The weather was tough this year, as many turkey hunters in the Midwest can attest. Snow, rain, wind, freezing temps were all present through much of our seasons this year. As a matter of fact, I can probably count on one hand the number of nice days we had to actually hunt birds over the last six weeks. I took feathers off a bird the first season with my Hoyt, and had to wait until the last season (six weeks later) to have another chance at a bird.

Since we were planning an intense bowfishing weekend (which was hampered by muddy water, but we still managed to get quite a few in the boat) I knew turkey hunting time would be limited. This being the case, I was toting the ole 870 Flamethrower instead of the Hoyt. To be honest, it felt really odd as I haven’t had a gun in my hand chasing turkeys in over five years. Despite the odd feeling, I couldn’t help but feel I had a leg up. As somebody once told me, “There is nothing deadlier than a bow hunter with a gun in their hands”!

We woke up at noon on Saturday, May 21st after getting home at 6 AM from bowfishing. Of course, like the previous 6 weeks it was raining cats and dogs. Around 3 PM it quit raining and we went to one of our old standby spots where spotting turkeys is almost a given. However, this farm gets a ton of pressure and calling them into range is often an exercise in futility. Lo and behold, there was a bird exactly where many had met their demise in the past out walking around to get out of the dripping wet woods.

A quick plan was devised, and I started walking in his direction hoping to get in position to call him up a small, brushy hill into a waiting load of 3 1/2″ #5′s. It was now hot and humid, and I was sweating like crazy on my short hike. After hustling up the hill to a certain spot, I slowed down and entered hunting mode. Hearing a soft putt to my left, I looked and there was the bird beginning to bust out of the woods. In the short amount of time he was out of site, he walked right to where I wanted to call him too (my hunch was right).

A quick blast from the Remington and it was over, 5 minutes after it started. Having spent over 45 hours in a blind this year bow hunting birds, and 5 minutes with a shotgun in my hand got it done. Bittersweet? A little bit I guess. But the crockpot barbecued turkey breast tonight made me forget all about it…

We here at Back 40 have not given up on the season quite yet, we have filled a few tags over the course of the archery season and rifle hunts but just can’t stop chasing deer until they tell us we have to. This is the time of year where it takes a little more motivation to get out of a nice warm bed to go sit in a cold stand for a couple hours in the morning, it can almost start feeling like a job especially when you have been hunting your tail off all fall and passed up all of those little bucks and does in hopes that you can have a chance to draw back on that buck you have been watching all summer. These are the realities of bowhunting trophy class deer, they are not hiding around every tree and you have to put in your time to get a chance at one.

I reside in a state that gets a lot of gun pressure and are season falls right during the peak of the rut, so I know the reality of my situation and don’t have images of 190 inch whitetails running around but at the same time I have to keep that positive attitude every time I walk into the woods, I know for certain that the one time I go in not prepared 100% will be the time I have my chance and the outcome will not be what I want. Hunting whitetails in late Nov. and Dec. may not be as enjoyable as those warm Sept. nights but the deer are still there and sometimes you just have to hit it a little harder than the next guy.

Good luck the remainder of the season and congrats to Pro Staff Member Ryan Mc Kittrick on nocking down a nice Wisconsin northwoods buck yesterday with his rifle.

I think I speak for all of us at Back 40 when I say none of us would feel real confident if we walked into the woods or sage country without knowing our equipment was dead on. It is very surprising to me the number of so called bow hunters that I have talked to that think it’s funny that they don’t “dust” off the old bow until the day or maybe the day before the season opens. This is about the least responsible thing as an archer or hunter we could possibly do. We have heard it a thousand times how we owe it to the animal to harvest it quickly and I hate to beat a dead horse but that is what it all comes down to.

So what type of practice makes you a better shot? The answer to that is any type of practice.  Everyone has a different type of schedule and I realize that there are many variables that can hamper how much practice one can get. The main objective is to first find YOUR maximum effective range. I don’t care how far your buddies can shoot or the guy on T.V I want you to feel 100% confident in every one of your pins on your sight. If you can hold 6 arrows in a pie plate at 50 yards and at 55 yards your arrows start to spread dramatically I would say 50 is your range. Once you have figured your MER, I like to start out each session with my first arrow being the most important, remember there are no warm ups shooting at animals.

If you are in shape you will probably be able to shoot 30-40 arrows no problem but after a few sessions you will definitely know how many arrows are too many. I personally have switched from a more is better to a short and sweet type format while shooting. Time restraints and extreme heat this summer have helped me make the switch, and honestly I think I am shooting the best I ever have.   This could also be due to awesome equipment like my Elite Judge. I like to shoot at least 5-10 arrows from each of my yardages. Some days I will start from the farthest and work closer or vise versa, mix it up and have fun with it and you will look forward to shooting rather than dreading it. 

Also take advantage of 3-D shoots and shooting with friends and be ready to take a ribbing once and a while but don’t forget to give it back when deserved. Also try finishing every shooting session with a nice tight group of arrows no matter from what distance. Stay tuned to Back 40 for more tips and product reviews, not much time left before we hit the woods.