This was my first year to turkey hunt and let me say it was quite an adventure. I've heard all kinds of advice....stay in the blind, get out of the blind, don't over call....it's head spinning to say the least!!
I took four trips and was skunked four times! I'm sure every beginning hunter goes thru this but seeing as I started hunting later than most, I'm letting my frustration get the best of me.
Enough with the pity party! Time to practice and get ready for the fall!
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It only gets better with time.
It will get better, hang in there!
Practice calling. Get a CD and keep listening and practicing. Realistic calling helps a lot.
Scout before next year and scout some more. Super heavy right before season.
Get in close to where they roost.
Know that fall hunting is pretty different the spring hunting. I've never done it but I'm told it is great fun too. Good luck!
You are right about there being a lot of advice out there about how to hunt turkeys. Most of it is good if you understand that in turkey hunting, a variety of approaches may be necessary to get the gobbler. What works with one turkey won't necessarily work with the next. My first year of turkey hunting was 1987. The guy taking me hunting had one decoy. It was a flat plastic hen that would allow the belly to spread out and was held in that position with a short piece of metal, looking much like a tiny pup tent with a turkey head on top. We used the run and gun technique all morning and never did call in a bird, but the excitement of the hunt kept me going for the next few years, only killing a gobbler about every third year. At that time, I had to drive about two hours to Pope County Illinois (Shawnee National Forest) that permitted turkey hunting whereas now my county has turkeys. After several years of hunting, I incorporated gobbling in my calling and quickly moved to taking two and often three birds annually. I don't hunt from a pop up but do wear a leafy camo cut out over my other clothes and sit in a very comfortable ground lounger that allows me several hours of comfort, very important for taking gobblers up in the morning. Since I hunt scattered wood lots, I don't run and gun but instead set up in one spot, usually were the birds go after fly down. Best of luck in you new adventure of turkey hunting!
Hang in there, it will get better.
Keep after them!!
Par for the course. Stay with it, things will change as you adapt and learn. Turkey hunting is a learning experience. I started in my late teens and I'm 40 years old this year. I started out on public land Osceolas and had a rough go of it for a few years till I killed my first bird. Take everything in and learn from your mistakes. If your serious and passionate about it, you'll figure it out. Heck, I been doing it for over 20 years and I'm still learning, lol!
It's only my 2nd season and I've yet to kill one but this season I've seen a lot more action already. One thing I remember reading but it didn't sink in was not to call too loudly. I'm pretty sure I scared the bejeezus out of a few of 'em last year with loud yelps and cackles. Finally, this year it dawned on me that the two toms that were hammering away when I snuck in didn't make another peep because my first call was way too aggressive. Then, the lesson was reinforced when I had a hen come in within 10 feet of me last week. She was making the very lightest of clucks to try to find where I was.
If I'm not mistaken, loud calls have their place for eliciting a gobble when you have no idea where any are. But once you do, take it easy.
Sounds like me!
It's the excitement that brings me back.
Gobbling, gobbling and more gobbling, just won't come in.
Can't seem to get it to all fall together.
It's on my "bucket list" to get a nice PA spring gobbler.
And I'm gonna do it!
:fud:
It takes a lot of time to learn to turkey hunt. I will give some advise of something I learned the hard way. There are no easy gimmicks to get you a turkey. All the stuff like decoys,blinds and calls are all tools and have a time and place when they are need to not. My advise is to learn everything you can about turkeys. They will teach you them how to hunt them. Once you learn about the turkey habits and the different phases of the season this will help you find the turkeys. Depending of the phase they are in you will know how to hunt them. One thing to remember to is that there will be year you do not work a bird. I hunted five season before I took my first gobbler. I have had a few years I did not get a turkey. But that is how it go's. But over the years has I learned more about the turkeys I began to take a few birds. As turkey hunters we all want that hard gobbling bird that runs to the call. To me this does not happen very often. Toms want to hen to come to them. All I can say is learn everything you can about the wild turkey. They will teach you how to hunt them.
Welcome to turkey hunting. Zero for four really ain't that bad in this world. I've gone zero for 22 days of turkey hunting before, that one hurt. For the most part turkeys are earned. It is turkey hunting and not just turkey shooting. Though I will say thank god for suicidal 2 year old gobblers, they've saved many a hunter's season. I started hunting turkeys in 1982 with no mentor, no advice, and no such thing as the internet. Mistakes and the school of hard knocks are a b!tch! Here's my $0.02 worth of advice for you. I hope it helps you on your journey to successfully taking turkeys.
You definitely landed in the right place to get sound advice. There's a lot of sure enough turkey slayers here who understand the game and play it well.
First thing I'd suggest is that you find as good a place to hunt as possible. The more turkeys available, the better your chances. It is really hard to call in turkeys that aren't there. Make it your mission to secure a great place to hunt, then learn the land so you come to understand where the turkeys like to move around on it. Scouting can pay huge dividends, particularly in Winter when there's no leaves on trees (and no snakes or bugs!). As you scout, look for quality places to set up. That way when the time comes, you can get out ahead of a gobbler and get to a good location to get the drop on him before he gets there. If he comes in looking for a hen, but sees an unusual blob in the open at the base of a skinny tree instead, you likely won't get to use a tag on that bird on that day. The less pressure the better too. Turkeys that don't know they're being hunted are easier to call in.
I'd also suggest finding an experienced, dedicated turkey hunter to help show you the ropes and help shorten your learning curve. There's things a skilled hunter can teach or show you in the woods that can't be found online or in videos. Develop your woodsmanship skills and learn to read sign, it doesn't lie. Like most things, it all gets easier with practice.
Practice your calling year-round. It helps to go listen to live turkeys to get the proper cadence and inflection. Adding some emotion into your calling definitely helps pull in gobblers versus robotic calling where the same calls are made from the same caller with identical notes and rhythm. Listen to another person calling compared to the sounds a live hen makes. If it is easy for you to tell the difference, it is also easy for that gobbler to tell it too. Thankfully, gobblers are so horny in the Spring that they aren't as picky as judges in a turkey calling contest. The gobbler is the only judge who needs to like the sound of your calling. Before the season starts, I'll go to state parks where hunting is not allowed to practice my calling on live lightly pressured birds. It makes a difference by the time the season opens. You'll be accustomed to sitting still and finding out what turkeys want to hear and what they won't tolerate.
Make sure your gun is as accurate and lethal as possible. Your only real connection between yourself and that gobbler are shotgun pellets (or an arrow). Find out what load performs best from your gun and make sure you know where it is going to hit. Learn to judge distances in 10 yard increments. It can make a huge difference between making a good shot and wounding or losing a gobbler.
Expect to make mistakes. I hope you learn from them. Turkeys are great teachers.
Patience, patience, patience. If you already know you're in a good location with a good population of turkeys, stick to the area you chose to hunt. Just because things got quiet, don't be in a rush to chase off to greener pastures. There has to be a reason you picked that spot in the first place. Trust your instincts and scouting. If you have a gobbler respond, but stay quiet for a long time (unless it is early season and he's with hens), he may have managed to sneak up behind you and is trying to find the hen he heard. I don't know how many times I've assumed nothing was around, only to have a gobbler run off, putting as he went. Never saw him, never heard him until it was too late. Older, experienced gobblers don't gobble anywhere near as much as a foolish 2 year old does. The experienced birds aren't so in love with the sound of their own voice and can be extremely wary if not downright paranoid. They didn't get old by being careless. When you think it is time to leave, give it an extra 20-30 minutes. Spending that extra time can help increase your success. Turkey season is only so long anyway, make the most of it. It will be over until next year before you know it.
I hope some of this makes sense and it helps. Turkey hunting is a great way to spend the Spring and you can end up with some of the best eating to be had. Good luck, have fun, and be safe.
Jim
Great advice Jim
Good advice...patience and putting in the road time will help you a lot. Going out turkey hunting just 4 times is usually not going to make you a successful turkey hunter.. You have got to put in the time and learning as much as you can.
Good advice above. I totally agree, if you hunt where you know there are birds and you have patience, you will eventually be successful. I had a great mentor when I started turkey hunting many years ago, but not many turkeys. I had to drive a lot to find birds to hunt. It was my 5th season before I killed that first bird, a jake. So, hang in there. There's a hell of a lot worse places you could be than in the spring woods whether you kill a turkey or not, and you'll learn something everyday.
Hang in there! Remember, the birds have to cooperate. It doesn't matter if you are Michael Waddell if you have a bird that is henned up or isn't hot it's tough. You will be amazed at how easy it is some days. Some days it's seems impossible. That's just turkey hunting! :icon_thumright:
Kenny Morgan, Gene Nunnery, Tom Kelly. I have never found better advise.
It took me 5 years to connect with my first gobbler. This was before YouTube and before I found turkey hunting forums. Plus I didn't know anybody that turkey hunted. I wasn't even sure if I was calling correctly. I had to figure out a lot of things by myself.
Perspective is the key...How many trips to the woods does it take to bag a turkey? There is no answer to this....Maybe 1 trip or maybe several seasons. That is the perspective you have to have, otherwise you will become frustrated and loose the joy of learning a new skill set. Early on, take pride in the fact that you are becoming a better hunter each trip to the woods. It isn't always easy to see that when you have been up at 3am for days in a row and still haven't had a gobbler even answer your call let alone come to you (talking from experience :). I started hunting turkeys 7 years ago (I was in my late forties). Killed a bird the first year because a friend took me out and called in a bird. Next year I killed one that I called in. Same friend said, just don't think it is always this easy. Well, for the next 3 1/2 seasons, I didn't kill a bird...didn't even have one close enough to raise my gun in hopes of a shot. I was out at least 15 days each season. Did I get frustrated, I sure did, but I didn't give up because I could see my improvement in calling, setup strategies and general hunting skill. I used this as my motivation to keep going and it paid off last year. I killed a jake the last week of the season. This year I sat the 1st 4 days and heard 2 gobbles. Talk about frustrating. The 5th day, I called in 3 jakes and bagged one. The 6th day I connected on a long beard. Things finally came together, but not without a lot of hard work, a little luck, and patience. Hang in there. If you have a friend to go out with that helps.
Good luck the rest of the season!!!!
Don't give up Brutha'! It's hard even on experienced hunters!
My suggestion is go to Youtube and tag up hen yelping. There are plenty of vids. of hens yelping, unaware of the camera. Mimic that cadence. Cadence is more important than anything regarding calling. Keep in mind that they can hear quiet sounds for quite a distance. Start out quiet. You can always increase the volume...
Calling is only part of it. Woodsmanship is the other. Stay quiet as possible going in and out. Stay longer than you think you should ( I can't tell you how many birds I've killed in the minutes before noon). Sometimes just being quiet and waiting to hear a gobble is productive. He's likely gobbling because he's looking and expecting a hen to answer. He may be more receptive in that situation.
Great advice above...If you can find an experienced turkey hunter to go with, it'll accelerate your learning curve.
It's an engaging adventure, this turkey hunting...I've been at it over 20 years and every morning I wake up and can't wait to get to the woods. My entire time is taken up planning/scheming/strategizing. What's this bird doing? What's he thinking? Where will he be? Is he easily riled? Is he a coy one? Why is he quiet today? I don't know the answers but that's what keeps it interesting...
Don't give up. That first bird is magic! Every one after is likewise...
took me a couple years to call my first bird in a a double bearded jake i had two other people call longbeards in for me before that. it really helps if you know a good turkey hunter to go with a few times
This was my 3rd year into turkey hunting. The more you get out after them the better you up your odds. Year one I shot a decent tom 8.125" beard, 3/4" spurs, 19.5#
I worked on my calling and read a lot of advice on this forum and another PA forum. I upgraded my shotgun into a turkey gun, stock, choke, scope, and kept at it with mouth challs.
Last year I was in between switching jobs so my days were a bit off. Only had one real opportunity at calling in a bird and hunted him hard for about an hour and a half. Had to circle out in front of him 3 times. He popped into my window at about 40 but like a goof I decided I wanted him to be closer so I could feel like I beat him. The next week my new work put me on a 7-330 schedule so I could not hunt at all in the am and Saturdays were like a zoo. Only had a few more opportunities as my weekend schedule got blown out.
Coming into my "Junior year" This year I dedicated a lot of time to turkey hunting. Practice with my mouth calls a lot, scouted in the am before the season. Not any calling, but just going out and listening. FIndind some roosts and setting up close by to hear what they sound like and such. My gun was already to go and just did a few pattern checks.
Opening day was a bust, but I kept at it. I went out every morning I could before work. A few of those were gobbleless mornings. Didn't strike a bird for the first few days.
Last Wednesday I got off the beaten path and put on a few miles that morning before work, I walked and called and such from 5:15-630 when I heard my first gobble an random gobble at 400 yards away. I trucked out to where I thought the birds would be and no one was there. Gave three yelps and had a gobble at about 80 yards. Set up checked the watch it was 6:45. Did some exited cutting and 4 came in. A jake tricked me and went in front of the longbeard behind a tree so I shot a jake. 4.875" beard
Very next morning up and at it again. Had an amazing hunt where I called in the gobblers hen he would come in. Ran to get a different set up. called in the hen and he still wouldn't come in. Finally I did a gobble with my mouth call to seal the deal. Shot him at around 40 yards, 9.25" beard, 3/4" spurs.
I put these stories in here to let you know it can all change in a second. Keep at it and you will become and addict like myself. My first year I probably sounded ridiculous to the birds, my shotgun was just a stock 870 express with a modified choke.
Flash forward to this year after I put in a lot of time practicing calling, reading advice on things to do on birds, had a shotgun fully capable of hammering any turkey in the woods, and really put time in to learn turkeys. I was tagged out not even a full week into the season.
The thing is you need to put your time in. Read a lot of the stories on here on how people become successful. Practice with your calling. I bought the Scott Ellis mouth call magic DVD and it helped me out a ton. You have to make time to get yourself in the woods. I know it is not always possible but if you can get out before work DO IT. You will get run down, tired, and down right zombified, but the rewards will show. You are doing fine for you first year. Grow from what you did this year. Learn the lay of the land you hunt and where turkey like to roost, and how the react after fly down.
I am no pro by any means, but I worked hard to get where I am today. Still a lot to learn, but I feel I have matured a lot as a turkey hunter. This site and its members are great.
Lots of great advice in these replies. Sometimes this sounds trite or an excuse but try to find joy and focus on the process of finding birds. Focusing in the kill is a fast road to extreme frustration. An encounter with a flock of hens can be extremely valuable just watching them move and hearing them communicate with each other. Also, don't watch TV hunting shows. They condense days worth of scouting and sitting into a 22 minute broadcast. There are time when a tom takes two hours to move 50 yards. The magic of editing makes the Triple X call and brand Y deke look magical. It took me a few seasons going out almost every morning before work to realize turkey hunting is like real estate investing, location, location, location. Moving around too much is like playing a different lottery number each time you buy a ticket. I also learned how to let them walk away as I sit and watch them interact and where they go. Seeing birds 500 yards away across a field there is little chance of me endrunning them and having a good setup. I'll watch and see where they go and try to speculate where they came from. Now I have information as to where to set up. If I am wrong, I still learn and slowly close the gap. Being rash just spooks them and changes the habits they have established. Every encounter with any turkey has value in reaching the goal of filling a tag.
It took me 3-4 years to get my first bird. Then the birds came much easier. There are many strategies to taking gobblers. Everyone has their own style. Keep after them! Dedicate time to practicing calling, scouting if possible, and most importantly... TIME TO HUNT! My wife is getting frustrated not getting a bird yet but she only hunts 2-3 days a year. If you every figure out these crazy birds let us know.
Wow, I'm overwhelmed by the positive responses guys! Thanks so much for advice and encouragement.
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RUN!! while theres still time!!
Once you get these cagey bas#%@ds under skin its all over!!
Seriously..enjoy the ride
Good Luck
Rob
Don't be upset. I didn't get a bird until my 3rd spring. I've read here about a lot of guys that it took even longer for. Keep on trying, learning and practicing. The more you learn about turkey behavior, the more you learn the land that you hunt, the more you pattern the turkeys, the more you practice your calls, etc., the better you'll get. Somewhere along the way, you'll be in the right place, at the right time, and make the right moves, and get your gobbler. :anim_25:
Read thru several times and again I appreciate the time you guys took to share stories and advice. Thankful i joined!!
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