Help out a rookie turkey hunter

[duff]

Alright guys, I have very little turkey hunting experience. Decided to give it a go this year as I will be able to hunt the property at work. We have a good mix of big ravines with mixed hardwoods to pine plantings that are good sized, ag fields, and prarie type weed with early growth pioneer type trees. Not sure exactly where I will get drawn for but more then likely it will be the woods with decent ravines.

What is the best strategy, besides putting the birds to bed the day before? Tops of ridges, bottoms, oak flats with little underbrush?

This is what I do know about turkey hunting: 1) need birds 2) need decent camo/hide 3)has to be a bearded bird or male 3) they roost in trees 4) they make noise 5)they got feathers

I really don't know much about turkey hunting so any advice is welcomed.

Thanks guys.

[firelt72]

Duff what are you shooting? Have you mastered any calls? Do you have any dekes? Do you have a blind? OK now that that is out of the way, here is what I'd think about, the Ag field edges and the ridge tops (not knowing anything else) they have to go there sometime. Have you scouted them any and is there any one else out there? When you scout look for drag marks for strutting zones, dust baths area (depression on the ground that looks like it has been wallored very easy to tell). Can you see birds from where you actually work? It so that can help you figure out where they are. As you know they are also sharp in seeing movement so the camo is paramount. I'd master the box call (very easy to use) I like the Primo Box Cutter. I'll post more after you digest this....If you need some on site help, let me know I'd come help and leave my gun at home so you don't have any issues with that.

[huxbux]

I hunt Brown county, so the terrain sounds similar. If I haven't roosted a bird the night before, I always want to be as high on a ridge as I can sneak to in the dark with a minimum of noise. There's a lot of good reasons for this.

The higher you are, the easier it is to hear them.

They usually like to fly down uphill of their roost tree

IMO it's easiesr to call them uphill to your position

I am mobile and ready to move in as close as possible to a bird as he gobbles on the roost. They are incredibly wary, so this is seldom easy. Better to set up too far away than to spook them, you can always move closer. I call just enough to get a response and very little after that. If he's heard you, he knows you're there. He may come or he may not. Depending on the difficulty factor, the conditions in the woods and my mood, if he walks away, I may circle and try to get in front of him, or just sit tight for a couple or three hours letting out a couple soft yelps and clucks every 15 minutes or so. Keep your eyes peeled, because they'll sneak right in on top of you without making a sound. I've actually bagged more birds with this technique than by being aggressive. IMO, the more hunting pressure the birds recieve, the less calling one should be doing. If they haven't been hunted much at all, the more aggressive approach may bring better results.

[lonniephillips]

duff, don't over call to the birds
give them just enough to wet their appitite and then gab and hand full of leave and crumble them to sound like a hen scratching

don't be afraid to move on the bird if he won't come in , make a semi circle and move closer or get in front if he is moving away

don't get discouraged , you will bump some , bust others off the roost and just blank other mornings

As has already be stated in another post
I like to listen on a ridge for gobblers on a roost and then try to close the distance and set up , maybe give a few low tree yelps before they fly down but not to much


If you bump and bird one day remember the time and location and make it back there before that time and set up and wait for the bird


try different calls , box, mouth, slate and push button


I have tried roosting (putting birds to bed) the night before and it just has yet to work out
I can't seem to find them before they roost or something
good luck bud
you'll have a lot of fun

[duff]

Yes I see birds quite a bit while working but we can not hunt too close to the areas we work.
Yes there will be others out there, but only 2 other guys will be assigned the area I am hunting and the area can be anywhere from maybe 100 acres to 500 acres. Plenty of room.

The birds are not hunted. Last year was the first year in many and only 3 got harvested then. during deer season I would see plenty, just never watched em like I was hunting them if you know what I mean. Just watched for the fun of it.

No blind, got a few diaphram calls, 1 hen deke and got my 3.5" waterfowl gun that will do the job for turkey, I can get out to scout but want to make sure I know where I will be hunting before I do a lot of scouting. Wish I could bring people with me even to just walk around and just to mushroom/shed hunt but it isn't allowed.

I really appreciate the help guys that's exactly the kind of advice I was looking for. Tops of ridges, easy on the calls, and hide good. I grew up in an area with no turkeys so never got into it. Hunted once with my bro-n-law and he did the job for me, all I had to do was pull the trigger so never really got me too fired up. Figured I got a chance most would jump at so I did.

[10point]

Get something comfortable to sit on if you plan on sitting for a while. Sitting with your back against a tree can get uncomfortable pretty quick. I like to carry a camping chair although it does add weight but I also hunt from a blind a lot.

[76chevy]

I suggest spending tons of time scouting. A big part of turkey hunting is LOCATION.

Be where they want to go to the morning right after they fly down off the roost

[duff]

Yea, but when you are limited on the times allowed out there plus have to work it's not real easy to call in sick to go to the job site an scout. If I knew right where they were I wouldn't need any tips on strategy anyways!!!!

#1 rule for all hunting/fishing/trapping you got to be where they are or you will come home empty handed every time. I've elk hunted Indiana for years with no success, I understand they are very smart and weary creatures.

#2 rule for all the above and include playing the loto. If you don't try you won't succeed. That is why I will continue to hunt elk in Indiana (fair chase of course), because as soon as I set that gun down I will have a huge 6X6 pass by!!! The lotto is a waste of money, figure I got better chance with the 6x6 elk.

[turkeyscout]

..hey Duff, you sorta learn as you go, i was just wondering ,do you have your( waterfowl gun )shotgun patterned in yet,if not ,see what it will do at thirty yards (bench rest)!and aim for the middle of the neck....you could drop down to 3 inch mag # 6 shot..... as stated: LOCATION, LOCATION, LOCATION, TO BE SUCCESSFUL you have to have a plan A and plan B, you been hunting and fishing for years, so this should be natural for you!!! also the turkeys has eyesight like wood ducks,very sharp..do not spook the hens either(you have to have a camo headnet)..movement at the wrong time ,its over!!!! good luck ole anderson friend... turkey hunting is FUN.......turkey scout ..let us know when you get that 6x6 elk in indiana and of course fair chase!!!

[freedomhunter]

You already got a ton of good advice and info. Only thing I would add would be to have your gun up on your knee and be ready so you don't have to move much to shoot. It will probably take you a day to figure out what they are doing in the morning. If they don't get disturbed, they will do the same thing the next morning, probably.