Dale Faust on Where to Place the Shot and Why to Use Decoys When Bowhunting Turkeys
Editor’s Note: You need nerves of steel, the shooting confidence of the legendary Robin Hood, the woodsmanship of Daniel Boone and the positive attitude of Dale Carnegie to bag a gobbler with a bow. Most bowhunters agree that going after gobblers with their bows usually means they’ll each have 10-to-one odds against themselves. For every 10 times you encounter a tom within bow range, you only may take that bird home on one of those attempts. Some of the best turkey hunters and bowmen in the nation will tell us why this week.
An avid outdoorsman, Dale Faust of Brewton, Alabama, who has won 3-D silhouette shoots and field-archery competitions, says that, "The best shot to take at a turkey is the spine shot. Because turkeys won’t leave a blood trail like deer and other big game animals, you may have a difficult time retrieving the turkey, unless you break the bird down." Faust believes a bowhunter should shoot as heavy a poundage bow as he can draw smoothly and hold comfortably for an extended time. "If you have to strain to draw the bow back, you'll move more than if you draw smoothly," Faust mentions. "Then the turkey will spot you. If you're trying to hold a bow that's too heavy, you may have to let down on the bow just a second before you're ready to shoot the bird. Get comfortable, and relax through the draw. I shoot a 72-pound bow and a Land Shark broadhead made by Simmons, a broadhead that's about 160 grains and has a 1-9/16-inch cutting radius. Although I put a star-type stopper behind the broadhead, I don't use the stopper with the intention of stopping the arrow in the bird. I use the stopper for extra drag and knock-down power. I've found that you must use bigger broadheads that inflict more damage on impact to successfully hunt turkeys. The large broadhead will go through more parts of the turkey and will more likely cut vital areas than a small broadhead will."
Faust believes that an archer makes a key mistake by chasing the bird if he gets a good hit on a turkey. He thinks you're more likely to recover the gobbler if you wait for 10 to 15 minutes after you’ve taken the shot. Faust also has learned the value of using decoys in the states where they are legal. "A turkey decoy will keep the turkey's attention focused on the decoy instead of the hunter," Faust explains. "Also sometimes a gobbler will come in to that decoy and walk around it. When the longbeard has his attention focused on that decoy and starts to circle it, he'll often present that back shot I hope to see."
Tomorrow: Bowhunter Ronnie “Cuz” Strickland and John Demp Grace on Whether to Blind or Not When Hunting Turkeys
Today's Video Clip
Fishing in April with Captain David Brown
Check back each day this week for more about "Bowhunting’s Ultimate Challenge – the Wild Turkey"
