By Noah Looper
In Arkansas we have a 6 month long archery season from September to February and then a 2 week turkey season in April. I got my first recurve bow from 3Rivers and 12 arrows 2 weeks before turkey season and I was determined to get me my first animal with a traditional bow.
I practiced every day just to get my grouping better and studied turkey anatomy so I knew where the best shot placement was. I am all self taught, the thing about Arkansas is there are a lot of bow hunters but all compound. There was no one to help me with starting out with a stick and string archery. The only thing that helped me was I grew up watching Fred Eichler.
Opening day
Opening day was finally here and the turkey were thick on my family's property. The greatest thing was where I lived in the Ozarks was that the turkeys have never been hunted so I was so excited to go out and take the first turkey in 20 years.
I knew that turkeys have fantastic eyesight and hearing and a lot of people recommend hunting them in a pop up blind but I didn't have one. My father taught me how to use the environment to my advantage but that was for rifle hunting not archery so I knew that I had to use everything he taught me if I was to be successful in this hunt. I didn't have any camouflage clothes but I had a pair of brown pants and a green flannel shirt.
I had walked 3 miles to the heart of all the turkeys roosting areas and in the center was a little field. I had 1 $6 hen decoy and 3 hunting broadheads. They were the old Muzzy Phantom broadheads. Like I said I grew up watching Easton bowhunting with Fred Eichler so I knew that was a great broadhead.
The woods lit up with gobblin'
I had made the first call right when the sun was cresting the Ozark mountains and the woods lit up with gobblin'. Every time I called it sounded like they were getting closer. I swear my heart was going to beat right out of my chest every time they replied to me.
Then I finally caught movement out of the corner of my eye. I knew it had to be a turkey and I was ready. I had set up between 2 thick cedar trees and the decoy was 7 feet in front of me so I was waiting on it to just step out in front.
I got my bow situated and was ready to draw when I saw it wasn't one of the thunder chickens I was after but a hen turkey. She came right up to the decoy. In Arkansas you can't harvest a hen or a jake. It must be a tom so at this point I could only watch this hen that was 7 feet away and do nothing.
The tom closes in
Then I heard a thunderous gobble from my right. I looked over and I could see a massive tom standing next to a oak tree, his head around the eyes were a rich blue and the waddles a deep red. He was off about 30 yards and strutting right in. The beard was so long, 4 inches or so was dragging the ground under him.
The hen was watching him and he was focused on the 2 hens. I got my bow ready and I had picked my spot. The turkey closed the distance within a minute and was about 10 feet away. Then before I could draw back both the tom and hen took off running back into the woods. About that time a big red-tail hawk swooped down and grabbed my decoy by the head and had it pinned.
I was surprised and upset that this hawk scared off my first turkey and first trad hunt. I didn't get another chance like that again that season but I learned a lot more about that season.
I'm still waiting on my first turkey but I know with more patience I will get my chance. The joys of traditional hunting is that it will be trying at times and you will leave the woods with nothing but when you finally get to release an arrow it is the most rewarding feeling.
That is my first traditional hunt. I hope you enjoyed the read.
Noah.