Advice on becoming a turkey hunter

joeumholtz · Post by **joeumholtz** » Mon Feb 04, 2008 9:12 pm

Never really had an opportunity to hunt turkey in the past. Bagged most of my turkeys in the frozen food aisle. Sure I shot a few during fall season while hunting squirrels but never hunted them in the spring where you had to call them. Been watching the thread about favorite calls and I thought I'd start this one. Looking for advice from all you seasoned turkey hunters out there for a novice just anticipating his first foray into turkey hunting. I have my choice of weapons, shotgun or crossbow. Right now I'm leaning towards a crossbow. Tried using a mouth call years ago but could never master it. Please impart your words of wisdom.

Grizzly Adam · Post by **Grizzly Adam** » Mon Feb 04, 2008 9:48 pm

1. Locate a boss gobbler away from his ladies.

2. Set up close by where he can hear but can't see you.

3. Talk dirty to him. Be shameless.

4. When he's excited, and coming in, introduce "competition."

5. Go silent.

6. As soon as you see it within range, blow his head off.

7. Cut breast into 1" cubes, dip in egg / milk mixture, roll in seasoned flour, and deep fry until just golden brown.

8. Tell your envious friends there "ain't nothin' to it."

That's about it.

saxman · Post by **saxman** » Mon Feb 04, 2008 9:54 pm

I am by far no expert,I have called in birds for others but never for myself.
Spend time with the mouth call by just holding it in your mouth as you drive or whatever,slowly move it into calling position,if you start to gag move it out a little,this may take several weeks to get comfortable (some get it right off,some never do) When you can keep it in position for as long as you want the start blowing.
Being a sax player (a reed instrument) the mouth calls came easy for me but my favorite is still friction,they sound so good.
Spend lots of time observing turkey behavior,travel patterns,prefered food source,strut and dusting zones,roost sites and just get out there,be safe and have fun

pdislow · Post by **pdislow** » Mon Feb 04, 2008 10:13 pm

try to locate where the gobbler roosts at night and where he is likely to fly down to from there. usually i try NOT to get any closer than 100 yards or so +- from the roost site and a long walk from the truck too. then follow grizz's instructions. i can't emphasize the importance of camo,still, and quiet except for calling. if you are where he is likely to fly down to or near there you may not need to do a whole lot of calling anyway. go for it... i have never killed one at home!

joeumholtz · Post by **joeumholtz** » Mon Feb 04, 2008 11:33 pm

Grizz,

Sound advice. Especially the blow his head off part.

Saxman, Former Clarinet player here - still couldn't get used to the mouth call. I'll probably try again but I'll probably go with a box, slate or push button...or all three

PDislow - camo is no problem have lots. You echo my Dad's fishing advice, "You can't catch'm in the living room, boy." Only in my case it's more like the office.

Thanks for the advice guys.

LV2HNT · Post by **LV2HNT** » Tue Feb 05, 2008 7:38 am

All the advice is good. There are just a couple things I would add.

You hit on a good point in your last post. Multiple calls are good to have because sometimes the tom just won't like a certain call so switching to a different sound can do the trick.

A decoy or a few will greatly improve your chances.

I often have a problem seeing them, usualy because it is too thick, and they end up spotting me first and running off. So this year I am trying a ground blind. I hope it will pay off.

Right or wrong, I don't know for sure but these are some things I think I have learned over the years. They will probably differ according to the area and birds being hunted.

Don't start calling to birds too early. Let them tell you when to start or wait till you hear them leave the roost if you can.

Don't over call because it rarely works. Start out slow and just give them enough to come in. If they hang up and just won't come any further, you can try calling like crazy, or even better, try relocating and trying from a different position.

A baseball cap beaten across the leg will imitate a bird leaving the roost which can help bring them in.

Turkey make a lot of noise when they are out moving around. So if one hangs up, raking the leaves and making noise may help.

Always try to set up in a position where you are calling the bird uphill to you because they don't like to go down and try to eliminate barriers that may stop them in there tracks like creeks and fences.

Watch out for snakes, have fun, and good luck.

Grizzly Adam · Post by **Grizzly Adam** » Tue Feb 05, 2008 8:03 am

LV2HNT wrote: Watch out for snakes ...

No doubt.

I was sitting on a bucket one day, filming my little brother's deer hunt, when suddenly I heard a rustling sound, looked down ... and there was a HUGE COPPERHEAD crawling BETWEEN MY FEET!

I got the last two feet of him on film, sliding into a honeysuckle tangle!

crazyfarmer · Post by **crazyfarmer** » Tue Feb 05, 2008 8:33 am

rule #1: Be patient!(dont move if you dont need to, wait for the hens to leave)
rule#2: Know when and how much to call(dont call to early or to often, unless the birds hot)
rule#3: Know when you need to move(moving to soon or to late can cost you the bird)

it takes time to learn the above:)

wabi · Post by **wabi** » Tue Feb 05, 2008 8:56 am

Learn where the turkeys roost and where they travel after fly-down.
Where I hunt there is a small creek they usually cross daily. That bottlenecks there travel route to a few crossings. I've set up on a good crossing more than once and ambushed one without ever calling.
Odd thing is, they are creatures of habit and will use the same crossing(s) even if the creek is flooded. They have to fly across, but they still go to the same spot to cross.
Another tactic I've learned to use is the pop-up ground blind. They seem to pay no attention to a blind that wasn't there yesterday. This winter, while deer hunting, I had 50+ turkeys walk past the blind. One old hen came over to the window, looked in at me (dressed in blaze orange), gawked for a minute, then went on with her travels - totally un-alarmed!
Saw 50 - 70 turkeys feeding in the harvested corn field where I hunt Sunday afternoon.

ecoaster · Post by **ecoaster** » Tue Feb 05, 2008 9:58 am

My best advice would be to be PATIENT!!! I hunted my first season with nothing but close calls to show for it

. The second year I got one on the opener, and last year I nailed two in the first week.

joeumholtz · Post by **joeumholtz** » Tue Feb 05, 2008 8:57 pm

Wow! You guys are great! I appreciate all the advice. I only hope I have time to put it into practice. My primary goal with starting to turkey hunt this spring is to get out in the woods where I can sit and relax and put the rest of the world on hold. If I acomplish that, the hunt will be a success. The second goal is to learn a new skill and accomplish something that I haven't done yet. I do like a challenge. If it takes one season or five that's all right with me as long as I get to be out there. Tomorrow I'll be at the Eastern Outdoor Sportsman show here in Harrisburg. I'll be picking the brains of every turkey hunter I find. I know they're going to try and get me to buy something and maybe one or two of them might succeed, but that's OK, it's all part of the fun. Thanks guys for all the advice. I've printed this thread and will refer to it often as I get closer to the season.