fanning with a bow
Turkey
Last spring, I hid behind a Pretty Boy full strut decoy. I crawled towards a gobbler. He literally ran to me. I killed him at about 10 yards with my shotgun.
I was wondering what decoy would work best to try this technique with my bow. I shot the turkey last year on the run. That was easy with my shotgun. Might be a bit harder with a bow.
I’d also like to use Bullhead broadheads. That seems to eliminate some of the bow blinds.
Here an article that describes the basic idea
Heads up decoy is exactly what you describe!
Yep. Heads up decoy works great!
Looking good Matt! I've been wanting to kill one with the bow mounted heads up!
Mark
Man I thought this was gonna be about fanning your bow like a .45 ! I was all in !
I've started doing this last year. I fanned a group of Jakes in, but it was before my season. I have a Thunder Chicken with a monopod inside and can rest my gun between the fan. But with a bow it could be tricky, but at the Iowa Deer Classic I picked up another, it's called TurkeyFan. Their website is the same name. It's half of an umbrella and bigger than your typical fan with more room behind it. The neat thing is you can close and open it to simulate a tom going in and out of strut. With a bow, this would be the one to use.
We had a "TurkeyFan" donated to our state bowhunting banquet. I checked it out because it looks interesting. It is larger, but the umbrella style is a little cumbersome. It would work better with two people I think.
I was introduced to Fanning turkeys years ago before anyone was doing it on a large scale. I am sure we weren't the first ones to do it, but the guys that showed me kept it a secret as long as they could because it is extremely effective on open country birds, especially if using a shotgun.
When we started we just used a dried tail fan with plenty of success, but we always had two to 3 guys hunting with one to two running the fan(s) with a primary shooter. The real fan with the sheen on the feathers is integral to success from my experience.
The HUD solves the problem of what to do when hunting solo and provides an easy way to attach the fan to your bow with the bow mount. The realism of the decoy can only help imo. Using the heads up is about the only way I hunt turkeys anymore.
Things to remember when fanning regardless of what decoy you use. Throw most of what you know about turkey hunting out the window. Movement when fanning is good. If the bird isn't coming to me I am crawling towards them or trying to close the distance by using the topography. When in sight I will raise and lower the decoy to simulate a bird going in/out of strut and when crawling will rock it from side to side.
When a bird decides to charge in it is very hard to take your time. Historically you think that if a turkey sees movement they will bolt so most draw and shoot very quickly, but you usually have lots of time. Even if they go out of strut and spook they usually don't go far and stop to give you time to settle and shoot. Trust me, taking your time is easier said than done:)
After you have a bird charge in from hundreds of yards away and you kill him at point blank it is very hard to go back to the ground blind.
Good luck and have fun!
Matt
Man that's a sweet pic.^ The photographer must be a pro! ;)
HUD is about the only way I'd hunt turkeys anymore.
Turkeys really respond to seeing a fan snap full and close again.
Buddies have glued feathers to the "silk" fans sold by Primos.
No doubt it's the snap open that gets 'em ticked...it's kind of like "in your face, tom!"
A buddy has put a salted turkey cape at the bottom of his. Another attached one to a black towel so he can hide behind it.
I'm not sure if I like the idea of the fan attached to my bow. It's nice being able to set the fan down or use a stake to set in the ground. I like the umbrella idea with the attachment for a camera, viewing window, and the ability to open and close the fan. It also allows a person or persons a lot more room to hide behind. The only idea I don't like about the umbrella is that it uses an artificial fan. Neither the heads up or umbrella use a real head..which I feel is an advantage for smart toms if they are slow or spooky when approaching.
What intrigued me about TurkeyFan is you can carry it in the closed position and is like a walking stick. Its really light too. Some people may not want to lug a decoy w/fan attached around. I don't know if closing and opening is important, but movement is. I pulled those Jakes in by spinning it. I was against a tree and I had them 10 yards from me for a few minutes.
Just ordered one! Thanks.
Jims...you're giving the birds too much credit.
We've had old toms attack a simple fan attached to a stake so it pivoted in the breeze.
Come on, their balls are ten times bigger than their brains.They're wary, but they ain't smart. It's like the guy wondering if a "breeding hen" decoy would spook toms if the breeding season wasn't running strong.
Seriously?
Helped my Son take his first turkey by shielding him with the SLIP System and walking in on a group of birds. The big Tom charged us, and my Son laid him out at about 10 yds.
I usually attach a turkey fan to the unit, seems to help sell it. I have walked within 10 feet of strutting Toms doing this (well, more like "duck walked").
Best of Luck, Jeff (Bowsite Sponsor)
Writer, we must be hunting different toms because the toms I've been hunting are super picky and spooky! They didn't want anything to do with a fan with a turkey head painted on it! The only thing I could get to work were life-sized decoys with a fan. There were hardly any jakes in any of the groups I was hunting so I think I was hunting older age class toms.
I think it's a good idea to have a fan with a bigger body attached to it to hide behind....especially for spotting and stalking older age toms that know exactly what's going on!
Here is a quick look at some hightlights I put together with the Heads Up Decoy. They are fun to use.
Not judging people that use this technique but the reason I started using a bow for turkeys is because I was trying to make it harder than it is to shoot one with a gun. This is an approach that makes it too easy in my book.
But as long as its legal, to each his own.
Scoot - I'll bet if you check with some local turkey hunters you'll find someone who has an old fan tacked up in their garage. A taxidermist may have one around, too.
Has anyone noticed a time of the year that "fanning" works better? I have tried several times with no success. However, in Nebraska, our season opens in late March and I do most of my turkey hunting in late March through mid-April. Maybe the later part of the year is better??
Reflex, can you elaborate on that? (tried several times with no success)
Does that mean you actually spooked birds while closing the distance using this setup?
I don't know if a specific time of year works better than another, but there are times they don't want much to do with it and others where I have watched them sprint from hundreds of yards into feet.
Obviously nothing works every time. In the early season we have worked a flock of birds with no luck, circled around and tried them from a different angle several times and end up getting one to come in eventually, but this takes some work. It is much more enjoyable when they just charge in:)
Give me a call Marty if you want to talk about using it.
Matt
Isn't this a safety concern being shot by other hunters?
Not if you use common sense. Most of the time you are using this in wide open spaces like pastures and crop fields. I wouldn't recommend sneaking through the hard woods behind it, but many turkey hunting accidents are people just shooting at movement in heavy cover without identifying their intended target.
I would use extra caution in states where hi powered rifles are legal for turkeys as well.
Anytime you go afield where others are hunting you have some risk. I don't feel anymore in danger using this decoy than any other time.
Matt
As was said above...it may take several set ups to get them to charge or commit.
It looks easy in the video...and sometimes it is. But, there are many times that I really work to get a shot.
I will say that fanning or using the H.U.D eliminates the frustration of helplessly watching a strutter not give you the time of day.
GR Heads Up Decoy
Scoot... You need a fan, PM me.
I ordered a Heads-up last weekend. The owner called me and shipped it quickly. It arrived on Wednesday. I'll be taking it on a trip for Kansas gobblers.
I got it all set up on my bow and can't wait...
I'll let y'all know how it goes
Wow! This decoy completely changes the game. In the past,I was entirely at the mercy of the turkey. If they hung up or hung out in the open, there was nothing I could do. Now,I can go to them.
I hunted this week in Kansas. I crawled to within 30 yards of threedifferent fflocks. They saw me and watched me come but never flared.
All of the flocks were hens or Jake's so they would not confront me. I can't wait to see what a dominant Tom will do
Mad angler, fanning is a blast yes, but, careful what you wish for....
Snuck to the edge of my property opening day after following some calls. Fanned at the fenceline to a lone tom few hundred yards away. Couldnt really tell what he was, jake or what. I gobbled at him one time and before i could call again he went airborne. He flew in right over the fence and landed less than 10 feet from me. He hit the ground running. Came at me so fast and knocked the fan out of my hand I had no time to react or make a shot. I know it sounds crazy but it happened so fast. Kinda shook me up a little.
Didnt get that bird but still an experience.
Writer, you are right about the open and close of that fan! The one i have i made using real feathers on a colapsable chinese fan I snagged on ebay. Made it that way to put in my backpack but I make use of this when decoying too.
Matt, Is that an Octane 7" stabilizer you're using? How do you like it?
That is a B-Stinger stabilizer. It works good. For guys that don't have the ability to attach the bow mount to the end of the stabilizer you can put it against the riser and use the stabilizer to tighten it down. This will work, but can be a pain to get tight enough.
Took a friend this weekend and had lots of action and killed a nice Tom at 15 yards. He was laying in the shade 100 yards out and we showed the decoy and he stood up and came right in.
Matt
These two long beards RACED in from 100+ yards. I picked the wrong bird to shoot at. There is a bird on the right that was coming into full strut when I reached my anchor. I was focused on the other bird and I did not realize it until I re-ran the footage a few times. As it ended up, the bird on the left has a few less feathers.
GR Heads Up Decoy
I hate Bowsite. . . you all are bad influences. . .
I ordered a Heads Up Saturday evening. Can't wait to give it a shot in a couple open field scenarios I always run into.
You bastards
Thanks Bake for the support. Got your message too. Good luck.
GR Heads Up Decoy
Absolutely love the heads up! I've had one for a couple years and have found it to be almost unfair. Me and a buddy both killed birds using it this week and had a couple other buddies have birds come running in and couldn't make the shot. We hunted part of Friday and most of Saturday and had between 8 and 10 birds just run to it.
I went out with Matt for a few days of turkey hunting. Had a great time with the heads up decoy. Man this thing really does work. Matt knows how to work it like a dancer with these birds. We used the decoy 3 times and had birds come charging in everytime. All the birds came in to under 15 yards. Couple birds were at 8 yards or less. Really amazing how well the fanning techinque works.
Here is a pic of a Tom that we fanned in and I was able to get an arrow into. The bird was resting under a tree over 100 yards away. Matt showed the fan and the bird strutted all the way in to 15 yards. I was behind Matt as he was holding the fan and when the bird got to 15 yards I drew my bow and Matt moved to the side and I made the shot.
It's amazing that the birds don't really Pay attention to you they just concentrate on the fan. You can get away with movement.
Im curious if anyone has used it while hunting the southeast, or east. I had a fellow hunting Florida several years ago that was his secret weapon, he pulled out an old fan and showed it to me, and swore that if a bird came in, he could pretty much do whatever he wanted - concerning movement - and as long as he was working the fan, the bird would come in very close, he also said it was like he wasn't even in the picture. So with my recent trips being a bust because the birds have hung up at around 100 yards, and wouldn't come on in, I wonder if using a fan would work on heavily hunted eastern/southeastern birds. So if anyone has, I would like to read your experiences.
Regardless, it sounds like a good tactic to add to my bag of tricks whenever I get back out west to hunt turkey.
Here is one from this morning. My son's third bird (age 12) in 3 seasons. All with the Heads Up Decoy system. Bow mounted, ground staked, or hand held doesn't matter just depends on the situation. We worked this bird for 45 minutes within 125 yards and he wouldn't budge. We were out of sight of one another, but we couldn't move for fear of being busted. He finally moved out and around to a field. Once he was in the open I fanned the HUD when he was at 200 yards....he literally raced all out and was strutting at 50 within seconds. From there he strutted right in until Hunter laid him out.
Congrats Hunter and Dad!
GR
My first night trying the heads up decoy. I was trying to get into the roosting spot but the birds were out early. They were about 200 yards out but I showed him the decoy anyways. I should have got closer to the river instead of backing away. He didn't want to come across the river so I only got a 35-yard shot. Missed, but the HeadsUp decoy works!
Snap...glad you had some action. Good luck the rest of the season.
I had these 3 long beards at 15 yards. They all came strutting right in. This was our second set up on these birds.
As Matt P may have said earlier, you can sometimes work a bird/birds and if they don't come in the first time, you can always try at another angle.
GR Heads UP Decoy
My son was with me again on this hunt. He was soaking up the bird's colors and size. It was fun having him there.
Well, I gave it a try expecting a miracle, and got what I expected. A snub that is. Granted, my experience was only one experience, that was with a hard hunted Eastern that had been previously harassed by a group of jakes. But after spotting him at around 150 yards, on the edge of a shrubbery field, I pulled the fan out with high expectations and he basically watched me move the fan around, then turned and walked away.
I was hoping I had found a tactic, that had been described as, like cheating, because with nearly all the birds I encounter here in northwestern NC, where the birds are as wary as anywhere I have ever encountered them, a little cheating wouldn't make me feel bad at all.
Bam! Second time showing it to a bird!
Ordered one yesterday! Hope it gets here before I tag out... Looks like a blast! Also picked up another elk decoy since the other one I had is sitting on a mountain in WY somewhere...
