Crossbow Turkey Hunting Guide: Tactics, Shot Placement & Gear

With years of hands-on experience in the field, crossbow hunter Richard Johnson shares practical strategies and proven techniques for successful turkey hunting.

Hunting turkeys with a crossbow requires a shift in mindset from traditional shotgun hunting, focusing on extreme precision, appropriate range, and careful equipment selection to overcome a turkey's natural "armor" of thick feathers and hollow bones.

Field Tactics

Scouting:

Hunting turkeys is similar to hunting deer. You must know the land, how the gobblers are using the land, and how to ambush the turkeys from natural cover or a ground blind. Learn where the birds will be, figure out how you can set up in the area without being detected. You may be surprised how easy it becomes to kill a bird with a crossbow the first or second sit of the year when you’re armed with this information.

Ground Blinds:

Turkeys have excellent eyesight. A ground blind provides the necessary concealment to move the crossbow into position without being spotted. Don’t discount the value of a quick setup style chair-blind. They are affordable, very portable, comfortable, and can blend in even in the open. And remember your clothing choices. Camo is not needed and dark or black upper wear often is a better choice for concealment and lightweight cover-ups are cheap and easy to pack.

Also, the common “run and gun technique” shouldn’t be shelved just because you have a crossbow. With the right planning and the right gear, it’s very doable.

Wait for the Right Moment:

It is best to wait for a turkey to drop out of its "strut" before shooting. When a turkey is strutting, its feathers are puffed out, making it difficult to visualize exactly where the vital organs are located.

Stability:

Utilizing a small tripod, bipod, or the edge of a blind or stand window as a rest helps maintain the pinpoint accuracy needed for this type of hunting.

Recovery:

Be prepared for the bird to move after the shot. Monitoring its path and being ready to follow up quickly when necessary is part of responsible hunting practice. 

Shot Placement

Because a crossbow fires a single arrow rather than a shotgun's spread of pellets, precise accuracy is key. The vital area on a turkey is small but well within the ability of this equipment at reasonable distances.

Standing Broadside:

Aim directly behind the wing butt, 2-3 inches back, above where the leg connects to the body. Striking this high-back area is often the most effective way to reach the heart and lungs and disable the bird.  

Strutting Forward:

When a turkey is facing forward, the target area is midway between the base of the neck and the beard.   

Strutting Broadside:

Aim at the "shiny spot" where the wing butt meet the body, about 1 inch behind the wing butt.

Strutting Away:

Aiming at the base of the tail where the feathers converge can be effective for anchoring the bird.

Equipment and Setup

Effective Range:

It is generally recommended to keep shots within 30 yards to ensure a clean and ethical harvest. Your ability and equipment can shrink or expand this range but be practical. A wounded turkey is often a lost bird. 

Broadhead Selection:

Many turkey hunters prefer mechanical broadheads as I do with wide cutting diameters and multiple blades that increase the chances of hitting the small vital organs and being lethal. Placement must be precise, so how they fly is critical. Today’s mechanicals that are designed for crossbows work flawlessly and many fly like a fieldpoint. This Nemesis broadhead is an example of that, a proven flyer, nearly 4” of cutting surface very suitable to bag a Tom with a well-placed shot.  

Fixed-blade heads are also used and will work well when placement is precise. Their ability to penetrate tough wing bones is a plus.

Use of Decoys and Calling:

Placing decoys 15-20 yards from a blind helps bring the turkey into a comfortable range for a crossbow shot. Learn to use a Mouth Call. You can’t shoot holding a call, so the hands free diaphragm calls are a necessity. Pick one up and learn to make the basic yelp, purr and cutt. Use calls to get the attention of turkeys and trigger them to search or pursue your decoys.

Lighted Nocks:

Using lighted nocks can help track the flight of the bolt and assist in locating it after the shot. Many of us use scopes with video capability like the ZULUS. Lighted nocks and video playback can verify exactly what really happened on that shot.  

Blinds:

Portable hub-style ground blinds and the latest generation of chair-blinds are very portable to leverage location choices, give you maximum concealment, have rain protection, and are great choices for lasting comfort. Add a tripod and the right chair and you're hunting smart, staying comfortable and still have mobility. This chair-blind can be set up in 3 minutes, the chair is comfortable and the ability to see through it is priceless. This blind has a backpack style carrying bag that also carries my small tripod. It weighs about 16 lbs with tripod and is an ideal turkey hunter’s blind.  

Common Sense Notes

• Check all your gear out well before your last practice and in time for tuning if needed.

• Practice from your setup, be it a ground-based setup shooting off a short tripod, a bipod or shooting freehand. Setup and practice from that full size blind or small chair-blind. Be familiar with your gear setup.

• If you are traveling a long way, consider backups and spares: a crossbow, extra arrows, broadheads, lighted nocks, strings and cables.

• Identify an archery shop in the area you will be hunting that is equipped with a press to support crossbow service for emergency help.

• Consider the clothing and gear necessary to deal with weather, be it cold, warm or wet.

• All day sits can be productive putting you in place where birds can move in and move by. Bring fluids to hydrate and food/snacks that are easy to carry and quiet to consume.