Turkey hunting is addictive! If you want to experience hunting elk in the rut but don’t have the points or money to do so, take up turkey hunting. If you are looking for an easy way to get your kids in the woods, take up turkey hunting. If you want to experience serenity and peace as the forest awakens, take up turkey hunting. If you want to get educated by a bird with the brain smaller than a pea, take up turkey hunting. Hunting turkeys provides that springtime hunting fix after a hard winter that can really set the stage for the rest of the year.
Where to begin
One beautiful thing about hunting turkeys is the plentiful opportunities that exist in nearly every state in the union. Most states offer over the counter tags and in some states you can harvest more than one bird. Once you have your permits, let’s talk about finding a place to hunt. Just like hunting big game, preseason scouting is definitely a key. Turkeys love transition zones in the habitat. Meaning areas where vegetation changes from either oak to pines or aspen. They love riparian areas or creek bottoms with cottonwoods. In mountainous areas, turkeys will often follow the snow melt line up the mountain. Go for hikes in these areas and look closely for turkey sign. Tracks, droppings, feathers, dusting bowls and areas where the birds have scratched in the pine needles or leaves are all keys in finding places turkeys frequent. Wake up early and listen for toms sounding off as the first hints of morning breaks. You can use an owl hooter, crow shriek, or squatch scream to shock a tom into gobbling. Once you’ve found birds, use your ears to learn their habits or observe them from a distance. Try to figure out where they feed, where toms strut and trees they typically roost in. Don’t pressure them! An educated bird becomes extremely difficult to get close to once the hunt begins.
Strategies
When it comes to turkey tactics, I am a purist. I only want to shoot birds that have been called into a set up. I’ll try and share methods that I’ve used to find success in this manner.
The Roost
Listening to birds wake up and communicate at the first hints of dawn is pure magic. Unfortunately, birds can get very unpredictable as they fly down. Here are some options to try to improve your success. Most times turkeys will pitch down uphill. You need to get set up and still before the birds awaken. This means early mornings!! Sit with your back at a tree with shooting lane options. Good camouflage, gloves, and a face mask are a must. Try to get as close as possible without being seen or heard in the darkness. Typically, the distance should be between 100-300 yards of the roost trees. If you aren’t certain which tree the birds are in, waiting for that first gobble can give you an idea where you need to try to set up. If at all possible, let the birds wake up naturally. Birds that are alert and nervous are tough to get to come your way.
Once birds are sounding off, soft calling with yelps and putts can get a tom keyed into where you located. Don’t over call! If there is a boss hen in the roost it will be tough, but you can try and challenge her a bit to draw the birds in your direction. Early in the season, you’ll likely have to call in the whole flock. This gets difficult as many beady eyes are on the lookout for the “hen” yelping. They are amazingly proficient in spotting anything out of the ordinary which leads to low percentages of getting the toms in range. Be on the alert with gun at the ready at all times, as some birds will sneak in silently to investigate.
Mid-day
I’ve had the most success getting toms to come in between 10am and 2pm. In most cases, after the initial fly down excitement is over, it gets really difficult to get birds to commit. The key that helps in this time block, are hens tending to nests. This typically happens mid-morning leaving toms alone and searching for the ladies that have abandoned them. If you can get a gobble during this time period, and play your cards right, these birds are vulnerable to calling as they search for missing girlfriends.
I like to cover ground yelping every so often to try and entice a tom into gobbling. Try and do this by setting up with trees close by in case a tom responds nearby. Keep in mind if they see you, it is over. If there is a lot of turkey sign, you can try setting up often for 20-30 minutes at a time. I prefer spots where once the bird shows itself, it will be in range. Setting up in large meadows isn’t ideal as their keen eyesight is locked in and looking. Trying to convince them to cross large open spaces is often very tough. Once a tom responds, try and gauge how far away he is. If he’s within a few hundred yards, I would suggest setting up immediately. Remember he’s coming looking for you. You don’t need to call a ton. Especially when he’s obviously committed and locked into your location. Knowing when to call is much more important than how perfect the call sounds. If the bird starts gobbling on his own, be ready with your gun up and be as still as possible. Be aware that many birds will try and skirt the call, attempting to visually see the hen calling to them. A decoy can help draw them close but can sometimes cause problems. When in doubt, leave them out.
Late afternoon
Honestly, after about 5pm, I don’t try and hunt them too hard. In most cases, the hens are back off their nests and have regrouped. Typically, they aren’t super vocal during this time period, and I find more harm is done than success experienced. I like to eat an early dinner and start mapping out where to possibly try and locate birds flying into the roost.
Roosting
Trying to locate birds right as they fly up for the night can give you great opportunities for the morning. Look for large trees just off canyon or ridge edges. Stay back and listen from high points. Turkeys are big and when they fly in and out of trees it can make quite the racquet. Toms will often gobble frequently for the first 30 minutes or so in the roost. Try and identify the exact tree they perch in. Pay attention to how many birds you think you hear fly up to better understand what is in the area. We like to use OnX maps to pin locations in order to map out exactly where to be in the morning. In many cases turkeys will roost in the same general area or even the same trees every night if left undisturbed.
The Children
In most cases kids can hunt turkeys at a very young age. This is an amazing experience! It’s not easy! Kids don’t hold still, they aren’t quiet, and they don’t have patience. For this reason, one tactic to consider, is hunting from a blind. This will help cover a lot of movement and provide space to allow the kids more time in the woods. Setting up the blind in advance in areas turkeys frequent is a great option. There are also small screen type blinds that can be deployed quickly when needed. If a blind is not an option, have the child sit right between your legs. This will allow you to help them hold still and be able to communicate quietly. Holding a gun for a long period of time is tough. This setup will allow you in assisting them to hold the gun at the ready and even absorb some of the recoil. I often carry a small shooting stick to also assist in holding the gun. A great option for kids is a youth gun in .410. Don’t discount their potency! The new TSS shot shells are extremely lethal out to 30 yards.
Calling
Again, knowing when to call is often much more important than being a perfect caller. I prefer a box call but will sometimes use a slate or a mouth reed. There are plenty of Youtube videos out there to instruct you on different call sounds and how to make them. The main call to focus on is the yelp. Being able to yelp at different volume levels is probably the most important.
Many people make the mistake of calling way too much. Less is more in nearly every situation. If a tom is by himself, he is usually actively looking for a hen. He gobbles to get you to come to him. Trying to act like a stubborn hen attempting to pull him to you. Going quiet for awhile is often the trick to frustrate a lonely tom.
Summary
Turkeys are fascinating to watch and challenging to outsmart. April and May, when most hunts occur, are great times to be in the woods and observe the beauty of Spring. I feel like turkey hunting makes me a more patient big game hunter. It is another means to provide experiences for our youth. There isn’t much as exhilarating as having a mature tom gobble in your face in shotgun range!
