Turkey hunting advice

[Elidepew05]

I'm an rookie at turkey hunting and would Like some tips. Got close a few times never sealed the deal. Any tips for this upcoming season in Missouri?

[Jimspur]

Shoot straight!

[Timmer]

Lot's of tips and tricks to be found here. There is a section just for tips and strategies - http://oldgobbler.com/Forum/index.php/board,45.0.html.  A moderator will probably move this thread there as a matter of fact. 

The single biggest piece of advice I could give you is to not over call.  That's the surest way to get a bird to hang up or even expect you to follow him as he heads in another direction.  Many hunters will say that if he cuts you off (gobbles over you when you call), you never call again.

[Tom007]

Patience kills more turkeys than anything else. Hunt slow, take your time, calculate your moves and set-ups and be patient. Your opportunities will come, you will score for sure.

[Marc]

I posted this on a similar thread...

*Put the full choke in your shotgun (if you have changable chokes)
*#6 lead shot will work fine (as long as lead is legal to shoot).  Any of the turkey loads sold in packs of 10 will work, but I do prefer #6's.
*Camouflage clothing that is of similar color of your surroundings is helpful.  Drab browns and greens will work though.
*Face mask is probably a good idea.
*Box call would be my first choice for a beginning call (Easy to learn, realistic, and versatile)
*DO NOT MOVE/BE STILL.  Turkeys see movement surprisingly well.  Even the slightest head turn, hand movement, etc., will be seen.  If you think a bird is close DO NOT MOVE!
*Turkeys hear well.  Move as quietly as possible through the woods, talk as little as possible, and whisper when you do.
*When you do call do NOT over-call...  Once you get a good response, the more you call, the more he will expect the hen to come to him.

Shooting a turkey on the ground is a bit different that wing-shooting or clay shooting.  You want a tight pattern, and smaller pellet sizes (such as #6's) out of a tighter choke such as a full choke are more effective...  Even with larger sized shot, you will not penetrate that breast meat without damaging it.  HEAD SHOTS ARE NECESSARY.

Pattern the gun with your choke using cheaper (lighter recoiling) target loads, to know where your hold point is going to be, if you get lucky enough to take a shot.  After figuring out where your gun shoots, you might want to put a couple hunting rounds on paper to make sure you have a nice tight pattern.

Many hunters new to turkey hunting do not realize how important a head/neck shot is.  Unless you hit that bird in the head/neck, you will not kill it.  For most shotguns, the point you aim at is a hair above where the neck (skin) meets the feathers.

Also, most hunters new to turkey hunting shoot at birds too far.  If you are trying to figure out if the bird is in range, he is too far.  When a bird comes into good range, YOU WILL KNOW IT!

Sometimes you can do everything right, and it still does not come together, and sometimes (hopefully) you find a bird that wants to die....

[Tail Feathers]

Know your gun, how it patterns and the max range it will kill a turkey.  Scout as much as you can beforehand.  Knowing where they wake up is a big help.  Get as close as you reasonably can, given the terrain and cover. 
Let 'em gobble on the roost and call little or none before flydown.  And call quieter than you probably think you should...and call a bit less probably.
Scouting helps a lot.

[WV Flopper]

 I am going to give the mentoring thing a try.

#1. Hunt where turkey are at.
#2. If you find yourself in turkey woods and are present in those woods with a turkey and are engaging with a turkey...set still. These animals are not deer. They are weary of anything that moves, "Anything". Do not turn your head to see anything, slowly, after moving your eyeballs to the side of your skull, shift your head. Do not snap your head around to see what's going on.
#3.Calling: Less is better. I have killed several turkey by just making a tree yelp and a couple clucks. The less calling you have to do is in your favor. "You are not a turkey". More calling is detriment to your goal. As length of time and stubborness of a turkey comes into play you will need to call more. But, always start off at a minimal on the calling.
#4. Camo: IMO, experienced opinion, I believe old faded out camo glows like a neon light. Have a good pattern and in good condition. This does not over rule the do not move part!
#5. Anticipation: I have talked about not moving, takes movement to shoot.... You need to anticipate where a turkey will Intersect your gun barrel. This maybe jumping the gun a little but it's more of a cumulation of skill set.

Its that simple, if you work on the first four things it will help you. As you start to master the first four things the 5th will fall into line. When you have turkeys walk to meet the bead of your gun, you have won.

[Gobbler-one]

There's a lot of good tips listed here to get you started. If you stick with it and gain more experience you'll find these tips have become second nature to you. Adding my two cents to what has already been mentioned, Woodsmanship and patience will kill more turkeys than any other skills you develop. Tips on calling has already been covered, but I would add that a lot of beginners and some with experience call too loudly. Turkeys have a superb hearing and the ability to pinpoint your location from a single cluck or yelp. although turkeys have the ability to call loudly and can make quite a ruckus, it's not the everyday norm for them. Calling softly and infrequent is more likely to strike an old gobblers curiosity. This is especially true on high pressured areas. The goal is to make the bird hunt you which is against his nature and instinct.
Remember to have fun and learn from your mistakes. Mistakes will be your best teacher and the turkeys will give you every opportunity to make plenty of them no matter how much experience to gain through the years. Good luck.

[deadbuck]

Hunt private land as much as you can.

[Dtrkyman]

Patience!  Particularly when birds are quiet.   Hunt fresh sign!!!

Don't move...don't think about moving...don't effin move...an old timer told me these are his three rules for killing turkeys .  He's quite successful!


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[Gooserbat]

Hunt where the birds live, buy a butt cushion and use it, know your guns limits and stay inside those, and a basic 4-5 note yelp is usually all the call you need.

[lowoctane]

Remember that "He" knows everything in the woods wants a turkey dinner!
He is not curious like a deer!
When He answers you and starts hunting for you remember that He has approximately 15 times your hearing and eyesight, so DO NOT MOVE!
Patience and more patience!
A comfortable seat is worth it's weight in gold!
Call soft and not often. Learn when to shut up too!   

[Brian Fahs]

Don't leave turkeys to go find turkeys....

[Zobo]

Patience!  Particularly when birds are quiet.   Hunt fresh sign!!!

Don't move...don't think about moving...don't effin move...an old timer told me these are his three rules for killing turkeys .  He's quite successful!


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The sage old timer,
this is funny and so true!

[g8rvet]

Turkeys move on turkey time.  It is very different than turkey hunter time. I have seen them take 30 minutes to cover 40 yards and I have seen them cover 100 yards in no time at all.   

He has to be perfect every day, you only need to do everything right one day.  Each hunt, ask yourself what you could have done different.  When you think you have a turkey, or turkeys in general, figured out - you are wrong.  They are random and wary with excellent hearing, excellent eyesight.  The chink in their armor is they really really really want to breed.  They are not intelligent, but they can and will learn.