Newbie Here
02-28-2005, 02:54 PM
#1
Fork Horn
Thread Starter
Join Date: Aug 2004
Location:
Posts: 100
Newbie Here
This will be my first turkey season. I need to start getting ready for turkey season. I don't know much about turkeys. Should I be doing any type of scouting? My dad is going to hunt with me, he is interested in turkey hunting but he doesn't know much either. Any info would be helpful.
02-28-2005, 03:10 PM
#2
Nontypical Buck
Join Date: Jan 2004
Posts: 1,616
RE: Newbie Here
heres what i would do buy a slate call as soon as you can and start practicing either slate or bow call whatever you prefer. As for scouting goes...YES!! look for where areas are like cleared out where the turkey have been searching for food it kinda look like a bunch of deer scraps all over. and if you can go out early and find their roosting tree that i think is a key factor. To kinda them in their roost in the morning you can use a turkey locator, crow call, or owl call they have all worked for me. if you have anymore questions just ask. glad to help.
02-28-2005, 03:58 PM
#3
Fork Horn
Thread Starter
Join Date: Aug 2004
Location:
Posts: 100
RE: Newbie Here
Bow call? Never heard of that. What brand of slate call would you recomend?
Also this question sounds kinda dumb but how do you go by hunting turkeys, do you sit and wait or walk around trying to get one to gobble. Because on t.v I see them walk around trying to get one to gobble then when they get one coming in they set up against a tree, I was just wondering if thats what most of you do?
Also this question sounds kinda dumb but how do you go by hunting turkeys, do you sit and wait or walk around trying to get one to gobble. Because on t.v I see them walk around trying to get one to gobble then when they get one coming in they set up against a tree, I was just wondering if thats what most of you do?
You live in some of the best turkey woods in america
03-02-2005, 02:22 PM
#6
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: Ripley TN USA
Posts: 284
RE: Newbie Here
Kansashunter89
Welcome to the great sport of turkeyhunting! To be a successful turkey hunter you have to be confident. You will make mistakes in the beginning but you must learn from each one and not make that mistake again. You will get frustrated but you have to keep your confidence. The most important thing you most do now is scout and find birds. Turkey are splitting up here in Mississippi and the Toms are running together. It will be a month before that happens in Kansas. I hunt your neighbor in Missouri and mid to late april is primetime for gobbling there. Here are my tips from 20 years of turkey hunting.
1. Get a subscription to Turkey and Turkey Hunting Magazine
2. Get Dwain Bland's book Turkeyhunters Digest ( He is the best turkey hunter in the
country....period)
3. Learn how to use a mouth call first. Buy a live turkey tape and learn the different calls and cadence
***best time to practice when driving to and from work**. The reason I stress learning the mouth call
is that when the Tom is close but out of range, your going to need it to bring him in. Any hand
movement like using a box call or slate call when he is close is going to get you busted.
4. Learn to use all calls! slate, box etc. All turkeys are different..A box call may not get a gobble but a mouth call may be the ticket.
5. Scout! you have to pattern turkeys. When they fly down where are they going to go! If you don't know then your going to to be doing a lot of head scratching.
6. If you setup on a Tom before he flies down. Call to him just once and to let him know where you are. Then put your calls down or give them to your Dad. There is nothing more tempting to keep calling at him and he is gobbling his head off. Trust me put the calls down until he flies down or you will not see the bird. The less gobbling he does the less chance he has to attract other hunters and hens. You see my point.
7. When you are setup on Tom and he flies down, now it is hammer time! Get your calls back from your Dad and hit him with everything in your aresenal. When he gobbles..how far away is he? he will sound farther since he is on the ground. Call again, if he goobles is he closer? if he is put your calls down again and get ready, he can show up anytime. Now it is time to scratch the leaves(imatating a hen). Listen for him walking in the leaves or if he is drumming and spitting. He will vibrate his tail feather and spit when he is full strutt. If you can hear VROOOOOOOOOOM.......Tick! he is close, have your gun up!
8. If your not successful at first light so what! He is probably with hens. But all good turkey hunters know primetime hunting does'nt start until 10am. In my opinion this is the best time to hunt! 80% of the turkeys I kill are between 10am-12pm. No kiddin! why? because the hens have left the Toms and have gone to nest. Leaving the old boys alone.
9. 10 am tactics........run and gun...trolling whatever you want to call it its time to cover ground. Walk 70 yards and call, try a different call each time you stop. I recommend to stay in the shadows and use as much cover as possible when trolling. Say your moving along and stop, you call and BAM! Gobble and it is close, find the nearest tree and setup a fast as possible. At this time of day Gobblers will come in fast! why?
the hense have probably left him. This can make for some fast and exciting shooting.
10. Rainy Days.....hunt open FIELDS!!! turkeys hate being in the timber in the rain. Decoys are a must for field hunting. Fields are turkey magnets in the rain. If it starts raining head for the nearest field! I killed a big Tom last year in a downpour. I was soaked and cold when he came in but dropping the hammer on him at 20 yards warmed me up fast!
11. All ways expect the unexpected! turkeys are nuts and can do the craziest things. I was hunting in missouri a couple of years ago and was unsucessful at first light. I decided to take my daughter with me to a new setup on a hilltop field. We jumped on my ATV and drove up the ridge trail and stopped about 30 yards from the top of the hill. We unloaded and walked up the trail to the field on top of the ridge. At the point were the trail ends at the field I saw a fan not more than 10 yards from me to my left. To my surprise It was a Tom at full strut with 2 hens in front of him. I dropped him at 15 yards in his tracks and he never knew what hit him and I scared the crap out of those 2 hens. How they did'nt hear us talking and the ATV coming up the trail still amazes me today. But like I said expect the unexpected.
12. CONFIDENCE and PERSISTENCE is a must even when you have'nt seen a bird in weeks. This is what separates the great turkey hunter from the rest.
Good luck an I hope you and your father have a successful year!
Welcome to the great sport of turkeyhunting! To be a successful turkey hunter you have to be confident. You will make mistakes in the beginning but you must learn from each one and not make that mistake again. You will get frustrated but you have to keep your confidence. The most important thing you most do now is scout and find birds. Turkey are splitting up here in Mississippi and the Toms are running together. It will be a month before that happens in Kansas. I hunt your neighbor in Missouri and mid to late april is primetime for gobbling there. Here are my tips from 20 years of turkey hunting.
1. Get a subscription to Turkey and Turkey Hunting Magazine
2. Get Dwain Bland's book Turkeyhunters Digest ( He is the best turkey hunter in the
country....period)
3. Learn how to use a mouth call first. Buy a live turkey tape and learn the different calls and cadence
***best time to practice when driving to and from work**. The reason I stress learning the mouth call
is that when the Tom is close but out of range, your going to need it to bring him in. Any hand
movement like using a box call or slate call when he is close is going to get you busted.
4. Learn to use all calls! slate, box etc. All turkeys are different..A box call may not get a gobble but a mouth call may be the ticket.
5. Scout! you have to pattern turkeys. When they fly down where are they going to go! If you don't know then your going to to be doing a lot of head scratching.
6. If you setup on a Tom before he flies down. Call to him just once and to let him know where you are. Then put your calls down or give them to your Dad. There is nothing more tempting to keep calling at him and he is gobbling his head off. Trust me put the calls down until he flies down or you will not see the bird. The less gobbling he does the less chance he has to attract other hunters and hens. You see my point.
7. When you are setup on Tom and he flies down, now it is hammer time! Get your calls back from your Dad and hit him with everything in your aresenal. When he gobbles..how far away is he? he will sound farther since he is on the ground. Call again, if he goobles is he closer? if he is put your calls down again and get ready, he can show up anytime. Now it is time to scratch the leaves(imatating a hen). Listen for him walking in the leaves or if he is drumming and spitting. He will vibrate his tail feather and spit when he is full strutt. If you can hear VROOOOOOOOOOM.......Tick! he is close, have your gun up!
8. If your not successful at first light so what! He is probably with hens. But all good turkey hunters know primetime hunting does'nt start until 10am. In my opinion this is the best time to hunt! 80% of the turkeys I kill are between 10am-12pm. No kiddin! why? because the hens have left the Toms and have gone to nest. Leaving the old boys alone.
9. 10 am tactics........run and gun...trolling whatever you want to call it its time to cover ground. Walk 70 yards and call, try a different call each time you stop. I recommend to stay in the shadows and use as much cover as possible when trolling. Say your moving along and stop, you call and BAM! Gobble and it is close, find the nearest tree and setup a fast as possible. At this time of day Gobblers will come in fast! why?
the hense have probably left him. This can make for some fast and exciting shooting.
10. Rainy Days.....hunt open FIELDS!!! turkeys hate being in the timber in the rain. Decoys are a must for field hunting. Fields are turkey magnets in the rain. If it starts raining head for the nearest field! I killed a big Tom last year in a downpour. I was soaked and cold when he came in but dropping the hammer on him at 20 yards warmed me up fast!
11. All ways expect the unexpected! turkeys are nuts and can do the craziest things. I was hunting in missouri a couple of years ago and was unsucessful at first light. I decided to take my daughter with me to a new setup on a hilltop field. We jumped on my ATV and drove up the ridge trail and stopped about 30 yards from the top of the hill. We unloaded and walked up the trail to the field on top of the ridge. At the point were the trail ends at the field I saw a fan not more than 10 yards from me to my left. To my surprise It was a Tom at full strut with 2 hens in front of him. I dropped him at 15 yards in his tracks and he never knew what hit him and I scared the crap out of those 2 hens. How they did'nt hear us talking and the ATV coming up the trail still amazes me today. But like I said expect the unexpected.
12. CONFIDENCE and PERSISTENCE is a must even when you have'nt seen a bird in weeks. This is what separates the great turkey hunter from the rest.
Good luck an I hope you and your father have a successful year!
