Things I know now that I didnt know then

[timberjack86]

I wish I could go back in time and tell myself things that I have learned turkey hunting that I didnt know when I started.It would have saved me three years of gobbler less seasons and so much anguish and frustration. I almost quit a couple times.Here are a few things I have learned that might help some begginners. let me be the first to say I am no expert and I still consider myself a begginer.

• 1Patiece. I never had enough of it. I learned the best way for me to kill a gobbler is to set up on him like I do deer. I get a gobbler gobbling then set in for the long haul sometimes 30 minutes is all it takes sometimes 3 hours. And sometimes he wont come at all.Thats when I back out and try him again another day with another call. I have found my odds go up considerabley whith this approach than it does me moving and changing set ups and risk spooking the bird.
• 2 The set up. Countless times I set up where I could see a 100 yards like I do deer hunting and wonderd why the gobbler would always hang up out of range.Then it hit me. The gobbler was hanging up where he could view my calling location and expect to see a hen. So when he didnt see the hen he hung up and would gobble and strut. Lesson learned always set up so that when the gobbler can see your calling location he is already in gun range. My favorite setup is right under a ridge where the gobbler is and all he has to do is walk to the edge to look down and he is in gun range.
• 3Pattern my gun. I was so naive I thought I could pick up my shotgun and grab a box of turkey loads and I was ready. The first bird I called up I had to shoot twice. The next day found me at the target range finding out I could only put a few shot in a turkeys head at 30 yards. Lesson learned .Find the load and choke your gun likes.
• 4 Calling. I always watched the movies where the guys call like crazy to the birds and they run in and put on a show.I could never figure out why my birds would never do that. They would always gobble like they loved what I was saying but would hardly budge. Little did I know I was ruining my hunt by over calling.I was hanging my birds up by sounding like an eager hen that was ready to commit and come to them.Now dont get me wrong sometimes a gobbler loves alot of calling. And if hes coming in there is no reason not to give him what he wants. But if he's a less talkitive bird thats moving slowly Less is useally more.
• 5 Buy or invent a thermacell. I dont think they were available back when I started but I wish they were. This is the greatest invention to turkey hunters thats everbeen. I used one last spring where you could swing a pint jar over your head and catch a quart of mosquitos. I hope this helps anyone getting started turkey hunting. Like I said this is just my observations hunting and I could sure use some good tips too. Eveyone is welcome to add anthing to this thread if they wish.

 

[kdxdude]

Good post. There is a little saying that I told my sons when they were very young & an ol gobbler would get quiet on em. Their 1st reaction was to wanna call so the bird would gobble & tell us where he was at. I told my sons "SILENCE IS YOUR FRIEND"!! Meanin, as much as u wanna know where that bird is, if ya have him hooked he is just as curious as you are about where that hen is. A little sayin I came up with to help some impatient youngsters sit still & quiet while Mr. Tom looked for them. A bunch of birds later, I'm quite certain I've made believers out of em!

 

[timberjack86]

Good post. There is a little saying that I told my sons when they were very young & an ol gobbler would get quiet on em. Their 1st reaction was to wanna call so the bird would gobble & tell us where he was at. I told my sons "SILENCE IS YOUR FRIEND"!! Meanin, as much as u wanna know where that bird is, if ya have him hooked he is just as curious as you are about where that hen is. A little sayin I came up with to help some impatient youngsters sit still & quiet while Mr. Tom looked for them. A bunch of birds later, I'm quite certain I've made believers out of em!

I had that problem too and have had to restrain myself from time to time! Still do!

 

[nate17]

very solid post.

I would have killed a lot more birds my first few years if i would have had more patience. Wish I had a dollar every time I moved to a new setup while i was blasting away at a bird only to get to my new spot, call and him hammer one out right where i just came from. Cant beat the ridge set up, works time and time again.

You dont have to be a world champion caller, just gotta have a little patience.

 

[KANATI McD]

Good stuff. Gotta make you proud that you figured it out on your own. Time in the woods will always be the best teacher....

Biggest lesson I've learned is not to just sit and call. If he dont wanna play, I will.
If hes a good ways off and is not coming to my calls, I will cut him off mid gobble with excited cutting and take off. About every 65 yards or so i will yelp as if i'm looking for him. When he gobbles, I cutt him off again. Now hes excited and knows im coming.. I try to get as close as I can then act like I'm hung up. Usually they come in on a string.
Just make sure you know where hes at so you dont bump him. If he quits gobbling, I sit and wait.


This wont work on LBL turkeys. THEY ARE GAY!

 

[timberjack86]

Good stuff. Gotta make you proud that you figured it out on your own. Time in the woods will always be the best teacher....

Biggest lesson I've learned is not to just sit and call. If he dont wanna play, I will.
If hes a good ways off and is not coming to my calls, I will cut him off mid gobble with excited cutting and take off. About every 65 yards or so i will yelp as if i'm looking for him. When he gobbles, I cutt him off again. Now hes excited and knows im coming.. I try to get as close as I can then act like I'm hung up. Usually they come in on a string.
Just make sure you know where hes at so you dont bump him. If he quits gobbling, I sit and wait.


This wont work on LBL turkeys. THEY ARE GAY!

I always bump them but thats some good advice.Sounds like you need a gobbler decoy at LBL

 

[pseshooter300]

Good post and good info shared

 

[muddyboots]

Exactly opposite works for me. I have to kill em or run em off.

 

[REN]

I would say PATIENCE is the #1 obstical for most turkey hunters without a doubt. More hunts are lost due to that then anything else. However I would also add indecisiveness and timidness to that list as well. A lot of new hunters or even seasoned ones are scared to get "to close" or afraid to be aggressive. This can cause a failed hunt as much as being over aggressive IMO. if you are not afraid you are getting to close and about to get busted you have not gone far enough IMO but thats just the way i hunt. I would rather take the chance to get as close as possible then to play the odds the bird will come a long distance to me. indecisiveness can be a killer as well. if you hear a bird then you have to have a plan and get to it quick, if you stand around trying to figure out what to do chances are you will be behind the 8 ball from the get go. If you know the land like the back of you hand (which is a MUST in turkey hunting) you should be able to put a plan in action right away.

when you get where you are going get ready QUICK and ALWAYS BE READY TO SHOOT IN A SHOOTING POSITION. I have had a number of missed opportunities due to me taking my time getting set up or not having my gun in a position to shoot. It is a terrible way to learn that lesson.

lastly one thing i always live by is "if you dont try it, it will never work". Calling doesnt have to sound like you are in a competition and every bird is different. some you may have to belly crawl for, some sit still and others require you to take drastic measures.

 

[Baxter83]

"The set up. Countless times I set up where I could see a 100 yards like I do deer hunting and wonderd why the gobbler would always hang up out of range.Then it hit me. The gobbler was hanging up where he could view my calling location and expect to see a hen. So when he didnt see the hen he hung up and would gobble and strut."

Ya know, I've always tried to set up in some kind of cover, but I have also looked for a place where I had a long field of view....I think you just reveiled what happened to me last year on a bird that was gobbling his head off at my calls, but wouldn't come out of the shelter of a little thicket about 80 yards from me.

Good post, I learned something

 

[turkeyhunter]

Good points. But im never staying on one set up 3hrs.

 

[muddyboots]

Ren said it way better than i did the first time.

 

[93civEJ1]

More posts like this for us beginners!!!!!!

 

[Onelow69c10]

"The set up. Countless times I set up where I could see a 100 yards like I do deer hunting and wonderd why the gobbler would always hang up out of range.Then it hit me. The gobbler was hanging up where he could view my calling location and expect to see a hen. So when he didnt see the hen he hung up and would gobble and strut."

Ya know, I've always tried to set up in some kind of cover, but I have also looked for a place where I had a long field of view....I think you just reveiled what happened to me last year on a bird that was gobbling his head off at my calls, but wouldn't come out of the shelter of a little thicket about 80 yards from me.

Good post, I learned something

I had one like this that I did the same thing on last year. He would gobble his head off at me all day but just would not come out in the field I was hunting. I had nighmares about that gobbler all season.

 

[REN]

IF POSSIBLE i always try to use the terrain to my advantage. I will do everything i can do to set up to where the tom will have to peak over a knoll or log or whatever i can to see where the hen is. I try to make that natural terrain be 35yds or in. That way if i see his head he is already in range.

sometimes you dont have to option but you should always try to use the terrain to your advantage whenever possible. You need all the advantages you can get in the spring.

set ups on logging roads where the road turns or on a small knoll ect are get ways to use the terrain.


1 other lesson i learned the hard way is if you hunt areas where birds roost on a ridge, majority of the time they will fly up the hill so setting up below them is usually not gonna get you very far. if there is a field or something at the bottom that is different but typicly you will need to get equal or above them for you greatest chances.

 

[bvoss]

Good points. But im never staying on one set up 3hrs.

I agree. I think there is a lot of good material in this post, but for me I am moving on after an hour or so of set up ( unless its an evening hunt right before fly up). I have several farms I can hunt and not enough patience to just sit there. Now if I only had a small track of land to hunt and that was it, yea I would set up and stay put.

 

[REN]

My butt has a 1hour max unless he is still vocal and just walking slow

 

[Harvester]

Listen to your gut. Don't overthink it or take those extra steps to the next tree that you think is better. It has cost me several birds over the years taking those "last few steps".

For field birds, always get the sun at your back, they are less likely to spook when you ease to the edge of the field for the ambush.

 

[timberjack86]

Good points. But im never staying on one set up 3hrs.

I have found for me the longer I stay with a bird the better my odds of killing him. Just last year I located a gobbler on the roost. I eased within 100 yards of his roost and set up. I called to him on the roost and then the woods came alive with hens greeting the gobbler. As predicted he flew down to the hens to go watch the sunrise together. So I decied to stay put and blind call till noon. Wouldnt you know Mr.gobbler comes back about 11 in the morning right to my calling location gobbling the whole way. It took me five hours to kill that gobbler but patience won the day. And how do I know thats the same gobbler? I got a good look at him when he passed by at 70 yards earlier that morning and he was missing a few feathers right in the middle of his fan

 

[timberjack86]

And also in response to my post above a gobbler that has a place where he picks up hens in the morning knows that spot well. He knows the best places in the woods to pick up ladys. If you stay there calling most of the day if all his hens leave him during midday where do you think he going to come looking for a hen when he gets lonely?

 

[turkeyhunter]

I would have tried to get in front of bird that went with hens. Or left and came back around mid day , I do that often. I have done just about everything to kill a gobbler , crawling swimming, etc.. but will not sit in a blind for 3-4 hours. Not that its not a good method its just not for me.

 

[Harvester]

Don't be afraid to call. I use to think you could only call every 30 minutes. I like to talk to them. To me calling is "TURKEY HUNTING".

 

[timberjack86]

I would have tried to get in front of bird that went with hens. Or left and came back around mid day , I do that often. I have done just about everything to kill a gobbler , crawling swimming, etc.. but will not sit in a blind for 3-4 hours. Not that its not a good method its just not for me.

I totally agree its not for everyone. But I am not as stealthy as some.Its just easier for me to be patient than it is to make something happen.And I should mention it dosnt bother me to sit all day deer hunting so I can sit a long time.

 

[muddyboots]

Another for the new guys that i think is important but have yet to learn to my father in law. Move through the woods without alarming other animals. You cant walk like your on main street. My wife picked this up in about three trips but my father in law never has. lol if you can maneuver aroung and not spook birds and squirrels you are on the right track.

 

[Setterman]

Things I have learned, always always always get as close as physically possible before making the first peep to a bird.

Set up where I can see about 40 yards, and try not be able to see "a long way".

Be natural with your calling, very very rarely do hens stand around cutting and yelping at the top of their lungs. They usually do most of their communication with almost inaudible yelps and very low lucks. In other words calling softer was a huge thing I learned.

The most important thing other then getting close, is to be patient. Turkeys are in no freaking hurry usually, I have killed probably 30-40 birds in the past 10 years that years ago I wouldn't have, simply by putting my calls down and just waiting for 30 extra minutes after a bird went silent.

 

[Anonymous]

Things I have learned, always always always get as close as physically possible before making the first peep to a bird.

Set up where I can see about 40 yards, and try not be able to see "a long way".

Be natural with your calling, very very rarely do hens stand around cutting and yelping at the top of their lungs. They usually do most of their communication with almost inaudible yelps and very low lucks. In other words calling softer was a huge thing I learned.

The most important thing other then getting close, is to be patient. Turkeys are in no freaking hurry usually, I have killed probably 30-40 birds in the past 10 years that years ago I wouldn't have, simply by putting my calls down and just waiting for 30 extra minutes after a bird went silent.

Good sound advice from the Captain right there

 

[BHC]

You can't beat some soft purrs and tree yelps right at daybreak. If hes excited and cuts you off shut up! He's interested! Any extra calling at this point tells him your interested in comin to him. Patience. He is likely coming, this is the hard part, cuz you wanna know where he's at. He will gobble because he wants to know where you are just as bad! As soon as he gobbles cut him off with some soft yelps. You want to be the first thing he hears when his gobble cuts off. Soft and content though you don't want to make him think your interested in coming. After this a simple purr at most is all you need to do.
This isn't fool proof but in my short turkey hunting career, it's the most effective "calling" method of killing turkeys! If its rainin be on the fields before daylight, because that's where they are headed. I cut only when I'm having to compete with other hens, or use it as a mid day locator call for tough birds. This yr I'm Gunna gobble quite a bit to pull in birds to bring em in. But that'll be an experiment for me, as I've never done it.
That's my tid bit I've learned, ive only turkey hunted for 3 yrs, called in 7 or 8 birds and killed 4 so I'm still learning every yr! I appreciate all the advice that gets piosted

 

[Hunt 365]

Woodsmanship beats calling any day. Do your homework, know your ground and your birds, and have a good time without the constant manuevering of running and gunning

 

[Trevor2]

I know alot more now then when I started but the one thing that sticks out big time is how not to over call. How to get that ol gobbler riled up and then shut up and make him hunt you while you just sit and wait to jelly that head lol

 

[Roost 1]

Pateince has led to many a gobblers demise.....I think one of the best things a hunter can do to be successful is to learn the ways of the bird...After you learn their habits and instincts its not hard to hunt them..I am not saying its always easy but learn the habits of the animal and when you know ahead of time what he is going to do or what they like you are way ahead of the game. By knowing what they like to do in different situations, I have been successful in hunting places that have alot of pressure and new places I havent hunted before. An ol timer once told, "Once you learn the ways to the gobbler, he will tell you how to hunt him." Took me along time to figure this out. Calling is a very small part of your success in my opinion.