Turkey Hunting.....Tips/Techniques/Stories

Searched, and couldn't find a thread dedicated to turkey hunting. I'm really itching to get in the turkey woods, IMO the best time of year to be in the woods. Springtime is when everything is coming back to life. Very uplifting time of year. You could say it is my #1 passion in hunting.

I have lots to put in this thread, but I'll just start it with some admiration, respect, and education about these beautiful creatures.


'Fowl' weather is coming!!

The Eastern





The Merriam

The Osceola

The Rio Grande

The Gould's

If you want to learn about the different sub-species, here is a good place to start:
http://www.basspro.com/webapp/wcs/s...ctID=32138&cat=&subcatID=0&objectType=article

 

Nothing gets your heart going more than a fully "puffed up" turkey coming straight for ya

 

You forgot one...

The Thanksgiving Turkey

 

man....i have had turkey tags for 3 years now.............been hunting all that i hunt since i was around eleven years old.......never have been turkey hunting! had some damn turkeys scare the shit outta me one morning tho. got in my treestand one cool morning waiting on some deer...as it started to get light....i was about dozed off.......friggin turkeys came outta there roost!! that'll wake ya up!! they didnt move or anything when i climbed the tree. reckon they were sleeping!

 

yeah, they don't like to come off roost for much of anything when it is dark. It makes them too vulnerable once they move off their first roost of the night.

It is an awesome time of year to hunt, and like TacoNut said, its a major rush, especially hearing them gobble all the way to ya......

 

Well thought I would ring in on this.
I have hunted longbeards in PA, TN, and Indiana and I would have to say weight wise the birds here in IN seem to be bigger. It has been nothing to take a 23 to 28 pound bird here in the spring and fall.
As for spurs I find them smaller here, from 3/4" to 7/8". Haven't taken one longer than 7/8" spurs. But beards are a different story, have a 10 1/2" in beard sitting here on the printer, this was off a 23 pound bird, now my friend last year took a 28 pound bird with only a 8" beard.

As for gear I use a box call, slat call, and 3 mouth calls. I ended up going to a blind, having R.A. it is hard for me to sit in one spot without moving. Right before they fly down I use a couple of clucks, from the mouth and slat. Once they are are the ground I mix it up, and see if I can bring one in.

My gun of choice is a Beretta A391 X-trema, which reminds me that I need to get another turkey choke for.

For camo, I have found a mix of camo to work best, and I change it for spring and fall. Now depending on where I set up will decide on pants, with alot of green's or brown's. Jacket I try to match the area I will be in, I don't go overboard on this camo, as long as it matches or breaks you up I feel you are good to go.

Also and this is my opinion, to harvest a longbeard can be tough, it took me awhile to finally tag one. But if you call one in, get him with in shooting range but can't take a shot, due to whatever. In my book you played his game and you won. I called one with in 7 yards of me, I could not get a shot so we sat and waited for the right time. The bird never flew off but walked away. The older guy showing me the skills said that as far as he was concerned I bagged a longbeard, just didn't fill the tag, as hoosiertaco will say, it is a joy in itself.

On a final note, don't believe all that B.S. you see on T.V. if someone paid you to hunt, gave you all the equipment, all the tags, and put you in all the greatest locations with a guide and or caller. You to would be a professional hunter.

 

^^Great layout 'bow. We got alot to talk about here buddy! Hope some others lend their knowledge and experiences as well.

I always keep a wing off a bird I harvest and dry it for the next year.

A few tips:
Once your set up close to a roosted Tom, just about sun up you can start a fly down sequence. Start with a few quiet tree yelps, then I simulate a hen flying down by flapping that wing real hard a few times, ending with it flapping in the leaves on the ground. (You can also use your hat smacked real hard on your leg.) That old Tom will go nuts.

Once you have simulated a fly down, while purring with a mouth call, take a stick or even just your hands and scratch around at the leaves like a little teenage hen ignoring the big Tom. (A turkey will do like a chicken, scratch-scratch-scratch-pause and pick at bugs-then repeat the sequence). It will flat drive on 'ol Tom on the roost crazy! The scratching at the leaves and pausing to feed also works to bring that Boss Tom in the last few yards too.

So much more to it, and lots of stories to add as well.....man I can't wait for April...

 

Heaven should be a cool crisp spring morning with a big gobbler echoing through the woods!!

 

I'm right there with ya bro......oohhhhh yeeaahhhhh....

 

I have found that when you have a bird near you (close enough that you don't need to call anymore) but just out of range by closing your eyes you will calm yourself and also turkeys can pick up your eyes. then when he is in good rang let him have it!!!

 

I called in a monster tom, spring season 3 years ago. He was coming straight at me and I whacked him with a 3 inch mag turkey load out of a turkey choke rem 870. He starts flopping, after I get up to him and finish it, theres another tom laying behind him dead. 2 toms with one shot. !st one had 10 inch beard, which was the original one I shot at, 2nd one had about 7 inch beard.

My best advice is make sure everything on you is covered, they are smart as hell and the eyesight is unreal. If you can hunt with a partner it makes it easier when the moment of truth comes to get in shooting position. Partner keeps the call going while you get ready with the gun.

 

here's a tip, be proficient with all kinds of calls, because you never know what a big gobbler is going to like. I have a primos CD how to use a mouth call, that is how I cut my teeth on mouth calls and the like. If you want a copy, PM me I will burn one for you...and even pay the shipping.

 

Quick story, or not..........

My twins(boy and girl) were 8 years old at the start of season last year and had each sighted in their new youth model mossberg 500 and were ready to go hunting with dad....

Took my son opening morning of the youth turkey season.(they work out who goes first for each season) Had a good idea where a couple Toms were because I had roosted them the night before.

In the dark, he very anxiously and quietly followed me up a long ridge to a perch I thought might produce us a good vantage point to start some calls to these birds.

As the early morning spring sun began to rise, the two birds that were roosted close together began to wake up and stretch. Just before they had a chance to let out the first gobble of the day, I began a very quiet tree yelping sequence of calls. I continued into a real good fly down series that absolutely set the birds on their toes.

Well, as we worked a few calls and waited, eventually the boss Tom started to work his way to us. This is very easily detected as they are very loud when the gobble close to you. He was moving in slowly.

I had my son sitting on my left, with his gun positioned on his knee in a semi-comfortable position. (I have told my kids that I would help to verbally coach them, but they would have to be able to do all the aiming and shooting themselves, it will be their trophy of a lifetime)

As the bird patiently worked to us we waited....I was almost hyperventilating because I felt confident that he was going to get his first longbeard. I was almost too excited. Well this was my first turkey hunt with a child having a tag to harvest game, this makes me a rookie in that respect. So needless to say I was more excited for him than I have ever been with any bird I have ever taken.

Just before the bird was to appear in a clearing in front of us(where I have harvested a bird as well) he gobbled to our right at about 20 or 30 yards. Now mind you, the crest of the hill to our right was only about 6 yards away. Way too close........not what I was wanting to happen....

As I frantically grabbed my son and put him between my legs facing directly towards the last gobble, the big boy strutted just into our view.

I could hear the birds heart beating, at least thats what I thought it was. It was my heart pounding in my throat..... I couldn't breath, and was wanting to tell him to squeeze when ready, but we were pinned down and couldn't move. He tried to move just a little to get a shot, but the bird spotted us and ran over the hill and out of view. We could hear him drumming and gobbling for several minutes while on the other side, but could not convince him to come back.

There is alot more little details to this story, but I didn't want to put you completely to sleep. And I hope you aren't dissapointed in the outcome, and I hope I have slightly conveyed the excitment this hunt was for me. My son and I had some of the most wonderful bonding time being able to talk about the one that got away. Cause it isn't just all about the harvest. Its about the passion of the pursuit, the enjoyment of Gods' wonderful creation, and the thrill of the hunt.

Of all the longbeards, single, double, and even triple that I have harvested, this hunt was one of my two most favorite hunts so far. The other favorite hunt involves my daughter, and I'll tell that story another day.

 

im intrested to get into turkey hunting. The fall/winter deer season is way to far away..lol

 

I only hunt spring season. Fall turkey season I'd rather be deer huntinig.

 

Our fall season starts in Oct, so I chase the bow hunters out , problem with the fall, it is hit and miss, around here they are flocking together and hitting farm by farm.
Seen seven big boy longbeards grouped together during deer season, theu didn't have a care in the world.

 

OK longbeard hunters time to pick your brains.

Going to replace the choke and go with a different load. I was thinking of going with the name brand "KICK" and their turkey choke tube .670. Using Winchester X-tended range 3" or 3 1/2" in 5 shot.

I am good to go with the choke I have now at around 42 yards, but the original turkey choke has seen better days, getting thin. For the cost of the new choke and the replacement from Beretta, well they are about the same.

Let me know what you all think.

 

How the hell do you tell the difference!!!!!!????!?!?!?!??!?!!? They all look the same!!!!!!

 

^^^^
in alot of cases they have writing on them or the packaging.
You can also measure, or call the company/companies and tell them what you are looking for.

need to try this new sled out anyways, what better way than a bunch of 3" shotgun shells

 

Oh that makes perfect sense.

hmmm...I also have a 10 year old turbo Volvo wagon we can try them on...just sayin'