“The Early Bird Approach” - Getting into the woods an hour before daybreak can be the deciding factor in your morning’s success. Setting up early, and letting the woods rest and calm down can put a flock of turkeys that were startled by your “red carpet entrance” into their bedroom, at ease. That way if you are close to birds on roost, they may think it’s just a deer passing by. Allowing this extra time for the woods to cool down could be the difference in your birds flying down towards you or into the next county. “The Decoy Game” - In the early season 1 decoy will usually do the trick. As the season goes on it sometimes takes you and your buddies to lug in a flock of decoys. Especially in “high pressure” areas, when you are dealing with a weary gobbler that's been messed with all month. Set your decoys about 15 to 20 yards away right in the center of the average shotguns effective range. Putting the decoys to far could allow your bird to hang up out of range. Putting them too close, well that’s just asking to get shot (not very safe). For the bow hunters you should get away with drawing and be within lethal range at that same yardage. Keep in mind, a turkey is not a robot, it will act differently on different days, depending on its mood. Some days decoys will work, and some days they will not. Keep your bag of tricks full and get ready to play the game! 1. Pre-season scouting is number one! Don't wait for the season to do your scouting. Locating roosting areas creates a huge advantage for you. Using topographical maps to locate strut zones, ambush points and feeding areas. “The more you know about them, the less they know about you.” 2. Walking and glassing fields prior to the season opener to find fresh sign. Q - Do you reccomend ground blinds? Why or why not? Yes, I recommend using a Ground blind. This has enough advantages to write a book on, but to name a few…Ground Blinds completely break up the human outline, whether you are napping (Shaun’s Father) or have to swing for a quick shot, the blind will allow for added movement, that you normally would have not gotten away with. Also, it is highly recommended for youth hunters and older folks that may have trouble transitioning to get a shot or sitting still for too long. If you do set up a pop up style ground blind and not a natural vegetation ground blind, try and use surrounding foliage to blend in your blind with the natural surroundings. A hen track measures roughly 3 inches in length, while a gobbler track is much bigger, typically 4-5 inches. Also keep an eye out for wing drag marks on either side of the turkey’s tracks. This adds further proof that a gobbler was strutting through. When shotgun hunting, always try to aim at the base of the gobblers neck, where the black neck feathers meet the head. This way if you are a little low you'll only get a few stray pellets in your meat and if you’re a little high you still have a fatal head shot. As for bow hunters, the lung/heart vitals are the way to go. Unless you are shooting a guillotine style broad head, in that case its neck all day long. Q - Should I be sitting from sun-up till noon on every hunt or should I move? All season - Rake a path to your ground blind. Start at about 150 yards from the base of tree you selected to hunt. This will allow for a quiet approach in the morning. Late season - I call this the "Rug at the Foot of the Bed Sit". This is for those tough birds that have survived all month long. They are not reacting to calls, decoys, and are not allowing you to pattern their daily activities. First, roost them the night before, and rake your path after they are asleep. Second, refer back to the question about getting set up extra early before the sun comes up, and slip right in to where you think the birds will be flying down. Then when he does fly down into your setup, be ready to put the hammer to him before he slips away. I call this tactic "The Deer Hunting Tactic for The call that works most effectively is the one that a particular person can use the best or has a preference to. I personally recommend friction (slate) calls because of their raspy, choppy, realistic sounds and ease of use. Hot weather - Stay in shady field lines or thicker areas where a turkey may go to loath around and stay out of the heat. Cold weather – Focus on fields, but stay in the woods. They will use the thick cover of the woods to block cold winds, yet still may enter the open fields to catch sun for warmth.
Q - How early do you get in the woods, and why?
Q - How many, and how far should I put my turkey decoys?
Q - What are the 3 most vital scouting techniques?
3. Preparing for the hunt (raking a path, trimming branches, building blinds, etc.)
Q - What is the difference between a gobbler track and a hen track?
Q - Do I aim for the head or for the neck when shooting at a turkey?
This is a question you will have to judge based on scouting and prior sightings. If you are seeing the turkeys in your hunting area at all times during the day, then yes, stick it out. Otherwise no, I would sit for a couple hours and be mobile if the situation calls for aggressive hunting. Always have a Plan B, C, and D if needed.
Q - What different "plans of attack" you have tried on turkeys, that worked?
Early season - Try a relaxing sit in a field waiting for the gobbler to come out and strut for his hens. Hit him with a few calls to coax him in, and reel in that early season gobbler.
Q - How do you hunt a turkey that will not respond to calling?
Q - What type of call works the best (slate, glass, box, mouth, ect...)
Q - How do I hunt turkeys differently depending on the weather? (wind, rain, hot, cold)
Wind/rain conditions –