Turkey Hunting Tips

[SWAMPFOX]

NEVER EVER tell anybody about the location of turkeys you are hunting {private or public}.always have gun up and pointed in general direction of where u think gobbler is coming to. do not overcall to a gobbler that is coming to u, make him hunt u. many times i ve had one fired up in swamp\woods that was 200yds. or more there and i play hard to get and go silent and sure enough he keeps gobbling the whole way in to base of tree im at.

[BigHooks]

Knowing when to move or stay, that's the hardest for me........

[captpete]

If using decoys, position the hens so they are facing away from the direction you think the gobbler is coming from. If he thinks the hen can see him, he is likely to hang-up. It is in their nature for the hen to go to the tom. If you are bow-hunting them & using a jake decoy. Face the decoy so it is facing toward you. Mostly likely when the tom comes in he will go "face-to face" with the jake decoy....with his back to you, it gives you a much better opportunity to draw the bow without being seen.

[Bamarich]

Learn the land.  Figure out how the birds use the land.

More important than anything else IMO.

[gleezer]

Know how your gun patterns and its effective range. You'll hear lots of talk of 50 yrd turkey kills and god bless the hunters that have the rig that can do that. For me I want my birds inside of 30 yrds and if I can get them closer that's even better.
As stated by many others, patience and placement are also key. The more you can watch turkeys and observe their behavior the better your odds are to getting them to come in range.
I've called birds in, with and without decoys, but I've also killed my share with no calling or decoys. Knowing were turkeys are coming from and want to go can put you in the right spot sometimes, provided your hidden.

[BP1992]

What are reed savers?  Where can I buy them?

[mudpie82]

When you decide your ready to go wait 30 mins .

[cahaba]

Hunt all day when you can. Midday birds dont gobble as much but you stand a real good chance of calling that bird in. If I cant find gobblin birds I go back to my scouting and set up in high percentage areas and cold call every 20 to 30 minutes. Sometimes one hard note on a box call can be deadly.

[Mossygoose]

Some great info

[redleg06]

Dont make suggestions on a public internet forum to stay and hunt public land late morning and early afternoon.... 


There are no birds in my hunting area and if one does stumble into the area by mistake, they are totally unkillable after the first hour of shooting light .

[guesswho]

There are no birds in my hunting area and if one does stumble into the area by mistake, they are totally unkillable after the first hour of shooting light .

Thats what you get for moving to Alabama.

[redleg06]

There are no birds in my hunting area and if one does stumble into the area by mistake, they are totally unkillable after the first hour of shooting light .

Thats what you get for moving to Alabama.

[tactikel]

Be quiet in the woods, when you walk, and especially on your setup. I learned this the hard way.

If you can, on your setup, pace out your max range and lay a stick or branch w/ leaves to keep you from attempting a shot outside your ethical range.

[Kywoodsman]

Don't ever get discouraged when you get busted or when things don't work out like expected. Each time the bird wins and you learn something from the experience you become a better hunter. It never fails to amaze me how much I learn each year. Sometimes defeat is the best teacher.

[Ty]

pracitice calling, be patient, hunt the bird for the breeding phase or time of year, different birds take different tricks, the only way your truly going to get good is to make your own mistakes and learn from them