Spring turkey
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tvbrewster
Active Member
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- 223
Look for one of these
littlebighorn
Long Time Member
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- 5,337
"Drawn in 23" doesn't ring a bell in what state.
I think a novice turkey hunter should first know that these birds are not dumb and becoming an accomplished turkey hunter is far from easy.
If you are wanting to call a bird in, which is the funnest way to hunt them, you will have to get good with some kind of call. I think mouth calls are best because you are not moving to use them but they are also hard to master. You could try a box or a slate to get you started. How you want to hunt them could also require decoys, a blind, etc.
Get out in your area and try to locate roosting birds. That gives you a leg up on calling them in the mornings.
Mostly just get out there and give it a go. It's a great time, once you get the hang of it.
Best of luck
I think a novice turkey hunter should first know that these birds are not dumb and becoming an accomplished turkey hunter is far from easy.
If you are wanting to call a bird in, which is the funnest way to hunt them, you will have to get good with some kind of call. I think mouth calls are best because you are not moving to use them but they are also hard to master. You could try a box or a slate to get you started. How you want to hunt them could also require decoys, a blind, etc.
Get out in your area and try to locate roosting birds. That gives you a leg up on calling them in the mornings.
Mostly just get out there and give it a go. It's a great time, once you get the hang of it.
Best of luck
LAST EDITED ON Mar-30-16 AT 12:31PM (MST)[p]>Arizona.
>
>Do they move long distances? If
>i start scouting now are
>likely to be in the
>same general areas come hunt?
>
Unless the weather has been unusual where you are by now they should be in the areas where they're breeding and will nest to raise their chicks.
>
>Do they move long distances? If
>i start scouting now are
>likely to be in the
>same general areas come hunt?
>
Unless the weather has been unusual where you are by now they should be in the areas where they're breeding and will nest to raise their chicks.
Wear full camo, including face mask. If you don't have a blind(really not needed unless you are bow hunter) set up in front of tree not behind(so you can see) don't move. Have your gun up and ready, don't do at the last minute.
When you set up range the area around you an mentally mark several 40 yd. spots. try to get birds 30yds or closer. If a tom hangs up at 30-40 yds. don't screw around ...shoot.
you can watch videos, letting toms come in and strut around decoys, this is not the norm. They are milking the event to get footage, you should have the bird dead way before.
from the "Heartland of Wyoming" killer of more than 50 toms since 2002.
When you set up range the area around you an mentally mark several 40 yd. spots. try to get birds 30yds or closer. If a tom hangs up at 30-40 yds. don't screw around ...shoot.
you can watch videos, letting toms come in and strut around decoys, this is not the norm. They are milking the event to get footage, you should have the bird dead way before.
from the "Heartland of Wyoming" killer of more than 50 toms since 2002.
Zeke
Long Time Member
- Messages
- 10,605
>Wear full camo, including face mask.
> If you don't have
>a blind(really not needed unless
>you are bow hunter) set
>up in front of tree
>not behind(so you can see)
>don't move. Have your gun
>up and ready, don't do
>at the last minute.
>
>When you set up range the
>area around you an mentally
>mark several 40 yd. spots.
> try to get birds
>30yds or closer. If
>a tom hangs up at
>30-40 yds. don't screw around
>...shoot.
>
>you can watch videos, letting toms
>come in and strut around
>decoys, this is not the
>norm. They are
>milking the event to get
>footage, you should have the
>bird dead way before.
>
>from the "Heartland of Wyoming"
>killer of more than 50
>toms since 2002.
Big +1
Great advice!
...and after you shoot, get your arse right over to the bird so it doesn't "recover" and make your retrieval difficult to impossible.
They're big, tough, smart birds and I tip my hat to anyone who can consistently kill one!
I've killed a few but still consider myself a damn rookie.
Zeke
> If you don't have
>a blind(really not needed unless
>you are bow hunter) set
>up in front of tree
>not behind(so you can see)
>don't move. Have your gun
>up and ready, don't do
>at the last minute.
>
>When you set up range the
>area around you an mentally
>mark several 40 yd. spots.
> try to get birds
>30yds or closer. If
>a tom hangs up at
>30-40 yds. don't screw around
>...shoot.
>
>you can watch videos, letting toms
>come in and strut around
>decoys, this is not the
>norm. They are
>milking the event to get
>footage, you should have the
>bird dead way before.
>
>from the "Heartland of Wyoming"
>killer of more than 50
>toms since 2002.
Big +1
Great advice!
...and after you shoot, get your arse right over to the bird so it doesn't "recover" and make your retrieval difficult to impossible.
They're big, tough, smart birds and I tip my hat to anyone who can consistently kill one!
I've killed a few but still consider myself a damn rookie.
Zeke
Big +1
Great advice!
...and after you shoot, get your arse right over to the bird so it doesn't "recover" and make your retrieval difficult to impossible.
They're big, tough, smart birds and I tip my hat to anyone who can consistently kill one!
I've killed a few but still consider myself a damn rookie.
Zeke
Thank you for information
Great advice!
...and after you shoot, get your arse right over to the bird so it doesn't "recover" and make your retrieval difficult to impossible.
They're big, tough, smart birds and I tip my hat to anyone who can consistently kill one!
I've killed a few but still consider myself a damn rookie.
Zeke
Thank you for information
LAST EDITED ON Apr-02-16 AT 09:51AM (MST)[p]Do not practice with your Turkey calls in the area where you will hunt before the season. They are quick learners. If you can scout
for a couple days just before your hunt. Go out before daylight, use owl calls, or coyote howls to get the birds to gobble on the roost or a crow call after it is a little bit more light.
Usually Turkeys will gobble on the roost for about 1/2 hour
sometimes longer before it is light enough for them to fly
down. When a Tom gobbles on the roost he expects a hen to fly down and walk over to him. Most new hunters call too much when the Tom is still in the tree gobbling. Try to get as close as you can
without being seen, call once if he gobbles back be quiet until you are sure he has flown down then call again. He knows exactly
where you are and should come to find you unless a hen has found him and they walk off together.
for a couple days just before your hunt. Go out before daylight, use owl calls, or coyote howls to get the birds to gobble on the roost or a crow call after it is a little bit more light.
Usually Turkeys will gobble on the roost for about 1/2 hour
sometimes longer before it is light enough for them to fly
down. When a Tom gobbles on the roost he expects a hen to fly down and walk over to him. Most new hunters call too much when the Tom is still in the tree gobbling. Try to get as close as you can
without being seen, call once if he gobbles back be quiet until you are sure he has flown down then call again. He knows exactly
where you are and should come to find you unless a hen has found him and they walk off together.
If toms come off the roost and follow hens it is very difficult to call them off. If you can, try to get in front of hens, set up, try to call in hens to a decoy or just ambush the group.
In mid Am the hens (especially in mid and late season) will return to their nest to incubate or lay another egg. At this time there may be "loose" toms looking for a receptive hen. These are killable birds and can be called in.
Good luck, there is a learning curve. Like most hunting more time in the woods the better.
Turkeys being turkeys you will fail more than succeed...LOL.
from the "Heartland of Wyoming"
In mid Am the hens (especially in mid and late season) will return to their nest to incubate or lay another egg. At this time there may be "loose" toms looking for a receptive hen. These are killable birds and can be called in.
Good luck, there is a learning curve. Like most hunting more time in the woods the better.
Turkeys being turkeys you will fail more than succeed...LOL.
from the "Heartland of Wyoming"
CAelknuts
Moderator
- Messages
- 3,825
LAST EDITED ON Apr-03-16 AT 08:01PM (MST)[p]
I've been hunting turkeys since the late 1970's and have learned a lot of things the hard way.
If I were going to give you one single tip to make you a better turkey hunter, it would be to figure out where the birds like to go and get there and set up before they get there. I've tried to call more Toms away from hens than you can imagine, almost always without success. But, when you beat them to where they want to go anyway, they're actually pretty easy to hunt.
Hunt them smart and you won't have to hunt them as hard.
By the way, the best time of day to kill a big Tom, is generally from about 9:30 till 2:00. I often don't even get to the ranch we hunt until 9:00 unless I specifically want to hunt flydown from the roosts. The vast majority of big toms I''ve killed or guided others to have been shot after 10:00 in the morning till mid-afternoon.
I've been hunting turkeys since the late 1970's and have learned a lot of things the hard way.
If I were going to give you one single tip to make you a better turkey hunter, it would be to figure out where the birds like to go and get there and set up before they get there. I've tried to call more Toms away from hens than you can imagine, almost always without success. But, when you beat them to where they want to go anyway, they're actually pretty easy to hunt.
Hunt them smart and you won't have to hunt them as hard.
By the way, the best time of day to kill a big Tom, is generally from about 9:30 till 2:00. I often don't even get to the ranch we hunt until 9:00 unless I specifically want to hunt flydown from the roosts. The vast majority of big toms I''ve killed or guided others to have been shot after 10:00 in the morning till mid-afternoon.
