Let me preface this post by saying that I am not a turkey hunter at all. I usually venture out a couple mornings every spring with a shotgun, plop down in front of a tree, try to call, hope for the best, and juts enjoy spring's splendor. Also, I am really quite ignorant towards the species, other than the common knowledge that they possess super-hero like vision. I actually think they are a very unintelligent animal from what I've gathered from watching them during deer season. But listening to them gobble in the early morning during Spring time gives me chills sometimes, so I like them But for the question- why don't turkey hunters hunt from a treestand? I know you're probably laughing, but if they see so well, would it not make sense to get ABOVE their line of vision? Do the calls not sound as realistic from up in the air? Or would you actually make more movement positioning yourself for a shot while up in the air as opposed to tucking yourself tight in a blind or up against a tree? Humble me, please!
Because they can see up w/out LOOKING up. It's pert near impossible to get a bow drawn, or shotgun raised, from above them. It's just too much movement in the open. I managed it last fall on a hen, but if weren't for the tree she stepped behind.....forget it. Blinds are the way to go for turkey. For the bowhunter anyway.
I've shot several turkeys from treestands while deer hunting. In my experience it's still very hard to get drawn without getting picked off.
Sometimes you have to adjust on the fly when setting up on turkeys. i wouldn't like being stuck in a tree stand when turkey hunting. And they can definately spot you in a tree better than deer can. That being said I killed one out of a tree stand this fall while deer hunting.
I tend to hunt turkeys like I'm running through the St. Louis airport trying to catch a late flight. I move all the time and I wouldn't want to be stuck in one tree. I like to do less calling and just move to where the birds are going to be, and wait for them. Plus, like said above, it is very difficult to get drawn back on a turkey from up in a treestand.
I move around to much while turkey hunting to be in stand. Move around until you get one to gobble at you and then move in on him. I shot a tom this fall with a bow from stand with two others around. They didn't see and were about 25 yards away, maybe I just got lucky.
My bet is....there's a LOT more (10X? More?) turkeys killed by bowhunters......when the hunter wasn't actually turkey hunting at all. They're killed by hunters in a stand, hunting deer.
Thanks for the responses. I definitely forgot about the "run and gun" approach when it comes to turkey hunting. I can't imagine one would like to be stuck in one place when all the action is on the next ridge over. Thanks again.
And also turkeys patterns change in the spring so when you see them in the fall on your stand you probably wont see them from the same stand in the spring.
Don't forget turkeys have predators that sit in trees and therefore they are always on the lookout for that which means they will spot you.
