Thread: Turkey hunting

G'day guys,

Bit of an odd sorta thing to be chasing info for, but lately I've really been getting keen on the idea of coming over and chasing some turkeys with the bow.
Maybe it's from watching the yanks call them in during the rut (not sure what you call a bird making season).

A) does anyone know what time of year it is? Id take a stab and guess September October but not sure?

Also, not sure if they're a valued game bird that people like to keep secret so I won't ask for specifics but if anyone can give me some broad strokes of where to even look in the country that'd be good. Do they live on any public land at all?

Are gobblers something a farmer is protective over? Was almost thinking if they don't inhabit much public it'd be something to look at.

I was talking to a mate about heading back over next year, either for reds and chamois, or sika up north if either of those are anywhere near birds. Haven't firmed anything up yet. I do recall seeing a few on private land near taupo but at the time shooting one with a 7mm just didn't do it for me.

I was thinking of doing the whole hog and getting a blind, Decoys and learning to call, reckon it could be a bit of fun with the stick and string.

Anywho, cheers in advance for any help,

Jack

Sent from my D6653 using Tapatalk

Gidday Jack, send a pm to @Carpe Diem. Tell him I said for him to extend some cross ditch hospitality.

The property's we shoot them on we just walk around and blaze away. They're really dumb, not like peacocks.

Have shot them with the bow also, we just herded them like sheep for a mate

I have caught them by hand in the past. Quite fun

Originally Posted by superdiver

I have caught them by hand in the past. Quite fun

yea you can pretty much walk up to them at night when spotlighting. The one i caught played dead once I caught it though.

I have callers and hunt them with my bow, not had much luck calling them but keep tryin, if you make it to North land I may be able to help

@Rushy thanks mate, appreciate offering up your mates place to hunt! Haha
From memory youre up north are you?

Are they just up north or over both islands?
@Nibblet how close do you guys get? Ever get any good tom's?
@Taff what kind of callers do you use? Do they ever come in for you? You guys have the meriams turkey and the yanks reckon they're the easiest to pull in, that might just mean the others are ridiculously hard! Are they hard to get hunt and stalk?

Id come this year if I wasn't getting married in October!


Sent from my D6653 using Tapatalk

The place we chase them is in whangarei. We just cull them for the farmer to stop them eating so much grass.

We come across some pretty big gobblers occasionally.

Ranges can very a lot. Sometimes we spring them at about 10-15m. We usually just have at them with the AR.

So bow hunting wouldn't be too hard?

My plan is to take a nice gobbler and do up a fan and beard mount like this. Need a mature tom to get a decent beard.



Sent from my D6653 using Tapatalk

Providing where you go to get them they don't get too hammered they're not that bad. The ones we go after are a little flighty but even last week the first mob would have been no more than 30m when we started shooting.

They're pretty dumb birds and often it seems that they think if they don't move you won't get them.

I would suggest a proper head for your arrow though as they can be quite robust. My mate shot one with a broad head that went straight through and the turkey just kept running.

They're good fun though.

I have a box call, diaphragm and a slate, you have to be calling during the breeding season, I agree about the proper heads, as arrows can bounce off the feathers, I have some guillotine heads if someone deeds to try them.

We shot them with the air rifle as kids they would be up some tree and if you stuck enough lead in them they would fall out from the shear weight of it

My best is 3 in one shot with the bow on our front lawn. Have got 20+ wth a mag full out the shotgun.

They are extremely predictable animals, find where they roost then set the blind up close by and you are a guarantee. They will sit on the same post/branch/gate for bloody ages.

let me know when your over and will actually make it happen, 1 hour south of Auckland

3 for 1 with a bow is awesome!

I had an awesome tin ass shot last week, shot one about 50m away 8m in the air as it was flying between trees with the AR. Was like a cartoon where they explode in mid air and the fathers slowly float to the ground.

Thankfully @Savage1 witnessed it.

Yep clean through the first one then clean through upper next of 2nd (nearly decapatated) then half way through cheat of third. All within 30m of the back door haha