Questions from a newbie.

[deerbasshunter3]

I have a few questions to get e started in hunting on my own. I have only been a couple of times last season with a friend, but all I did was sit there and shoot.

Is it necessary to use the motorized decoys, or will standard decoys work?

Does the realism of the decoy(s) matter all that much or just a plain rubber one will do?

Which setup is best: Just a hen? Hen and jake? Multiple hens? Etc...

If I use a slate call to get the gobbler to move towards me, what do I do when he gets closer? It seems like it would be too much movement when the gobbler gets closer.

What is the best locator call and what is a good one (brand) to get? Crow? Owl?

I realize these are some broad questions, but I am just trying to get started. I am not looking to be a professional, by any means. I just want to give my self a chance at a bird on my own. Any other advice would be appreciated. Thank you.

[shaman]

I used a motorized remote control hen decoy with great success, but then I switched my hunting to Kentucky, where they are illegal. 

Overall, I have to say my hunting has improved since I gave up on decoys about 7 seasons ago. The reason I say this is that I found that I was often sitting too long in one position, because I didn't want to go through the hassle of retrieving the dekes and setting them up elsewhere.  Either that or I would want to change position, and I did not want to get busted.    Either way, decoys had become a nuisance and a distraction, and so I tried to get by without them.  I've not regretted it.

With a box call or pot call or any call requiring 2 hands, it can be a real problem.  I have used just a box or just a slate call to call in a gob, but it is tricky.  Usually I add in a mouth call at the end.  I also keep a push-pin call handy at just the right spot (usually just by my right buttock) so that I can reach down and give a few clucks and purrs to close the deal. The other tricks I've used are:
1) I can give a fairly good cluck and purr and a yelp here and there with just my mouth.
2) When feasible,I keep a long stick handy to do a scratch in the leaves.  The correct rhythm is scratch, scratch. . . pause. . . scratch.  That simulates a hen going through the leaves.  Sometimes that alone is enough to get a gobbler to come in.

The best locator call is a good set of ears.  It may be different where you are, but I find that crows, woodpeckers and whatever are just fine on their own.  You just have to listen for them and what comes after.  I hunt among a bunch of abandoned farms.  There is usually enough noise to get gobblers to sound off.  One neighbor had pea fowl.  Another neighbor had a donkey.  They all have barking dogs, kids, farm machinery,etc.  All you have to do is listen closely around my place and you will hear gobblers.

It also helps to know where to go to listen for them.  On my farm, there are 4 places I use as listening posts. I can go to one of them and hear all that there is to hear in a few minutes without using a locator call.  On a pre-season scout, I can hit those four places in the first hour and be pretty sure I've heard every gobbler there  is on the place.  I will often start my hunt at one of those 4 spots, catch what's going on and then make my plans for the day from what sounds off.

[deerbasshunter3]

Thanks for the great info! Unfortunately, I have been doing some research and now have a couple of questions about ammo. I realize there is an ammo section, but I am just trying to get a little advice.

If I will not have much time to get out to the range and pattern a bunch of different shots (Also because of lack of money to try several different types), so what is a good shot size to start with? #4,#5,#6?

I am thinking #5 since it seems to be a middle of the road size. I shoot a Remington 870 12g. SuperMag. I have tried 3.5" shells and they busted the ejection port cover off of my gun. Needless to say, I am not interested in 3.5" shells anymore. I will most likely go with 3". I am looking at getting the Winchester Long Beard XR in 3" #5.

I do not plan to take a shot past 30 yards, so I assume my gun will pattern well at least out to 35 yards. I have a Hevi shot choke in .662.

[silvestris]

I don't hunt with decoys and refuse to hunt with anyone who does.  So I can't help you there other than refer you to Kenny Morgan's book, "America, Wild Turkeys and Mongrel Dogs".

# 5 or 6 shot will work fine depending on which patterns best from your gun.  My experience and the reviews on the Winchester Longbeard XRs suggest that she'll as a good starting point.  More pellets in the 6s.  Fewer pellets in the 4s which lead to holes in patterns in many setups.

[shaman]

Out to 30 yards?  I would not spend the money for heavier than lead.    I shoot Federal 3"  12 GA #4 lead and do quite well out past 40 yards.  YMMV.

I do not treat sighting-in with quite the gusto of some folks.  I found something that worked 20 years ago and stuck with it.  Some folks will blow $100-200 every year trying to get the absolute best pattern. Me?  I figured out a few years ago that I'd missed more gobblers inside 15 yards because my pattern was too tight than beyond 25, because it was too open.   Truth is, 90% of the shots I have taken on gobblers could have been successful with the 2 3/4"  #4 Nitro-Mag load I was shooting 30 years ago out of my Remington trap gun.   My #3 son is shooting the same load, and thinks they're great.

I will admit that #4 is old school, but if it is on target, it nearly takes their head off.  A buddy of mine suggested I switch to a Carlson Dead Coyote choke about 3 years ago, and it really worked well.

My suggestion is to buy 3 choices at the store, and take them out.  One will shoot better than the other two and go with that.  I doubt a turkey at 30 yards is going to know the difference, but each shotgun, choke, and load is going to vary a little.

[deerbasshunter3]

I do not consider myself an expert, by any means, but it always seemed to me that a shotgun, assuming that you have the front sight on correctly, is only going to shoot where you put the front sight. I do not have as many opportunities (maybe once a month, maybe) to go to the range as most people do, so sighting in 20 different combinations of chokes/ammo is not an option, especially when you start talking about the money that goes into that. My plan is to get a couple of boxes of LongBeard 5s, go to the range, and and find my maximum range with a good pattern (I understand that to be minimum of 100 pellets in a 10" circle at 40?) and stick with that setup. After that, I am going to treat it like I do bowhunting deer, it is all about how close you can get the animal to you before you take a shot.

[GobbleNut]

I think you have the right idea in terms of your gun, loads, and attitude about that aspect.  As for your original question bout decoys and placement, I would also agree with the suggestion that you minimize your concerns about decoys and focus instead on learning to hunt gobblers without them.  Personally, I think you will be glad you did. 

I am not against the use of decoys, and there are without a doubt instances where they are a great benefit.  However, in my fifty years of turkey hunting and taking many, many folks out to show them the ropes, I have yet to find a single one of them that decided they would prefer to sit over decoys rather than go out and proactively hunt using their calling, woods skills. and knowledge acquired through the learning process of spring gobbler hunting.

[deerbasshunter3]

Well, I decided, at the last second, to get the Winchester Double X instead of the LongBeards. I don't know why but I did. Still 3" #5 though. Will hopefully get out to the range next week and see how my pattern is.

[Gobble!]

Is it necessary to use the motorized decoys, or will standard decoys work?
No. Some states motorized decoys are illegal.

Does the realism of the decoy(s) matter all that much or just a plain rubber one will do?
All will work. But I prefer as realistic as possible, it can't hurt to look better.

Which setup is best: Just a hen? Hen and jake? Multiple hens? Etc...
Depends on the situation and the individual bird. Some birds want nothing to do with decoys at all. You will only learn this through experience.

If I use a slate call to get the gobbler to move towards me, what do I do when he gets closer? It seems like it would be too much movement when the gobbler gets closer.
I prefer mouth calls for the close in work but sometimes it's better to go quite when that bird gets within 100-80 yards anyway. Calling when a bird gets close can cause the bird to hang up and not come closer than 50 yards.

What is the best locator call and what is a good one (brand) to get? Crow? Owl?
First/Last light owl, James Harrison Hootn Stick. Any other time crow, I'm told Gibson calls are tough to beat.

[Marc]

I have not been at this all that long either, but I have had some degree of success considering where I am hunting.  And, my learning curve is more recent and fresh in my mind.


Motorized decoys are not necessary, and as mentioned are more likely to pin you to a location.  I personally would prefer to stay away from such decoys for a number of reasons.

As far as decoys in general:

• I have had some success with standard decoys, but in all honesty, sometimes I think they hurt more than help.  Sometimes when a tom sees that hen, he will hang up, and wait for her to come to him.  Whereas, if he does not see the decoy, often he will continue forward looking for her.
  
• I have been busted trying to set up a decoy.
  
• I have seen jake decoys make big toms come running, but I have also seen jake decoys make toms run the other way.

As mentioned on a different thread by someone, if I were hunting a group of birds right off the roost, I might opt for a good hen and jake decoys (or multiple hen decoys with a jake).  If I plan on being at all mobile I leave the decoys in the truck.

I do not hunt open ground or fields at all (as I have no access to hunt birds in such areas), but in such a case, I would be more likely to place some importance on a decoy.  If you are calling from an open area, and a tom cannot see any birds, I would think he would be more likely to hang up.

I have been amazed at the decoys a turkey will come in to.  I have also been disappointed to see birds that seem to get nervous with less realistic decoys.  If you are going to hunt with decoys, I would recommend getting the most realistic hen/jake combo you can afford.  Ideally DSD, but a close and less expensive option would be Zink Avian X decoys.

As far as calls, my favorite friction call is a good box call.  They are easier to run than a slate, and I feel more realistic in sound, and it is probably one of the loudest turkey calls (but this is personal preference).  As far as creating movement with the call, if the bird is walking towards me, I do not call anymore (as he is more likely to see me, or expect to see the hen).  If he hangs up, or changes direction, I wait for him to get behind an obstruction and make a cluck or purr.  I also take some camo netting/cloth that I put over my hands and the call, and call behind the camo to reduce the chance of a bird seeing my movement (however, if I think a bird is close, I will not run a friction call if I do not know exactly where he is).  If I were going with a name brand call, I would get at the Primos Heartbreaker, or a Lynch; ideally I would purchase a call from one of the call makers on this site.

Generally speaking as a finishing call, I prefer a good diaphragm mouth call though.  When done correctly it is probably the most realistic call, and you can run this call with almost no movement.  Very frequently, it is the last call I make to a bird in good range to get him to lift his head for a  better target presentation.  Learning to run a mouth call will probably give you the most versatility, realism, and lack of movement, but it is the most difficult call to become proficient with.

The thing to remember about calling, is all too frequently less is better.  We all like running that call and hearing a bird get fired up; but the more vocal that hen is, the more I think the tom will expect her to come to him.  Once I get a response from a tom, I immediately shut up for a bit.  I will (try) to wait anywhere from 5-10 minutes between calls.

The exception to this, is if you are competing with a live hen...  I have found that emulating that hen, might just fire her up, and get her to come over to investigate her competition.  Once that tom pairs with the hen, I have never had luck pulling them off, so right or wrong, if I hear a hen calling to the bird I am working, I tend to get more aggressive on the call.  Last-ditch effort would be a gobble call paired with a hen call.

As far as locator calls, the only luck I have had has been an owl call...  Plenty of crows and ravens in my area, and I just do not hear toms respond to them, unless they are right over the bird.  I will also use a gobble call on secure private property...  But more often than not, I will find a good spot to sit, and hit the hen call...  Depending on where I hear the response, I will sit tight, or move to a more advantageous position.  Now...  This is important...  Never use a hen call, or even a locator call, until you are in a good shooting position and hide.  I have blown a couple good opportunities calling from a poor location, only to have a bird hammer back at me much closer than I thought he would be.