February 3, 2023

Crossbow Turkey Hunting

Are you ready to take on the challenge of crossbow turkey hunting? With the increasing popularity of archery hunting, more and more hunters are testing their skills on turkeys with crossbows. And it’s not hard to see why – crossbows are just as accurate as shotguns at close range, while being quiet enough not to spook every bird in the area.

But before you head out into the woods, you need to know what you’re dealing with. There are five types of wild turkeys to hunt, each with their own unique characteristics and habitats. And once you’ve chosen your prey, you need to know how to find them and call them in.

Don’t worry if you’re new to turkey hunting – we’ve got you covered. In this article, we’ll give you all the information you need to get started, including when turkey season is, what turkey calls to use, and how much draw weight you need to take down a turkey. So let’s get started and see if you have what it takes to become a crossbow turkey hunting pro!

What is Turkey Hunting?

Not so many years ago only small population of wild turkeys existed in a few concentrated areas of the United States. Now, thanks to the dedicated conservation effort of turkey hunters across the U.S. and organizations like the National Wild Turkey Federation, more wild turkeys roam the woodlands all across America than when Columbus landed.

When is Turkey Season?

While Alabama, Texas, Michigan, and Indiana are among the most popular places to hunt turkey, today, thousands of turkey hunters across the U.S. try to match wits with the wily bird every year.

Across most states, the spring hunting season runs from April to May. Many states also have a fall season for both male and female turkeys.

While most hunters chase turkeys with a shotgun, more and more archery hunters are testing their skill on turkeys, and crossbows are playing a growing role in this mix.

Today’s crossbow manufacturers continually work to increase the speed and power that arrows are delivered at while reducing the weapon’s size. Crossbows are as accurate as shotguns at close range, while being quiet enough when fired not to spook every bird in the area. This makes a crossbow the ideal weapon choice for turkey hunting.

What Does a turkey look Like?

There are five types of turkeys to hunt and the five subspecies of wild turkeys are found in different parts of the U.S.

Eastern

East of the Mississippi River, the Eastern wild turkey is the most abundant and widely-distributed subspecies. Reaching as far south as Florida, the Eastern is found in 38 states and several Canadian provinces.

Characteristics

• Chestnut-brown tips on tail feathers.
• Males weigh up to 30 pounds.
• Loudest gobbles and longest beards of all wild turkey species.
• Second to the Osceola turkey, found in southern Florida, in difficulty to call.

Osceola

The Osceola wild turkey has a population of about 100,00 birds and is found only in southern Florida, with the Eastern turkey inhabiting the northern part of the state.

Characteristics

• Dark-brown tips on tail feathers with mostly black wings.
• Males weigh up to 20 pounds.
• Very long spurs and shorter beards than Easterns.
• Hardest of all wild turkey species to call in.

Rio Grande

In the U.S., the Rio Grande wild turkey is found predominantly in western-desert regions of Oklahoma, Texas and Kansas with smaller populations in other western states.

Characteristics

• Tan tips on tail feathers.
• Equal ratio of white and black stripes on wings.
• Males average 20 pounds in weight.
• Moderate gobbles, beard and spur lengths.

Merriam’s

These turkeys are found west of the Mississippi River, with the Rocky-Mountains states considered the center of the population. Montana, Wyoming and Idaho are favorite states to hunt Merriam’s.

Characteristics

• White tips on tail feathers with more white than black wings.
• Males weigh up to 30 pounds.
• Weakest gobble of all subspecies.
• Shortest beards and spurs of wild turkey species.

Gould’s

Like the Merriam’s, the lesser-known Gould’s wild turkey is a bird of the mountains with a small population found only in Arizona and New Mexico (and northern Mexico).

Characteristics

•Light-colored tips on tail feathers.
• Wings are moderate in brown and bronze coloration.
• Males average 30 pounds in weight.
• Moderate gobble, beard and spur length.

How to Turkey Hunt for Beginners?

First, you must learn to speak your quarry’s language. Turkey calls can help to lure your target. Slate and box calls are the easiest to master, but require using your hands. Diaphragm calls are the best, as you can make sounds without moving your hands, but are the toughest to master. However, with a little practice you be sounding like a lovelorn hen.

When hunting Spring turkey, setting up a decoy or three will dramatically improve your odds. Turkeys are a social bird and will come to investigate when they see other turkeys. Hen and immature male, called “Jakes” decoy, work best. Place decoys approximately 20 yards from where you will be set up. Be sure decoys are legal in your hunting area.

Turkeys become active at the crack of dawn, so, wherever legal, you will want to be in the woods and set up by first light. Sit where you have a good view of the immediate area with your back against a large object, such as a boulder, bank or large tree, to break up your outline.

Wild turkeys have remarkably keen eyesight, but their vision is movement based and will notice the slightest movement. This means you must remain as motionless as possible. Call and wait to see if a tom answers. Often times a turkey will come to your calling without answering, so be patient.

Call. Wait. Repeat.

When a turkey starts to come into range, wait until his vision is obscured before raising your crossbow. While many of today’s crossbows are cable of hitting a target the size of a turkey out to 100 yards, under hunting conditions you should limit your shots to 40 or 50 yards.

How Much Draw Weight to Kill a Turkey?

Most states require a minimum draw weight of 30 lbs. to hunt turkeys, so any modern crossbow is more than capable of putting a bolt clear through a turkey.

How to Find Turkeys in the Woods?

Turkeys are most active the first hour after daylight, typically leaving their roost at dawn. Once turkeys leave the roost they will look for areas to feed, like edges of meadows or transition areas between species of trees.

Scouting for turkey can be hard at first, but gets easier with practice. Scout an area looking for fresh sign, like tracks, scratching in the dirt and dropped feathers. Turkeys have four toes, with thee long ones fanning out to the front with a shorter one pointing off to the side, like a thumb.

To stay safe from predators, turkeys will go to roost in trees just before dark near open areas where they can feed. Look for tall trees with sturdy branches. Northeast- and east-facing slopes are favorite roosting areas as the geography blocks westerly winds while allowing the birds to take advantage of the morning sun.

Turkeys don’t like being silhouetted above the ridgeline, so will most often roost in trees approximately two-thirds of the way up a rise. Wherever possible, turkeys will perch in branches overhanging water for additional safety. In the open areas, where trees are scarce, turkeys will roost in wooded river bottoms and even on power poles and lines. Where legal, try calling into a likely looking roosting area just after sunset; if you get an answer you found turkeys. Quietly leave the area and come back when it is legal to hunt.

How to Hunt Turkey in the Fall?

While mating season is in the spring, turkeys still gather together in large flocks in the fall and will still come to calls. As an older hen is usually leading the flock, stick with the softer hen calls, like lower-pitched yelps and clucks.

Where Do You Shoot a Turkey?

As opposed to aiming for the head when hunting turkey with a shotgun, taking a turkey with a broadhead is best done with a broadside shot to its vitals. Most experienced turkey archery hunters aim for the body, simple because it is the largest vital area and offers the greatest margin of error.

Relatively speaking, a turkey’s head is tiny and almost always moving, making it a tough target. With that said, there are special “guillotine” broadheads designed to decapitate a turkey. However, hitting a turkey in the neck takes a very good marksman. Only you can decide if you have the skill to pull off that type of shot.

Even when aiming for the vitals, the kill zone on a turkey is very small. For your best chance of a kill aim for these spots when shooting from the ground:

With a broadside shot it is best to aim at the top of the turkey’s thighs. Do not shoot towards the front of the bird, near its breastbone. Unlike mammals, a bird’s vital organs are set further back in the body, near the rear end of the bird, and lower in the body.
The middle of the beard when he is facing you.
Shoot for the anus if the turkey is facing away from you.

Always aim for the center of the turkey’s back, to break its spine, when shooting from an elevated position.

When is Turkey Season?

When does turkey season start and when does turkey season end?
Each state sets its own crossbow turkey hunting seasons and dates will vary by geographical area. In general, spring seasons are from March to May. Fall seasons, where available, can range from September through January. Many states have extended season for archery hunters. Not all states have open seasons in all districts. Be sure crossbows are legal hunting weapons in the state you plan to hunt. Here is a sample of four the top turkey state’s seasons dates:

When is Turkey Season in Alabama?

Spring: Usually March to April.
Fall: Typically, the first part of November through December.

When is Turkey Season in Michigan?

Spring: April through May. Specific dates vary depending on the specific hunting unit.
Fall: Mid-September to mid-November

When is Turkey Season in Texas?

Spring: March through April in the south and March through May in the north.
Fall: September through November.

When is Turkey Season in Indiana?

Spring: April through May.
Fall: October and December to January.

How to Dress for Turkey Hunting?

The most successful strategy for hunting wild turkeys is to dress in full camouflage clothing, including face covering or paint. Turkeys are among the craftiest and easiest to spook of all game animals, so it is critical that your clothing be comfortable. If not you will start fidgeting and it will be game over, with the turkeys taking the win.

Many hunters like to match their camo pattern to the type of vegetation where they will be hunting, and colors to the time of year. For example, wearing greens to match spring foliage and more colorful or browns in the fall, depending on the geographical region. However, this really isn’t necessary as turkeys are partially colorblind. An “all-purpose” pattern with tree bark and branches will conceal you, provided you remain still and set up against a good backdrop.

Dress in layers and use common sense; more when it’s cold and less when its warm. Remember though, you will get cold quickly doing your best impersonation of a statue, so add one more layer than you think you will need. A head net is almost a necessity in areas with mosquitoes.

Crossbow Turkey Broadheads

Crossbow manufactures go to great lengths to determine what arrows, (or bolts as some call them) will shoot best from your specific make and model of crossbow, so always follow their guidelines. However, you can use pretty much any type of crossbow turkey broadheads you like.

Here are a few choices:

Many newer fixed-blade broadheads perform well, are much less likely to malfunction, and can be resharpened almost indefinitely.

• Magnus Bullhead Turkey Broadhead is designed for neck and headshots, has a large cutting diameter and replaceable blades. Featuring three stainless-steel blades, it is available in 100- and 125-grain weight.

• Arrowdynamic Gobbler Guillotine is designed to decapitate a turkey. The Guillotine features four blades and is available in 100- and 125-grain weights. However, it’s reported to not be very accurate past 20 yards.

Mechanical open-on-impact broadheads are perfect for turkey hunting as they fly straighter and faster than fixed-blade broadheads and leave gaping wound channels. Here are two examples:

• Rage Xtreme Turkey Broadhead features a 2.3-inch cutting diameter and replaceable stainless-steel blades that open on impact. Great accuracy and a good for vital shots.

• Swhacker Broadheads outperformed all other mechanicals in independent laboratory tests for speed, durability and accuracy. Swhackers leave a huge 2.5-inch wound channel for quick, clean kills.

Which Crossbow to use for Turkey Hunting?

There are a number of excellent crossbow manufacturers that make a wide variety of weapons to choose from when selecting a crossbow for turkey hunting. Top manufactures include Barnett, Centerpoint, Excalibur, Ravin and Ten Point. Like vertical bows, crossbows are available in compound and recurve models.

Above all else, when choosing a crossbow for turkey hunting you’ll need a bow that is accurate and reliable. Entry-level crossbows can be had for a few hundred dollars. However, a good scope and quiver can add a couple hundred dollars more to the price.

A high-quality crossbow with accessories can set you back well over $1,000. Past reliability, your crossbow should have a narrow enough profile to allow you to swing it easily, without hanging up on brush, as you line up your shot. It should also be easy to cock. The choice comes down to how much you want to spend and how much you plan to shoot your X-bow at the range.

When deciding between a compound and recurve models, independent tests show a recurve crossbow to be more durable than compounds. However, comparing apples to apples, high-quality recurves tend to be more expensive.

Strings on recurve models can be changed in the field, whereas a bowpress must be used to replace the string on a compound model.

Finally, to uncock a compound crossbow you have to shoot the arrow into the ground or at target, whereas a recurve crossbow can be uncocked without firing. Never dry fire a crossbow or severe damage and possible injury will occur.