Stay Steady and On Target During Spring Turkey

Stay Steady and On Target During Spring Turkey

March 05, 2019

 Using Shooting Sticks for Spring Turkey 

American wild turkeys have amazing vision, their eyesight is, in fact, their primary defense tool. Roughly equivalent to humans utilizing eight power binoculars, their ability to see detail is tremendous. Similar to most other birds, turkeys have excellent depth perception and incredible color vision, and to top it off their peripheral vision spans a field of view nearly 270 degrees. There isn’t much that a turkey misses considering everything in a turkeys field of vision is in focus. The slightest flicker of motion is quickly noticed by any nearby turkey.

For the hunter in pursuit of wild turkeys, beating the turkey’s vision is priority number one. A huge factor for turkey hunters in the woods is positioning the shotgun for a shot without getting busted, holding the shotgun in position while waiting for a clear shot without growing fatigued, and holding the shotgun steady for a solid aim and clean hit. That wary bird's vision is tough to beat, and movement, when you are trying to take aim or get into position, can be a deal breaker. Whether you pursue turkeys in thick expanses of hardwoods, along narrow bands of creeks and river bottoms, or in open agricultural lands; there are tools and tactics to help you get on target, stay steady, and close the deal this spring.

 

Knowing Where to Aim on Spring Turkeys

Tom and jake turkeys are amazing animals, and the mating display they put on to attract hens and fight off rival males in the spring is a sight to behold. The spectacle of a strutting tom coming in close; spitting, drumming, and firing off gobbles is sure to get your heart pounding. With so much action and distraction, it’s critical for the hunter to take careful aim when the opportunity presents itself.

  • Don’t Let the Strut Fool You

Puffed up and fanned out, wild turkeys may look like enormous birds, with little chance of missing with a shotgun, but don’t let all those feathers fool you. When tom turkeys fan out and display, they appear much larger than their actual body size. The actual vitals on a turkey are not that big, steadiness and focus on the target are key.

  • Aim for the Wattles on Spring Turkeys

The fleshy caruncle at the base of the turkey’s neck is known as the wattle or wattles. This soft fleshy area isn’t necessarily the most vulnerable area on the turkey, but aiming here will efficiently spread your shotgun shell pattern across the turkey’s head and neck. The wattles remain the ideal target even if a tom tucks his head to strut, or stretches his neck to gobble.

Keep Your Turkey Gun Steady with Shooting Sticks

To get that extra advantage in the turkey woods, one fantastic tool to consider adding to your setup is shooting sticks for your turkey shotgun. Fatigue can kick in if you have to hold your gun too long, hands begin to shake, and focus fades. When you try to make a slight adjustment and that turkey spooks, leaving with a “put-put” just to rub it in, the right shooting sticks can save the hunt.

  • Choose a Shooting Stick with Mobility and Versatility in Mind

Adding a shooting stick that provides stability and support without restricting movement will bring versatility and accuracy to your hunt. For hunters on the move, running and gunning, a lightweight yet tough shooting stick you can depend on is a must.

The VEO 2 Shooting Stick by Vanguard Outdoors is an ideal choice for turkey hunters looking for durability without sacrificing flexibility in a shooting stick this spring. The Veo 2 is constructed with lightweight, yet durable and rugged aluminum alloy. The ball joint feature on this tool pans and tilts smoothly, keeping your aim steady with the versatility to stay on target.

Unique to the VEO 2 is the tri-stand easy fold and lock 3 foot stabilizing design. The three-foot architecture provides the functionality of a tripod without the added weight and inconvenient bulk of a traditional tripod. The anti-slip rubber feet make it quiet and stable on any terrain.

Built with a 4-section aluminum locking leg design, this shooting stick has a load capacity of eleven pounds, proving it is as rugged as it is versatile. The removable U-yoke rotates a full 360 degrees and is built with rubber fins for a positive grip on your shotgun barrel. The VEO-2 extends from 22.25” all the way to 64.1” making it the perfect rest for a variety of shooting situations, and even appropriate as a walking stick for safety and stability to and from the hunt.

  • Shooting Stick Options for the Ground Blind Hunter

For some turkey hunters, setting up and hunting from a ground blind is ideal. Hunters with limited mobility, youth or new hunters, or hunters chasing birds in an area with little natural cover often find that hunting from a ground blind is an excellent choice. With added concealment and room to set up in the blind, hunters can afford to use shooting sticks with a larger footprint.

Vanguard’s Quest T62U is a fantastic choice for turkey hunters looking for the ideal shooting stick set up in the ground blind. A tripod, bipod, and gunpod all in one, this durable rest is incredibly adaptable.

The Quest T62U yoke swivels a full 360 degrees so shooters can adjust to any angle without repositioning the stick. Durable heavy gauge aluminum alloy construction makes the shooting stick both lightweight and sturdy. This shooting stick is truly adaptable, it functions as a tripod for added sturdiness, simply unscrew the third leg for bipod use, and the removable U-shaped yoke can even be attached to the third leg for use as a monopod. Vanguard’s Quest T62U is the perfect solution for hunters coaxing that warry tom into shotgun range this spring.

The pursuit of wild turkeys is an amazing spring pastime. Hunters enjoy warm springtime temperatures and unbeatable excitement with gobbling birds. This spring, consider adding shooting sticks to your turkey set up. Make the most of your hunts and time outdoors by increasing your accuracy and decreasing the odds of getting busted.