Turkey Hunting 101
Basic Information, Strategies & Tips for Novice Turkey Hunters

DuckBuckGoose -PHJ ProStaff - Cincinnati, OH

I’ll admit it, being primarily a whitetail and waterfowl hunter, I have not done a lot of Turkey hunting in my day. But I have done some, and I’ve recently become very interested in it, as I hear more of my buddies talk about their heart pounding experiences in the turkey woods. This season I plan to get out and try my hand at bow hunting for big Gobblers. Part of my preparation has been talking to experts and reading up on Turkey hunting tips and tactics. I thought I would share a few of the things I’ve learned with you. For some of you this will be old news and simply a review of the basics. If it is, I welcome your comments, ideas and additions to this article. For those of you that are new to turkey hunting, I hope you’ll be able to take a tip or two from here, and use it to your advantage in the field this season.

It Starts With Scouting:
Ideally, you want to be out in the woods (or whatever your area’s turkey habitat happens to be) the night before your hunt to spot turkeys flying up to the roost. Sometimes this is possible, sometimes it isn’t. If you can’t scout the night before, then you’d be well served to use locator calls — to help you find where the Turkeys are the morning of your hunt. If you don’t have any success with scouting the night before or triggering a gobble with your locator calls, then set up where you think the turkeys will be, or where you’ve seen them in the past.

Setting Up:
Don’t try to get too close to a roost when setting up on turkeys before daylight. The people I’ve talked to have varying viewpoints on this, but most suggest trying to get within 100-150 yards of the roost if you can. If you try to get closer you must be VERY quiet, and you run the risk of being “busted”. The strategy is to get as close as you can to the turkeys without spooking them off the roost. The shorter the distance and the fewer the obstacles between you and the turkeys, they better the odds you’ll get them within shooting distance of your setup.

Many experts believe that wild turkeys tend to fly down from the roost away from the rising sun. Although nobody knows why for sure, many think this helps turkeys see predators as they fly down, rather than being blinded by the sun and possibly becoming breakfast for a predator.

Turkeys tend to fly from the roost down into a field or near one if there is one around. For your first setup of the day a good bet is to be on the edge of a field in a place where there will be sunlight. Gobblers tend to like to find sunny places that will help them show off their brightly colored feathers, so if you’re trying to make a decision between multiple setup spots, and all other considerations are equal, choose the spot that will get more sunlight. Generally, after a couple of hours of flying down from the roost, turkeys will start heading for higher ground — so for your second set up you may want to key in on ridges and slopes, unless you have seen or heard the turkeys elsewhere.

Decoys:
Decoys are an important part of your turkey hunting gear and can dramatically increase your odds of harvesting a gobbler. Most hunters recommend setting out at least one decoy. Some of my buddies suggest using one or two hen decoys and a jake (a one year old turkey). Placing the jake behind the hen(s) to make it look like he is getting in a mating position can make a gobbler angry and help lure him into your setup. Other guys like using “full strut” gobbler and hen decoy combo — like the Carry-Lite Pretty Boy and Pretty Girl Decoy Set. (INTERNAL NOTE: link this to affiliate program when live).

If you can add movement to your decoys, the more realistic they will look to wild turkeys. There are a few ways to do this. One way is to buy a decoy type that has movement built in to the design. For example there are “bobble head” type decoys where the head and neck move up and down to look like a feeding turkey. Another way to add movement is to put ultra-light decoys on swivel stakes or thin, aluminum stakes, so that they can spin or pivot on with the slightest breeze.

If the cover you are hunting allows, set decoys up about 10-20 yards away from you. That way, if the turkey doesn’t come all the way in and “hangs up”, you’re might still get a shot opportunity. Another tip is to put the decoy on one side of you or the other, rather than directly in front of you. If you know where the turkey are, try putting the decoy off to the side opposite of where you think they’ll be walking-in from. That way they’ll have to walk in front of you, unobstructed in order to get to your decoys. This can offer a cleaner shot opportunity.

Turkey Calls:
What kind of call should I use? Many people have this question when they’re new to turkey hunting. With so many choices available it is a smart question. As with many other hunting gear purchases, the answer is to go with the type you are most comfortable with. Most experienced turkey hunters recommend learning how to use multiple types of calls, because in a hunting situation you’ll have to experiment to find the call the gobblers will respond to.

There are a seemingly endless variety of turkey calls, in several very different call types. In fact, there are too many to mention here, but some of the most popular ones include; the slate call, the box call, the push-pull, pin type box call, the mouth diaphragm call, and the list goes on. Additionally, a locator call, which can be used to trigger a “shock” gobble can be another very effective tool.

Mouth / Diaphragm Calls: These are one of the most popular types of calls for many top turkey hunters. Diaphragm calls take some practice, but they offer several advantages that make them a highly effective part of your turkey arsenal. Two big advantages include; they work in all types of weather, and they can be used behind a facemask with almost no perceptible movement. Another major benefit to mouth diaphragm calls is that they can be played at a variety of volumes and pitches, allowing you to reach out to turkeys in the distance, or talk softly enough to get a wary Gobbler to finish.

Slate/Friction Calls: When I talk about Slate/Friction calls, I am referring to the two-piece calls that consist of a “pot” (often a disk or puck shaped piece) and a stick like “striker” that is used to strike or scratch the surface of the pot to make a turkey sound. These calls are made in a variety of different materials to make that can make different tones and sounds, and which work in different weather conditions.

For new turkey callers, the slate/friction call is a great place to start. It is one of the easiest calls to learn to use, yet it doesn’t sacrifice tone quality or range — as these can be great sounding calls. One tip is to carry a few different types of strikers with you. Various weights and materials are used in making strikers and they will help you produce a variety of different sounds. Also, bring along a piece of sandpaper to rough up the striker once in awhile. Doing so will create a better sound and help you avoid making a non-natural squeaking sound that could ruin your hunt.

The downside to the slate/friction call is that it requires two-handed operation and visible movement — making it tougher to use as the turkey gets in close when you need to be raising your gun.

Overall, these are very effective calls. With some simple instruction from an experienced hunter or turkey calling video and a couple hours of practice, you will be making realistic turkey sounds with this call in no time.

Box Calls: These calls have been around for a long, long time and they will be around for years to come. Like the other calls, they’ve got their own strengths and limitations. Strengths include the sound range. In the right hands they can make a wide variety of sounds including yelps, clucks, cuts, even gobbles. Like other types of hunting calls, you can find them in economy versions and high-end custom versions and pay anywhere from ten dollars, to hundreds of dollars or more.

The major limitation to the box call is its usefulness in wet weather. Because it relies on wood on wood friction and chalk to make it’s sound, most do not work well if they get wet — although there are some box calls designed for wet or damp weather. Some hunters try packing and using their box calls in waterproof bags on wet days, however that can be a challenge and can change the sound of the call.

Push-Pull Pin Friction Calls: Although some elite callers might look down upon this type of call, I’ve had buddies who have used them with great success. They’re easy to use and can be very effective under the right conditions. Because all you have to do is press and release a pin, these calls can be easily operated with one hand. And like box calls, push-pull pin calls are best used in dry conditions.

Locator Calls: Locator calls are used to cause a “shock gobble” which allows you to get a fix on a gobbler’s position without alerting him to yours. Locator calls can sound like owls, crows, coyotes, hawks and more. Their usefulness varies by time of day, and each has its proper time and place. For example, owl calls are best used in the pre-sunrise darkness or low light of the early morning. If owl calls don’t trigger a response and you know there are turkeys in the area, you can try switching over to loud, aggressive crow calls as the sun comes up. Crow calls seem to work well until about 10:00am or so. Then, as a crow call starts to lose its effectiveness, you can switch to something like a hawk call to see if you get a response.

Calling Technique:
Calling is a big part of the turkey hunting experience. There’s nothing quite like speaking the language that a gobbler wants to hear, and having him to respond by giving you the shot opportunity you were hoping for.

Although there are a handful of standard calls and techniques used to call a turkey, there is no single foolproof formula that will always work. Rather, it often takes patience and experimentation with different calls to discover which one is going to work on any given turkey on any given day. That said, here are some strategies and techniques to experiment with.

Resist the temptation to over call — especially early in the morning. At this time, try starting with a few simple Yelps or Tree Calls and make them just loud enough for the nearby birds to hear. If all goes well you should get a response Gobble, at which point you can quiet down and wait to see what the bird does. If you see the birds fly down from the roost, try a few more soft calls and see what happens. They may come closer to your setup to investigate. Then again, you might hear them heading away and getting more distant.

If the bird is going away from you there a couple of things you can do. One is to wait it out, and see if the bird circles around and finds it’s way back to your setup. Another option is to get up and circle around to try to cut the turkey off as it is headed in another direction. Or, try backing up and calling again from further away. Sometimes that will cause a turkey to come after you if he thinks you’re another turkey that’s heading away.

Whenever you start calling in a new spot, start with softer calls and then increase your volume and the aggressiveness of your calling if you are not getting a response. Try starting out with a short series of simple yelps or Clucks. There are times when a gobbler is close by and you didn’t even know it. If you start with calling too loud, you could scare him away before you even knew he was there.

There are other times when aggressive calling is worth trying too. A good time to try is early in the season, when gobblers are not that excitable yet, and you want to give them a little jump-start. Another time is during the middle of the day when gobblers are less active and you want to get them riled up.

In nearly all cases calling takes patience and experimentation. If at first you don’t succeed with a call, try something else until you identify what the birds are responding to. The more you practice and experiment, the better your instincts will get and the more effective calling you’ll become.

For a more complete listing of turkey calls and audio examples, visit http://www.nwtf.org/special_events/calling_contest_turkey_calls.html on the National Wild Turkey Foundation website. While you’re at it, consider giving the NWTF your support and help preserve wild turkey and our hunting heritage.

Got Other Tips, Techniques or Ideas To Share?…
Please do so by sharing them in the comments area. We believe that the hunting experience is one to be shared, and that the smartest hunter in the world, is all of us together, sharing what we’ve learned.

Posted 10/22/2009
13:26

Good information. I would add that when scouting, a highly effective method is to look for scratchings where turkeys have cleared away dirt and leaves in search of food. This has worked well for me in areas of low visibility. Esp. for a beginning turkey hunter with no calling experience, try setting up in areas with scratchings--this is a different tactic but worth a try if you can't get the hang of calling or you're up against call-shy birds.

matthewdebnam
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Joined: 6/4/2009

Posted 3/16/2010
22:01

I think this will help me on my turky hunt to take the big one home.

coonasscampdog
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Joined: 3/16/2010

Posted 4/30/2010
17:02

Be sure to remember that your hunt is not over if you miss them after they fly down. In fact some experts argue that shooting them too close to the roost is a surefire way to mess up a great turkey spot.

Also remember that turkeys, especially the Eastern and Rio Grande sub species are very much creatures of habit. They really enjoy coming into fields which allows them to strut and they follow hens out there because there is good feed. I have killed most of my Rios simply by knowing where they are coming to feed and their habits. I then set up in front of them and wait until they come on by and I will tag my tom then.

Perhaps the greatest thing that I have learned is that it is not always better to go early in the season. Why? Well because often early in the season means that the Toms will be henned up and getting them to leave the hens is a very difficult task. I have found that most of my success has come later in the morning after the hens have gone to sit on nests, the gobblers have nothing better to do but try and find lonely hens and this is a great time to call them in.

Lastly, never be afraid to think outside the box when it comes to turkeys and please while hunting high pressure public areas be careful, turkey hunting can be dangerous but if you use common sense it is a great way to satisfy your hunting itch until the fall.

380pybullz
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Joined: 2/28/2010

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