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As I attend trade shows and talk with other bowhunters, I sometimes hear other archers brag about taking game at abnormally long ranges.  I cringe when I think about novice hunters being fed this talk and thinking it's something to strive for.  Long shots are usually low-percentage shots that miss most of the time, but hits at long, out-of-distance ranges most often cripple birds.  In my mind, the closer the turkey is, the better.

In archery, close shots are critical.  The experts all agreed that most of their shots are inside 20 yards.  In fact some of the shots were inside 10.

When turkeys are close, the birds seem to have a sixth sense.  Their keen eyesight catches the slightest movement.  Knowing when to draw is pivotal.  Having multiple birds at bay, which in essence equates to multiple sets of eyes, sometimes proves impossible to draw without getting busted.

The bottom line:  Archers need to have the confidence to wait for a close shot and the nerves to make a clean shot.  The real skill of the archer is not killing a turkey a long way off, but getting the turkey close enough to kill cleanly.