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Started By
Message
Turkey hunting for idiots
Posted on 2/9/13 at 2:03 am
Posted on 2/9/13 at 2:03 am
Brothers. I am in a hunting club near tibbie Alabama overrun with turkeys so I am going to try turkey hunting for the first time. I bought all the usual shite and will feed them next two months. However, I don't really know much about turkey hunting. I know you call them in in am and that is about it. Since I saw turkeys up to three dozen every single deer hunt and only three members are hunting 1200 acres I am thinking best shot ever for me to learn and get a turkey for my 10 year old who hunted all year like a pro and failed to kill a single freaking deer. Any DVDs advice books on tape anything I can get to help bring me up to speed greatly appreciated. I need my little girl to kill a damn bird or we my lose one future hunter and quiet frankly she could be good at this with a little luck as she has dedication and patience of a pro which is very unusual for someone her age. Many thanks
6
Posted on 2/9/13 at 2:10 am to TutHillTiger
LINK
get this. I have had the pleasure of growing up and hunting with him.
get this. I have had the pleasure of growing up and hunting with him.
Posted on 2/9/13 at 2:16 am to TutHillTiger
I'm not a turkey hunter so I'm damn near clueless, but I'd slide out there the evening before and try to find some headed up to their roost. Sneak in the next morning, (not on top of them but close enough) and call (crow or squatch). If they're there they should show up. Again, I'm retarded and only witnessed Tounces kill a hen
This post was edited on 2/9/13 at 2:20 am
Posted on 2/9/13 at 2:52 am to TutHillTiger
Start with a box call and a good CD. Listen, learn
& practice at home. Don't go into the woods to practice. Scout as much as possible to locate birds & listen and watch them if possible. If you taking your girl i'd sudjest a blind. Turkeys can see & hear very very well. You'll have to practice with your daughter as far as when to raise the gun & shoot.
Don't know what she'll be shooting but pattern her gun & see how far out she'll be able to get a clean kill. I'm sure i've left some things out but it's a start
& practice at home. Don't go into the woods to practice. Scout as much as possible to locate birds & listen and watch them if possible. If you taking your girl i'd sudjest a blind. Turkeys can see & hear very very well. You'll have to practice with your daughter as far as when to raise the gun & shoot.
Don't know what she'll be shooting but pattern her gun & see how far out she'll be able to get a clean kill. I'm sure i've left some things out but it's a start
Posted on 2/9/13 at 7:28 am to TutHillTiger
I am an avid turkey hunter so I must start with a warning. If you follow up on your plans to go after turkeys prepare to deal with the addiction of turkey hunting. It is a great sport and I think/dream/plan for it year round.
1. Find a mentor to go with you on a few hunts. I tried hunting on my own when I first started and was very frustrated. I was fortunate to make friends with one of the best turkey hunters in Alabama who taught me a lot about turkeys.
2. If you aren't able to find a mentor my beginning strategy would be for a low key approach similar to deer hunting. Place a blind around a green field or any other area where you see turkey sign. Get into the blind well before daylight and be sure to be careful about your flashlight because they will spook if roosted nearby. This is my least favorite way to hunt but it is probably the most effective especially for a beginner. Later you can try running and gunning for them which is what I prefer.
3. I recommend a good quality box call for a beginner. I use Southland calls but there are lots of good ones. Don't get a cheap call from Wal-Mart. Practice yelping and clucking on the call. The biggest mistake beginners make is calling too loud and too often.
4. A good shotgun choke/shell combo is critical to your success. I use an Indian Creek tube and Hevi-Shot #7 3.5 inch 12 gauge. I try to limit my shots to forty yards but on occaision I have misjudged the distance and this combo still killed the turkey. I am not encouraging you to shoot past forty yards because that is the turkey hunting standard. Some will tell you that #7 is too small for turkeys but with Hevi-Shot I can assure yot that it's not. #7 Hevi impacts with the force of a #5 lead and there are hundreds of #7's in the load.
Good luck with your hunt.
1. Find a mentor to go with you on a few hunts. I tried hunting on my own when I first started and was very frustrated. I was fortunate to make friends with one of the best turkey hunters in Alabama who taught me a lot about turkeys.
2. If you aren't able to find a mentor my beginning strategy would be for a low key approach similar to deer hunting. Place a blind around a green field or any other area where you see turkey sign. Get into the blind well before daylight and be sure to be careful about your flashlight because they will spook if roosted nearby. This is my least favorite way to hunt but it is probably the most effective especially for a beginner. Later you can try running and gunning for them which is what I prefer.
3. I recommend a good quality box call for a beginner. I use Southland calls but there are lots of good ones. Don't get a cheap call from Wal-Mart. Practice yelping and clucking on the call. The biggest mistake beginners make is calling too loud and too often.
4. A good shotgun choke/shell combo is critical to your success. I use an Indian Creek tube and Hevi-Shot #7 3.5 inch 12 gauge. I try to limit my shots to forty yards but on occaision I have misjudged the distance and this combo still killed the turkey. I am not encouraging you to shoot past forty yards because that is the turkey hunting standard. Some will tell you that #7 is too small for turkeys but with Hevi-Shot I can assure yot that it's not. #7 Hevi impacts with the force of a #5 lead and there are hundreds of #7's in the load.
Good luck with your hunt.
Posted on 2/9/13 at 12:07 pm to TutHillTiger
Lot's of good advice here...
My two cents..
What separates the good/average turkey hunter from the great ones is not being a great caller but rather knowing when to and when not to call. I'm convinced that a rusty nail and a tin can is equally effective as a competition caller when a willing bird is on the other end. Identifying the willing bird comes with experience.
Good woodsmanship kills a lot of turkeys. The most successful strategy is often being between where a turkey is and where he's going. This means doing your homework and scouting. Some guys say ambushing turkeys isnt real hunting. I say you've not lived until you've succesfully bellycrawled into a field after a turkey that wont respond to calling.
The other secret is this... You cant kill birds that arent there. Having turkeys in numbers is key to consistently successful hunting. It sounds like you've got this covered.
Accept now that a bird with a brain the size of a field pea is going to outsmart you pretty often. If turkey hunting was easy everybody would be doing it. Hunting side by side with someone is tough and with a child its even moreso. Buy some good blinds and place them strategically in places with high traffic before the season starts. If catching a bird off the roost doesnt work out(it normally doesnt) the blind is a good place to sit a bird out and allow kids to wiggle or move about.
I know a guy in FL who'd love to come up and chase Easterns with you(i.e. me...)
Good luck..
My two cents..
What separates the good/average turkey hunter from the great ones is not being a great caller but rather knowing when to and when not to call. I'm convinced that a rusty nail and a tin can is equally effective as a competition caller when a willing bird is on the other end. Identifying the willing bird comes with experience.
Good woodsmanship kills a lot of turkeys. The most successful strategy is often being between where a turkey is and where he's going. This means doing your homework and scouting. Some guys say ambushing turkeys isnt real hunting. I say you've not lived until you've succesfully bellycrawled into a field after a turkey that wont respond to calling.
The other secret is this... You cant kill birds that arent there. Having turkeys in numbers is key to consistently successful hunting. It sounds like you've got this covered.
Accept now that a bird with a brain the size of a field pea is going to outsmart you pretty often. If turkey hunting was easy everybody would be doing it. Hunting side by side with someone is tough and with a child its even moreso. Buy some good blinds and place them strategically in places with high traffic before the season starts. If catching a bird off the roost doesnt work out(it normally doesnt) the blind is a good place to sit a bird out and allow kids to wiggle or move about.
I know a guy in FL who'd love to come up and chase Easterns with you(i.e. me...)
Good luck..
This post was edited on 2/9/13 at 12:10 pm
Posted on 2/9/13 at 7:50 pm to TutHillTiger
I'm no expert but those suckers are thick during deer season and disappear in the spring
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