Since there's no turkey hunting forum.......I thought I'd pin some of the do's and don'ts of turkey hunting.
A).....Safety & set-up.
1......Don't wear clothing that has red, white, or blue in it (same colors as a gobblers head).
2......Do wear full camo, including camo gloves, face mask (or paint), and socks (dark color).....Turkeys have great eyesight and can see any kind of movement. Being in full camo will help with this......I like leafy jacket & pants.
3......Don't hunt with shiny guns. The do is to have dipped camo with a dull finish.....Camo tape is a cheap way to remedy a blued or shiny gun.
4......Get a good turkey seat, pad, or chair......Don't cheap out here. Sitting for long periods of time can be uncomfortable. Many of the better vests have good cushions. The less you move around, the better the chances are a gobbler will come in.
5......Don't put jake decoys on public land in your line a fire......In fact, unless you've walked to remote areas. I don't like jake decoys on public land at all.....On private land, I almost never hunt without a jake decoy. Old toms don't like the young bucks getting any.....lol
6......Do carry a hen decoy with you. Many times this will take the attention off of you. I like them out at about 25-30 yds.......Much closer if your shooting a pellet gun or bow.
7......Do use a pop-up blind if your shooting a bow and use decoys. Decoys are set normally at about 10 yds......Pop-up blinds are good for kids and inclement weather too.
8......Always try to hunt next to a tree that's wider than your shoulders (boulders & rocks are good too). Losing the human outline is important.
9.....If someone walks in on you while your set-up.....DON'T way your arms......Whistle or yell at him 1st......Surprised people that see movement can do stupid things.
10.....Always try to set-up where you have good visuals in front and to the sides. Always set-up if possible in the shade.
B)....Your turkey vest and stuff to carry in it.
1.....Buy a vest that has a quality cushion. Or invest in a turkey seat (think low beach chair). The chair can be carried over the shoulder or in the back of the vest...... Lots of pockets on the vest are a plus too.
2.....Do carry bug and insect spray.....Mosquitos are very prevalent in spring. With another warm and dry spring, ants will be out early.....Spray the tree 1st.....Then spray your seat seat or cushion. Nothing worse than trying to hold still when ants are crawling all over you.
3.....Carry shears and a small saw. Cutting shooting lanes and putting natural vegetation around can help for less detection......Always carry a knife as well.
4.....Carry extra strikers for your slate calls. Always losing those things.
5......Carry extra mouth calls.
6......Carry box call chalk, sand paper, and stone for glass calls.
7......Carry a few extra shells.....I normally carry about 5.
8......Carry an extra flash light with extra batteries. I'll add lighter or matches as well.
9.....Water.....Goes without saying.
10.....Toilet paper.....Again, goes without saying.
C)......Types of calls.
1.......Box calls are the easiest and one of the most effective. I like Primos single-sided box call.....Makes all the calls you need......Cluck, yelp, purrs, and cutting......There's also box calls nowadays that don't need chalk......The Primos Wet Box is a nice little call.
2.......Pot & stick/striker calls......The pot calls come in a number of surfaces. Slate is the easiest to use and is most common. There's also glass that is louder and sharp. Aluminum, copper is ok, but rare to find. And I see no need to have one other than to have another sound.
3.......Mouth calls......Hardest to master, but every turkey hunter should learn to use. The main advantage is both your hands are free and there's no movement needed......Lots of brands and they all work. Try a H.S. Strut starter kit with instruct tape.
4......Push-pulls calls are good for the beginner and actually can sound very turkey like. The draw back is they don't have great volume and many sounds. Pretty good for less movement though. They can be attached to barrels and along side your leg with a single hand.
5......Wing bones......Guess they work, but really no need to learn to call them IMO. Too many good other calls for the same sound (yelps).
6......Gobble calls......I never use them. On public land your more apt to call in other hunters.
7......Locator calls.....I never hunt without a crow & peacock call around my neck. There's many times you don't want to get a gobble from a turkey sound. You just want to know where he's at.
D).....Calling
1)....DON'T over call......Turkeys can hear you from great distances. If you get a gobble. Then try him again. Many times you'll get just a shock gobble. If he gobbles a 2nd time or gobbles on his own, your in business.
2.....You'll need to determine how far he is.....The amount of calling will determine how much you want to call to him.....Move forward and try to close the distance if you can.
3.....If your running and gunning. Always call with a tree or hiding place near by.....Many times the bird is just over a rise and will come in quickly.
4......Older toms want the hens to come to him. If you call too much, he will gobble like crazy, but won't move. Make him look for you.....If he doesn't move after awhile, try a different call.....But be very careful, the old boys almost always come in silent.....In this situation, I almost always use my mouth calls after getting him fired up.....Call to hens too. They can get really pissed off that another hen is in their zone. Many times a gobbler will follow her right in.
5......After you put a visual on him, don't call unless he's out of any direct visual of you. He can and will hone in on you. Here's where decoys really help.
6......If the bird is in full strut, and he's at the decoy. Some people like to give a kee kee or or loud cluck to put their head up.....Michael Waddell once told me, "Shooting them gets them out of strut real quick"......lol
There's tons of other stuff and situations that only experience will cure (and I haven't mentioned)......Remember, no questions are dumb ones......Way better than getting a citation for shooting a hen or someone else.
Steve
ps.......Remember your hunting beards.....A tom without a beard is illegal......A hen with a beard is legal.
A).....Safety & set-up.
1......Don't wear clothing that has red, white, or blue in it (same colors as a gobblers head).
2......Do wear full camo, including camo gloves, face mask (or paint), and socks (dark color).....Turkeys have great eyesight and can see any kind of movement. Being in full camo will help with this......I like leafy jacket & pants.
3......Don't hunt with shiny guns. The do is to have dipped camo with a dull finish.....Camo tape is a cheap way to remedy a blued or shiny gun.
4......Get a good turkey seat, pad, or chair......Don't cheap out here. Sitting for long periods of time can be uncomfortable. Many of the better vests have good cushions. The less you move around, the better the chances are a gobbler will come in.
5......Don't put jake decoys on public land in your line a fire......In fact, unless you've walked to remote areas. I don't like jake decoys on public land at all.....On private land, I almost never hunt without a jake decoy. Old toms don't like the young bucks getting any.....lol
6......Do carry a hen decoy with you. Many times this will take the attention off of you. I like them out at about 25-30 yds.......Much closer if your shooting a pellet gun or bow.
7......Do use a pop-up blind if your shooting a bow and use decoys. Decoys are set normally at about 10 yds......Pop-up blinds are good for kids and inclement weather too.
8......Always try to hunt next to a tree that's wider than your shoulders (boulders & rocks are good too). Losing the human outline is important.
9.....If someone walks in on you while your set-up.....DON'T way your arms......Whistle or yell at him 1st......Surprised people that see movement can do stupid things.
10.....Always try to set-up where you have good visuals in front and to the sides. Always set-up if possible in the shade.
B)....Your turkey vest and stuff to carry in it.
1.....Buy a vest that has a quality cushion. Or invest in a turkey seat (think low beach chair). The chair can be carried over the shoulder or in the back of the vest...... Lots of pockets on the vest are a plus too.
2.....Do carry bug and insect spray.....Mosquitos are very prevalent in spring. With another warm and dry spring, ants will be out early.....Spray the tree 1st.....Then spray your seat seat or cushion. Nothing worse than trying to hold still when ants are crawling all over you.
3.....Carry shears and a small saw. Cutting shooting lanes and putting natural vegetation around can help for less detection......Always carry a knife as well.
4.....Carry extra strikers for your slate calls. Always losing those things.
5......Carry extra mouth calls.
6......Carry box call chalk, sand paper, and stone for glass calls.
7......Carry a few extra shells.....I normally carry about 5.
8......Carry an extra flash light with extra batteries. I'll add lighter or matches as well.
9.....Water.....Goes without saying.
10.....Toilet paper.....Again, goes without saying.
C)......Types of calls.
1.......Box calls are the easiest and one of the most effective. I like Primos single-sided box call.....Makes all the calls you need......Cluck, yelp, purrs, and cutting......There's also box calls nowadays that don't need chalk......The Primos Wet Box is a nice little call.
2.......Pot & stick/striker calls......The pot calls come in a number of surfaces. Slate is the easiest to use and is most common. There's also glass that is louder and sharp. Aluminum, copper is ok, but rare to find. And I see no need to have one other than to have another sound.
3.......Mouth calls......Hardest to master, but every turkey hunter should learn to use. The main advantage is both your hands are free and there's no movement needed......Lots of brands and they all work. Try a H.S. Strut starter kit with instruct tape.
4......Push-pulls calls are good for the beginner and actually can sound very turkey like. The draw back is they don't have great volume and many sounds. Pretty good for less movement though. They can be attached to barrels and along side your leg with a single hand.
5......Wing bones......Guess they work, but really no need to learn to call them IMO. Too many good other calls for the same sound (yelps).
6......Gobble calls......I never use them. On public land your more apt to call in other hunters.
7......Locator calls.....I never hunt without a crow & peacock call around my neck. There's many times you don't want to get a gobble from a turkey sound. You just want to know where he's at.
D).....Calling
1)....DON'T over call......Turkeys can hear you from great distances. If you get a gobble. Then try him again. Many times you'll get just a shock gobble. If he gobbles a 2nd time or gobbles on his own, your in business.
2.....You'll need to determine how far he is.....The amount of calling will determine how much you want to call to him.....Move forward and try to close the distance if you can.
3.....If your running and gunning. Always call with a tree or hiding place near by.....Many times the bird is just over a rise and will come in quickly.
4......Older toms want the hens to come to him. If you call too much, he will gobble like crazy, but won't move. Make him look for you.....If he doesn't move after awhile, try a different call.....But be very careful, the old boys almost always come in silent.....In this situation, I almost always use my mouth calls after getting him fired up.....Call to hens too. They can get really pissed off that another hen is in their zone. Many times a gobbler will follow her right in.
5......After you put a visual on him, don't call unless he's out of any direct visual of you. He can and will hone in on you. Here's where decoys really help.
6......If the bird is in full strut, and he's at the decoy. Some people like to give a kee kee or or loud cluck to put their head up.....Michael Waddell once told me, "Shooting them gets them out of strut real quick"......lol
There's tons of other stuff and situations that only experience will cure (and I haven't mentioned)......Remember, no questions are dumb ones......Way better than getting a citation for shooting a hen or someone else.
Steve
ps.......Remember your hunting beards.....A tom without a beard is illegal......A hen with a beard is legal.
