Henrick Lind
New member
Anyone thinking about heading out for a gobbler this spring? I was looking for some tips for my first turkey season so if anyone has any it would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks -Henrick
Thanks -Henrick
Spring Turkey
- Thread starter Henrick Lind
- Start date
Wyatt Russo
Active member
Put one to bed get inside 100yds light calling be patient an sit still
RM Anderson
Well-known member
Watch YouTube videos; it's how I learned. If you can afford a custom call you will have much better results. I started killing turkeys when I switched to David Holloran turkey calls. RM
Henrick Lind
New member
Ok I was thinking about a budget call under 50$ for my first season and if it goes well I will invest more into it.
The biggest deal about hunting turkeys is having turkeys to hunt. The second is having a place no one is going to screw you up. The third is probably what Wyatt already told you, stay still, I swear they can see you blink, but for the most part my dad and I could talk quietly with birds right in front of us. Be sure of your target, hens will strut on occasion. Some states allow you to shoot bearded hens. I've never hunted turkeys with a decoy, even though I've made several turkey decoys. The old timers who taught me to turkey hunt said make them look for you, if they see your decoys they may hang up outside of range, after all the hens are supposed to go to them. Now a jake will come to just about anything. I always voice called turkey until the covid took my vocal cords, but I made a box call that does good. A lack of calling can sometimes be better than calling too much.
This was a couple of years ago about 30 miles from the house when we were fly fishing. She had a brood of about 8 chicken sized poults and was ready to kick a bale of hay out of me. We had another hen full strut, puffed up and all 10 years ago or so. No beard, don't shoot. By the way this photo was with my phone no zoom.
This was a couple of years ago about 30 miles from the house when we were fly fishing. She had a brood of about 8 chicken sized poults and was ready to kick a bale of hay out of me. We had another hen full strut, puffed up and all 10 years ago or so. No beard, don't shoot. By the way this photo was with my phone no zoom.
RM Anderson
Well-known member
Check out his website, you may be surprised.
RM
Henrick Lind
New member
Ok thanks Don that's some good info
Henrick Lind
New member
Yea I will go see his website and look into some cheaper options
Henrick Lind
New member
Here in Minnesota, we get one bearded bird per spring so it can be hen or tom
Michael McCord1
Member
Wear full camo. Lay off the hens- they’re nesting during the season, they’re much smaller than the gobblers, and they don’t strut or gobble.
Pattern your gun, know your effective range, and start learning your calls now.
Move through the woods like you believe a turkey is within 100 yards at all times. Stop, look, and listen often. Don’t call unless you’re in a spot that you can take advantage of. Early in the morning, they’ll usually gobble enough to tell you where they are.
Once you strike a bird, don’t call just to make it gobble. Gobbling attracts hens and other hunters. Call with intent. Nothing wrong with going silent and letting the gobbler hunt you.
Turkeys will generally move uphill to a call more readily than down. Ideally set up where the turkeys can’t see your position until they are in range.
Keep a wide tree behind you just in case someone sneaks in on you and make sure you know what you’re aiming at before you pull the trigger- I know it’s basic, but turkey hunting is probably the leading type of hunting for negligent shootings per capita now.
Pattern your gun, know your effective range, and start learning your calls now.
Move through the woods like you believe a turkey is within 100 yards at all times. Stop, look, and listen often. Don’t call unless you’re in a spot that you can take advantage of. Early in the morning, they’ll usually gobble enough to tell you where they are.
Once you strike a bird, don’t call just to make it gobble. Gobbling attracts hens and other hunters. Call with intent. Nothing wrong with going silent and letting the gobbler hunt you.
Turkeys will generally move uphill to a call more readily than down. Ideally set up where the turkeys can’t see your position until they are in range.
Keep a wide tree behind you just in case someone sneaks in on you and make sure you know what you’re aiming at before you pull the trigger- I know it’s basic, but turkey hunting is probably the leading type of hunting for negligent shootings per capita now.
Henrick Lind
New member
Anyone have shell recommendations for lead I am budgeting the first season so I am not buying TSS. I was looking at the Winchester Long Beard XR in 3 inch 5 shot
Michael McCord1
Member
Longbeards pattern very tight. My gun likes the 6 shot better than 5. You may need to add a red dot if the pattern isn’t centered on the bead. It’s very common with the super tight patterns thrown by turkey chokes.
Henrick Lind
New member
Ok I am planning to pattern test this weekend so I will see what I am comfortable with then
I mentioned in another post regarding time of day. We always did better late morning and afternoon for big toms. Some states don't allow turkey hunting past noon. Once the hens go down for the day on a nest, the toms are much easier to call. All my clients shot either #5 or #6 in a pretty tight choke. Turkeys aren't that difficult to kill as long as you get them in reasonable range and have a well patterned gun. I don't believe I've ever shot over 25 yards. Let the bird get their head up before you fire so they don't get the protection of a tucked away strutting head. We used to hunt after we fed livestock at 10am or later and I've never raised a gobble after 10 that we didn't kill the bird. Don't call like a contest caller, we may call once every 30 minutes briefly if the birds shut up, a lot of the time they are looking for you and as long as you know they've located you, they may be coming. I did this carving 30 years ago from a memory I made on one of my first turkey hunts. We knew we had 3 jakes about 100 yards away, but they were stuck by a deep ravine. I'd call every 20 minutes or so, they'd answer right in the same place as before. I waited a full 30 minutes and gave a few yelps before getting ready to leave and a big tom 6 yards behind me let out a gobble that about sent me into orbit. I didn't know to pay attention to the spitting and drumming on my second year of turkey hunting, I should have known he as there long before he surprised me. Good times, I love hearing and telling turkey stories.
William Mink
Member
Great advice in here. This will be my 7th season trying to kill a turkey, and I haven't done it yet. Admittedly, my first season (2020, no job) was the only season I went really hard. I was out there often, and in close proximity often. That was the only time I ever pulled the trigger on one. I had never shot anything, it was 50+ yards, and I was nervous as hell. A lot has changed since then. I've become a pretty decent (and obsessive) duck hunter. I know my effective range. I know how to be quiet in the woods. I'm better at sitting still.
The last few turkey seasons, I've only spent 1-2 days in the woods. This year I've decided I'm gonna try harder for a gobbler. I've been scouting A LOT, and I've got a few spots bookmarked already. I've got tags for three different weeks, and I hope to spend a few days each week in the woods. It can be discouraging when you don't see or hear anything, but I'm feeling optimistic and willing to stick it out on some long, quiet mornings. Wish me luck! I wish you the best of luck and hope it doesn't take you this many seasons to shoot a tom!
The last few turkey seasons, I've only spent 1-2 days in the woods. This year I've decided I'm gonna try harder for a gobbler. I've been scouting A LOT, and I've got a few spots bookmarked already. I've got tags for three different weeks, and I hope to spend a few days each week in the woods. It can be discouraging when you don't see or hear anything, but I'm feeling optimistic and willing to stick it out on some long, quiet mornings. Wish me luck! I wish you the best of luck and hope it doesn't take you this many seasons to shoot a tom!
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RM Anderson
Well-known member
William,
Turkey hunting, at least for me, was a steep learning curve and I am still learning. Two years ago my wife and I hunted every day for two weeks in Minnesota and two weeks in South Dakota and came up empty. In Minnesota where we hunt if you don't score during your one week season you are allowed to hunt the last week. Wouldn't you know, on the eleventh hour of the last week we called in two toms and shot them both. Never give up! RM
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Just go, nothing teaches like time in the woods. Understand that you can call too much or too little or too loud or too soft and it depends on the bird and the day and the time of day. There is no way to generalize, you just have to hunt and see what works and what your personal style is.
No need for a fancy call at all, but they are fun to have. No need for a fancy gun shooting fancy shot, but they are nice to have.
Nearly every 12 gauge with a full or better will shoot a 2 ounce load of #6 lead well to 40 yards if the point of aim is on. #6 lead starts to crap out at 40 as far as individual pellet energy - if you want to shoot much farther than that, you need larger shot than #6 lead. Going to #5 lead gives you more range, say 50 yards, as far as individual pellet energy, but less pattern density. It is much harder to get lead #5s to fill out a pattern to 50 and even harder with 4s because there are so many fewer in the shell. Setting up the gun to get beyond 40 yards with lead takes time and trial and error of different shells and chokes.
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Huntindave McCann
Well-known member
I've got pretty plain box calls and I have some fancy custom engraved calls. Like Tod says, most any call will work. Best advice is get a call which from you can get a decent "yelp". Pratice with that call as much as you can. Get good enough with that one call, that you know EXACTLY the sound you will get when you manipulate that call. Different manipluation of any call, will generate slightly differenty tones.
Being able to generate these different tones, with consistency, is the difference between " calling turkeys" versus "talking turkey".