Beginner Turkey Tips?

[Bigspurs68]

Lots of good info posted above. There are things that can only be learned by your own mistakes. You will make plenty!! We all do. Just learn from them and don't get depressed. You'll find yourself making less and less every year. Don't be afraid to try your own ideas either.
  One very imporntant thing..do NOT try to get one tree closer to set up. You won't make it 90% of the time. Fact!

[Marc]

Lots of good info posted above. There are things that can only be learned by your own mistakes. You will make plenty!! We all do. Just learn from them and don't get depressed. You'll find yourself making less and less every year. Don't be afraid to try your own ideas either.
  One very important thing..do NOT try to get one tree closer to set up. You won't make it 90% of the time. Fact!

I typically do not make the same mistakes, but I am sure good at finding new ones to make...  Part of the fun of turkey hunting is the learning experiences...

I sure agree with you on that tree thing...  I look at the prospect of getting just a bit closer to that bird, as I do with taking the shot...  If I am thinkin' to myself, I think I can make it, I stop myself...  I need to be thinkin', "I know I can make it."

My first bird was a jake...  I killed it on my own, learning turkey hunting with no help from anyone, except books and magazine articles...  The learning has been the fun part to me, and no bird will ever be as exciting as that first jake I took, after working most of a season to earn it...

Having that learning curve under me, possibly makes it a bit easier for me to share what I have learned, and I have been surprised at the amount of information I have gleaned off this site myself.  It has become overwhelmingly evident that I have a long ways to go before I could consider myself a seasoned hunter.

[Old Dominion Tom]

Lots of great advice given regarding gear and tactics.  I'll add a few tips regarding your setup (once you are ready to sit down and work a bird).  Early on in my turkey hunting days I didn't give this aspect of the hunt as much thought as it deserves.  What you choose to do at this point in the hunt can make a big difference in whether or not you close the deal on the bird.

As stated earlier, don't push your luck and try to get too close before sitting down. Once you are ready to sit, observe your area.   You want to pick a tree that is wider than your silhouette if at all possible.  You will also want to be in the shadows if at all possible.  Look for terrain features or cover around you that will make it impossible for the gobbler to see you until he is nearly in range.  You might be tempted to think it's great if you can clearly see 75 yards all around you, but you will eventually be dumbstruck at how well a bird can pinpoint your exact position from afar with only a few calls made.  If he doesn't see a hen where he knows one should be, he will often become suspicious.  This is why I like to choose my setups in a manner that he will nearly be in range of me before he expects to be able to see the "hen" he is looking for.

Once I sit down, the first thing I do is look for landmarks that are near the effective range of my shotgun.  That way when the bird comes in you already know whether or not he is in range based on his relative position to these landmarks.  Once he crosses these points he is dead to rights if you do your part.  If at all possible, you want to avoid having to make quick range estimations during the heat of the moment as gobbling bird is working your way.

Now that you're setup and working a bird he may come right in, or if its not your day, work off away from you for various reasons.  Another scenario that often plays out is that he will start working your way, your heart will be beating out of your chest, and he suddenly shuts up and you don't hear another peep from him.  If this happens wait him out.  Once you've decided he's moved on, and you are ready to get up, I recommend that you sit another 20 or 30 minutes beyond that point.  I've had times early on that I thought the gig was up and stood up to move on, only to see the gobbler busting butt running away from me.  If I had only sat a few minutes longer..... As someone else said PATIENCE,PATIENCE, PATIENCE

Good luck this season!  You'll likely be hooked for life after that first gobbler responds to you!

ODT

[Mabren2]

Read as much as you can, and apply what you read to your experiences in the field.  Don't get overwhelmed, because you will hear a lot of conflicting information.  That doesn't mean that one is right and the other is wrong, it just means there's more than one way to kill a turkey. As an example, I read an article years ago asking some well known turkey hunters (can't remember names now) about their preferred tactics. The first guy talked about how over calling is the number one mistake, and he calls as little as possible. The very next guy said he is determined to be the most aggressive hen in the woods.

After having a few years and a few birds under my belt, it is my belief that you have to venture out and develop YOUR style. Learn your strengths, and use those to kill your birds.  The best hunter I know can maneuver on birds like no one I've seen. I don't have that talent, so my style is different than his. He's killed them all across the country, but if I hunted his way I'd bump far more than I'd kill.

A big step for me was having the confidence to try new things. I started off scared to screw something up, and finally got brave enough to start applying more of the tactics I'd practiced. My success rate improved greatly, and I learned a lot about what not to do, too. Over the years I have learned what works for ME in various situations, and I try to play the game in favor of my strengths.

To sum this gibberish up for a new hunter: 1. You'll have to be able to talk at least a little turkey, so practice calling. 2. Woodsmanship is extremely important. Never underestimate them, pay attention to everything, and try to be stiller and quitter than you thought possible. 3. Apply the knowledge you gained from research/conversations, and determine what works best for you. 4. Continue to perfect YOUR style, and become addicted!!

Best of luck!

[Kylongspur88]

Find a mentor. Get a call, a simple call like a paddle call or box call and get good at it. Knowing how to use one call well will serve you much better than marginally knowing how to use three calls. And as said don't over call. I know it's fun when he gobbles every time you call but that won't kill birds.
Also scout and know the area your hunting. If you need to cut a bird off or. Set. Up on adjusting area scouting will pay off.
Lastly have fun. If your not having fun then what's the point.

[QuackSmack87]

The most important thing you can do is read pages 188-212 of "The Wild Turkey And Its Hunting" by E. A. McIlhenny free on Google Books.  Next, find some turkeys.  Next choose a decent caller and learn to yelp and cluck presentably (I suggest Real Turkeys II or III CD from Lovett Williams to teach you what they sound like).  Finally, go to a gobbling turkey and use the information you learned from pages 188-212.  Anything else you will learn as you go.  Enjoy.

Wow that is the first time I have ever read any of "The Wild Turkey and Its Hunting".  I have heard Tom Kelly mention it in some of his books but never took the time to check it out.  Really good and very true observations and advise.   

[Uncle Tom]

Lots of great advice given regarding gear and tactics.  I'll add a few tips regarding your setup (once you are ready to sit down and work a bird).  Early on in my turkey hunting days I didn't give this aspect of the hunt as much thought as it deserves.  What you choose to do at this point in the hunt can make a big difference in whether or not you close the deal on the bird.

As stated earlier, don't push your luck and try to get too close before sitting down. Once you are ready to sit, observe your area.   You want to pick a tree that is wider than your silhouette if at all possible.  You will also want to be in the shadows if at all possible.  Look for terrain features or cover around you that will make it impossible for the gobbler to see you until he is nearly in range.  You might be tempted to think it's great if you can clearly see 75 yards all around you, but you will eventually be dumbstruck at how well a bird can pinpoint your exact position from afar with only a few calls made.  If he doesn't see a hen where he knows one should be, he will often become suspicious.  This is why I like to choose my setups in a manner that he will nearly be in range of me before he expects to be able to see the "hen" he is looking for.

Once I sit down, the first thing I do is look for landmarks that are near the effective range of my shotgun.  That way when the bird comes in you already know whether or not he is in range based on his relative position to these landmarks.  Once he crosses these points he is dead to rights if you do your part.  If at all possible, you want to avoid having to make quick range estimations during the heat of the moment as gobbling bird is working your way.

Now that you're setup and working a bird he may come right in, or if its not your day, work off away from you for various reasons.  Another scenario that often plays out is that he will start working your way, your heart will be beating out of your chest, and he suddenly shuts up and you don't hear another peep from him.  If this happens wait him out.  Once you've decided he's moved on, and you are ready to get up, I recommend that you sit another 20 or 30 minutes beyond that point.  I've had times early on that I thought the gig was up and stood up to move on, only to see the gobbler busting butt running away from me.  If I had only sat a few minutes longer..... As someone else said PATIENCE,PATIENCE, PATIENCE

Good luck this season!  You'll likely be hooked for life after that first gobbler responds to you!

ODT

Tacticalduder, these posts are all great advice and you need to read them over and over and when you get thru, read them again...but especially Old Dominion Tom and Mabren 2 posts...they explain it like it is. I will add a simple little trick have been doing for years now and if you find yourself almost killin him and things just are not working out as planned...try this on the next hunt. When you get that first box call and are learning all these calls that have been thrown at you...there is one that will put as many birds thrown over your shoulder as any one out there...the CLUCK. Remember that one...only one note...simple to do...once you hear it you can do it with your mouth and it will work with most birds. Many times when I get in the woods that I have been hunting for years and know where the birds hang out, travel, etc.and sit down in one of my favorite spots, wait for the morning to break, and hear a faint gobble 100's yds away, I will let him gobble a few times and then time it with a cluck thrown in right at the end of his gobble...only one cluck. Next time he gobbles, do same thing...cut him off just as he is ending that gobble. Keep repeating this as he gobbles and then stop...no more. Now, what has happened, he heard that cluck you can bet your life on, BUT because you did it right at the end of that gobble...or just before the end...he cannot tell exactly where you are sitting...just the general direction... and he won't forget. He may not come in immediately or he might...but later in the morning...sometimes 2 or 3 hours...he will begin gobbling again and will be getting closer. As he does, cut his gobbles off again with that cluck...but be sure not to over do it...you want him to know just the general area of where you are at and come looking for you. As he is getting real close and that heart is pumping out of your chest....just have that gun up pointed in his direction and what ever you do...don't make a sound...and if you have perfected the soft purr...that will probably be the last sound you will make just before you pull the trigger. Silence is golden many times in hunting that old gobbler and he is always looking for that hen with those gobbles, and that hearing he has is so pin-point that he can many times determine if things just aren't right...and will drift away as has been stated. Maby it was the calling too much or why is he not coming to me...whatever, just could not close the deal. Well, that one soft cluck...just once in a while..not too much...make him kill himself as has been stated. Give this a try as you start your new venture and remember nothing is a sure thing when dealing with  this ole bird....they will make all of us feel like we have just started out many times ....and leave you scratching your head...but that is why we keep coming back for more...it never gets old...gets in your blood and feel like you have got to be there every morning till the last day...now, you have got that itch..start scratching it. Good hunting..keep us informed thru the season.

[Struthunter]

Be where the turkeys want to be. Dont be to serious. Have fun with it.

[Marc]

The most important thing you can do is read pages 188-212 of "The Wild Turkey And Its Hunting" by E. A. McIlhenny free on Google Books. 

I'll tell you what, that was worth the read...  Thank you for posting that little tidbit.  I believe there is something in there for the new hunter, as well as the experienced...

Here is a link to the book that I found:

http://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=uc2.ark:/13960/t90866m77;view=1up;seq=1

Interesting perspective about a waiting out a tom when he is breeding a hen...  Never tried it, never considered it.  I always figured once a hen joined him, I was pretty much kaput.