If I had to guess, a lot of turkey hunters became hooked on turkey hunting the first time they experience the incredible rush of a gobbling Tom flying down off of the roost and marching in to their setup performing one of nature’s most incredible shows. I will never forget my first Tom as he spit, drummed, fanned and dragged his wingtips showing off for his expected mate. It would be great if every hunt ended that way but a lot of times it does not. Many time, gobblers fly off of the roost and are immediately attracted to hens they can see or one jealous jenny will drag the big boy away from your seductive calling. When this happens, a lot of turkey hunters give up and head home convinced the day is done and this is a mistake. After the Tom departs with his hens, he will spend time breeding them before they move mid-morning off to their nests. At that time, Mr. Gobbler becomes very lonely, very vulnerable, and very callable. I have killed just as many turkeys from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. as I have at daylight. Here is a suggestion. Hunt the fly down. If your Tom does not cooperate with your setup and departs with his hens, do one of the following: go get some breakfast, take a nap, check your e-mail, call the office, or read a book. The chances are that Mr. Tom will be looking for more girlfriends in a couple of hours. Often, I will use this time to set up in a likely area where I know Toms strut later in the morning. I’ll beat them to their strutting grounds. So don’t forget that forget early morning’s "henned up" gobbler can become late morning’s lonely gobbler!
Mistake #2 - Pattern Your Shotgun!!!
In today’s world of shotguns, turkey chokes, and specialized turkey loads, it is very easy to assume that the newest, greatest turkey choke combined with the latest, greatest turkey load guarantees a lethal pattern up to 60 yards(please don’t shoot gobblers at 60 yards!). I, like everyone else at one time or another, has fallen victim to the technology hype and I have paid the price. A few years ago, I had added a very expensive, high tech turkey choke and a very expensive turkey load to my tried and true Remington 870. I confidently took my new set up to Florida and proceeded to miss a ridiculously simple 25 yard shot on an Osceola gobbler that guide Billy Henderson(Deep South Outfitters) had coming in on a rope. While I admit that I got in a hurry and just choked, I was still perplexed why the bird didn’t drop and took the time to shoot a turkey target at 20, 25, and 30 yards. I was blown away to see how few pellets I was actually getting on the neck of the bird. Billy(who by now has only partially forgiven me for messing up his 100% success rate during the 2008 season) suggested that I just stick my original Remington full choke back in my barrel and try a more traditional lead load. The results were astonishing. My 870 shot better with its normal full choke and a normal turkey load than it did with the fancy stuff. The moral to this story is that every gun is different and will respond differently to various chokes and shot patterns. Take the time to purchase some turkey targets and pattern your gun. You maybe surprised at the results. Search the internet and read about what gun manufacturers and other hunters recommend. There is a very good chance that someone else has done the research for your gun and has shared their results online. Also, spend a little extra money and buy a turkey target for your testing. The visual image of the turkey neck will really help your patterning process!
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| Birchwood Casey Targets! |
Mistake #3 - Don't Move!!!
Don’t Move! Sounds simple right? Well, for some of us it isn't. I for one am a chronic "fidgeter" and a certified medicated member of the Adult Attention Deficit Disorder tribe. Often, it is COLD during the early season and the colder it is, the harder it is to sit still. Conversely, it can be very WARM in the late season and this can be equally uncomfortable. There are also some things during your hunt that require movement. Things like moving your hands to work your turkey call or aiming your gun. Turkeys have telescopic sight and and a field of vision of up to 270 degrees. In a nutshell, They can see a long way, see very small things, see very small movements, and appear to have eyes almost in the back of their head. If being still is a problem, try hunting out of ground blind. There are all kinds of very portable ground blinds that be set up quietly in a matter of seconds. They are comfortable, warm, dry, and allow some movement inside the blind. Take me for example: I like to use pot or box calls and typically film my hunts. I like to use an Ameristep DogHouse Ground Blind as it gives me plenty of room to set up my camera and use my calls. If you don’t like ground blinds, try using a chair like the Ameristep's Turkey Chair or some other low profile chair. Being comfortable and off of the ground will help you be sit "still" for longer periods of time. Add a small camo blind in front of your chair and you will have room to get your business done!
What screws many turkey hunts is getting busted. I define getting busted as being seen by turkeys or heard by turkeys before you ever get close to them. What is really frustrating is a lot of times you get busted without knowing you have been busted! How many times have you had that hot gobbler all of a sudden shut up? I have and have sat wondering what went wrong. As previously noted, turkeys have wide set eyes, telescopic sight, and a 270° field of vision BEFORE they even move their head. If their eyesight was not the only problem a hunter has to deal with, add their very acute hearing to the equation. Turkeys can hear sounds up to a mile away in the right conditions. You are chasing a game animal that can hear or see you it seems before you even get in the county! You can drastically minimize the times you are busted by SCOUTING your properties before you hunt. Before I hunt a property, I want to know the following:
A. Where can I use the terrain to move without being seen? For example, a Tom on the roost on a full moon night can see for over 300 yards. If there are no leaves on the trees(as is often in the early season), he can see even farther. The best way to prevent being seen is to be able to use the land to hide your movements. Is their a ridge between me and the birds or sunken road I can sneak down?
B. Where can I move and not make noise? How do I avoid high noise areas like dry leaves?
C. Where are the Tom’s likely to roost in case I don’t get them put to bed the evening before or they have lockjaw the next morning? Knowing this keeps me moving too close to roosted birds about to fly down.
Scouting can also help you pin point funnels, strutting zones, and potential travel barriers like creeks, fences, etc…. Start you scouting on your computer with a program like Google Earth or some other map software. A lot of the areas you are looking for can be seen easily before you ever enter the woods. I also use my Tasco 3 MP Trail Camera
to help pattern the turkeys and their movement(I like inexpensive cameras!). Scouting Turkeys in the late winter/early spring is also a great time to take walks in the woods and look for sheds.
Mistake #5 - Don't Get in a Hurry!
Everybody gets excited when that Tom is close and it is very easy to hurry your shot. One time I was hunting a really hot Tom in Tennessee. I had set up a decoy about 100 yards away from his roost and broke a twig as I was setting up the decoy. The gobbler sounded off to the branch breaking. I than “scratched” my way back to my seat. Every time, I scratched he gobbled. Once I was seated and still, I quietly tree yelped about 3 times and flapped a turkey wing trying to duplicate a hen flying down. That was all it took as I heard him fly off of the roost and head I my direction. I quickly got my gun to my shoulder and aimed at my decoy. Surprisingly, nothing appeared where I expected. Puzzled about where my Tom was, something innately told me to look up. About 5 yards away and above me was the gobbler about to land on me like a Mallard coming into the decoys. He saw me about the time I saw him and the minute he hit the ground, he began running the other way. I slowly raised my gun and shot him at about 25 yards. He was a beautiful 21 lb. bird with an 11” beard. I’m convinced I killed this bird because I took my time. Turkeys can run at about 20 mph but they cannot out run a load of #5 shot if it is properly placed. Lets be sure we put the emphasis on “properly placed”. So next time you have to take a running shot or flying shot on a gobbler in range, take an extra split second and aim. You’ll find yourself taking better shots and harvesting more birds!
Mistake # 6 - Know your setup before you call!
O.K. How many of you have had this happen? Your strolling through the woods and it has been a slow morning. Your concentration is waning and you’re probably hungry or tired. All of a sudden, you remember why you are in the woods and you decide to prospect with a cut or yelp on your pot or box call. A gobbler answers and he is near! You frantically look around trying to find a place to set up. You pick the nearest tree and hunker down. After “hunkering”, you realize that you are not looking the right way and try to move. The alarm putt of a tom is the last thing you hear as your gobbler departs for safety. We’ve all done this as we have learned to turkey hunt and the solution is simple. If I am running and gunning or “strolling and gunning”, I always determine where I am going to set up before I call.. I visualize what I am going to do in the event I hear that gobbler. I may even move a tree limb or other debris before I call. This process mentally gets me ready for my move and makes the move quick and silent.
Mistake #7 - Setting up on the wrong side of barriers!
Turkeys typically will not cross barriers like a ditch, river, pond, fence, etc…. Many hunters don’t figure out why their hot gobbler won't close the distance til after the hunt and discover the barrier that was keeping that gobbler from getting closer. Scouting again can help you with this by giving you the knowledge you need to avoid this mistake. Google Maps and other internet based software can also help you locate potential barriers before you hunt a property. If there is a barrier between you and the bird and you can’t avoid it, try to set up close enough to the barrier so that the bird is in gun range on the other side.
Mistake #8 - Calling Too Much!
I am a firm believer that beginning turkey hunters spook lots of birds by calling too much. Most turkey hunters will harvest more birds if they will call less and limit their calls to very soft yelps, purrs, clucks, and cutts. Keep your calling to a minimum and you will see better results.
to help pattern the turkeys and their movement(I like inexpensive cameras!). Scouting Turkeys in the late winter/early spring is also a great time to take walks in the woods and look for sheds.Mistake #5 - Don't Get in a Hurry!
Everybody gets excited when that Tom is close and it is very easy to hurry your shot. One time I was hunting a really hot Tom in Tennessee. I had set up a decoy about 100 yards away from his roost and broke a twig as I was setting up the decoy. The gobbler sounded off to the branch breaking. I than “scratched” my way back to my seat. Every time, I scratched he gobbled. Once I was seated and still, I quietly tree yelped about 3 times and flapped a turkey wing trying to duplicate a hen flying down. That was all it took as I heard him fly off of the roost and head I my direction. I quickly got my gun to my shoulder and aimed at my decoy. Surprisingly, nothing appeared where I expected. Puzzled about where my Tom was, something innately told me to look up. About 5 yards away and above me was the gobbler about to land on me like a Mallard coming into the decoys. He saw me about the time I saw him and the minute he hit the ground, he began running the other way. I slowly raised my gun and shot him at about 25 yards. He was a beautiful 21 lb. bird with an 11” beard. I’m convinced I killed this bird because I took my time. Turkeys can run at about 20 mph but they cannot out run a load of #5 shot if it is properly placed. Lets be sure we put the emphasis on “properly placed”. So next time you have to take a running shot or flying shot on a gobbler in range, take an extra split second and aim. You’ll find yourself taking better shots and harvesting more birds!
Mistake # 6 - Know your setup before you call!
O.K. How many of you have had this happen? Your strolling through the woods and it has been a slow morning. Your concentration is waning and you’re probably hungry or tired. All of a sudden, you remember why you are in the woods and you decide to prospect with a cut or yelp on your pot or box call. A gobbler answers and he is near! You frantically look around trying to find a place to set up. You pick the nearest tree and hunker down. After “hunkering”, you realize that you are not looking the right way and try to move. The alarm putt of a tom is the last thing you hear as your gobbler departs for safety. We’ve all done this as we have learned to turkey hunt and the solution is simple. If I am running and gunning or “strolling and gunning”, I always determine where I am going to set up before I call.. I visualize what I am going to do in the event I hear that gobbler. I may even move a tree limb or other debris before I call. This process mentally gets me ready for my move and makes the move quick and silent.
Mistake #7 - Setting up on the wrong side of barriers!
Turkeys typically will not cross barriers like a ditch, river, pond, fence, etc…. Many hunters don’t figure out why their hot gobbler won't close the distance til after the hunt and discover the barrier that was keeping that gobbler from getting closer. Scouting again can help you with this by giving you the knowledge you need to avoid this mistake. Google Maps and other internet based software can also help you locate potential barriers before you hunt a property. If there is a barrier between you and the bird and you can’t avoid it, try to set up close enough to the barrier so that the bird is in gun range on the other side.
Mistake #8 - Calling Too Much!
I am a firm believer that beginning turkey hunters spook lots of birds by calling too much. Most turkey hunters will harvest more birds if they will call less and limit their calls to very soft yelps, purrs, clucks, and cutts. Keep your calling to a minimum and you will see better results.
