bigtim6656

ok guys this is my first post here

I turkey hunted twice my first season hunting in ky

And last year in indiana i saw 20 turkey 40 yards infront of me
but no tags

This year i will be on public land and i have seen turkeys at two spotsone aopen food plot field 550 feet square
The other a bean field

what calls would you recommend for a newbi and any tips would be great
Also if i get a decoy how far infront of my stand or blind should i set it

and do you guys hunt turkeys from a tree stand

vmartin

i would never recomend that any turkey hunters use a stand. turkys will notice you up in a stand far more than if you are on the ground with a tree at your back wider than your shoulders, and if possible get some lims or something around you to break your figure up. if i am hunting in a blind i like to put the decoy very close, 10 feet. i put it that close so the turkeys will come close enough for a real good show. if sitting next to a tree, depending on how well you are hidden, i would put the decoy at 20 yards as long as the decoy is still visable.

the best way to hunt turkeys is to scout them, if you are serious about hunting them then you have to scout before season starts. look for where they roost, where they spend their time, find a timeline of events until they eventually come back to roost. often they will fly down off the roost in a different way than they went up.

i would get online and do a search to listen to turkey calls. using yelping, purring and or combinations. some people say there is such a thing as over calling, i think you can never overcall, infact i often am heard being the "cranky old boss hen" overspeaking the rest of the group. i seem to get more results that way. think of it this way, the turkeys hear all kinds of calling amoungst themselves, they just don't come running to every call, but they do listen to the boss hen when she says "you will come my way." when i do think that i have a tom comming i will stop calling, and maby throw out a couple purrs to him every once in a while to keep him reasured that i like his approach and that i am a hooker for a hen.

there are times that you will find that calling can be negative and sometimes nomatter what you do you can never call them in, that is turkey hunting, don't get discouraged as turkey moods change from one minute to the next, and the next turkey may not be thinking the same way.

the last thing i would say is turkeys see movement first, they can pick up a slight movement of a gun from a 1/4 mile away, it always suprises me of how well they will pick you out when you make a slight move. i never assume the turkey can't see me cause there is always some random hen standing on your right or left side waiting to scream the alarm.

sorry for the overly long read but it is hard to sum up 10 years of turkey hunting, any more questions just ask away.

good luck on your season.

SouthernStrut56

It's illegal to hunt turkeys from an elevated stand in Alabama, also like martin said, you'll be spotted more often. I would just say you need to read as much and watch as much about turkey huntin as you can, and get in the woods as often as you can. You will learn most of your turkey hunting "tactics" while you are in the woods. Like martin said, it's hard to sum up however many years of turkey hunting in one little message. If I were you I would just read over past posts on here, especially ones during spring, it'll help a little. A good turkey hunter has missed, spooked, and been fooled by a few birds in his time. That's what makes you better and better, learning from screw-ups.

bigtim6656

thanks alot guys
i will do some reading

Hurricanespg

Welcome to the addiction of turkey hunting!
I do all of my turkey hunting on public land, and can tell you that they learn when people are hunting them real fast. Don't get frustated if they stop gobbling, just rely on your scouting to tell you where they will be and when.
Movement is a killer, if you can stay still then you will be fine.
For beginners and experts alike I prefer a box call. They are simple to master and produce great sounds, the only drawback is they are bulky as all get out. Whatever you decide to go with just remember to practice a lot.
If you ever go out turkey hunting in the rain make sure you use a waterproof call, or put your call in a bread bag so it will maintain it's sound. I have found that the vast majority of waterproof calls give out a slightly higher pitched sound than non waterproof calls.
A lot of turkey hunting is trial and error to see what works best for you, but if you can find a mentor of some sort that will really speed up your learning curve.
Good luck, and have fun!

bigtim6656

i will mainly stick to deer this year but i want to work on turkey since i will be there any way
figure if i mess up calling or what ever when i am deer hunting i want be to peed off as if i was out there for the turkey
practice make perfect or atleast better

dog1

bigtim,

To your last comment/post, I wouldn't recommend calling the turkeys' you see while deer hunting. You will only educate them. dog1

bigtim6656

ok well when i had my bow i figured if i saw a turkey i would arrow it since turkey run during deer season deer starts oct 1st turkey and turkey runs between oct 1st to oct 15th

kpatte26

Welcome to the wonderful and sometimes frustrating thing called turkey hunting!
My recommendation to you concerning calls is to just go buy a few calls and practice... and practice alot! I would also recommend buying a CD that replicates the sounds of a turkey.
I would not practice calling where you plan on hunting because the turkey will learn very quickly that you are not a turkey but rather a human being.
As for where to place your dekes... I place mine about 20 yards behind my set up while anticipating which direction the turkeys are travelling from. I used to place the dekes off set in front of my to my location but would have the birds hang up just beyond my comfortable shooting range... but that has all changed as well since I now own an 835 set up just for turkey hunting!
As to whether or not I would hunt turkey from a tree stand... I would check your game laws to see if that is legal. Like the one post stated it is illegal in his state. I know here in Pennsylvania that it is legal but seems rather foolish due to not having any cover available.
I hope that my tiny bit of advice helps!

blackjeep04

If your calling in the fall the only call that will really work isa softkee kee call. Turkeys are not mating so there's no need to sound like a horny toad. Just hunt for your deer and if a turk comes by hit it.

If I'm reading this right you will be in the stand because your deer hunting. Like others have said just make sure you have coverage behind you to break up your outline.