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Turkey Hunting Tips

Use Soft Calls First - When you first start calling at a gobbler that is close don’t use loud aggressive calling. But rather start off with soft clucks and purrs. If that doesn’t seem to work then gradually increase the volume and get more aggressive such as some medium volume yelps. If that doesn’t work then try some cutting and aggressive yelping. By starting out to aggressively you could scare a weary gobbler away from your setup.

It Can Pay To Sit Tight - If a turkey that has been answering your calls but then goes silent, a wise old Tom just may be coming in silent. Don’t give up, sit tight and make soft, contented hen clucks. Keep your eyes peeled and don’t move your head. Watch very carefully for movement and listen for them behind you.

Get Close To Gobblers - When you hear a gobbler answer to your call in the distance, try cutting the distance to about 200 yards before you call again. The close you can setup on a gobblers the more likely he will come in all the way to a hunter. By continuing to call to him from the distance his answering calls are likely to attract a live hen and your game is over.

Scouting - There is nothing more important to successful turkey hunting than scouting. By knowing where a gobbler goes after leaving his roost tree you are way ahead of the game. Now all you have to do is get the gobblers strutting or feeding area before he does, and call softly. Since he is coming there anyway, you shouldn’t have any problems if you stay hidden. Keep in mind that you don’t have to call aggressively or be a turkey calling champion if your setup where the turkeys want to be.

Pattern Test Your Gun and Ammo - Instead of asking a friend or reading a magazine article test your gun and ammo on a pattern board yourself. Every gun, choke tube, and ammo will affect the performance of your pattern. By doing so you will also know the distance where your gun’s performance tapers off, and the distance you should never shoot at. A good pattern should be 85-95% hits in a 30” circle at 40 yards.

Change Up The Sounds Of Your Calls - The more different calls and types of calls you can use the better your odds will be in finding the combination a gobbler will respond to. On any given day a gobbler will answer a diaphragm, and the next day they will only answer a tube call. For windy days, box calls and aluminum calls will pierce through the wind best.

Be Invisible - When hunting turkey you must be camo from head to toe. Turkeys have very keen eyesight. Gloves, a facemask, and even camoed guns should all be used. When a gobbler is approach keep your movement to an absolute minimum and to try to setup in shadows.

Don’t Give Yourself Up - To keep up with the bird’s location without giving away your position use a locator call such as a crow, owl, or goose call. By doing so you won’t have to worry about a gobbler coming in on you before you are ready.

Improved Decoy Movement - To get more motion from your decoy in light winds enlarge the hole that the spindle goes through in the bottom of a turkey decoy so the body can move with less friction. Next you can eliminate un-natural movement by push a twig firmly into the ground 8 inches on either side of the tail to prevent any unnatural spinning. In a light breeze, gobblers find the abrupt back-and-forth movements hard to resist.

Gobbler Ambush - Whenever you see a gobbler with hens, write down the time and location. Because turkeys are creatures of habit, knowing their routine will most likely allow you to take advantage of their travels when you set up on them the next day. It is critical that you don’t spook such birds when you first observe them as this will most likely change their routine.