I got my turkey tag this week, hopefully my uncle will take me, but if he can then im on my own,,so i neeed as much help as yall can give me,, such as were to setup, how to setup, calling, when to call, how much to call, and anything else that yall can help me. sorry if this sounds to demanding but i need help,,,thanks yall
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I don't try to explain to people why I hunt. For those who have experienced the thrill no explanation is necessary. For those who haven't, no explanation is possible
Well, first you should start by reading all the experienced posted within the forum. There are a lot of great guys with some great advice throughout this forum and perhaps you'll have more specific questions.
Question for you, do you have calls at present and are you fluent in turkey talk?
If yes, your half way there....as to where to setup, anywhere you have a gobbler responding to you and in the vacinity of...usually you'll want to setup either on the same level or above a gobbler and you don't want junk between you and the bird that might hang the bird up...junk can mean, streams, roads, thick areas, gulleys, fences etc...you'll want an easy path for the bird to come to you and don't be afraid to move on the bird if he's not within eye sight....
How much to call? With this, I like to say...take the turkey's temperature. If he's responding, talke to him but don't over call....if he's answering occassionally, slow down and let him come to you....experience will dictate a good answer to your question...every turkey is different and you have to feel them out. Many callers will call very little...I'm the opposite...I get aggressive..I like to fire a bird up and it's cost me a few but usually there is another one around the corner who wants to play..couple that with the fact we usually have a camera and want the footage, I, we usually don't have patience for a quiet bird....slowly down will get you a few more filled tags tho..
More on setup....do you have decoys? If so, If I set out a decoy, I usually set out a hen with a jake or a two hens with a jake depending but two dekes are fine...a hen and a jake....set the jake facing you and the hen off to the side facing away.... an aggressive gobbler will usually circle and face the jake head on turning him away from you and putting him between you and the decoys.....note I said usually....there are times that decoys will cause a gobbler to hang out of shotgun range....saying, no, I see you turkeys...you come to me...again, using decoys or not will come with experience.....more often or not, you want a gobble to find you, not pinpoint you.
Calling? Usually and simply you want to imitate a hen....using yelps, clucks and purrs...the yelp is the most common..if you fluent on your calls...start by yelping...usually 3 to 5 up to 6 yelps..yelp yelp yelp and listen for a response....you can also use locator calls, I prefer the crow call to locate a gobbler early and then I'll usually go to a pot call....yelping, listening and then cutting......cutting is sharp clucks in a series and random quickness's...similiar to a fly down cackle if your familiar with that....oh so much to learn right?...it'll come to you, just keep reading yup on everyones posts within the forum....and good luck....I'm running dry at the mouth as I type...lol...If you have a gobbler answering you, simply yelp a couple times and listen...is he responding and is he closing the distance.....slow down and let him come.....now purr and cluck..soften your calls...remember you want him to look for you, not pinpoint you....
Well, I can think of more but hopefully everyone can elaborate, continue or correct my post...
do as much scouting as you can never too early however yhey will break away from their large wintering flocks come spring look for tracks,droppings,feathers listen too the turkeys talking amongst themselves observe there movements from afar with binos donnot call to these birds before the season no need to educate them to your calling when the season opens up you will have a good idea where to go and be patient and confident your scouting has paid off hopefully your uncle can tag along for the fun
I agree with everything that has been said. Practice your calls daily.
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I only have a mouth diaphram call, and my dad has a pump action yelper i think it is called,,yes i do have a decoy, think it is a jake,,
Mr. longbeard,
It will be farm land in souther illinois,, unfortunetly it will be hard for me to scout do to the distance away from me that it is, But my dad work on the farm that the land is near and says that he sees several on a regular basis.
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I don't try to explain to people why I hunt. For those who have experienced the thrill no explanation is necessary. For those who haven't, no explanation is possible
Besides reading all of the great information that you'll find here, try hitting your local library and look for books on the subject. I was surprised at how many books I found on turkey hunting. Some are a little old, but the information still pertains.
Good Luck,
Craig
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PSE, ask your dad to keep an eye out on that property as much as he can and maybe he can take you there a couple of weeks before the season and show you where he seen the birds ask him what time of day he seen them if you can only get there one time thats ok walk around and get the lay of the land Do Not Call to these birds before the season let us know your progress and ask more questions if you need to good luck
Hi, my name is Cj. I have been turkey hunting for about 5 years now andI love it. When it comes to turkey hunting it is a little different than deer huntin. You must be very still especially since you will be huntin on the ground. Try not to move at all except your hands when you are callin but keep them below the blind if you are in a blind. If you are not in a blind a good pair of lightweight camo gloves work great. Try to only move your eyes when you are lookin around.
Where to set up. Finding where they eat and drink is a start. But when spring turkey season comes in, they change their habits because it is their breeding season alson. You will definatelately what to find where they roost and find their strutting areas. They will not be as worried about eating and drinkin during breeding season. Although they do have to eat and drink, your chances will greatly increase if you set up near their favored strut zone in the mornin. I like to get set up as early as possible. Before the sun even shows signs of popin up. Once the sun starts crackin the turkeys start gobblin. DO NOT try to set up too close to a roost in the mornin. You will only scare the turkeys off and ruin your chances. You can set up near a roost in the mornin but i find that settin up near a roost in the evenings works best for evening hunts. 3 to 4 turkey decoys is all you need when turkey huntin. Set them as close as possible to you but so close that the turkeys will spot you. I find that15 to 20yards works best. Do not wait till the turkey gets all the way into the decoys if you can help it. Then he might spot somethin wrong. You should be able to get a shot before he makes it all the way to the decoys. BE WELL COMOUFLAGED.
Early inthe morning do not call to agressive. You will make the turkey gobble on his roost and thats no good. Once he gets down and you have made him gobble on the roost chances are that he will walk to other way almost all the time. Use soft yelps, clucks and purrs. Dont call to much either. Space yourself. If there isa turkey gobblin to you do not constantly call back to it. Make him more intrested in you by being silent for a minute and it will drive him mad. He wont stand it and he should start makin his way towards you. As themornin progresses, its warmin up, and the turkeys are gobblin good you can get more agressive with them calls. Try some yelp cuts and clucks. But dont constantly be agressive. Throw in some soft clucks, yelps and purrs again. And again, just as in the mornin, do not call to much. Once you are convinced he is comin your way, stop callin for a bit. Let him find you. And trust me, he will find where the calls are comin from, even if its been 30 min. or longer since the last time you called, he can still pinpoint the location of your calls. So sit tight and grip that gun, cause once you here that spit n' drum you know he is real close, its time to bag a trophy gobbler.
Have fun and if you have any more
questions just ask me and i
will do my best to answer them for
you!!!
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"The sportsman lives his life vicariously. For he secretly yearns to have lived before, in a simpler time. A time when his love for the land, water, fish and wildlife would be more than just part of his life. It would be his state of mind."
NEw to turkey hunting! need help
