Bows and accessories

The modern compound bow is the most popular choice for turkey hunting, but traditional recurve and longbows also have their fans. Hunting with crossbows is illegal in Oregon.

If you already have a bow you use for deer or elk hunting, it will work fine for turkey

Many turkey hunters, though, like to reduce the draw weight of their deer/elk hunting bow to 45 pounds or less for turkey. Unlike deer and elk hunting, where you’re usually standing or kneeling when you take a shot, you’re likely to be sitting when shooting a turkey. In this case, a lighter draw weight may be easier to handle.

A recurve bow, often called a traditional bow, does not require much strength from the shooter. They are simple to shoot and have few working parts – bow limbs, string, arrow rest and riser.

A longbow is the most challenging kind of bow to shoot. These long bows can be almost as tall as the hunter, making them difficult to shoot from a blind. They lack arrow rests and sights, making accuracy tough to master. And they don’t have the arrow speed of a compound or recurve bow.

Buying a compound bow

Modern compound bows come in a variety of sizes and configurations, so it’s important to find one that fits you properly. The best place to find a properly fitted bow, is at an archery pro shop or specialty sporting goods store. The experts at these stores will help you select the best bow for you based on the following factors:

  • Draw length -- the distance between the bowstring when at rest and at full draw.
  • Eye dominance – selecting a left- or right-hand bow will depend on which is your dominant eye.
  • Draw weight -- the amount of weight you feel while pulling the string of the bow into shooting position. Your optimum draw weight will depend on your size and strength. Draw weight, together with draw length will determine how fast an arrow will travel. 
  • Let off – is the small percentage of the draw weight that you’ll need to hold the bow at full draw longer and with less fatigue.
  • Brace height -- the distance from the bowstring to the grip when at rest. A shorter brace height can mean a faster arrow but can be more difficult to master. New or beginning archers will benefit from a longer, more forgiving brace height.

Two top accessories for the bow hunter

The top accessory for any turkey bowhunter should be a rangefinder. Turkeys have such a small kill zone, that knowing the exact distance to your target can be critical.

A camouflage glove or paint for your bow hand and fingers can be easy to overlook. But successful turkey hunters go to a lot of trouble to conceal themselves from a keen-eyed turkey – don’t let a bare bow hand give you away.

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