey, not that many birds and lots of hunters and they were on to us,,     in TExas alot fo the time you are working birds that never saw a hunter,, and that makes it a bit easier,, New Mexico,, I have not hunted that much, cause I really dont know my way around the public land here, but am learning a little,,