How Do You Turkey Hunt?

[mtns2hunt]

All of my turkey hunting is done in fields at the edge of small wood lots that I've hunted for years. Typically, I set up my Funky Chicken and hen before the gobbling begins. Using a gobble tube, I try to give the toms the impression that a stranger has moved into their territory and is responding to a hen that is also new to the area. Often, after fly down, a gobbler will come in to challenge the new tom, but if not then around 8-10 a.m. a bird often shows up. I rely on the peck order as much as hen talk to coax in a gobbler.

Agreed, although I have never tried the funky chicken.

[Mossberg90MN]

I'm a woods hunter. Public land from Northern MN to GA for about 30yrs. My long trips are usually spur of the moment. If I'm still on winter layoff and a season is about to open in a southern state I'm packing the truck and heading out. I'm usually by myself and sleep in the back of the truck. State parks or a motel room for a shower when I start feeling/smelling funky.

No decoys, no blinds. The only stalking I do is to get closer or to change set up locations. No crawling turkeys for a shot but I will crawl to stay undetected while closing in on a set up location if need be. I don't shoot turkeys that I stumble into. I did that once when I was just starting out and it left a pretty empty feeling inside of me. There was no interaction, no anticipation, no excitement, and no climax. I need that! It's what makes turkey hunting for me. I lost interest in deer hunting years ago.

I'm usually not in a hurry unlike when I 1st started. I used to run around the woods calling to every gobbler within earshot. If there were 10 birds gobbling I was going to let everyone of them know I was there. Thinking back now I think when I did succeed it was a matter of attrition. Sooner or later if I called to enough birds I would finally have a taker. I was going get one no matter how many I spooked. Now I call very little until a bird is located and I feel I'm in the proper set up.  I use diaphram calls 99.9% of the time. I carry a pot call and hardly ever use it. Most of my time is spent listening or sneaking to my next listening location. It's a rare occasion my set ups allow me to see birds until they get fairly close. It's gobbles and drumming that lets me know they are near.
I will set up in what I feel are good locations or on fresh sign and blind call. I'm not reserved in my calling but don't run around calling every 10 mins either. If I feel the situations calls for it I will rock the trees with yelping and cutting. I let the birds dictate my calling. I'll start soft and and go from there.

Owl hoots before flydown and coyotes howls at fly up are about the extent of my locator calling. In the past I've tried crow calls. Never found one that didn't sound like a kazoo and rarely could get any responses. I pretty much gave up on them a long time ago. I let the real crows and woodpeckers be my locator calls.

At 53 the hills seem to be getting bigger. I'll still climb up that 400ft ridge it just takes much longer now.

I try to roost gobblers from a distance whenever I can. If I'm successful I'll try to get in tight the next mourning. If I'm not successful I'll be standing near a known roost area before light breaks the next mourn. If I hear a bird to go after I usually hang back a bit and set up. It's usually pretty light out or they are on the ground by the time I get to them so I don't see the need to try and rush in close. My main goal other than calling in a tom is to spook as few turkeys as possible hens or gobblers. I don't want them to know they are being hunted. I try to find areas that are hard to get to. In these areas there's a good chance I'm the only one that's hunting them. I don't like crowds. Ha, I must be trying to get away from myself of 25 years ago. If I successfully find one of these hard to reach spots. I take my time. It don't need to happen that day. I'm extremely careful not to let them know a human is present because I'll definitely be back in the near future if It don't happen that day.
Sunrises and critters are pretty cool but I'm in the woods or on a lake/river most every weekend during the year so seeing them takes a backseat to the task at hand. The one thing that really turns my crank is whippoorwills. We don't have them where I live so when I hear them it can only mean one thing, "Turkey Hunting!!!!!"

Over the years I've gone through the progression of a hunter. Kill one, kill a bunch, kill the biggest, and now I'm into the teaching stage. I don't have any kids to share turkey hunting with. Last year I was lucky enough to find a beginning turkey hunter hear on OG that lives close to me. He's been hunting turkeys for I think 3 years. He's a dedicated 30 something. I try and help him anyway I can. I'm sure I overload him with all the info I try and give him. Ultimately time in the woods will be his best teacher. Hopefully my input will help steer him in the right direction. I'll have to admit I think he is helping me more than I him. Getting to know him has filled a void I've had since I started turkey hunting. He's the only dedicated turkey hunter I know who lives close to me. I know a guy in GA but we fell out of touch for about 20 years. He's  little green but there's no quit in him that I can see. I get to tell my stories and try and share info with somebody who actually cares.

This spring we made it out on a hunt together on the second to last day of the season. We roosted a bird and got in close the next mourn. Too close to be exact. I knew when I heard the drumming we were in trouble. The tom was not 35 yards from me. 2 hens I'm pretty sure we're in each of the trees we set up against. That tom sat in that tree for 1 1/2 hrs after flydown time gobbling his butt off waiting for the hens to flydown that were sitting above our heads. I digress, it seems after meeting my new friend the fire inside of me is burning a little brighter.

Edit: I guess the last half of all that would be more of who I am as a turkey hunter instead of how I hunt.

my brotha!


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[Turkeyman]

My preferred method of turkey hunting is to position on a bird when he's gobbling on the roost and try to call him in. If that doesn't pan out I generally "walk and call"...same as "run and gun" as the younger generation call it, but with less pizzazz. Been doing that for quite a few years...long before "run and gun" term was ever thought of.