Tree stand for turks?
Contributors to this thread:Turkey
From: SDHNTR(home)
20-Apr-21
Anybody ever called in Turkeys from a tree stand? I've got an area that is holding birds this year that I happen to already have a deer stand set up in. Rather than lugging in a blind, what if I crawled up the tree? Can turks notice anything irregular if the sound is coming from up a tree? Effective?
From: Twinetickler
20-Apr-21
Might work out for you, but my experience is most danger for a turkey comes from above. They are constantly keeping an eye above them.
From: KY EyeBow
20-Apr-21
Agree with twinetickler....................
From: spike78
20-Apr-21
Not worth the effort just run and gun them and cover some ground.
From: t-roy
20-Apr-21
I’ve killed several out of a tree stand, while deer hunting, but my experience has been similar to others, in that they are really good at picking you out of a tree.
From: Dale06
20-Apr-21
I’ve seen a few while deer hunting from tree stands. They picked me out in a heart beat.
From: midwest
20-Apr-21
IMO, it would be easier from the ground without a blind than in a tree without a blind.
From: Ollie
20-Apr-21
Clearly you have never tried shooting one out of a tree stand using a fall turkey tag while deer hunting. I have. Movement that a deer would normally not notice is seen by turkeys.
From: Skippy
20-Apr-21
Killed this one out of a stand, waited till he was walking away from me.
From: bentstick54
20-Apr-21
Depends on the location of the tree, and how much backcover it provides. I had a small fall group of 6 or 7 hens around my treestand, and was able to get off 3 different shots, all misses, before I gave up and they moved on. Being in the fall, and no decoys, they never stopped moving. Constantly feeding, so much for my shooting moving targets! Point being, they were within 20 yards of my treestand that was about 12 feet high for 15 minutes, allowing me to take 3 shots with my recurve and never knew I was there. So yes I can be done.
From: Bake
20-Apr-21
If you’ve got screening cover around like cedars that you can draw as they go behind it could work. I’ve had good luck with that in the fall. Have killed several that way and missed more than I care to tell
But I’ve never tried in the spring. And I think it would be very hard without some type of nearby screening cover
From: bowhunter24
21-Apr-21
Good shooting Blane!
From: Habitat for Wildlife
21-Apr-21
Like Bake I have killed some in the fall while on stand, about 8 of them, even doubling on hens once. But I have had many more pick me off with the slightest movement.
GL!
From: Lost Arra
21-Apr-21
While deer hunting in October I climbed into my stand before dawn not knowing the turkeys had decided to roost in my tree the night before. Scared everyone involved. When I was almost in the stand they leaped out sounding like sacks of potatoes hitting the ground then hung around calling until daylight. I never tried to draw on one.
From: SBH
21-Apr-21
Possible for sure. Sit very still!! They see everything. I've been busted sitting dead still in the fall when deer hunting so I just figured it wasn't the best option. I hate sitting in blinds so I have reconsidered many times.
From: Lost Arra
21-Apr-21
I've had turkeys spook when I just thought about drawing my bow. But right now I've got a love sick tom cruising my yard who has even approached me to 20 yards while I'm weeding the vegetable garden. I think he's seen me shoot and feels safe.
From: BigOzzie
21-Apr-21
Turkeys were walking in a line right up to the cut bank I was tree standing over last fall. One by one they would fly off the bank into the roost tree. I thought wow spring turkey will be easy, I will just sit this stand and wait for them to line up for the launch, pick one and put a wood arrow through him.
Yeah not so much. They picked me out of the tree soon as I lifted my bow arm. Now they fly to roost from a point about 30 yards further down the bank. (crap)
oz
From: Pop-r
21-Apr-21
I can't believe a man would shoot at a hen turkey. I'll go ahead and say I can't believe it's legal to shoot at a hen turkey anywhere!
From: drycreek
21-Apr-21
Pop-r, what’s so hard to believes about shooting a hen ? They are made of meat too you know. It might not make your head swell but that’s not why some folks hunt. Where I turkey hunt there are probably 20 hens to every gobbler, it only makes sense to kill hens as well.
From: bentstick54
21-Apr-21
Pop-r. When legal, and populations are high, I shoot does too.
From: bentstick54
21-Apr-21
Sorry- back to turkeys.
From: Teeton
21-Apr-21
Pop-r, why are you against shooting hens ? Is this new because of lower turkey numbers??
From: Bowfreak
21-Apr-21
My nephew has killed 2 in the spring from treestands. He actually killed on at 2pm this past Sunday. Both birds were called in. My brother says that they couldn't care less when they came in and focused on the decoy.
From: t-roy
21-Apr-21
The damn horn (beard) porn mindset has even infiltrated into turkey hunting, now!
From: SDHNTR(home)
21-Apr-21
Interesting. I’ve killed em from the ground with no blind a few times too. I guess my question wasn’t so much them seeing my draw. There are ways around that. But say one is off a ways, can’t see me and is closing in on my decoys... would they notice my calling was coming from above in a tree and identify the sound as out of place?
From: The last savage
21-Apr-21
Yep , i ve shot 2 birds from my , elivated foot platform,, 5 ft up. I sat up on a big rectangular secluded crop field at has yet to be planted,, both birds shot with my recurves, 2 different bows, i used a large pine with a big honeysuckle growing up the side of it, i placed the stand so that the birds generally traveled the edge. They both came from my right , i had a ghillie on and was part of the honeysuckle. Nether saw me, nor did 25 other birds. I was invisible,, the key is... picking your time to move...otherwise i was a frozen, part of the floria.., both shots around 7 /8 yards
From: t-roy
22-Apr-21
Nate......I doubt it would make make much difference. If they are coming to your calls, I’d think once they got close enough to see your dekes, I’m betting they would key in on those vs just your calling. Not all that uncommon for turkeys to be up in a tree any time during the day. Usually, they’re on the ground during the day, but occasionally I’ve seen one in a tree. I’d maybe suggest not calling at all, or sparingly, once they get closer to your setup.
From: drycreek
22-Apr-21
I sidetracked myself so here’s my experience. I killed one turkey that I can remember from a 12’ tripod stand years ago. The place I hunted in Central Texas had no trees tall enough to have a tree stand so it was tripods or ground blinds. That wasn’t the first gobbler I tried to kill from a tripod, just the first one that didn’t bust me. What made it strange was, there were probably more turkeys under me at that time than there had been on the other occasions when I got busted. Maybe each thought the others were looking out ?
From: Pop-r
22-Apr-21
Nothing "new" about it. It's not good science. I'm sure the biologist that have our turkey numbers so flucldbed up might tell you different but that's like drinking the kool aid brad talks about. It's a joke. If you kill hen turkeys in the present time then you are not a conservationist in any sense of the word no matter the laws. Yes, I said that.
From: drycreek
23-Apr-21
Pop-r, you think turkey populations might vary across the country enough that a blanket statement like you made might be unwarranted ? Personally, I think rainfall has a much greater effect on the turkey numbers where I hunt than killing a few hens in the fall. No rain, no bugs........no bugs, starving turkey poults. Rainfall is very critical in parts of Texas for quail and turkeys, whether you kill hens or not isn’t.
From: Tracker
23-Apr-21
No killing hens for me. Thats like killing four birds with one shot giving she has a nice brood in the spring. has nothing to do with trophy hunting. Its about keeping numbers high. Not sure there is State anywhere that hens are legal in the spring.
From: t-roy
23-Apr-21
If they have a beard, they are legal game here in Iowa.
From: Pop-r
24-Apr-21
Exactly Tracker. It's just common sense. Some birds raise 8+ gobbler turkeys each! And y'all want to shoot them?! It takes all kinds but I'm glad God didn't create me that way!
From: The last savage
25-Apr-21
Got it done this morning at 7am from a stand 4 ft up, the set up and shot were both perfect, 50 # Bear, Black Bear recurve.
From: The last savage
25-Apr-21
In this pic if you look straight above the funky chicken deke s head, you can see my hide, my bow is on the treestand deck . That wad of honeysuckle on tne right was critical in success. Just as the bird got into the kill zone a big gust of wind blew the honeysuckle over in front of my bow arm, lol. I was elbowing it back for a clear release. Coulda been a blessing, as all of the vegetation moving in the wind allowed my shot to go undetected.
From: t-roy
25-Apr-21
Very nice, savage!
From: bentstick54
25-Apr-21
Yeah Tracker, I’m not familiar with all states but I would guess you’re right. States I am familiar with shooting hens is only legal in the fall, after the hens have raised their hatches. In areas where the populations are high enough I see know reason an occasional hen can’t be taken. Legality is usually up to state biologists that we pay to manage such things. I would bet that natural mortality, disease, weather, predators, and habitat changes have a far higher toll than occasional fall hen taken by a hunter. If turkey populations in my given area are high, I have no problem, if they are on a decline, I pass. It’s all personal choice, with a little common sense mixed in.
From: Skippy
26-Apr-21
Killed this one out of a stand, waited till he was walking away from me.
From: drycreek
26-Apr-21
Guys that think it’s sacrilege to kill a hen turkey must only shoot bucks, only eat steers or bulls, and throw all the female fish back in the lake. Where it really gets sticky is sexing those damn birds on the wing and making sure the squirrels have nuts between their legs as well as in their paws. Must be an adventurous life they lead..........
From: Pop-r
26-Apr-21
It takes a very vivid imagination to bring any correlation between not shooting hen turkeys and any of that.
From: MA-PAdeerslayer
26-Apr-21
Ha Don that’s good. If I have a tag, that I can use to feed my family, and be legal whole doing it. I don’t see why I can’t or anyone can’t or shouldn’t shoot a hen/doe etc. I’m planning 5-10 years a moose hunt. If I have only a cow option bet your tail I’m taking it and shooting her. If it was hurting the population they wouldn’t give the tags.
