Pine Ridge Archery — Blog
TURKEY HUNTING WITH A BOW
Killing a turkey with a bow can be extremely challenging. The eyes of turkeys are hard to outsmart; a turkey is afraid of everything that moves and turkeys are rarely alone. As a result, getting spotted by a turkey when you are trying to come to full draw can be extremely difficult. Below are a few tips to help you pull off a shot on a big spring gobbler.
USE DECOYS
Always use decoys; preferably two or three decoys. Most hardcore turkey hunters who hunt with a bow usually put out a strutter with a real fan and a couple hens. Joel Maxfield from Mathews Archery says he really enjoys using a strutter decoy. “A strutter decoy with a real fan looks extremely realistic and does a great job of pulling in mature toms. As they approach my set-up, they are so focused on the strutter that it allows me to get my bow drawn,” Maxfield advised.
DECOY PLACEMENT
When setting up the decoys before the hunt, place the tom decoy so it is facing you. Doing this when a real tom approaches causes him to walk around the decoy to face off with him. This will give you a great opportunity to take a shot because his head will be facing the decoy and not looking at you.
Make sure the hen decoys are far enough from the tom decoy to allow the real tom to move freely around the tom decoy. One mistake many hunters make is placing the decoys close together, which makes it more difficult for the real tom to easily approach the tom decoy.
USE A BLIND
Many bowhunters love using pop-up blinds. They offer many advantages but are tough to lug around in the woods. In the last couple years, several blind companies have started making extremely lightweight, portable 3-sided blinds that offer shooting windows and see-through mesh that work well for bowhunting turkeys and only weigh a few pounds. If you want to use a pop-up blind, consider purchasing one one these style of blinds. They are lightweight, open up quickly, and can keep you hidden so you can easily draw a bow.
SHOT PLACEMENT
When shooting a turkey with a bow, aim for the area right above the drumsticks. This will take out the chest cavity and their legs, eliminating the possibility of the turkey running off.
BROADHEADS
When bowhunting turkeys, use a large expandable broadhead that offers a 2-inch cutting diameter. The vitals on a turkey are about the size of a softball. The larger the broadhead you are using, the better odds you have of going home with turkey dinner.
Killing a turkey with a bow can be extremely difficult but with the right gear and the right setup, you can greatly increase the odds of success.
Sidebar:
Remember to practice with your bow before season opens and consider shooting from a seated position when practicing. When bowhunting from a blind, you will likely be on your knees or sitting in a chair.
Public Land Hunting Whitetails
There are hundreds of millions of acres of huntable public land nationwide. Yes, a lot lies in the western part of the country, however, there is still plenty of land throughout the rest of the country to be used for general public use. With that being said there are many myths about public hunting areas, leaving it with a stigma. For many years I avoided even attempting to hunt public land due to the stories that surrounded it. Here are a few pieces of personal insight I've discovered over the last 3 years of hunting public ground to help guide you to success.Top 3 Archery Christmas Gifts For 2022
Christmas is almost here, and you may be looking for that gift for your archer to find under the tree for that next time they head out to the woods or range. Most Bowhunters have the latest & greatest gear as it gets released throughout the year. However there are a few items we offer here at Pine Ridge Archery that may be missing from their arsenal of gear to help them be a little more efficient the next time they hit the field.ANTELOPE ON A BUDGET

One of my favorites is the antelope. Antelope hunting doesn’t cost much money and the odds of success are extremely high. Most bowhunters who hunt antelope out west with an outfitter have a shot opportunity. This fall I hunted with Trujillo Creek Outfitters in Southern Colorado. They offer a Trespass hunt where you are dropped off on private land each day to hunt. You hunt in a comfortable ground blind that sits on a waterhole. A waterhole hunt is fairly easy and the success rate is extremely high. The cost of a trip like this is often $2,000 or less.
On top of having a really good opportunity of tagging an animal, you get to experience a different part of the country. I brought my family on my Colorado antelope hunt. While I hunted, they got to experience all the west has to offer. From visiting tourist towns to swimming in the pool at the La Quinta hotel, my hunt was more than a hunt; it was a family vacation. It is hard to turn a guided whitetail hunt into a family vacation unless the entire family is hunting.
Going on a bucket list hunt that brings you to an area of the country you have never seen and being successful on top of it is hard to put a price tag on. The cool thing is the price tag on an antelope hunt is inexpensive.... and when ground into burger, antelope makes great table fare.
On a side note, shooting a bow at extreme ranges when getting ready for an antelope hunt is necessary. The vitals on an antelope are fairly small and if the waterhole hunting doesn’t work out, long shots are the norm. In preparation for my hunt, I regularly shot at 60 and 70 yards. When shooting at these distances, having a fine tuned setup is a necessity. I used a Pine Ridge Archery Nitro Peep and a Nitro Stabilizer.
Antelope are cool looking critters that inhabit an awesome landscape. Do yourself a favor and try antelope hunting next fall.
BY TRACY BREEN
About the author: Tracy Breen is a full time outdoor writer, consultant and game dinner speaker who often discuss how he overcomes cerebral palsy. Learn more about him at www.tracybreen.com
JUST RELAX

To shoot with a relaxed bow hand, you need a wrist sling. A wrist sling helps support the bow and keep your hand where it needs to be to make a good shot. Pine Ridge Archery offers a wide variety of wrist slings including the Nitro Wrist Sling and the Kwik Sling. When adjusting your sling, make sure it is snug around your wrist so it can help support the bow when you are shooting so a good shot is made. A simple wrist sling can really help shrink arrow groups at short distances and extreme distances.
When talking about shooting with a relaxed bow hand, it is also important to discuss your trigger hand. Many bowhunters, especially when in high pressure situations, tend to jerk the release and punch the trigger when shooting. This can result in a loss of accuracy. Any retired military sniper will tell you that if you want to hit the mark every time, you have to gently squeeze the trigger, not punch it. When choosing a release, make sure you buy one that has an adjustable trigger so it can be adjusted to be a smooth trigger that doesn’t take much pull to go off. Teach yourself to slowly squeeze the trigger. When the arrow gets released, it should be a surprise. In order for it to be a surprise, you need to learn to slowly pull the trigger.
Learning how to relax the trigger hand and the bow hand when shooting can greatly shrink your arrow groups.
BY TRACY BREEN
About the author: Tracy Breen is a full time outdoor writer, consultant and game dinner speaker who often discuss how he overcomes cerebral palsy. Learn more about him at www.tracybreen.com
BIG THINGS COME IN SMALL PACKAGES
If you are into long range shooting one way to ensure you can split hairs at 60 yards and beyond is to shoot an arrow equipped with Nitro Vanes and a compact broadhead. A small broadhead coupled with a Nitro Vane is a deadly combination that can put more meat in the freezer and antlers on the wall. below are a few of the compact broadheads on the market that fly great and bring down bucks quickly.FALL TURKEY HUNTING WITH STICK AND STRING
When people think about hunting turkeys, most people think about hunting them in the spring. If you are a hardcore bowhunter, you should also think about hunting them in the fall. There are a many reasons to hunt them in the fall. For starters, very few hunters hunt deer all day.BUILDING AN EDGE - FOOD PLOT SECRETS

BY TRACY BREEN www.tracybreen.com
Practice Makes Perfect
