Hello All,

I've been very fortunate to hunt turkeys with my cousin on some very amazing land in Tennessee. The areas he would take me were mostly pastures and hidden fields. Very nice land where turkeys are known to group.

This year things were different. I set out on my own here in Michigan and things didn't go as smoothly. There are no pastures, there were no fields. Just some areas that were lumbered and a bunch of brush. Trees are mostly pine but there are some smaller areas of oaks and poplars.

So here are some questions for you experienced turkey hunters:

1) Do you hunt in windy conditions?

2) Do you keep moving until you hear a gobble? Or do you sit and call?

3) How do you hunt the roost in the morning when you have a very bright moon? (ie what time do you get out there on a brightnight)

4) When hunting the evening is it best to shock gobble a rooster with a yelp or owl/crow/hawk call?

5) I know there are lots of turkeys in the area that I was hunting but in 4 days of hunting we only heard 4 or5 gobbles. Is it possible that the birds aren't hot yet?

6) I have a hen decoy and a jake decoy. The jake is has a very red and blue head with a long beard. Is it possible that this decoy would scare away smaller birds? Should I get a weaker looking jake? I'm not a trophy hunters. Just want some nice sized birds that aren't too tough.

I'm sure I have more questions after my first solo hunt but I can't think of many right now. I was wishing I had access to this site from the field on Saturday to get some advice.

Thanks

Tom