Caribou Gear

Help for new turkey hunter

mcelweed

mcelweed

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Joined
May 10, 2012
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134
Location
Albuquerque
I have never hunted turkeys before but am interested in trying it in April. I am in NM and am looking for information on tips for turkey hunting and areas with decent turkey populations. I'm not looking for your honey spots, just a general area. I am looking initially at the northern Pecos River area, the Jemez Mountains and the Manzano Mountains. Anyone know if I'm even considering the right areas for a reasonable chance of success? Thanks.
 
No info on NM since never hunted turkeys there. You should be able to find a place before spring season opens this year.

Some general suggestions. Get a pop up blind. Turkeys catch the slightest of movements. You can ditch the blind (mark location with GPS) if have to "run and gun" to cut off a gobbler but the blind will eliminate a lot of blown opportunities. Learn to call. Mouth reed is best since leaves hands free to shoot but at a minumum learn some hen sounds on a box call (carries great in windy conditions) and a slate scratch call. Wear a watch and if the gobbler goes quiet, do not be afraid to NOT call for 5 or more minutes. They often close the last 100 yards with a few or no gobbles.

Learn to identify turkey sign in addition to turkey sounds.

Spring season is a lot like archery elk hunting in the rut. The gobblers will be in motion and may be 2 miles away tomorrow.

Fall season is a lot like early archery whietail season with you sitting in wait for turkeys to pass by which you previously patterned their movements. Not unusual for a group of turkeys to pass the same spot on multiple days within 15 minutes of the same time.

As for finding a spot that holds turkeys. Short cut is to Call the state biologist. Call the NWTF biologist. Call the nearest NWTF chapter chariman. Get active in the NWTF. Longer process is to think like a turkey and look for habitat with shelter, water and food.
 
Get a slate friction call with a wooden striker and learn how to yelp and purr. Those are to two most important calls in the spring and that is the best call to learn how to do them relatively well in a short amount of time. Acrylic surfaces are more "weather" proof but don't sound as good. Shoot them in the face with 5 shot and a full choke, I actually pattern more to my style best with a mod. Bring binos.
 
Don't know about turkey hunting in NM...,,Tips = find out where the turkeys are from the people living in the area intended to hunt and particularly where they roost if you can. Put a blind up in a tree line next to a pasture field before the season if able. Set up some decoys 10-20 yards out. Hopefully you will be in their area and hear them gobble on the roost. Learn how to do a series of yelps on a slate call or some other call that is easy for you. They will usually answer your call early on, on the roost. Once on the ground they will continue to gobble; however, they will shut up once they are with hens. If they don't come to your area right away, don't worry about it. I would make a series of yelps as loud as you can every ten minutes, even if you have no response. Those gobblers know where the yelps are coming from and when they are lonely they may start answering; however, many times they come in silently. It may be boring for a long time when they don't talk but there is a great chance they will eventually check out the pasture field to see some action. Bring some reading material and watch out for those silent ones!

Running and gunning is really tough especially if you don't have a lot of property to hunt on and are inexperienced....If you are hunting with a partner and decide to go after them, try and set up on a roosted gobbler as close as you can without spooking him. (roughly 100 yards or so as long as terrain allows some concealment, or even closer if able). Its tuff but research it on the net. Walk in the dark to set up. If I know where I am going to set up, I clear the area I intend to walk to my set up. Clear leaves etc....during midday the day before I go after him. In the morning have the main shooter in front of the caller about 40-50 yards and have a game plan as to which way the gobbler is likely to travel. As he starts to gobble on the roost, give him a soft yelp, just so he knows where a hen may be. Once he comes down he could fly right down to your area. Don't shoot your partner and try to shoot the gobbler when he is not strutting......A mouth call is ideal if hunting and know how to use it. Start practicing now and feel confident about it. Let us know how it went. Its hard to beat a gobbling, strutting Tom coming within shotgun range. I personally use number 6 shot in a 3 1/2" shell in a 835 Mossberg Turkey gun. It may be overkill, but it will just reach a tad bit farther as my father shot one at 55 yards last year. Good Luck.
 
I prefer to spot and stalk for turkeys. Just glass them up and watch what they are doing for a while. Figure out how to sneak up on them or get in a position where they will come to you. It's much more simple for me than dragging decoys and blinds out and trying to call them in.

You can kill turkeys with just about anything. Some states will even let you shoot them with a rifle which is a lot of fun. Dont' feel like you must spend a bunch of money and have a special turkey gun and turkey choke with turkey shells. I have shot plenty with my 20 gauge and 2-3/4" shells. No need for a 4" shell shooting, 10 gauge cannon.

I guess what I am saying is that you dont' have to have a bunch of special gear (blinds, decoys, calls, clothes, guns, shells, etc.) to hunt turkeys so don't feel like you must spend $1500 on crap to go. Just go with what you have and have a good time.
 
Killing turkeys with a rifle is pathetic.IMO Pretty much overlooks all that turkey hunting is.Reads some books/magazines,watch some videos, but most importantly put in your time hunting.Every day you will get a new bit of information.When you finally call in a bird and smack him you will understand what the hunt is truly about.
 
Hem said:
Killing turkeys with a rifle is pathetic.IMO Pretty much overlooks all that turkey hunting is.Reads some books/magazines,watch some videos, but most importantly put in your time hunting.Every day you will get a new bit of information.When you finally call in a bird and smack him you will understand what the hunt is truly about.
Click to expand...

It never ceases to amaze me how divided hunters can be over the most simple details of a hunt. This is a perfect example of somebody who thinks their way is the only way and if you do it differently you are "pathetic". There is no need to start insulting another hunter because they hunt a little differently than you do. Some guys shoot turkeys with recurve bows, others with compound bows, others with crossbows, others with shotguns, and others with rifles. Who cares what weapon or technique they use as long as it is legal, they enjoy it, and it does not affect you? C-mon man.
 
roadhunter said:
It never ceases to amaze me how divided hunters can be over the most simple details of a hunt. This is a perfect example of somebody who thinks their way is the only way and if you do it differently you are "pathetic". There is no need to start insulting another hunter because they hunt a little differently than you do. Some guys shoot turkeys with recurve bows, others with compound bows, others with crossbows, others with shotguns, and others with rifles. Who cares what weapon or technique they use as long as it is legal, they enjoy it, and it does not affect you? C-mon man.
Click to expand...
I really don't think the above posts are hunters divided. To me...Turkey hunting is a game.Run and gun ...he is comming..No wait he is going away....calling and he answered....maybe he comes n silent ...when you hunt with a rifle unlike the other weapons you don't really get to play the game and enjoy that part the hunt. If you choose a rifle,if it's legal and your happy I'm happy for you...I just don't want to miss out on the game......:cool:
 
BTW, you do not have to buy a blind but it will keep you dry if it rains and you can get away with more movement and be more comfortable, especially if things are slow.....you can build a blind out out tree limbs, brush, logs etc... It will take you some time but it can be done. I leave all my decoys in the blinds I use. Where I hunt, I don't have to worry about thieves.

The very first hunt I put my girlfriend on, I gave her a beach chair and set it behind a falldown, overlooking a field with decoys. The tree was perfect. Her head was just above the trunk. At 9:30 am a group of jakes came in and I heard the shot. She bagged one and I couldn't believe it. She shot it with a 20 guage Charles Daly.....So that basically spoiled her. Again good luck and I would be curious how you did... Like a different poster noted you will learn a lot on your own as well. Have fun. Also just because they may not be gobbling doesn't mean they are not coming.
 
Learn on your own, best way to learn lessons You will never forget.. My first one came in quiet 20 years ago and My last one came in quiet last year. Some will come in running and some will play around for an hour 150 yards away before they come in. patience is the key. They will come in from behind You too. I remember the first time I went 3 hens came in silent from behind Me and I was so proud I called in birds, even tho it wasn't a Tom. It will give You confidence. I am using the same box call 20 years later. In my op. easiest call to learn and use for newbie. I will use a slate some too. To many bridges in My mouth to use a diaphragm, but if You can master one that's all the better. I allways hunted Nat. Forrest in AZ. and just hunted areas where Iv'e seen em cross the road to start. Then started taking hikes and finding sign. Once You find a area in the spring it should have them every spring ,barring extreme weather. Where I killed my first one ended up being My honey hole. Me and several friends I turned on to turkey hunting have killed there. Only 2 years was it never no good as 2 feet of snow was still there. In Mt. country they seem to follow the snow melt line up the Mtn. Never used a blind and only use decoys sometimes. Hope this helps. As far as calling less is more too. They know where You are with just a little calling......BOB!
 
Sorry all. Been busy lately. I got mouth calls, slate call and box call and have been practicing. Strangely, the mouth call is the one I'm most confident with. I'm not going to win any trophies, but if I can fool a Merriam tom I'll be happy. I've also been watching as many videos and reading as much as I can. I can't wait for the real learning to start in the woods. I'll keep you all updated, thanks for the help.
 
When I hunt turkeys I like to use multiple calls, especially if I have more than one hen in my decoy spread. I like to sound like more than one bird.
 
I used to kill a bird every year in unit 10. Go to the Thoreau exit off I40 and south through Bluewater to where the road T's. Anywhere in there is full of birds. Use a Lynch Champion box call and one of the Woodhaven orange mouth calls and you don't need anything else. At dark drive around, stop and scratch the box call until you pinpoint a few gobblers. Get up at 3:00 and walk to withion a quarter mile of the roost and sit down under a tree. Near first light hit the box call a few licks and listen. Have your gun on your knee in the direction the gobble answers because he will come in fast. Fun hunt.
 
So far no luck. Had some roosted a couple of evenings, but the first bunch was moving well before sunrise (full moon?) and someone else beat me to the other group. Really windy this weekend with a big storm blowing in, maybe next weekend.
 
Looks like you are seeing/hearing turkeys.....excellent news. Staying at it is important. Sometimes patience wins the day, sometimes a bold move will be the right play. Let the birds do what they want to do, you just be one step ahead of them (brain the size of a Planter's peanut, should be easier than it really is!).

And when it comes together be sure to be so still that they never know you are there, and keep your cheek on the stock, NO PEEKING UP!!
 
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