re: New to turkey hunting

You need to pay attention to your surroundings and exercise caution where you sit. Not uncommon to walk by or nearly sit on Mr. No Shoulders when turkey hunting.

I was hunting in the Basin years ago and sat down near a small pond loaded with turkey tracks. 10 minutes into calling a big arse water snake slithered over my boots and made me scream like a little girl

You serious Clark?

Kisatchie being closed....?

I assumed not

I'm a prostaff member on two different call companies and can tell you first hand that mature turkeys are the most difficult animal to harvest in the South. Very addicting because you know you are close to killing him and don't want to give up. Patience, stillness, and woodsmanship will get you on the right track. Call only when needed. Good luck bud!

The most important piece of equipment you buy will be the thermacell...mosquitoes can be hellish that time of year and you have to sit absolutely still for long periods of time. Turkey hunting is an absolute blast to me...just like deer hunting, except you are talking to the birds instead of just sitting there waiting.

The reason I don't do more turkey hunting is solely because of the bugs and snakes...I just don't care for that shite.

Start practicing your calling well before the season starts. Learn to call soft. I always found it challenging to make a soft call when a turkey was near without messing up. Also if you buy a slate or box call, practice with your hunting gloves on.

Invest in a very comfortable cushion/seat. It makes it a whole lot easier to sit in one spot without moving.

Spend the month before the season taking your wife/girlfriend out on several dates because she will not be happy when it starts.

Alot of good info in this thread especially about the wife/gf. I butter mine up because I will be chasing them every weekend the season is open. I like to buy calls at the end of the season when they go on clearance. Gives me an opportunity to try different calls for relatively cheap. I've found a few that always stay in my vest. I have an Aluminator and a Primos Tramp glass call that I like. As far as mouth calls when the bird is in close, I've had better success making light clucks and yelps with my mouth instead of with a mouth call.

Turkey hunting is addictive. Be prepared to obsess over it from the day deer season ends to a couple weeks after turkey season especially if you have a failed encounter with a bird. Every year I play the "what if" game after getting bested by a bird.

That just seems like a good way to get shot.

To OP, remember that when calling a tom to you, you are trying to convince the tom to go against his very nature. Normally the tom sits in one spot and calls the hens over to him. You got to try and get him out of his normal routine.

Take a variety of calls with you, try different ones sometimes a tom wants something a little different.

Like others have said start with box and pot calls as they will be more forgiving than a mouth call to a beginner. Myself and I'm sure a lot of the guys here and everywhere cut our teeth on a Lynch's World Champion Box Call.