Gimme some real life hints about turkey hunting

After years of hunting I have found that you have to be be adaptive to be successful hunting turkeys. While I prefer to try to get them early in the morning I have probable gotten just as many in the afternoon . Be inventive and use your imagination.

Decoys sometimes work, I have a half a dozen cheaper style decoys that I mix and match as suits my mood.
I am one of those people who cannot use a mouth call, I envy those that can. Therefore I make due with several different kinds. My go-to preference being a box call or a tube call. I try not to use the same call if hunting an area back to back . Don't overcall !

On the five or six properties I hunt I have 2 blinds set up for damp days, I carry a portable mini blind for most days or I just run and gun if the opportunity presents itself, this last I find to be the most fun.

The most important thing you need to find out is where they roost, and their habits for the rest of the day. Being a farmer and working the fields at this time of year gives me an idea of where they spend their time and when.

Nothing is written in stone regarding this endeavor. My turkeys, the last few years, quit gobbling as soon as they leave the roost. Patience then becomes a virtue as you sit waiting for that silent tom to show up. My rule of thumb is decide what time you are going to quit then wait 10 more minutes.

You will shoot turkeys under almost every circumstance you can imagine, and every once in a while you will actually shoot one in that early morning classic text book case .
 
I'd suggest you start with a low chair, one of those camo skirts that you stake into the ground around your outstretched legs and feet, a box call, and a decent hen decoy.
Those foldout low chairs are comfortable and being able to sit for hours without moving much will increase your chances of success.
The camo skirts are light and easy to pack and they allow you to conceal any movement from the neck down - important for calling as well as setting down your call and picking up your shotgun when the time comes. It also conceals you a bit from the sides. Turkeys will often flank you when you least expect it so a bit of side coverage is nice.
Box calls are one of the easiest calls to use in all kinds of weather. You can pick one up and make a decent yelp with 10 minutes of practice.
I'm sure people have had success with a decoy made out an old work sock. But unless you're on some sort of tight budget, buy a decent decoy. If you're mostly hunting forested areas then the decoy is not as important because, like others have mentioned, the tom may come searching. But if you're hunting mostly fields, I find that toms can be wary to step out of the woods if they don't have visual confirmation there is something worth stepping out for.

The above setup is light, versatile, and really gets you in the thick of things. Blinds are great and I hunt out of them on occasion but nothing beats the ability to see 180deg and being at eye level with the turkeys and coyotes that will inevitably come to your set up.

Wild turkey meat is delicious. I've made it many different ways but my family's favourite for the breast meat is a Meateater recipe for wild turkey piccata. The legs and thighs I do in the slow cooker and then use the meat to make chili. Anyone who says wild turkey meat isn't tasty doesn't know how to cook.

Two words of warning. First, turkey hunting can be highly addictive. Second, turkey hunting can be infuriating...some seasons it can seem like the birds are just out to F with you. But that's all part of the fun. Good luck!
 
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The Ontario Hunting Regs suggest that making 'gobbler' calls might result in another hunter coming in and shooting you, so I guess that right there would be a reason to have some decoys out, to draw fire....

And not to make too light of it, because I do remember when a turkey hunter in Vermont was killed that way, by a friend. He was shot through a bush, which is not what I call safe hunting practice. And yes there were all kinds of jokes about it not being a dignified way to die, being mistake for a turkey. To give the ON Regs some credit they recommend having something solid at your back, something the width of your shoulders.
 
I like using a gobbler call if you get a tom that hangs up, sometimes makes them mad enough to come in. Other times they will return a gobble when hen noises don't seem to be working. Should be used very sparingly.

A suitable tree provides protection in this case but also acts as a nice back rest . A tree, a soft seat cushion and some warm spring sun have lulled many a hunter to snooze on the job.
 
As others have said ticks, use spray for horses/livestock from a feed store is probably the easiest and cheapest. Don’t spray on your skin. More than a few people at my work have been completely debilitated from Lymes.
 
This is going to be my first year out hunting turkey. I have a bow, but I was considering getting a shotgun (something versatile, not just for turkey). I feel like I would spook a turkey with the drawback...how much different is hunting with the two?
 
underconstruction said:
This is going to be my first year out hunting turkey. I have a bow, but I was considering getting a shotgun (something versatile, not just for turkey). I feel like I would spook a turkey with the drawback...how much different is hunting with the two?
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Got a popup blind? Can be useful when using a bow.
 
underconstruction said:
This is going to be my first year out hunting turkey. I have a bow, but I was considering getting a shotgun (something versatile, not just for turkey). I feel like I would spook a turkey with the drawback...how much different is hunting with the two?
Click to expand...

Much more challenging with a bow. Like Squidxm says, being in a blind helps conceal drawing the bow. Not only is there more movement involved compared to a shotgun, you need to get them in closer. With my shotgun I can confidently shoot birds at 40 yds but with my compound bow I limit myself to about half of that...turkey vitals are about the size of a grapefruit.
 
My best blinds are farmers wood piles and sugar shacks. Hunting a bush with other hunters calling does not work well after a few days of opener. l have shot more toms watching, patterning their movement and ambush where bush allows that. You need bug spray for ticks as said and other biting bugs if you hunt when leaves and grass get taller as it warms up. Take water with you and travel light. Mouth call is what l use the most.
 
canadian hunter312 said:
Forgot to touch on eating them. As with many other wild game they tend to be lean so you really need to avoid overcooking. Take it out at 158-160 degrees and let it finish cooking to 165 while it rests.

Deep fried whole bird is delicious, but you'll get better results breaking the bird down and cooking the legs and breast separately. Breast are done at the 165 mark while the legs are high collagen and need low and slow to 180 degrees to break it down into silky smooth tender yumminess.
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I like this post the best, eh
 
First thing is you have to secretly get ready to shoot a turkey. I got already last spring and the hundreds of turkeys here disappeared to show up either north and south of me. Used to come out on my lawn all year till now.
 
The upcoming weeks are key to success. Get out early in the mornings in the areas you are choosing to hunt. And just listen for gobbling toms. check as many spots as you have access to and mark every gobbling turkey you have in the area. The more you can find now the better your chances get at finding one that wants to play after April 25th.
Cool, crisp, sunny, light wind mornings are best to listen for gobbling birds. If it’s raining look for birds in open fields and try to make educated guesses as to where they might have come from. Remember toms like to roost on high points and over water.
DON’T USE YOUR TURKEY CALLS UNTIL THE SEASON OPENS! I can’t stress that enough. All you do is educate the toms and make them harder for you to kill.
Bring your binoculars and your locator calls Owl hooters, Crow calls, coyote howlers, hawk screamers, hell even a loud goose or duck call can make them gobble at times. DONT BRING YOUR TURKEY CALLS if you can’t not use them. I say this because I used to use mine before the season all the time because I just like to hear em gobble. It is Very frustrating to call in a tom before the season then not be able to do it again when the season opens…..very frustrating.

The coming week will have get last winter flocks breaking up and toms will start gobbling well from the roost. Burn some gas and find your candidates. GAME ON!
 
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