turkey hunting myth? fact or fiction ?

[Spitten and drummen]

Top 10  Louisiana myths. ( more of a top 10 techniques than myths)
1. Remove your muffler before season because turkeys can't hear trucks.
2. Door slamming and talking loudly to your buddy has no effect on Gobbling turkeys.
3. Any trail no matter how narrow or the fact that it is off limits to vehicles, should be driven down as far as you can get, because walking is bad for your health.
4.When you get to the end of the trail(see #3) throw all your garbage out on both sides of the trail. Household garbage, appliances(stoves,refrigerators etc.) and any beer cans or candy wrappers  that has accumulated on the floorboard. Because Gobblers are attracted to garbage.
5. Do not for any reason wake up early or even try to get to your hunting area before daylight. It is much better to wait until Gobbling time and then drive your beat up truck( see muffler modification recommendation #1) 60 miles an hour down dirt roads slinging gravel. Drive up and down every road or trail drive right up to anyone you see or any parked vehicle. Then back up turn around and repeat until you have shut every gobbler in the area completely up.
6. Squawk on your box call as loud and fast as possible for as long as you can, while breathing from your mouth (the breathing technique is important) all real Turkey hunters are mouth breathers, your grandpa said so.
7. When by some accident you hear a Gobbler immediately start in his direction blowing a crow call as loud as possible while you stumble in his direction. Do not stop calling even after the Gobbler shuts up keep at it. When you think your close to were he was Gobbling just keep circling the area alternating blowing on the crow call and squawking on the box call.
8. Best  time to use a crow call is in the black dark as early as possible preferably an hour before daylight. Best time to owl hoot is 2pm on sunny days.
9. When you hear another hunter calling to a Gobbler, go help him call! You've probably already met him during the #5 technique and he'll be glad to see you again. Just stomp as loud as possible toward the Gobbler using the proven crow/box call combo.
10. Start your season on your deer lease. After the second day of the season and you have completely shut every turkey on your lease down or ran him off the property, head directly to the nearest public land, after 8am of course. Spend as much time as you can meeting the other hunters and seeing if they are having any luck. Complain about the lack of turkeys and how much better it was in 1975, even though you started turkey hunting 3 years ago. About April 15 drive to Texas and pay to hunt over a deer feeder... kill two turkeys. Then post 100 pictures on Facebook so everyone will know you still got it!

Man , you are spot on. And this folks , about sums it up.

[hotspur]

Top 10  Louisiana myths. ( more of a top 10 techniques than myths)
1. Remove your muffler before season because turkeys can't hear trucks.
2. Door slamming and talking loudly to your buddy has no effect on Gobbling turkeys.
3. Any trail no matter how narrow or the fact that it is off limits to vehicles, should be driven down as far as you can get, because walking is bad for your health.
4.When you get to the end of the trail(see #3) throw all your garbage out on both sides of the trail. Household garbage, appliances(stoves,refrigerators etc.) and any beer cans or candy wrappers  that has accumulated on the floorboard. Because Gobblers are attracted to garbage.
5. Do not for any reason wake up early or even try to get to your hunting area before daylight. It is much better to wait until Gobbling time and then drive your beat up truck( see muffler modification recommendation #1) 60 miles an hour down dirt roads slinging gravel. Drive up and down every road or trail drive right up to anyone you see or any parked vehicle. Then back up turn around and repeat until you have shut every gobbler in the area completely up.
6. Squawk on your box call as loud and fast as possible for as long as you can, while breathing from your mouth (the breathing technique is important) all real Turkey hunters are mouth breathers, your grandpa said so.
7. When by some accident you hear a Gobbler immediately start in his direction blowing a crow call as loud as possible while you stumble in his direction. Do not stop calling even after the Gobbler shuts up keep at it. When you think your close to were he was Gobbling just keep circling the area alternating blowing on the crow call and squawking on the box call.
8. Best  time to use a crow call is in the black dark as early as possible preferably an hour before daylight. Best time to owl hoot is 2pm on sunny days.
9. When you hear another hunter calling to a Gobbler, go help him call! You've probably already met him during the #5 technique and he'll be glad to see you again. Just stomp as loud as possible toward the Gobbler using the proven crow/box call combo.
10. Start your season on your deer lease. After the second day of the season and you have completely shut every turkey on your lease down or ran him off the property, head directly to the nearest public land, after 8am of course. Spend as much time as you can meeting the other hunters and seeing if they are having any luck. Complain about the lack of turkeys and how much better it was in 1975, even though you started turkey hunting 3 years ago. About April 15 drive to Texas and pay to hunt over a deer feeder... kill two turkeys. Then post 100 pictures on Facebook so everyone will know you still got it!

Man , you are spot on. And this folks , about sums it up.

pretty good, but you forgot to shoot your shotgun at dawn because turkeys will gobble at gunshots I've heard them do it

[LaLongbeard]

pretty good, but you forgot to shoot your shotgun at dawn because turkeys will gobble at gunshots I've heard them do it
[/quote]

Gun shots are a favorite but so are truck horns. Last season I had been listening to 3 Gobbler every morning before the opener for a week. They started at daylight and gobbled pretty good till 9 or 10 am. All three roosted within a 1/4 mile of a gas line right of way but each a couple hundred yards apart. Opening day a guy drove his pos truck into the middle of the gas line and steadily honked the horn for 30 min by the clock lol. I know for a fact a turkey did not gobble anywhere in the area for a solid week after the opening day debacle. Probably a hundred trucks in the area not a single shot fired from daylight to dark ?
    Louisiana is a very competitive state we are every year in the running for number 1 in worst roads/highways, lowest literacy, lowest testing scores. But the area the state shines in? Louisiana has the worst turkey hunters in North America, it's not even a close race. Alaska no doubt has better turkey hunters than La. I've hunted a lot of states and I feel confident La will not be beaten in this regard.

[Bearcat1997]

I've heard the statement that turkeys won't cross fences. However, I have experiences that say if the tom really wants what is on the other side of the fence, he will cross it.

[sasquatch1]

pretty good, but you forgot to shoot your shotgun at dawn because turkeys will gobble at gunshots I've heard them do it

Gun shots are a favorite but so are truck horns. Last season I had been listening to 3 Gobbler every morning before the opener for a week. They started at daylight and gobbled pretty good till 9 or 10 am. All three roosted within a 1/4 mile of a gas line right of way but each a couple hundred yards apart. Opening day a guy drove his pos truck into the middle of the gas line and steadily honked the horn for 30 min by the clock lol. I know for a fact a turkey did not gobble anywhere in the area for a solid week after the opening day debacle. Probably a hundred trucks in the area not a single shot fired from daylight to dark ?
    Louisiana is a very competitive state we are every year in the running for number 1 in worst roads/highways, lowest literacy, lowest testing scores. But the area the state shines in? Louisiana has the worst turkey hunters in North America, it's not even a close race. Alaska no doubt has better turkey hunters than La. I've hunted a lot of states and I feel confident La will not be beaten in this regard.
[/quote]

Lived in LA my whole life, killed my first 3 birds in LA 14 years ago

Haven't hunted in my own state for turkeys since then


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[saltysenior]

a turkey can see you wiggle your toes while you have your boots on..

[SinGin]

pretty good, but you forgot to shoot your shotgun at dawn because turkeys will gobble at gunshots I've heard them do it

Gun shots are a favorite but so are truck horns. Last season I had been listening to 3 Gobbler every morning before the opener for a week. They started at daylight and gobbled pretty good till 9 or 10 am. All three roosted within a 1/4 mile of a gas line right of way but each a couple hundred yards apart. Opening day a guy drove his pos truck into the middle of the gas line and steadily honked the horn for 30 min by the clock lol. I know for a fact a turkey did not gobble anywhere in the area for a solid week after the opening day debacle. Probably a hundred trucks in the area not a single shot fired from daylight to dark ?
    Louisiana is a very competitive state we are every year in the running for number 1 in worst roads/highways, lowest literacy, lowest testing scores. But the area the state shines in? Louisiana has the worst turkey hunters in North America, it's not even a close race. Alaska no doubt has better turkey hunters than La. I've hunted a lot of states and I feel confident La will not be beaten in this regard.
[/quote]


Ya but Missouri is still #1 in meth labs, suck it LA

[High plains drifter]

I don't believe in sitting out in the open. Too many things can happen,  that will spook the bird.I hide well in brush, or downed trees.I do lay out in the open at times, but I use the lay of the land for an advantage. 

[Turkeyman]

Well, say what you will...or believe what you will...but I've had them pick me up by seeing my eyes. If I'm calling a bird in and there are hens involved I always spin my head net around and look through the netting. I've had close hens see my eyes, but not if my headnet is spun.

[Bowguy]

I've heard the statement that turkeys won't cross fences. However, I have experiences that say if the tom really wants what is on the other side of the fence, he will cross it.

Years back I was w a buddy. I actually didn't bring my gun. We walked in n got em to gobble and start in relatively quickly.
He passed by me hunkered down n stuffed his 10 ga in my hands, said "you're shooting".
5 gobblers flew over a goat fence and came to us. 4 left

[tomno3]

Just when you think they won't, they will. Just when you think they will, they won't. At least around here.

[THattaway]

Well, say what you will...or believe what you will...but I've had them pick me up by seeing my eyes. If I'm calling a bird in and there are hens involved I always spin my head net around and look through the netting. I've had close hens see my eyes, but not if my headnet is spun.

Good advice. Thanks

[Mossberg90MN]

I think they can definitely spot a guy at the base of tree. And probably see eyes too.

You got to think... everything wants to eat them. Especially coyotes, so a lot of ground level predators for a turkey. I think they can pop up a ridge and scan real quick for anything that shouldn't be there.
I've always felt, that if you can see the turkey, the turkey can see you. Unless it's of course looking away at the moment.

[avidnwoutdoorsman]

Movement is everything. They can see, but its the movement that catches their eye. I've been unmasked in a clear cut next to a sun bleached stump and had a bird walk to where I thought about grabbing it. Wasn't until he finished his loop and stepped behind my strutter I lifted my gun. He caught that movement all right and presented his neck for a clean kill. That was one bird though.

Something I heard as a tip from Elk hunting that I use on turkeys that also seams real. Humans have eyes on the front of their face like a predator. Don't look at an elk when you cross paths archery hunting. Instead keep you head down and look at its feet. When the time is right look up while drawing your bow, and shoot. Fast forward to elk season and this was all but the case. Come across a cow elk and keep you head down not to present your eyes and she would hang out, even walk by, and not alert the bull she was with. When I heard this and then experienced it. I had to draw the similarity to turkeys and why I think the myth is they can see the whites of your eyes. Could it be true more in the fact in that is what they are looking for.... where are the eyes on this other animal? In the front like a coyote, opposum, raccoon, bear, wolf, etc? Or on the sides like an ungulate?

[notsure]

When you spot question mark shaped turkey poop underneath a tree, you can rest assured that gobblers are using it as a roosting spot.