Not long range for an APS creation but certainly for my Hoyt Ultratec. I was putting up a treestand where I had been seeing some deer activity Saturday evening when I heard a bunch of turkeys yelping. I looked over and spotted a group of about 40 or so hens moving across a field. I knew that they were headed over to a bluff that they fly down each evening to roost along the creek.
I slowly climbed down out of the tree and slipped through the cedars and brush. As I got to about 50 or 60 yards I dropped to a crawl. I finally was in position and was trying to clear out some thorny vines for room to draw my bow when I heard some alarm putts coming from my left. There were a few turkeys over there that I had not seen, but they had obviously seen me.
Some of the turkeys started to walk off, unsure of where the danger was while others just stood and craned their necks. I ranged a tree at 36 yards and picked out a bird standing broadside just past the tree. I drew back as slowly as I could and put my 40 yard sight pin at the base of its body and released. The arrow stuck in the ground beyond the turkey and the whole flock took flight.
The turkeys flew about 200 yards and landed out in the field. After they landed, one of the birds was flapping its wings frantically. I jumped up and ran towards the birds and they took flight again--except for one bird. It was flapping its wings and moving across the ground and I was running after it in my rubber boots and carrying my bow.
After about 400 yards I caught up with the turkey and wrung its neck to finish it off. I had made a solid hit but unlike a shotgun blast, an arrow rarely drops one on the spot unless the spine is hit.
I have to admit I was sucking some wind by the time I caught up with the turkey. This is my second turkey with a bow and probably my 100th stalk on turkeys with a bow. I relearned the valuable lesson that turkeys are what 12 gauges are for!
I slowly climbed down out of the tree and slipped through the cedars and brush. As I got to about 50 or 60 yards I dropped to a crawl. I finally was in position and was trying to clear out some thorny vines for room to draw my bow when I heard some alarm putts coming from my left. There were a few turkeys over there that I had not seen, but they had obviously seen me.
Some of the turkeys started to walk off, unsure of where the danger was while others just stood and craned their necks. I ranged a tree at 36 yards and picked out a bird standing broadside just past the tree. I drew back as slowly as I could and put my 40 yard sight pin at the base of its body and released. The arrow stuck in the ground beyond the turkey and the whole flock took flight.
The turkeys flew about 200 yards and landed out in the field. After they landed, one of the birds was flapping its wings frantically. I jumped up and ran towards the birds and they took flight again--except for one bird. It was flapping its wings and moving across the ground and I was running after it in my rubber boots and carrying my bow.
After about 400 yards I caught up with the turkey and wrung its neck to finish it off. I had made a solid hit but unlike a shotgun blast, an arrow rarely drops one on the spot unless the spine is hit.
I have to admit I was sucking some wind by the time I caught up with the turkey. This is my second turkey with a bow and probably my 100th stalk on turkeys with a bow. I relearned the valuable lesson that turkeys are what 12 gauges are for!
