Spring turkey tips

[Gellar]

Scout!! Most birds I kill are dead before the season starts. Not literally, but because I know where they roost, which direction they like to head, what time they get there.

 

[Pucky Freak]

If you have birds patterned and they are entering a field in the same spot, 90% of your work is done. The other 10% is setting up the blind and shooting straight. In your case, a decoy and calls would not be necessary. I would set up your blind about 25-30 yards from the crossing and wait for them to show up.

If you’re brand new to turkey hunting your calling and decoy are as likely to spook them as pull them in, especially when they are on a reliable pattern. But calls, decoys, and learning and improving are part of the fun.

That said, a single hen decoy and a call you’re confident in can add some interest to your hunt. I would start with a decent decoy right away rather than buy a cheap one and upgrade later. Don’t over call if you elect to do so. Also, if you do go with a decoy, don’t set it up right in front of where you expect them to enter the field. E.g. if you’re set up on the edge of the field and the spot where they enter is 25 yards away at your 9 o’clock, set the decoy at about 2 o’clock at 20 yards. The decoy is your backup plan.

Your initial thought on the blind was the right one. Don’t hesitate on using one. Setting it up in advance and brushing it in will up your odds. They are extremely effective tools for good experienced turkey hunters that want to enjoy a hunt with family and friends.

I was typing my response but deleted it as this says everything right here. Decoys and calls can be useful if you don’t have them patterned.

 

[Mallardsx2]

Dont put your decoys in a place where an approaching hunter can shoot at them. Yeaaaah....I learned this the hard way one year.

You dont have to call every 10 seconds...you should call a maximum of every 5 minutes. Calling more frequently than that is unnatural.

When you have the opportunity to shoot a bird at 40 yards, kill him...

 

[Nicapopolis]

In terms of blinds. If you have them well brushed in and/or in a good ambush spot they can be very nice. They can help with the temperature, they can disguise your movements and they can muffle your natural noises. However, they need to be really well brushed in or put up well in advance of using them. Turkeys notice changes to the environment and they will be leery of a camouflage tent that just appears overnight. If it has been there for a long time or it is obscured by a lot of brush, vegetation they may be less leery.

Funny, I have found the opposite to be true. I find turkeys to be sort of stupid when it comes to pop up blinds. Obviously brushing up and putting it up a few days ahead of time can't hurt. Deer, for me, are a different story.

Everyone's experience obviously differs depending on the birds that they are hunting.

 

[TheBenHoyle]

Funny, I have found the opposite to be true. I find turkeys to be sort of stupid when it comes to pop up blinds. Obviously brushing up and putting it up a few days ahead of time can't hurt. Deer, for me, are a different story.

Everyone's experience obviously differs depending on the birds that they are hunting.

It could be that the area I am hunting is full of pop up blinds and the birds are just wise to them. But I had several steer clear of my blind when I had just put it up. If it had been up for a week or so they didn't seem to be nervous about it.

 

[sharpshooter97]

Thanks for all the advice everyone, just to clear up a few things I will be hunting our family farm so I won't have other hunters to deal with. There's a flock of around 18 or so that pass back and forth between the neighbors farm and ours. Here's a picture I took of a few of them a couple weeks ago

 

[3855WIN]

I like a slate and mouth calls. Listen to a tape and see what yours sounds like. In early season, simulate a fight with fighting purs, wing flaps, etc.
Build a couple of brush blinds where they travel all the time.

 

[DRS]

Thanks for all the advice everyone, just to clear up a few things I will be hunting our family farm so I won't have other hunters to deal with. There's a flock of around 18 or so that pass back and forth between the neighbors farm and ours. Here's a picture I took of a few of them a couple weeks agoView attachment 127333

Keep in mind that these turkeys may, or may not, be in the same area in the spring, depending on food sources and nesting areas. Also, as the spring and mating season progresses and hens start laying and setting on nests you will probably not see them in large groups like you do in the fall in winter.

 

[howl]

The best thing you can do is find an experienced turkey killer and invite him along. You'll cut down the learning curve greatly.

I'm in the skip the dekes and blind camp. It is like any other problem. You'll solve it quicker if you can reduce the number of variables. Learn to kill them. Then you will see the times where a blind would have helped. You may not ever see a time when a deke would have helped, but at least when you get around to trying you'll have a good idea of when a bird was probably going to come in and didn't because there was a decoy there.

Re: callers. You have to find what works for you. A box call isn't as easy to use as people think. It's easy to make a turkey-ish sound on but getting true turkey calls requires practice and an ear just like any other call. Get Lovett Williams CDs to learn what turkeys actually sound like. You'll then know whether a call sounds like a turkey or not and which types are easier for you to actually sound like a turkey on. Some days with some birds it doesn't matter if your calls don't ring true, but most days you better sound like the real deal and know how to actually say things in their language.

 

[sharpshooter97]

Well I didn't draw a turkey tag, not sure why I even bother to put in for anything besides deer . Oh well, more time to spend on the dirt bike!

 

[Empire State]

Well I didn't draw a turkey tag, not sure why I even bother to put in for anything besides deer . Oh well, more time to spend on the dirt bike!

That's too bad. ND has turkey now? Only time I ever saw them was many years ago in Ft Ransom area. No seasons then, at least that I recall.

 

[sharpshooter97]

That's too bad. ND has turkey now? Only time I ever saw them was many years ago in Ft Ransom area. No seasons then, at least that I recall.

Yep there are turkeys in ND, spring and a fall season but both are lottery. Western ND has more than we do in the SE

 

[Nathan]

I’ve hunted turkeys since 2009 and would get out early and set up in good spots and never killed turkeys. Busted a lot or just never saw birds.

In 2017 I got up from my morning sit and decided to go for a walk and bumped into a flock of jakes with a Tom and was able to call them back and shot the Tom. A lightbulb moment for me.

Since that encounter I have never sat down again and now kill multiple birds every year. I now turkey hunt like I would hunt elk during the rut. I walk aNd call, walk and call. When I get a response I close the distance and throw out a hen decoy and wait for him to come in.

Now I’m hunting timber not ag fields so it might not work for you but if the sitting game isn’t working it might be worth a shot.

 

[Jbotto]

This thread is exactly what I was looking for! This is the first year I'm hunting turkeys. Huning western ND on public land. I have been dragging my feet for the past few years on trying to hunt turkeys and on a whim I applied here and got drawn. Gotta get out and start scouting for them!

Yep there are turkeys in ND, spring and a fall season but both are lottery. Western ND has more than we do in the SE

That's good to hear! I spent most my life minus the last year or so in MN and lived amoung turkeys. I would watch them when i was working within the metro area and they just never appealed to me. Now out here in western ND I figured I should give it a try!

 

[lpcoutdoors]

To add to the conversation, be careful with the blinds. A lot of less expensive blinds have a sheen to them that turkeys do not like at all. Seen lots of what should have been easy hunts ruined by hunters who insisted on using them because they weren't confident in sitting still. I've gotten to where I get behind or in the brush more, but with good clear shooting lanes. Soft material blinds or ghillie blankets can be really helpful if you like. On decoys, I'm still using my good old foam fold up hen decoy that's probably 30 years old. Its killed a lot of turkeys, birds that ignored calls but came in on a string as soon as they saw it. One of my favorite techniques is to set up between roost areas and loafing, roaming areas, either in the evening, best because the toms likely won't have hens, but morning can work too, put the hen out in an area where she can be seen a long way off, and either not call or just some periodic subtle yelps and clucks on a slate. If I know the area, this gets it done. Your field corner idea is a really good one. Being where they want to travel is a very effective way to get one. Great luck!