I just need a few tips on turkey hunting

[TrapperJ]

I could kill a bunch or turkeys without calling by being where they want to go, but i like to call. Calling is fun.

Calling is definitely fun

 

[np307]

Last year during turkey season my gramps took me turkey hunting which it's a funny story but anyways we got up there about 8 in the morning and to a little homemade blind square in the middle of the woods. We set there maybe 20 minutes calling which we didn't get a response so we eased out of the blind and towards the field I have mentioned and low and behold 800 yards away sets maybe 10 ish hens and a Tom. Fast forward that evening we set up and was waiting. But this is where the story spins around cause as we were setting there just over the hill 50yrds is a huge holler well coming up the holler was what I would call a decent size bear maybe 200 lbs? But anyways talk about scare the shit outta someone(not me but my companion lol). So anyways on are way back down we found about 3 different dogwood trees that the turkeys been resting in. Also in June the turkeys walked threw are yard so

So odds are that they'll be in similar areas but don't ever underestimate a turkey's ability to do the exact opposite of what you expect.

 

[TrapperJ]

So odds are that they'll be in similar areas but don't ever underestimate a turkey's ability to do the exact opposite of what you expect.

Oh definitely there some sneaky things

 

[TrapperJ]

Heres a pic of the turkey in the yard

 

[NoWiser]

The reason turkey hunting is more fun than deer hunting is because you don’t have to hunt them like deer. I could shoot a turkey opening day every year by sitting under a couple big oaks, where they roost, in the afternoon. But, what fun would that be? My suggestion is to just spend a little time practicing calling, grab your shotgun, and go have fun. No need for decoys or fancy equipment. A tom is a tom. No big deal if you make a few mistakes along the way.

 

[TrapperJ]

The reason turkey hunting is more fun than deer hunting is because you don’t have to hunt them like deer. I could shoot a turkey opening day every year by sitting under a couple big oaks, where they roost, in the afternoon. But, what fun would that be? My suggestion is to just spend a little time practicing calling, grab your shotgun, and go have fun. No need for decoys or fancy equipment. A tom is a tom. No big deal if you make a few mistakes along the way.

Thanks I have fun on every hunt I go on it'll be fun to bring the camo back outta storage lol I've spent all year with my turkey call and I think it's fairly good

 

[schmalts]

I killed or assisted every bird without a decoy and that is a lot of birds. I have taken them along but they have never had a tom strutting on them and get shot. But I hunt the woods, so if you set up properly by the time the tom sees a decoy he should have lead poisoning. If you have small hills or thickets set up so you cannot see more than shooting distance. Example is if a tom is gobbling and he can hear your call don't worry about seeing him come in, just get setup with gun on your knee waiting for him to crest the hill and shoot him in the face at 40 yards or less. If you can see him at 70 yards he has more chance to see you as well. It is always tempting to want to see far in the woods but it will harm you more than help. Eliminate his best defense by limiting his vision of you.

 

[Mallardsx2]

but should I be worried about bears and whatnot

Yes, because bears love to eat turkey hunters.

 

[TrapperJ]

Yes, because bears love to eat turkey hunters.

We have coyotes that identity as dogs and will straight up walk up to you. I know this cause my buddy gave one a honey bun

 

[TrapperJ]

I killed or assisted every bird without a decoy and that is a lot of birds. I have taken them along but they have never had a tom strutting on them and get shot. But I hunt the woods, so if you set up properly by the time the tom sees a decoy he should have lead poisoning. If you have small hills or thickets set up so you cannot see more than shooting distance. Example is if a tom is gobbling and he can hear your call don't worry about seeing him come in, just get setup with gun on your knee waiting for him to crest the hill and shoot him in the face at 40 yards or less. If you can see him at 70 yards he has more chance to see you as well. It is always tempting to want to see far in the woods but it will harm you more than help. Eliminate his best defense by limiting his vision of you.

I was hoping the decoy would take hid vision off of me haha but I got a really good spot picked and the range is about 20 yards at the farthest and the turkey has to come outta its cover into the field also I have found some big turkey feathers in this field aswell and asfar as shooting them I pretty damn good with this 410

 

[Dave N]

We have coyotes that identity as dogs and will straight up walk up to you. I know this cause my buddy gave one a honey bun

Shoot 'em!

 

[kansasdad]

Just in case some new turkey hunter is reading this thread in the future, just a quick reminder that you don't have to defeat a turkey's sense of smell like you do when hunting 4 legged animals. What you do have to do is defeat the incredible senses of sight and hearing. Any (and I mean any movement faster than a sleepy sloth) will give you away. Any noise made that doesn't recreate some natural noises heard in the field will give you away.

One last thought.....Shooting at the head put half the pattern of pellets over the head, never to do any damage at all. I think about hitting the junction of the neck/body about 2-3 inches up when a tom is stretched out. I might get a few flyers in the breasts, but I will be successful in a quick lethal pattern on neck/head.

 

[CowboyLeroy]

Less is more. Decoys, blinds, calls, all of it. Less is more. Whenever you plan on doing something wait ten minutes, when you're done waiting, do it again.

 

[TrapperJ]

Shoot 'em!

Ha I've been waiting for Dave to make a appearance lol

 

[TrapperJ]

Just in case some new turkey hunter is reading this thread in the future, just a quick reminder that you don't have to defeat a turkey's sense of smell like you do when hunting 4 legged animals. What you do have to do is defeat the incredible senses of sight and hearing. Any (and I mean any movement faster than a sleepy sloth) will give you away. Any noise made that doesn't recreate some natural noises heard in the field will give you away.

One last thought.....Shooting at the head put half the pattern of pellets over the head, never to do any damage at all. I think about hitting the junction of the neck/body about 2-3 inches up when a tom is stretched out. I might get a few flyers in the breasts, but I will be successful in a quick lethal pattern on neck/head.

I totally forgot about the scent also I should add I'm a slow person and especially early morning hell It'll take awhile for me to even get up there to my spot so movement ain't a concern. So to shoot them I just aim for the head? Or am I to aim at the neck? Also I've heard that the 410 ain't big enough for turkey but I think it'll be fine

 

[kansasdad]

If you don't already have one, I find a shooting stick to be very valuable. Monopod or bipod can help keep the gun pointing downrange, where you expect the bird to appear, and help keep you more still.

And force yourself to get your cheek down on the stock of your .410. You should just barely see the bead at the end of your barrel. If you "peek" and lift your head up, you'll shoot over your bird.

The second picture above is a patterning target. Shooting the target and counting the number of pellets that hit on brain/neck vertebrae will help you understand what your maximum shooting range will be.

If you know where you plan to set up, going in before the season starts to craft an ambush spot. Get rid of stuff that will make noise if you shift your body. While you are there, determine your ranges (range finder, or actually measure by walking like an NFL referee) from the hideout to various landmarks will make a shot/no shot decision much easier without the pressure of a gobbling tom and trying to sloth-move into shooting position.

One last tip... simulating scratching noises (turkeys rake the ground looking for tasty morsels) can be a deadly calling tactic to lure in call shy gobblers.

 

[TrapperJ]

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If you don't already have one, I find a shooting stick to be very valuable. Monopod or bipod can help keep the gun pointing downrange, where you expect the bird to appear, and help keep you more still.

And force yourself to get your cheek down on the stock of your .410. You should just barely see the bead at the end of your barrel. If you "peek" and lift your head up, you'll shoot over your bird.

The second picture above is a patterning target. Shooting the target and counting the number of pellets that hit on brain/neck vertebrae will help you understand what your maximum shooting range will be.

If you know where you plan to set up, going in before the season starts to craft an ambush spot. Get rid of stuff that will make noise if you shift your body. While you are there, determine your ranges (range finder, or actually measure by walking like an NFL referee) from the hideout to various landmarks will make a shot/no shot decision much easier without the pressure of a gobbling tom and trying to sloth-move into shooting position.

One last tip... simulating scratching noises (turkeys rake the ground looking for tasty morsels) can be a deadly calling tactic to lure in call shy gobblers.

Big thanks for the shooting pictures also I'm not sure what choke my shotgun has at all I mean I've shot hundreds of different birds and tons of coons I know it'll run slugs fine and buckshot and birdshot I should also add it's a bolt action 410. As far as landmarks back during deer season I walked everything out and it's 40 yards to a pine 30 yards to a cliff rock 30 yards ahead is a holler and downhill so my shots will be very very close but what do I do if they fly past me?

 

[Richard22]

IMHO...

The greatest challenge for a turkey hunter is getting a Tom that's become "hung up" to come close enough for a shot. I prefer a slate call in this situation for the ease in making purrs, which tells the Tom the hen is really hot to trot. The biggest mistake turkey hunters make is to call to much and with too much volume. Less is more definitely applies to turkey hunting. Once a bird answers me, I might answer him back just once or twice and no more. And remember, his eyesight as compared to yours equates to a deer's nose against yours. Be prepared to have your shotgun up and ready for extended periods. My preferred setup is sitting against a tree that's wider than me with my shotgun against my shoulder and the forearm resting on my knee.

Having a partner calling from behind you is a great way to kill the more wary birds.

Lastly, if a bird answers you but flies down in another direction, he's got hens with him. Where they go, he goes. Later in the season the hens will separate themselves from the Toms later in the morning to go to their nests. This can be a great time to call in a Tom who now sees you as the only hen that's still available at the time. And yes, he may come in without ever saying a word. It's just another reason why turkey hunters lose the vast majority of the battles.

Good luck, and always pattern a new shotgun with the load you'll be using to see how close it scatters shot

 

[TrapperJ]

The greatest challenge for a turkey hunter is getting a Tom that's become "hung up" to come close enough for a shot. I prefer a slate call in this situation for the ease in making purrs, which tells the Tom the hen is really hot to trot. The biggest mistake turkey hunters make is to call to much. Less is more definitely applies to turkey hunting. Once a bird answers me, I might answer him back just once or twice and no more. And remember, his eyesight as compared to yours equates to a deer's nose against yours. Be prepared to have your shotgun up and ready for extended periods. My preferred setup is sitting against a tree that's wider than me with my shotgun against my shoulder with the forearm resting on my knee.

Having a partner calling from behind you is a great way to kill the most wary birds.

I can rest it on the fence which is pretty stable also I'm gonna be hiding under a cedar bush which is really thick. I got just a 2 dollar Walmart mouth call nothing fancy also why is it sometimes turkeys are the smartest birds and the dumbest? I've snuck up on one before but never shot any