There are many things a turkey hunter needs to plan before the hunting season even begins and just before the hunt. The hunter must consider many details on turkey hunting for better performance. So, it would help if you had proper turkey hunting tips and guide before planning the hunt.
Before the hunt of turkey begins, a hunter should have proper knowledge of turkeys and hunting. The details will be including the places the local turkey’s roost, what is best to wear out in the field, and how to call a turkey in for the shot.
Turkey Hunting Tips Before Planning the Hunt
Turkeys are unpredictable birds that are easily spooked. They will run off if they see anything out of place, such as white socks peeking out from under a hunter’s pants. The key to a successful hunt is to be fully prepared with proper knowledge, tips, and guide.
Preheating Preparation
Scouting before hunting season means taking the time to see where the wild turkeys are gathering. This is important preparation for the actual hunt: a hunter will be much more efficient with information about where the turkeys are spending time.
This is as important as having proper hunting arrow, bows, best arrow rests, and scope. One should hike around the hunt zones a month or so before the season starts.
When scouting, look for tracks and scats (droppings). There is a noticeable difference in the appearance of a hen’s and a gobbler’s tracks and scats. Checking local library resources and going online are great ways to research turkey tracks and scats.
Also, as opening day approaches, walk or drive around and listen for gobbles. Mark the areas where you hear the sounds on a map to remember where to go when hunting.
Listening and Calling Turkey
When listening to wild turkeys, it is important to know that different turkeys make different sounds. It is excited when making a series of fast, loud, erratic single notes: this is known as cutting. On the other hand, a typical gobble from a gobbler or tom lasts for as long as two to three seconds.
An older tom will have a deep, full-throated gobble. Jake, or young male, has a shorter gobble. Wild turkeys are very vocal in the late winter and early spring. A hunter will hear yelping, cutting, gobbling, purring, and other sounds.
The Website of the National Wildlife Federation (http://www.nwf.org) is just one of the many sites that allow hunters to listen to the different turkey sounds and become familiar with them. Then, when hunting, the noises will be recognizable. Hunters use turkey calls to simulate the different sounds and draw in wild turkeys. For example, a hunter can make the noises a hen makes to attract a tom.
Calling Turkey Tips
Once a hunter gets a tom to gobble, he or she shouldn’t overcall the turkey or bother it with too many calls. One should let the tom gobble a few times between calls because the tom is trying to call the hen (who is really the hunter). If the tom stops gobbling, the hunter should stop calling altogether.
This may make the turkey come to look for him or her. Sometimes a tom will gobble a few times and then approach silently. A hunter should be patient and shouldn’t give up too early on a bird. A lack of gobbling does not necessarily mean the tom is not coming.
Sounds that Wild Turkeys Make
Sometimes it helps to use a decoy to direct the turkey’s attention elsewhere. When the hunter is ready to shoot, they can remove the safety on the weapon and fire.
This is more common where you are using a 22lr benchrest rifle with scope and having a longer range target in a relatively silent forest.
The National Wild Turkey Federation Web site is another place to listen to each of the different turkey calls. Here are just a few of the sounds that wild turkeys make:
Cluck
One or more short, staccato notes, usually used by one bird to get another’s attention.
Putt
This sound signals danger to other birds. It indicates that a turkey has seen or heard something that it doesn’t like. It can be a single note or several sharp, rapid notes.
Tree call
A series of soft, muffled yelps made by a roosted bird. It is used as a way to communicate with others in the flock.
Gobble
The male wild turkey makes this sound. It is primarily used during the springtime to let hens know he is in the vicinity.
Yelp
A series of single-note vocalizations. A yelp can have different meanings, depending on the way the turkey uses it.
Variety of Turkey Calls
It is helpful to be familiar with a variety of turkey calls. Using just one of these calls may not always work to draw in a turkey. The more calls you know, the better you will be at hunting. Here are some examples of turkey calls that hunters use:
Diaphragm call
This air-activated device consists of a latex reeds, an aluminum frame, and a skirt. One makes turkey sounds by pushing air through the call and forming the mouth to say certain words. This is the most popular call but the hardest to master.
Slate Call
To make sounds, a hunter pulls a striker across a circular surface made out of slate, glass, aluminum, or a combination of these materials. Most beginners can pick up this call very quickly.
Box Call
A hunter slides a wooden lid across an open box to create the sound. This is one of the easiest calls to learn.
Spring Turkey Hunting vs. Fall Turkey Hunting
According to John Ferguson, spring turkey hunting is exciting, challenging, and fast-paced. In springtime, hunters can harvest only toms. To call in a male, or “tom turkey,” hunters need to mimic hens because this is the breeding season.
Using Different Calls for Turkey Hunting
This is achieved by using diaphragm calls, slate calls, or wooden box calls. It takes practice to become proficient with these calls. One wrong sound can be the difference between harvesting a turkey and going home empty-handed.
It is possible to call a tom from more than half a mile (805 m) away. Sometimes a bird will come in within a few minutes. Other times a hunter will have to work with a turkey for hours.
Fall Hunting Season Hunting
During the fall hunting season, a hunter is allowed to take either male or female turkeys. The key is to try to ambush the birds at their food sources. Turkeys are only concerned with feeding and staying alive in the fall, so food sources and roosting areas (sleeping areas) are the best places to scout.
If a hunter scatters a flock in the fall, he or she can usually use soft clucks to bring the birds back in. A hunter cannot shoot a turkey in the roost but must wait until the turkey is on the ground.
Physical Condition of the Hunter
When preparing for turkey hunting, one must have the proper training and equipment and be in good physical condition. There are many ways a person can prepare for the physical demands of hunting. For example, one can exercise daily and practice healthy eating habits.
It is also important for a hunter to be aware of his or her physical limitations. Many hunting injuries or deaths come from hunters having heart attacks or suffering heat stroke because they were not used to the physical exertion of hunting.
This usually occurs more frequently in older adults.
However, as a young hunter, it is good to get in shape now and build healthy habits. Some hunters wisely spend a few weeks before hunting season in the gym or outdoors, building up their endurance and strength.
Personal Safety and the Safety of Others
There is a proper way for a hunter to sit and wait for a turkey when turkey hunting. With a perfect position, hunting tool, guns and long range scope, you can apply this technique in a perfect way.
The guidelines include the following rules: First, the hunter should not load the gun until they are set up and calling the turkey in.
Whenever you can hear another hunter working a bird, do not go in that area at all. If you are not completely sure that you are the only working bird, do not take any chances. It is never worth taking a risk if you or someone else might get hurt.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pAfVKR9C0FM
Yelping while on the move in the woods can be detrimental. Another hunter may hear the sound and mistake it for a wild turkey. His or her adrenaline can kick in and lead to an accident. Sit still and spend some time really observing your surroundings and listening for signs of hunters.
Before raising a gun or bow, be sure that it is a turkey you are hunting and not another person. If another hunter is visible, let him or her knows by shouting a loud and firm, “Good morning!” or by saying, “It’s a beautiful day out!”
Wait to show yourself until the other person’s gun is down, and he or she is relaxed. After shooting a turkey, please place it in an orange vest or carrying bag so that other hunters see a bag and not a wild turkey moving.
Hunting Clothing: What to Bring in the Turkey Hunt
As a hunter, one needs to be concerned about camouflage and comfort, silence, safety, and warmth. Like we said in the big buck hunting tips article, proper clothing and outfit is important for proper performance.
Comfortable Undergarments
Expert turkey hunter Ben Cowan says that he lives by two clothing rules when hunting in the woods: First, purchase quiet fabric that provides comfort from the elements and mosquitoes.
Especially, you can use perfect hunting pants or the hiking pants that are comfortable and sturdy to walk in the woods. Also, have perfect upper clothing as well.
Second, remember to think about everything from your undergarments to pieces that will cover you from head to toe. A hunter’s undergarments should be made from modern synthetic fabrics, which wick away moisture and keep a hunter feet warm.
Purchasing green, brown, or camouflage long johns will ensure that no light colors pop out underneath clothing.
Outerwear of Turkey Hunters
For outerwear, a hunter should wear full camouflage, including coverage for the hands and face. Turkeys have excellent vision. Pants should have enough length to cover the legs covered when one is sitting with the knees drawn up.
Many hunters consider a vest the most important clothing element because it works like both a suitcase and a filing cabinet. It provides storage for calls and other various tools needed while hunting. Some vests have a cushioned seat attached for comfort when the hunter has to sit for long periods of time.
Upper Portion Clothing of a Turkey Hunter
Head and face coverings are also key items. A hunter should wear a mask so that he or she will not expose a shiny forehead or rosy cheeks.
Wild turkeys will pick up on such details with their keen eyesight. When the weather is hot, one can wear a mesh camouflage baseball cap. Gloves should also be camouflage and have long, knit wrists. Make sure that the gloves are thin: the hunter’s hands should be unobstructed so that he or she can give calls, release the safety on a gun, pull a trigger, or shoot a bow.
Proper Turkey Hunting Tips on Footwear
A turkey hunter’s footwear depends on the season. Tall rubber boots with good cushioning and foot support are great for rainy weather. Insulated leather boots work well when the weather is cold. Good, waterproof hiking/hunting boots can also keep the feet warm. A thin pair of polypropylene liner socks combined with wool outer socks will help wick away moisture and keep the feet dry and comfortable.
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