Turkey Hunting Tips

[GobbleNut]

I suppose this theory may be true in some places, but in my experience, I would probably reverse those numbers.  I would say that, around here, if a gobbler answers your call one time and then doesn't respond again, he has just given you a "courtesy gobble" and most likely has no intention of coming to your calling without further encouragement.  One in ten might come to investigate if you only call to them one time and then shut up.

And perhaps more importantly to me, the "call one time and shut up" method is an awfully boring way to turkey hunt.  To me, calling too little is just as bad as calling too much.  Yes, you can lose a killable gobbler by calling too much to him,...but you can do the same thing with a killable gobbler by not calling to him enough to keep him interested.  The trick is to learn when to do one or the other.

Of course, that trick is hard to determine.  Each gobbler is different and can have a different mind-set at any given time.  You may kill a gobbler by calling to him one time and then waiting for him to show up while you sit and watch the grass grow, but it is a heck of a lot more fun to find one that wants to have a conversation with you while he is on the way.

[jakesdad]

Taking his temperature is definitely key.I wasn't trying to imply that you should just sit and call once then shut up if he gobbles.I always seem to err on the side of quiet as opposed to "TV" calling.You know the guys how call at every bird like their trying to give a contest seminar.Every bird is different,that's what makes it fun.I also think the old adage of never calling before season is crap.Birds talk to each other everyday.using calls to locate works well.now calling birds constantly into "range" before season is different,but I do think the negativity its picked up over the years is really overblown.just my .02

[GobbleNut]

Taking his temperature is definitely key.I wasn't trying to imply that you should just sit and call once then shut up if he gobbles.I always seem to err on the side of quiet as opposed to "TV" calling.You know the guys how call at every bird like their trying to give a contest seminar.Every bird is different,that's what makes it fun.I also think the old adage of never calling before season is crap.Birds talk to each other everyday.using calls to locate works well.now calling birds constantly into "range" before season is different,but I do think the negativity its picked up over the years is really overblown.just my .02

d

Good points made.  Always best to start conservatively with calling and get more aggressive if needed.  You can't take calls back once you've thrown them out there. 

The "calling before the season" issue has been debated many times before.  I agree that "select" calling under the right circumstances can be a definite preseason aid in locating birds.  However, the wrong kind of preseason calling,...and calling-in birds in particular, can most definitely affect birds behavior come hunting time.

The prior point I was trying to make really is for our newer hunters here.  I hate to see those guys become so afraid of calling to birds by listening to us harping about not calling too much that they get where they are afraid to call.  Turkey hunting is about turkey calling.  That is the main reason many of us are so fascinated by it,...and it is a learning experience for all of us,...even us long-time turkey hunters.

Over time, all of us learn what works and what doesn't through our successes and failures with the gobblers we encounter.  A key part of how we learn those things is by calling to them and seeing how they respond.  There is no shame in scaring off a gobbler on occasion by making poor calling judgments.  What matters is that we learn from those experiences.  From that, we gradually catalogue our successes and failures into some sort of knowledge base that we rely on to tell us what we should do in any given situation.

That knowledge base consists of having an idea of when it might be best to call a lot,...or call a little,...or not call at all.  Contrary to what some people think, doing one of those to the exclusion of the others is not necessarily going to make you a better,...or more successful,...turkey hunter.

[Gooserbat]

After reading through part of this I realize how much of this I simply take for granted.  No I've not forgotten it, I simply act upon the situation by instinct based up on experience. 

For the beginner knowing when and where to set up and call is something that can be confusing, however a short list is never down hill, never across a creek or gully, or never to close.  You can call a gobbler an amazingly long distance if you give him tome to respond.  Also I agree with Gobbler Nut calling one time is a boring way to turkey hunt.  However to much is to bad.  think of it like this if you were on a date and she never shut up would you go out again but if she never said a word and acted uninterested would you have a second date.  Go slow but talk back...a little.   

[shaman]

I've really enjoyed reading through this thread.  There is a lot of good stuff here.

Far and away the best advice I can give is for the beginning turkey hunter.  Way too often, seasoned turkey hunters talk about slipping in close to the roost before dawn and calling a gobbler off a tree.  This is going to sound like heresy to many here, but I believe that a beginning turkey hunter is best served by forgetting about flydown and concentrating on bagging a bird mid-morning. Before y'all go grabbing your torches and pitchforks, let me explain.

I am the first to admit that gobbling on the roost is a stirring event. However,  beginners usually make a lot of mistakes.  Snapping twigs,  shining the flashlight all around-- you know what I'm talking about.  Gobblers will shy away from that. Just setting up too close to the roost is a common problem.  I say, set up well back from the roost-- maybe 150-200 yards.  Make yourself known to the gobbler with a few tree yelps and such, but mostly just wait. 

After flydown has occured, be set up where you know the turkeys like to go to feed.  Let the turkeys know you're there and you're interested in partying. 


That's my advice.  The reason I give it is because:

1) In all my conversations with turkey hunters, I've found that actually getting a gobbler to pitch off the roost to you is a relatively rare occurrence at least compared to the number of gobblers taken well after the sun is up.
2) The literature, especially in my formative years (early 80's) made it sound like flydown was almost the only time you could call a gobbler. This simply isn't so.
3)  In my experience, gobblers are more likely to respond to a new voice in the neighborhood after the hub-bub of flydown has occured and the woods have gone back to being quiet

Going through my own learning curve and then teaching my two sons got me to these conclusions.  Bottom line: it is far better to make your stupid beginner mistakes away from the roost tree.

[GobbleNut]

Great advice, Shaman.  I agree almost 100%.  I would tweak your advice just a little, however.

Nobody,...beginner or veteran,...should miss being near the roost at first light.  Not because the chances of killing a gobbler there are great,...but because, to me, that is one of the essential parts of turkey hunting.  You should be there to experience the awakening of a new day in the world of the wild turkey,...and all of the natural world, in fact. 

Yes, those that don't know better are inclined to make mistakes,...if they try too hard,...at the roost site.  However, those that don't press the issue will experience wild turkey behavior at its finest.  And if they relax, take in the show, and not do dumb-turkey-hunter stuff, they might, on occasion, actually kill a gobbler while enjoying that spectacle.

[shaman]

I quite agree: no one should miss flydown.   My idea is that folks get all wadded up over trying to get in close to the roost and call to a gob to get him to fly down.  Instead, I recommend that beginners start well back from the roost-- still close to the birds to listen to them, but far enough away so as to not bother them.

Also, I recommend to beginners trying to be where the gobblers and hens are going to be an hour after flydown rather than right at the roost.   Your turkeys may be different, but mine are usually no more than 200 yards from the roost at that point-- still plenty close to hear the show. This removes the problem of trying to decide which side of the roost tree to sit, because now you're hunting them after they've already made the choice.

This dovetails into my other beginner's tip:  Try not to be too much of a standout at first.  Don't be the first to sound off in the morning. Match the hens that you hear. Blend in.   I tell the story of my Dad going to Germany in 1938 to visit relatives.  He was used to going to the movies all by himself here in Cincinnati, but he'd heard that minors under age 21 were not allowed in movie theaters.  He was fluent in German, but made a minor mistake when he went up to the window to buy a ticket.  He asked "Do you allow youths?"  It came out  "Do you allow Jews?"  The next he knew he was in the middle of a major problem.  Subtleties matter.

When I first got started, I thought you should throw the kitchen sink at them.  #2 son still thinks that.  #3 son does mostly clucks and purrs and makes scratching noises in the leaves.  #3 son gets a shot at a gob every year. #2 is still trying.

[ridgerunner]

P            A             T            I              E            N             C                E!!!!!!!!I believe lack of patience saves more gobblers necks than anything else.

I agree..seen many hunters give up on a setup in 15 minutes..I've sat 2 hrs working birds in before killing them...plus I'm old, so it's easy to stay put and let things " develop"...I started killing  many more birds when I learned patience. Old Bull, Young Bull deal there.

[Marc]

The learning curve has been one of the most fun aspects of hunting turkeys...

• 
  I have lost more birds due to a lack of patience than any other factor.
  
• 
  I believe I have caused a lot of other birds to "hang up" due to too much calling.
  
  • 
    Knowing where the birds are going off the roost has probably helped me to kill a few birds.  If I realize I set up poorly, I might just listen and learn that day, and try to figure out where to hunt next time, rather than push the birds and change their behavior.
    
  • 
    Even if "running & gunning" I never call unless I can continue to call in and kill a bird from where I am standing...  Nothing like calling on a barren logging road and having a bird come running towards you. 
    
    • 
      Know where your gun shoots and how it patterns long before the season...  I punch some paper every year before I head out into the field.  Nothing like missing a bird, cause  your gun shoots higher than you thought.
      
    • 
      Want to improve  your calling?  Record yourself calling...  Compare it to recordings of live birds.
      
    • 
      I have had poor luck at calling agressively at toms on the roost...  I have had some luck at irritating some hens to fly down to me, and pull those toms in with her...
      

[silvestris]

The learning curve has been one of the most fun aspects of hunting turkeys...

• 
  I have lost more birds due to a lack of patience than any other factor.
  
• 
  I believe I have caused a lot of other birds to "hang up" due to too much calling.
  
  • 
    Knowing where the birds are going off the roost has probably helped me to kill a few birds.  If I realize I set up poorly, I might just listen and learn that day, and try to figure out where to hunt next time, rather than push the birds and change their behavior.
    
  • 
    Even if "running & gunning" I never call unless I can continue to call in and kill a bird from where I am standing...  Nothing like calling on a barren logging road and having a bird come running towards you. 
    
    • 
      Know where your gun shoots and how it patterns long before the season...  I punch some paper every year before I head out into the field.  Nothing like missing a bird, cause  your gun shoots higher than you thought.
      
    • 
      Want to improve  your calling?  Record yourself calling...  Compare it to recordings of live birds.
      
    • 
      I have had poor luck at calling agressively at toms on the roost...  I have had some luck at irritating some hens to fly down to me, and pull those toms in with her...
      

I believe you have learned well.[/list][/list]

[ridgerunner]

The learning curve has been one of the most fun aspects of hunting turkeys...

• 
  I have lost more birds due to a lack of patience than any other factor.
  
• 
  I believe I have caused a lot of other birds to "hang up" due to too much calling.
  
  • 
    Knowing where the birds are going off the roost has probably helped me to kill a few birds.  If I realize I set up poorly, I might just listen and learn that day, and try to figure out where to hunt next time, rather than push the birds and change their behavior.
    
  • 
    Even if "running & gunning" I never call unless I can continue to call in and kill a bird from where I am standing...  Nothing like calling on a barren logging road and having a bird come running towards you. 
    
    • 
      Know where your gun shoots and how it patterns long before the season...  I punch some paper every year before I head out into the field.  Nothing like missing a bird, cause  your gun shoots higher than you thought.
      
    • 
      Want to improve  your calling?  Record yourself calling...  Compare it to recordings of live birds.
      
    • 
      I have had poor luck at calling agressively at toms on the roost...  I have had some luck at irritating some hens to fly down to me, and pull those toms in with her...
      

I'd agree 110%..I have learned the very same things. Good tips[/list][/list]

[jwhunter]

Have fun! It's not about tagging out! It's about the journey

[strut2]

Practice calling year round. Try to feel out the bird you are trying to work. I usually start out with light calling and pick up the pace if need be. Try to get where the bird wants to be. Don't be too quick to think the bird isn't coming. Don't rush the shot! Enjoy every second!

[Cut N Run]

In no particular order;

Carry some strands of wire or a few zip ties in your vest that can be used to tie limbs out of the way.  You can also bend small trees down and tie them in place for extra cover.  This helps if you intend to return to hunt that same spot again.

Change the striker you normally use on a pot call. I get in the habit of using the same striker on the same call over and over.  Sometimes a different pitch is all it takes to bring a gobbler in.

Don't stay in the same place and make the same calls over & over.  I hear it on public land and by the 3rd call, there's no doubt those calls are coming from a human.

Baby wipes are your friend.

Jim

[silvestris]

More than 1/3 of the gobblers I have killed were straight off the roost.