I love pure public land bowhunting. The challenge of matching wits with animals inhabiting terrain that can be accessed by anyone appeals to me. Recently, I embarked on an early-season bowhunt for turkey in the great state of Nebraska. The state is rich with birds and interested bowhunters should visit www.outdoornebraska.ne.gov to find out more information about planning a Nebraska turkey adventure.

The weather was unfavorable and the birds were, for the most part, still in large winter flocks. Though not difficult to locate, the turkeys would pitch down off the roost and travel in a particular direction. They would go one way one day and one way the next. There was no pattern and the toms seemed to have cement beaks. Though the hunt was tough, my beforehand preparation paid off in spades. The area biologist, who I call and visit with every year, directed me to some new tracts of property. They were very small chunks—less than 50 acres—but they had tons of birds on them. The small size of these properties made it easy to watch the turkeys come and go and keep tabs on them throughout the day. Eventually, I was able to use my Avian X jake decoy in combination with spot-and-stalk to put a Nebraska public land longbeard on the ground with my Bear Agenda 6 bow. My Mossy Oak Break-Up Infinity kept me concealed and my Swhacker broadhead did a fantastic job. I can’t wait until next year.