Gobble, Gobble, time to apply for 2012 Minnesota Turkey Permits.

[Bucksnort101]

Mort, first of all congrats and good luck. You can use either shotgun or bow if drawn for a permit. I may carry both into the woods at times.  As far as broadheads, the big blades were mainly designed to cut the heads off the turkey, but I've heard of some people hitting the body and taking down a turkey. I prefer a big fixed blade broadhead for turkeys.
As far as calls, I think the box call is probably the easiest to get a turkey sounding noise from, but as stated before there is some movement involoved when using one.  I plan on doing much of my hunting from a pop-up blind this year so that is not that big of deal.
 I find myself using my mouth calls more and more and the box less.  I usually use the box when I tire of calling with a mouth call, or when I want to make a loud call to try to locate a bird, but I can do that with a mouth call as well.
I would recommend buying a pack of mouth calls and see how they work for you, they aren't that expensive. Keep in mind some people can't use them as they gag when they use them. Better to rule that out now.
This year I plan on just taking several mouth calls and a couple neat little scratch box calls I bought from a local call maker at last years MN Game Fair.

You do want some calls that make different  sounds as well. Some make high pitch sounds, others are raspy. You never know what a Tom turkey will like.  Last year I ended up mimicking the light clucks and yelps a hen was making as she came past my blind, the Tom followed her in.

[mort]

Thanks guys,  It helps to hear what works for others.  I will purchuse some mouth calls and go to work. It sounds like the broadhead that I use for deer hunting will be fine.  I use a fixed 2 blade head.
I have not decided if I will use a blind.  I have a gillie suit and would like to try that with a natural blind.  But I understand that getting a bow up and drawing to shoot when not screened from the turkeys vision is a problem.

Anyway thanks again, good luck with your spring hunts.

If anyone has anything more to add, please do.
Mort

[mjh]

Hot dang!  Drew season D third year in a row!   I'll take my 5 days and see what happens, gotta order some new decoys,  practice the calls, remember lessons learned from last year, and hope for better hunting weather in 2012.......

[jaybird]

Hot dang!  Drew season D third year in a row!   I'll take my 5 days and see what happens, gotta order some new decoys,  practice the calls, remember lessons learned from last year, and hope for better hunting weather in 2012.......

Isn't it good to know that if you wouldn't have been picked for your favorite "D" season that we still made it so you could have gone turkey hunting during the G-H season?

Because of the changes we made over the last several years, anybody that wants to go turkey hunting with either archery or firearms equipment has the opportunity to do so.

And, they can count on doing so every year if the so choose.

 

[mjh]

Yes indeed, had I not drawn D season I would have hunted archery over the counter the last 4 weeks.  My preference is having the 5 day season due to family, work, and other such reasons but having options is good.  I am courious with new larger areas how things will work out.   I usually hunt private land but the changes open up a whole lot of public land to get out and scout on.  Such options would be good particluarly if I was hunting the last 4 weeks when I might have a day here and a day there but not consecutive days.

[Tod_Becker]

I am going to try to get one more out of the blind before I try again with a gilli suite. If you are going with out a blind I would try to have some large trees or bushes close to your decoy so you can draw when they pass behind them. You can also draw if they are fanning and they turn away from you. I would make some special turkey arrows with green or brown feathers.

[TomBow]

I got picked for C season, but unfortunately my wife didn't so we will probably go OTC for her.  I have used Rocket Hammerheads in the past with the wheel bow but am concerned about using them with longbow.  Any other suggestions, re: should I go with a sharp non-mechanical with a stopper or should I forget the stopper due to lower KE?  Still hoping to make my first trad kill, hopefully all the stars align and it will be a turkey! 

I plan on getting a few natural ground blinds built soon on the property I'll be hunting as my teepee double bull just won't accommodate the longbow.  Any one have success with the ghille suit or leafy wear?  Might just have to build my own. 

[Joeingrandrapids]

I would like to hear some suggestions on arrow set ups.  Broadheads? stoppers? etc.  Head shots and head shot designed heads vs. body shots with standard broadheads?

[Tod_Becker]

I could not get the guillotine to fly with my aluminum arrows so I use my normal magnus or zwickey. The good thing is you can set up for a shot at 15yds or less.

[Joeingrandrapids]

how about stoppers behind the heads? Right now I use zwiks and magnus, have for a long time. Most recently on carbon arrow dynamics shafts.  I will be using a double bull. 

[TomBow]

Head/neck shots are of course lethal but, from my experience, it will be a very narrow window of opportunity when a gobbler stops moving his head ( do they ever stop moving their head??) so the body shot is my pick--wing butt if broadside or through the thighs will put the bird down as they need their legs to get airborne or run off.  You need to break the bird down so bone hit are good.  The double-bull is the way to go and the turkeys have no fear of the blind, not to mention that you can do all the moving you want to get into position for the shot without worrying about getting busted.  Just keep windows behind you closed so you aren't sillouetted.  And the birds will get incredibly close to the blind!  I hunted in Neb. several years ago, my buddy shot a bird and we laid it outside the wall of the blind under one of the windows.  Then we had two jakes come out down the field, they spotted the bird and ended up literally standing on top of it right outside the window.  I have video proof as I had the camera with and have footage of the birds literally within 6 inches outside the window.  We even mouth gobbled at the jakes and they gobbled.  Tell me that isn't loud at 2-3 feet away!!  We had to spook them off the bird so they wouldn't peck the stuffin' right out of that gobbler.  Yep!  I'm a bit excited about turkey hunting and If I get one with the longbow...well, I'll probably just BLOW UP!!

[mjh]

I use my same hunting arrow set up as with deer, sharp 2 blade ziwicky's, 55-75 carbon arrow, about 200grs give or take  up front, about 600gr total.  Hit the wing butt break some bones they are not going anywhere.  I use a blind and sometimes decoys sometime not.

[TomBow]

Call-wise, I go to a slate more than any other, mostly due to ease of use/ability to get the sounds I want out of it, especially contentment-purrs.  I have too much trouble keeping a box chalked up to where it sounds good consistently.  The mouth call is the way to go as far as limiting movement.  Slates I use:  Primos Alumi-slate (aluminum slate), the Freak series (my wife is in love with hers-slate type) both slate type and crystal (glass) slate, and I have another Primos crystal-slate that is okay.  Guess I'm kind of partial to the alumislate as I have had the best response to it.  Striker material makes a difference as well has how much pressure you put on it with the striker and the angle of the striker to the slate.  A  box just takes too much movement for me and I hate it when I have a good sequence going and a get one of the notes that I am sure makes the turkeys say "WHAT was THAT??".

[Tod_Becker]

I would say away from stoppers behind the broadhead. Their wing feathers can really be tought if they are hit right and take up some of the impact when hit.