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re: Turkey Hunting Beginner
Posted on 2/14/18 at 8:30 pm to 34venture
Posted on 2/14/18 at 8:30 pm to 34venture
quote:
hey will sure break your spirit more than once
quote:
hey will sure break your spirit more than once
quote:
hey will sure break your spirit more than once
quote:
hey will sure break your spirit more than once
quote:
hey will sure break your spirit more than once
quote:
hey will sure break your spirit more than once
quote:
hey will sure break your spirit more than once
Its like the crazy ex girlfriend with a world class arse.
No matter how many times you tell yourself no more, you just cant stay away
0
Posted on 2/14/18 at 9:08 pm to Ragnar
Lots of good advice in here. 5 years ago i swore i would never turkey hunt, now I'm hooked! Called in and killed 3 last year(2 in Kansas). Absolutely a rush like no other!
Decoys---when i use one, it's Avian X (I use a jake and a hen). But have had more success with no decoys
Calls---i use talkin the talk pot calls in ceramic and glass. And a mouth call called the swamp hen that they make. They are local call makers from This area. I don't call a whole lot when hunting. Every 15-20 minutes or so. Their hearing is very good and like someone else said, if They respond, they know where you are and are more than likely headed your way.
Camo---i use mossy oak bottomland and mossy oak obsession patterns and get covered head to toe. Get a good pair of snake boots too. I have Irish setters and love them.
Vest---get a cheaper vest to start and once you decide if you will continue hunting turkeys, get a better one.
Hunting---i usually just go out at daybreak and listen. If you are lucky, the owls will get cranked up and get the turkeys gobbling on the roost. Ease into that general area and set up. I give a couple clucks And purrs once they on the ground and basically just listen and watch. On rainy days, i sit on the edge of a food plot and "deer hunt" them. Turkey hunting will drive you nuts because you think you got em figured out and those birds will make you look foolish at times. Some mornings they will gobble their asses off and other mornings they hit the ground and shut up.
Decoys---when i use one, it's Avian X (I use a jake and a hen). But have had more success with no decoys
Calls---i use talkin the talk pot calls in ceramic and glass. And a mouth call called the swamp hen that they make. They are local call makers from This area. I don't call a whole lot when hunting. Every 15-20 minutes or so. Their hearing is very good and like someone else said, if They respond, they know where you are and are more than likely headed your way.
Camo---i use mossy oak bottomland and mossy oak obsession patterns and get covered head to toe. Get a good pair of snake boots too. I have Irish setters and love them.
Vest---get a cheaper vest to start and once you decide if you will continue hunting turkeys, get a better one.
Hunting---i usually just go out at daybreak and listen. If you are lucky, the owls will get cranked up and get the turkeys gobbling on the roost. Ease into that general area and set up. I give a couple clucks And purrs once they on the ground and basically just listen and watch. On rainy days, i sit on the edge of a food plot and "deer hunt" them. Turkey hunting will drive you nuts because you think you got em figured out and those birds will make you look foolish at times. Some mornings they will gobble their asses off and other mornings they hit the ground and shut up.
Posted on 2/14/18 at 9:43 pm to cajun12
old timer told me once that turkeys like open fields during rain because the rain hitting the leaves makes it hard to hear and confuses them
dont know if it is true or not but that guy killed enough turkeys to fill a dumpster
dont know if it is true or not but that guy killed enough turkeys to fill a dumpster
Posted on 2/15/18 at 8:28 am to Ragnar
Been killing turkeys since 1981. Make it as simple as you can. Don't have to have a decoy. never used one. Use a call that you feel confident with. Vests-don't have to have one but it makes it easy to carry one out in. Camo. Any camo will work as long as you stay still. Have called gobblers up after season in white t shirt to within 10 yards. Hunting-being a beginner you need to do best to locate before season. Best thing to know is the lay of the land. A turkey is like a human in the sense he is going to walk to you the easiest path. In early season before leaves are on trees do not try to get close when they on roost-taking a chance on seeing you. After leaves come on trees you try to get as close as can. If henned up try to get as close as possible on roost before daylight. Good luck!
Posted on 2/15/18 at 9:02 am to Ragnar
I'm no expert, but I'll chime in on things I've learned.
First, and in my opinion, the most important: Scout the area. This means you're gonna have to get out there weeks before the season starts just like you were gonna hunt. Get out there way before dawn and figure out where the birds are. This won't be a one day ordeal. The first day you will be pretty much just listening at daybreak to figure out the general direction they are located. Then you can go back a few more times to zone in on them.
I've never used a decoy. To me its just one more activity (setting it out) you have to do that could scare off birds.
A mount call is the most convenient call (frees your hands) but takes the most practice to get it right. A box call is probably the easiest to learn but also the easiest to screw up a shot. I've been guilty and had partners guilty several times of making a awful sound while trying to put the call away to get ready for a shot. Probably the best of both worlds is a slate call. Since the striker is separate it is much less likely to throw out a stray sound while putting it away.
Camo is important as hell. Turkeys have excellent eye sight and hearing. Several years ago, one of the most well known turkey hunters in the area made a comment to me during a discussion that if turkeys had any decent sense of smell, combined with their eyesight and hearing, we would likely never see them within a few hundred yards. To me, they are much more wary than deer are.
One thing that may not have been mentioned yet is your gun. You will be using fairly large shot so patterning your gun is pretty important. A kill shot is in the head region so you need to know where your gun puts the most pellets in your shot.
Dammit, now I wanna get out in the woods.
First, and in my opinion, the most important: Scout the area. This means you're gonna have to get out there weeks before the season starts just like you were gonna hunt. Get out there way before dawn and figure out where the birds are. This won't be a one day ordeal. The first day you will be pretty much just listening at daybreak to figure out the general direction they are located. Then you can go back a few more times to zone in on them.
I've never used a decoy. To me its just one more activity (setting it out) you have to do that could scare off birds.
A mount call is the most convenient call (frees your hands) but takes the most practice to get it right. A box call is probably the easiest to learn but also the easiest to screw up a shot. I've been guilty and had partners guilty several times of making a awful sound while trying to put the call away to get ready for a shot. Probably the best of both worlds is a slate call. Since the striker is separate it is much less likely to throw out a stray sound while putting it away.
Camo is important as hell. Turkeys have excellent eye sight and hearing. Several years ago, one of the most well known turkey hunters in the area made a comment to me during a discussion that if turkeys had any decent sense of smell, combined with their eyesight and hearing, we would likely never see them within a few hundred yards. To me, they are much more wary than deer are.
One thing that may not have been mentioned yet is your gun. You will be using fairly large shot so patterning your gun is pretty important. A kill shot is in the head region so you need to know where your gun puts the most pellets in your shot.
Dammit, now I wanna get out in the woods.
Posted on 2/15/18 at 9:52 am to Boudreaux35
One thing I learned from my granddad, never knew him not to tag out every year, was patience, especially if you're a beginner. He would always say, "if you think it's time to call again, wait 5 more minutes; if you think it's time to move, wait 10 more minutes". I can't tell you how many birds I've killed listening to that advice, especially when thinking I needed to move
Posted on 2/15/18 at 10:13 am to Ragnar
quote:- No
Are decoys a necessity?
quote:- they aren't best for heterosexual hunters, but whatever floats your boat. I'm not judging.
I've seen videos of people using the fans and scoot n shoot setups that look like a lot of fun but figured these probably aren't the best for someone just starting out.
quote:- There's no difference. Just get a jake and a feeding hen if you really want to use them.
If so what are some good brands for the money and what style is best?
quote:- The one you use at the right time with the right cadence. For a beginner, I suggest not using a call until you are within 100 yds of a turkey that's already gobbling. I say 100 yds because that way he only has to come halfway or so before he's in range. Also, know what 50 yds in the woods or on a road really looks like. A lot of people say they missed or wounded a turkey at 40-50 yds, and it ends up they were really shooting at him at 65-70 yds.
What calls work best?
quote:- Whichever one you find you can be consistent with. Record yourself from 20 yds away and listen to it. It sounds different than what you think.
After that what are some good brands?
quote:- You can get by with either, but sitting against a tree is easier and quicker with a vest than a backpack.
Is a good vest a must have or can you get by with just a simple backpack?
quote:- not as much as sitting still and getting hidden
how big of a role does the right camo play?
quote:- Break up your silhouette however you can.
focus on really closely matching the woods you're hunting in?
quote:- Hunt like a coyote. Get as close as you can before calling. Get in a place he'll come looking for you, as him coming to you is not in his nature.
Stalking, sitting and waiting?
quote:- Go to the highest point on your property and sit there like a bump on a log an listen. Don't bring a call. Slip out of the woods just like you'd slip in.
Is there a particular spot in the woods to start scouting or do you just take off walking until you find something?
quote:-the ones where the turkeys are
What areas to hunt?
Posted on 2/15/18 at 3:06 pm to tenfoe
A lot of good advice in this thread, but I'll still chime in.
My FIL has killed more turkeys than anyone I know, and he only carried three things: Gun, pad, and a box call. Of course he had a pocket full of diaphragm calls, and used them most of the time. When he started taking me I followed along, stayed quiet, pulled the trigger on many that he called in, and learned a lot.
In his prime, he'd get his two and then call in 10-15 turkeys per year for his friends/family.
Some rules that have stuck with me (per him):
1. NEVER use a flashlight, slam a car door, or talk above a whisper. If a turkey can hear a faint hen yelp, he can damn sure hear those, and knows what and where they are.
2. If you can get on a turkey gobbling on the roost, stop 75-100 yds before you get to where you think he is. I've walked under several by accident, and if they didn't fly the other way, they were silent from then on.
3. Once you do get set up, DON'T CALL TOO MUCH at all when he's still in the tree. You may call once or twice to see how he'll react, but once he gobbles just sit back and enjoy the rush. There's many things you can research doing like fly down cackle or beating the ground to mimic the hen, but if you just keep calling him he may stay in the tree for a long time - especially an old smart one. After some experience fooling with them you'll try some of these type tricks.
4. If a turkey gets hung up (still gobbles but won't come closer), once he's on the ground, don't be afraid to move on him. BE AGGRESSIVE but use the terrain to stay hidden. Many times he's hung up on a fence, slough, or bad thicket. They don't like to cross those. If you have to move in open woods, stop behind trees every time.
5. When you are set up on the ground BE STILL! Move only when his head is behind something. A turkey can see you blink your eyes.
6. DON'T get discouraged and LEAVE TOO EARLY. Many turkeys die up in the morning looking for the tang. If you don't get on one early, just be patient and do what they call run and gun. This is my favorite tactic because I seldom put in the scouting to know exactly where one is roosted. Once they fly down and get finished with their current business, they'll start looking for another hen. I do get set up at daylight and will usually stay there for 30-45 minutes, but if I don't hear a bird I'll get up and walk old woods roads and stop every 75-100 yards. Listen first and then CUT with your mouth or the box.
This is the best way to "turn one over" imo, which means get a gobbler thinking that there is a hen looking for him. If you can get one to gobble in this way, you've got a good chance to kill him. Once he gobbles back at you, do some cut/yelp combos to see what he responds to. If they're hot they'll cut you off with a closer gobble before you finish calling. That's when it get's fun.
You better be set up and ready, because you can't tell when a silent gobbler may stroll in on you.
I've killed several, and I've watched more get away. You'll mess up more than you're successful, but it's ALL FUN.
As a beginner, shoot the first jake that comes in to you. It will boost confidence in your abilities and get you hooked.
Enjoy -
My FIL has killed more turkeys than anyone I know, and he only carried three things: Gun, pad, and a box call. Of course he had a pocket full of diaphragm calls, and used them most of the time. When he started taking me I followed along, stayed quiet, pulled the trigger on many that he called in, and learned a lot.
In his prime, he'd get his two and then call in 10-15 turkeys per year for his friends/family.
Some rules that have stuck with me (per him):
1. NEVER use a flashlight, slam a car door, or talk above a whisper. If a turkey can hear a faint hen yelp, he can damn sure hear those, and knows what and where they are.
2. If you can get on a turkey gobbling on the roost, stop 75-100 yds before you get to where you think he is. I've walked under several by accident, and if they didn't fly the other way, they were silent from then on.
3. Once you do get set up, DON'T CALL TOO MUCH at all when he's still in the tree. You may call once or twice to see how he'll react, but once he gobbles just sit back and enjoy the rush. There's many things you can research doing like fly down cackle or beating the ground to mimic the hen, but if you just keep calling him he may stay in the tree for a long time - especially an old smart one. After some experience fooling with them you'll try some of these type tricks.
4. If a turkey gets hung up (still gobbles but won't come closer), once he's on the ground, don't be afraid to move on him. BE AGGRESSIVE but use the terrain to stay hidden. Many times he's hung up on a fence, slough, or bad thicket. They don't like to cross those. If you have to move in open woods, stop behind trees every time.
5. When you are set up on the ground BE STILL! Move only when his head is behind something. A turkey can see you blink your eyes.
6. DON'T get discouraged and LEAVE TOO EARLY. Many turkeys die up in the morning looking for the tang. If you don't get on one early, just be patient and do what they call run and gun. This is my favorite tactic because I seldom put in the scouting to know exactly where one is roosted. Once they fly down and get finished with their current business, they'll start looking for another hen. I do get set up at daylight and will usually stay there for 30-45 minutes, but if I don't hear a bird I'll get up and walk old woods roads and stop every 75-100 yards. Listen first and then CUT with your mouth or the box.
This is the best way to "turn one over" imo, which means get a gobbler thinking that there is a hen looking for him. If you can get one to gobble in this way, you've got a good chance to kill him. Once he gobbles back at you, do some cut/yelp combos to see what he responds to. If they're hot they'll cut you off with a closer gobble before you finish calling. That's when it get's fun.
You better be set up and ready, because you can't tell when a silent gobbler may stroll in on you.
I've killed several, and I've watched more get away. You'll mess up more than you're successful, but it's ALL FUN.
As a beginner, shoot the first jake that comes in to you. It will boost confidence in your abilities and get you hooked.
Enjoy -
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