Best set-up on turkeys?
01-20-2004, 01:20 PM
#1
Fork Horn
Thread Starter
Join Date: Dec 2003
Location: Virginia
Posts: 156
Best set-up on turkeys?
How do you set up on turkeys? How close do you get? Do you call while he's on the roost or after he flies down. How often between calls? What type of calls? I have been turkeys hunting by myself for 3 years and have yet to call in a turkey. I've set up on seven or eight and just can't get them to come in.
01-21-2004, 03:58 AM
#2
Nontypical Buck
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: NewLowell ,Ontario ,Canada
Posts: 2,765
RE: Best set-up on turkeys?
hammer06,
When it comes to turkey hunting , different setups and different bags of tricks can be used at any time.
At first light while a gobbler is in the roost , one must sneek in quietly to the roost area staying back if at all possible around 100yds from the roost. Noise is essental in being sucessfull in a kill. A turkey can hear 5 times better then you and I, so making noise even in the dark can make a gobbler nevous of the direction he heard it from. Waving flashlights around the roost area can also put a big X in your hunt aswell.
Once setup staying stone still is another essental point, too much moving can make a gobbler nervous of the direction you are, and when there in the tree they can see you about 30 times better then on the ground. When everything is right , You do not want to over call your bird while he is roosted. Only giving him a couple of calls (Tree Yelps) after he has started to gobble to let him know (you) the hen is in the area. If he responds fast to your call then hold out calling untill he is almost ready to fly down. When you feel or see that he is moving alot in the tree, with his head always pointing to the ground , its time to give him another few (Tree Yelps) to refreash his memery that your not far off. The wait till he flys down.
When he hits the ground , Now its time to start getting aggressive with him. Start some cutting and get him fired up. If he starts Gobbling and Double and triple gobbles , begin to slow your calling and Yelp only back to his gobbles. At this time you should have your gun up and ready as soon as he hits the ground.
Now if he goes the other way , you may want to stay put for a while to see if he returns , but this is the time you make the choice weather to move on to try and cut him off or hang in.
Hope this helps ya in your first Wild Turkey.
Adrian J Hare
QuakerBoy Game Calls
When it comes to turkey hunting , different setups and different bags of tricks can be used at any time.
At first light while a gobbler is in the roost , one must sneek in quietly to the roost area staying back if at all possible around 100yds from the roost. Noise is essental in being sucessfull in a kill. A turkey can hear 5 times better then you and I, so making noise even in the dark can make a gobbler nevous of the direction he heard it from. Waving flashlights around the roost area can also put a big X in your hunt aswell.
Once setup staying stone still is another essental point, too much moving can make a gobbler nervous of the direction you are, and when there in the tree they can see you about 30 times better then on the ground. When everything is right , You do not want to over call your bird while he is roosted. Only giving him a couple of calls (Tree Yelps) after he has started to gobble to let him know (you) the hen is in the area. If he responds fast to your call then hold out calling untill he is almost ready to fly down. When you feel or see that he is moving alot in the tree, with his head always pointing to the ground , its time to give him another few (Tree Yelps) to refreash his memery that your not far off. The wait till he flys down.
When he hits the ground , Now its time to start getting aggressive with him. Start some cutting and get him fired up. If he starts Gobbling and Double and triple gobbles , begin to slow your calling and Yelp only back to his gobbles. At this time you should have your gun up and ready as soon as he hits the ground.
Now if he goes the other way , you may want to stay put for a while to see if he returns , but this is the time you make the choice weather to move on to try and cut him off or hang in.
Hope this helps ya in your first Wild Turkey.
Adrian J Hare
QuakerBoy Game Calls
01-21-2004, 06:57 AM
#3
Super Moderator
Join Date: Jan 2004
Location: Wisconsin
Posts: 7,444
RE: Best set-up on turkeys?
Adrian give you great information. Especially gun up in the direction of the gobble if you don't see him just yet. You gotta be ready!
It is the greatest hunting Cat "en Mouse game I know of and actually quit deer hunting so I had vacation left.
I always take it - if Mr. Tom answers me after a set of my calling - he knows where I am.....the trick to learn is when to call and when not to call...when to get aggressive and when to be elusive...
That my boy comes with practice. Adrian quoted not all birds are alike and he is spot on!
However if you do scout....and you should before season...pattern as many Toms as U can! Know where they like to be on any given time period and you will add more success to your hunt.
I have found that more and more upon patterning I just find a great travel place and sit.....Tom answers to my calls....he most likely will come in....
Also if you hear hens with a Tom.....don't fret.....get that hen to answer you and then mimic her calling note for note, cadence for cadence......she gets louder...you go louder.....she stops you stop...she starts calling again call back and cut her off in mid sentnece....with a liitle practice you to will learn how to piss off that ole hen! And guess what....when she comes....so does love struck Mr. Tom!....so you need to have gun up and ready....
I have one story I tell all the time.....Tom was hung-up and a hen walked by me to join him. Could n't see him but he was close. When I heard her behind me I just shut-up and became a stone(no movement - even controlled my fast breathing as I was excited).
When she was with the Tom and both where out of sight ...I called again...and she answered! So I changed tactics and mimiced her.....this went on about five series of call and then all of a sudden she was mad.....catawollin''''cluckin'''she was coming.....so up went the gun...
She came within 6-7 ft of me and stopped stone still!
The Tom was 20 yards behind and moving to the right in full strutt. It was thick woods and I spotted one shooting lane I needed to get my gun barrel to!
But she was on top of me! I COULD NOT MOVE OR THE GAME WAS OVER!!
So knowing turkeys like I do...if I made one slow movement to get the gun in place....not fast mind you I did not want the hen to fly, but enogh so the hen would give the alarm PUTT!! - I might just get that Tom to come out of strutt....You with me so far!
Well he got to that opening 23 yds away. I moved the gun barrel to the right about 3 inches in one slow steady movement. Not fast. The Hen Putted immediatly - the Tom came out of strutt and stuck his old neck up and guess what? KABOOOMM!!!!
I have done that now 5 times where I have pulled the hen or hens in and got the Tom.....
So know your turkeys....read and listen to others who have been out there....and me.....though it has been almost 20 yrs of chasin' them.....always learn somehting new out there that humbles me.....I am after all NO EXPERT...but love to hunt 'em!
JW!
It is the greatest hunting Cat "en Mouse game I know of and actually quit deer hunting so I had vacation left.
I always take it - if Mr. Tom answers me after a set of my calling - he knows where I am.....the trick to learn is when to call and when not to call...when to get aggressive and when to be elusive...
That my boy comes with practice. Adrian quoted not all birds are alike and he is spot on!
However if you do scout....and you should before season...pattern as many Toms as U can! Know where they like to be on any given time period and you will add more success to your hunt.
I have found that more and more upon patterning I just find a great travel place and sit.....Tom answers to my calls....he most likely will come in....
Also if you hear hens with a Tom.....don't fret.....get that hen to answer you and then mimic her calling note for note, cadence for cadence......she gets louder...you go louder.....she stops you stop...she starts calling again call back and cut her off in mid sentnece....with a liitle practice you to will learn how to piss off that ole hen! And guess what....when she comes....so does love struck Mr. Tom!....so you need to have gun up and ready....
I have one story I tell all the time.....Tom was hung-up and a hen walked by me to join him. Could n't see him but he was close. When I heard her behind me I just shut-up and became a stone(no movement - even controlled my fast breathing as I was excited).
When she was with the Tom and both where out of sight ...I called again...and she answered! So I changed tactics and mimiced her.....this went on about five series of call and then all of a sudden she was mad.....catawollin''''cluckin'''she was coming.....so up went the gun...
She came within 6-7 ft of me and stopped stone still!
The Tom was 20 yards behind and moving to the right in full strutt. It was thick woods and I spotted one shooting lane I needed to get my gun barrel to!
But she was on top of me! I COULD NOT MOVE OR THE GAME WAS OVER!!
So knowing turkeys like I do...if I made one slow movement to get the gun in place....not fast mind you I did not want the hen to fly, but enogh so the hen would give the alarm PUTT!! - I might just get that Tom to come out of strutt....You with me so far!
Well he got to that opening 23 yds away. I moved the gun barrel to the right about 3 inches in one slow steady movement. Not fast. The Hen Putted immediatly - the Tom came out of strutt and stuck his old neck up and guess what? KABOOOMM!!!!
I have done that now 5 times where I have pulled the hen or hens in and got the Tom.....
So know your turkeys....read and listen to others who have been out there....and me.....though it has been almost 20 yrs of chasin' them.....always learn somehting new out there that humbles me.....I am after all NO EXPERT...but love to hunt 'em!
JW!
] JW , you let out something that all good turkey hunters don't give out. You broke the Pro rule [
...BT
01-21-2004, 06:08 PM
#5
Join Date: Jul 2003
Location: WARTRACE,TENNESSEE walker country
Posts: 2,351
RE: Best set-up on turkeys?
i think this is the best setup i have ever done. setup with a rise in front of me....have a caller behind me about 10 yards the turkey can't see you you can't see the turkey becuase of the rise......makes your hair stand up win that big gobbler gobbles just on the other side of that rise but you can't see him....then that big gobbler works in , pokes that big long neck over the rise to see whats going on and that is when you bust him.......all of your shot goes in the neck not the breast.....try it sometime .....
01-21-2004, 06:25 PM
#6
Typical Buck
Join Date: Jan 2004
Location: Pikeville, Tennessee
Posts: 592
RE: Best set-up on turkeys?
Well, most of the information has been posted above, but I would like to tell you about decoy setup. IMO, putting a hen lower to the ground will get a gobbler more excited and mad. He wants to stop the jake(decoy) from breeding with the hen. By putting the hen decoy a little lower to the ground, you make it look like the hen is ready to breed. I have found that decoys work a lot better in areas with less hunting pressure. Public land that gets hit pretty hard seems to make the toms a lot more spooky and cautious. Anyway, set the decoys up about twenty yards away and preferably sit in a blind that conceals you from the tom's vision. Early in the morning, try a tree yelp (which is a very soft yelp consisting of slower and less strokes of the call.) This should tell you if the tom is near. They will usually call back or gobble. Wait until he flies down and then start the aggressive calling. I have used Remington Nitro Magnum 3in #4's up until this year. I decided to give the hevi shot a try. I hope it works. Good luck and kill a biggun.
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