Turkey Hunting Tips

[mikejd]

Lonnie that's some sound advise right there.
Through the years I bet I've educated a few playing with calls like a knucklehead.

[gatortrax35]

Lesson I was told and didnt use, and it hurt me. While walking "out" to your truck on a logging road. Walk slowly and quietly. Hang to the inside of curves in the road. Have your gun ready and ease around the corner and look down the logging road  or trail. Be ready might be a bird standing in the logging road.  Happened to me the other day. Was working a bird , midday I decided to go home. Was walking fast up the logging road to my truck. I told myself I was walking to fast. As soon as I round the corner on a curve, busted by a big ol gobbler standing in the road.  Funny thing was he took off running up the logging road toward my truck. I laughed and said to myself , what if he sees my truck and runs back at me. HE DID,lol did I get a shot? NO , had my gun on my shoulder with a gun sling.  Doesnt matter ,I didnt want to  kill him like that anyway. Went back next day finished him off at 9:20am !!!

So walk slowly out the woods toward your truck never know.

[jakebird]

I highly recommend taking a good nap in the turkey woods. What could be better than curling up against the perfect tree, birds singing, sunshine warming you up from the cool morning? I'll tell you what is better. Waking up at ten a.m. , calling again and finally tying a tag on that old gobbler that was henned up at 7. Naps get you re-energized after those three or four a.m. wake ups, keep you in the woods, and get you through that dreaded mid morning lull when the gobblers are with hens. Take a nap this spring. 

[NappinUnderTrees]

I highly recommend taking a good nap in the turkey woods. What could be better than curling up against the perfect tree, birds singing, sunshine warming you up from the cool morning? I'll tell you what is better. Waking up at ten a.m. , calling again and finally tying a tag on that old gobbler that was henned up at 7. Naps get you re-energized after those three or four a.m. wake ups, keep you in the woods, and get you through that dreaded mid morning lull when the gobblers are with hens. Take a nap this spring. 

Hooray for this one!

But be careful where you nap... the ants that ate my shorts this morning loved that I wasn't careful...

[jakebird]

Love your screen name, btw!

[redleg06]

bump for those of us wanting to know more...

[strut2]

Try to read what the bird or birds is wanting to do. To often hunters (myself included) hear a gobble and hurry up and set up. If you try to understand what mood the gobbler or his hens are in the better off you will be. They might be aggressive or cautious. I always try to read the mood of the gobbler or if he is with hens their mood. Another piece of advice I can give you is scout your birds and the terrain ( lay of the land). Try to know where that hill is or that creek. Patience is key but at the same time know when you move on. Best of luck and hope you kill some limb hangers.

[strut2]

Don't give up on a gobbler too quick. Also calling alittle less is better than call to much. Get uphill or at least at the same level. Try to feel out a gobbler before setting up.

[ridgerunner]

Scout before season opener and figure out where the birds like to go after fly down ...that will save you a couple days of hunting trying to pattern birds...figure them out before season and setup between where they wanna be and their roost site...probably would barely have to call...I call very little, if you do your homework calling is kept to a minimum..which is great for hunting Public land..I've killed a to of birds on Public land in many States...you learn to call very little..never call to birds on the roost the last thing you need is a bird gobbling every 5 seconds..if you know he' s there..good enough..wait till he hits the ground and if you done your homework you should have a dead bird within an hr of sunrise.

[Tomspur]

My suggestion on a turkey hunting tip is to not call before the season begins.  I have too many friends that tell me they had gobblers howling at em before the  season and can't find them once the season begins. Believe me, I  don't hunt with these guys. No need to educate an already tough bird to kill. Hard enough for me anyway without knuckleheads calling before game time.  Good luck to all. Our season starts one week from Saturday here in Texas and I cannot wait.

[Duke0002]

Great stuff!  Thanks all. 

Listen for the crows cawing after sunrise.  Sometimes they follow turkey and can give you a general direction where turkey are headed.  If you hear crows near you, assume that turkey are close by.

Listen behind you for "sneakers."  While you may have your 9 to 3 O'clock covered and you can fidget without being spotted from the front, don't forget that your 4 to 8 O'clock is often exposed.  In many hunting areas huge trees that can cover the entire width of your body are scarce.  A little preseason natural ground blind building may pay off.

[dejake]

Best advice I've been given:  if a gobbler is on the ground and answers your call, stop calling.  9 times out of 10, he's on his way.

[mgm1955]

Some have mentioned similar and related advice but I'm going to give some good advice that was given me when I first started. There are 3 P's to turkey hunting and if you follow them you will have a greater success rate.
P- patience. Just because he's not gobbling doesn't mean he's not coming in. Sit tight.
P- persistence. Stay after them. If they get the best of you one day (which will happen more often than not), LEARN something from it and go after them the next day. The oldest most experienced turkey hunter learns something new everything he goes out.
P- position. As stated above, set up based on what the turkey will see not what you can see. Stay in the shade. If you aren't hunting with a decoy, don't set up where the gobbler can see where the hen should be from a long way off. Make him get close before he can see where the sound is coming from. I like to try and make him top a ridge within gun range before he can see where the hen should be.

I am by no means an expert on turkey hunting and still pretty green myself but this info has helped me and held true.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Muzzy61]

When you wake up from a shady midday siesta (it happens), do not make any sudden moves. Don't ask how I know this....

[jakesdad]

Best advice I've been given:  if a gobbler is on the ground and answers your call, stop calling.  9 times out of 10, he's on his way.

Following this advice will result in many a sore shoulder on your walk out.Unless there is some kind of other bird competition,play hard to get.It'll get the best of many a gobbler.