New guy here new to turkey hunting too

[Longbowman]

Hi everyone I'm new here and I have deer hunted my whole life but never been turkey hunting. I wanted to try my hand at it this year but not sure where to start. I hunt national forest land and have seen a lot of turkeys but don't even know where to begin. What kind of call should I get? All I have is a Mossberg 500c 20guage is that adequate for turkey? Are there any particular tips I need? The area I hunt is pretty extreme in elevation change. Just needing some help to get started.thanks everyone

[J Hook Max]

 A 20 gauge is very adequate out to about 40 yards , provided you have the right choke. I would not attempt shooting them any farther than that.
As for calls , start with something simple such as a push button call and then move to box and slate calls. Get some CDs or DVDs that give you instruction.
Calling is important , but where you are calling from is most important. Learning to scout for the birds is the key. You may not find them in the spring in the same locations they were at in fall and winter. The hens will be migrating toward their eventual nesting areas and the gobblers will follow. This will be near more open ground.
They will also tend to roost near creeks or some other water source most of the time. As the season nears , find a high elevation location near these creeks and listen for them gobbling at daylight. At least you will know where some toms are located.
From there on , everything is trial and error. Being a good turkey hunter is a very sharp learning curve , so don't get discouraged. Have patience and persaverence and it will finally begin to make sense.

[drum817]

   ....The 20 ga is a great gun.  Just be sure to pattern your gun and know what it does at specific distances. (see the turkey gun forum here).  You may or may not need a different choke and you'll want to settle on a hunting load that will give the best results for the way you hunt.  I would suggest that you go and get some mouth calls (Two reed straight and a Three reed split V) and start learning how to use them.  (you cam pm me for for some youtube video links to help you get started the right way).  A box good call is fairly easy to learn and I would also suggest a pot call too.  Feel free to ask all the questions you want to!!!  We are here to help!!!  Best of luck!!! 

[renegade19]

 

[Mike Honcho]

Welcome to Old Gobbler and turkey hunting.  I was obsessed with deer hunting for years until I started turkey hunting. I still love to bow hunt deer but my deer hunting passion has cooled to where I sometimes hear my wife talking to me in November now.

April and May...not so much!  Read up on OG how to deep clean your shotgun barrel...even more important with a 20 since your throwing less payload to start with.  Carefully pattern your gun at different ranges out to 40 yds so you are confident you know where your aiming point is.

As other members have said get some basic calls and practice...listen to turkey sound recordings and try to learn their basic calls.

I am fanatic about scouting and knowing where birds roost...that's 80% of my success in turkey hunting.

Good luck this season and have fun!

Honcho

[30_06]

Welcome!
Turkey hunting can be quite addictive! Make sure you pattern your gun so you know what it does at different ranges.
Scouting is the key to turkeys, find where they roost, feed, strut, dust, etc. From there you can formulate a plan on how to hunt them. It's pretty basic, but don't forget how good their eyesight is! Movement is killer.
I found it easier to call well with a box call first, followed by pot calls....still can't work a mouth call

[Muzzy61]

Welcome and good luck.

[Greenshed Longbeard]

Don't let it overwhelm you but learn the language and what each sound means, clucks, purrs,cackles. You are entering into one of the most satisfying endeavor's you will try. Patience and persistence are key also. I have been turkey hunting for a number of years it not like any other, the hunts are never the same. Be able to change strategies for given situations. Best of luck.
Greenshed Longbeard

[tomstopper]

  You will find a lot of good advice on here...

[hotrod3h]

 

[bamagtrdude]

+1 on J Hook Max's advice. 

Here's what I did when I first started out; besides going & learning with family members who turkey hunted, I joined the NWTF and met a fella close to me that was an experienced turkey hunter, and went hunting with him on public land as much as I could.  I "drafted" off his experience until I was confident enough to try it on my own.  This eliminated the "start-up blues", b/c as J Hook Max said, turkey hunting is a totally different ball-game than deer hunting.  Somebody "local" to you can bring you up to speed pretty quick, and I have to say - most turkey hunters are pretty cool folks, and love to help/tutor newbies & help them come up to speed.  I don't know many experienced hunters who wouldn't love an invitation to go with you where you've already located gobblers! 

For me, that was 15 years ago this season; so now, I'm hunting with 3 "newbies", and "giving it back" for all the time, energy, effort & advice that was given to me, early on.

[sonofabuck]

HS Strut has a 3 pack of mouth calls and a instructional cd that can be had for around $15.  I found it very helpful when I started a couple of years ago.  If you search around here you'll find all the info, tips, links to videos to get you up to speed quickly.

[d.winsor]

If I were you I would stick with friction calls, like box call, slate etc.  I don't think you would have enough time to learn to use a mouth call well enough before this turkey season.

[jwm1485]

I would start with box or slate call. Also get a mouth call to practice with. I keep one in my car to practice on for the sake of my family.

[gob09]

Welcome to a recreation youll likely do until you are unble to ...Turkey hunting is extremely addictive I went three yr and didn't think about anything else for more than a few min.