Any advice for a Novice?

[guesswho]

I would pay particular attention to anything guesswho or GobbleNut posts...both have a lot of insight that will be useful.
Greg

Hey Greg,...Questionable advice,...I know one of those two guys is a real Goober.   

By process of elimination I have come to the conclusion your talking about me.   

Good to see you got your internet privileges at the old folks home reinstated.

[M Sharpe]

Guesswho, cohutta strutter and gobblenut, as well as others gave you some good advice. As far as call type, that is whatever you feel comfortable with. Forget the call types, like I said, it is whatever you can play the best...I haven't used a mouth call in 5 or 6 years and kill my limit every year! It is just whatever you get proficient with and feel the most comfortable using! Woodsmanship is the biggest part of killing turkeys. I know guys that can't call worth a flip, but they kill turkeys every year. Generally, less is more!!! For instance, back when I first started, 32 years ago, I would just do yelps and clucks. Along came the audio cassettes telling about the cutting and mating cackles. My kill ratio went down!! STICK TO THE BASICS!!!!!

[GobbleNut]

To expound on Mark's point a bit more, I think that too many turkey hunters think they need to try to use mouth calls because they have seen too many TV shows and/or watched the very best mouth callers using them.  Most "regular" turkey hunters will never become as proficient with a mouth call as they can be with the various box and pot calls that are available nowadays,...and the learning curve with friction calls of this type is much shorter.

In the last couple of decades, turkey call makers have really mastered the art of producing calls that will very realistically duplicate turkey vocalizations, and do so with minimal effort and practice. ...And there are a great many really good call makers on this site selling great, reasonably-priced calls.

Most hunters are better off obtaining a good pot/box (or both), learning how to use them well to make the basic turkey sounds, and then sticking to that in their hunting.  Too often, we try to make things more complicated than they really need to be.

[GobbleNut]

This topic should not disappear down the list so quickly.

In contemplating what factors in my turkey hunting career were, and still are, most important to my success, right at the top of the list is the use of locator calls.  Others here have brought up the idea of hunting where there are turkeys,...and there is no easier way to find them than by using a good, loud locator call at the proper time. 

Sure, there are places where the use of locators is unnecessary, but there are lots of places and conditions where they are invaluable.  I can honestly state that I have killed dozens of gobblers that I would likely not have killed (or even known were there) by first finding them with a locator call.

My advice to any novice in this game:  get several loud locator calls (crow, owl, gobble tube, coyote howler,..whatever) and start the process of learning what is most effective where you hunt,...and when they will work.  Hint: I have never hunted anywhere in this country where a good locator call will not get gobblers to gobble in the hour before sunrise. 

[M Sharpe]

Being from southeast GA, a locator call is always with me......except my one and only time I hunted out of state. A friend and I went down below San Angelo one year and I didn't feel the need to take one. From the stories he'd told, it was nothing uncommon to hear 15-20 birds gobbling at any given time. HA!! That wasn't the case there. He'd hunted Texas several times but not this area. We got there late afternoon and was shown the area we would be hunting. We went to see about killing a gobbler. The only thing he had in his vest was a peacock screamer. Boy did they light the world up!!! They'd gobble at that thing every time he'd blow it!! I still don't own one......I do carry a crow call and owl hooter, every time!

[g8rvet]

Some really good advice here. 

If you like watching hunting shows and videos, forget 90% of what they do and say.  There are some exceptions, but many of them are hunting butterball factories and they are trying to sell their gizmo or whatsit and will overcall to make themselves and their product look good. 

No matter what some say, a turkey is not smart.  What they are, is wary and random.  Everything in the woods wants to eat them.  They have keen senses, but will ignore things that surprise you.  Don't get discouraged when you think you have a Tom patterned and he pulls something totally different.  It is hard for you to know what he is going to do in the morning when he does not know himself ahead of time. With that being said, it is much easier to call him when you are already at a place he likes to be.  Learn to spot turkey sign.  Learn to figure where he will most likely be and what time of day he is likely to be there.  In general, not specific to one Tom.  You'll start to get the feel for how they think and will be way ahead of the game. 

Like said before, some of the worst callers I have ever heard have been live hens.  You don't have to be perfect.  Cadence is more important than anything.  You are playing an instrument, but it does not matter much if it is a little out of tune, just be in time.  Not overcalling was the single and most important lesson I have learned (and am still learning).  I called one this year to 60 yards and then he lost interest and wandered away.  If not for the sage advice from this site (and from my brother's pa-in-law) I probably would have wandered away too.  But I decided to sit tight and see if he came back to where that hen was calling at first light. Sure enough, about an hour later he snuck in and took a truck ride. 

You will bump birds.  You will spook birds.  You will over call and under call.  You will even miss some birds.  Don't get discouraged.  What I lack in skill (which is plenty) I make up in perseverance.  The hunter most likely to kill a Tom is the one in the woods.  The season is over way to quick, so make the most if it.  My group's motto "You can sleep when you are dead"! 

[allaboutshooting]

The text from an old article.

1. It's Just One Bird!
That turkey that you hear gobbling is just one bird.

He's not the only bird you'll ever hear. He's not the only bird you'll ever see. If he sees you it won't ruin his life. If he sees you, it won't ruin your life. If you spook him, he'll get over it. If you spook him, you'll get over it.

Think of it this way. If you dropped one potato chip out of a bag full and it fell into a big pool of muddy water, you'd just say, "Okay, I have a lot more in this bag, I'll just eat another one." If you don't shoot the first turkey you hear, if he sees you and runs away, if you spook him, you've just dropped one potato chip out of your bag into that pool of muddy water. Relax, you've got a bag full. They'll make more.

2. It's Just One Hunt
Your life does not depend upon your killing this turkey for you to survive.
You're not Daniel Boone, coming through the Cumberland Gap with a party of women and children who depend on you to kill the game for the season. Your life is not dependant upon killing a turkey. You life is not dependant upon your killing this turkey. You have food at home, your family will survive. You hunt because you want to hunt. You hunt because you enjoy it. You don't "win" every time at anything. You won't "win" every time you hunt.

3. Take a Chance
Move on that turkey. Switch your position. Do something!
If you spook him, you spook him. If he sees you, he sees you. So what!

You will lose more turkeys by inaction than by action. A turkey is not some magical bird that can sense what you are thinking. He really can't hear your heartbeat or see your eyes blink either. There are lots of things that move in the woods, there are lots of noises in the woods, there are other animals in the woods, there's nothing special about your being there. You're as much a part of the grand scheme of things as that tree that you're leaning against and as that turkey you're hunting.
He took a chance when he flew down from the roost this morning. Why? Because he had to take a chance. It's part of his life. Make it a part of yours.

4. Ignore the "Roar of the Crowd"
The "roar of the crowd" won't make you a better hunter. The "roar of the crowd" only lasts for a little while anyway. The "roar of the crowd" will be for someone else eventually. Hunt for your personal satisfaction and the enjoyment that you get out of it, not for glory or congratulations from others — not even your family members or your closest friends. Hunting is a personal choice and so is the pleasure.

Enjoy the hunt for your personal pleasure, not for the glory of  showing off your kill or for the "roar of the crowd."

5. Know What You Know
When you know what you know, you can afford to take chances. You will know, what you know when you have:

The self-confidence to be willing to "lose" a bird, if that means that you really went after him; the self-confidence to understand that there are times when you "win" and times when you "lose;" the self-confidence to know that you must take chances in life and that you can't let the fear of failure be greater than the desire for success; the self-confidence to enjoy the hunt for yourself and not for the "roar of the crowd."

You can make yourself a better hunter and you can be ready for the next season by putting these five simple rules into practice in your hunting lifestyle.

Nothing here is meant in any way to minimize any aspect of hunting safety or of ethical hunting practices. Those are a given. You must know how your gun shoots and how you can shoot it. Most of all, however, you must have the self-confidence to go for it and walk out of the turkey woods knowing that you gave all you had and made your very best effort.
That will help you make your next hunt, a hunt with no regrets.

Thanks,
Clark

[Ihuntoldschool]

Learn how to hunt by the rules so when you harvest that gobbler you know you have truly earned him. You have to give that bird every chance to live another day and when you play by the real rules you do that. Respect the bird and understand that the hunt is so much more important than the kill.  Practice your calling a lot as that is how the game is played, just call him to you. If you have a good mentor, then he/she will teach you the difference between being a good turkey hunter vs. just being a turkey killer. Be patient, don't take shortcuts, if you learn how to call and hunt turkeys you won't need to rely on gimmicks to cheapen the experience that have become so commonplace in turkey hunting these days.  The best book you can read is One Man Game by Ken Morgan.  This will teach you how the game is played and everything you need to know about the rules and fair chase. There is also a section on how to really score your bird, and compile your turkey hunting score.  Model yourself after the old school hunters if you want to really learn to be a true turkey hunter.  The best books on the subject were written many years ago.   Have fun.

[Rick Howard]

Develop a love for the birds. The rest will fall into place over time. Keep it fun. Good luck!

This

[WNCTracker]

Best advice I know is put the time in before the season and learn their pattern. It will usually repeat itself.


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[VaTuRkStOmPeR]

1. Always strive to position yourself in the "perfect" calling position. Quality set ups will contribute significantly to harvests.

2. Call less. Think more.

[silvestris]

Learn how to hunt by the rules so when you harvest that gobbler you know you have truly earned him. You have to give that bird every chance to live another day and when you play by the real rules you do that. Respect the bird and understand that the hunt is so much more important than the kill.  Practice your calling a lot as that is how the game is played, just call him to you. If you have a good mentor, then he/she will teach you the difference between being a good turkey hunter vs. just being a turkey killer. Be patient, don't take shortcuts, if you learn how to call and hunt turkeys you won't need to rely on gimmicks to cheapen the experience that have become so commonplace in turkey hunting these days.  The best book you can read is One Man Game by Ken Morgan.  This will teach you how the game is played and everything you need to know about the rules and fair chase. There is also a section on how to really score your bird, and compile your turkey hunting score.  Model yourself after the old school hunters if you want to really learn to be a true turkey hunter.  The best books on the subject were written many years ago.   Have fun.

I like you I hunteroldschool.  However, you could say a nice thing or two about the guy who wrote the forward to Kenny's "One Man Game".

[GunRunner]

Many great tips offered hear from many experienced hunters. The only thing I could offer beyond all that has been said is.....
When you have spent considerable time working a bird and the ol'Tom Has not stepped into view or quits responding and you get that first notion that it is over and it is time to get up and move...DON'T MOVE. Your legs are cramped...butt hurts... but suck up and make yourself sit still, quiet, and ready for at least another 20 or 30 minutes longer.
Twice I have popped up too early after I perceived it was all over and spooked the birds that were almost in sight and range. I relive these busts and other  misses and mistakes more often than my successful hunts.
Patience and perseverance.

Best of luck

[beakbuster10]

Sound like a hen turkey, not a turkey hunter. That sounds pretty simple but there's a lot to it. How you walk, where you are, what you say to him, how loud you say it, how fast you respond to him, scratching leaves, doing flydown cackles with wing beats. . . The list goes on and on. Only way to learn how to be a turkey is to spend time with them.

Best advice I could ever give is wait on a gobbler until you can't wait any longer, then wait 30 more minutes. A lot of birds show up in that 30 more minutes. Welcome to the addiction!


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[lohaus]

I have some of my best hunts in crappy weather.  I find on my way home and see a few gobblers in crap weather. . . Why not? Misting rain, blind on a field age. Enjoy the time.  Don't gauge the success of a hunt on whether you harvest a bird.  Oh yeah, shoot! I don't know how many birds my first time hunters let go because he wasn't sure if they were close enough.


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