Turkey hunting?
 

turkey season starts may 1 and i need some tips and info. Is it ok to wear bug spray while turkey hunting? do i need special camoflague or will military camo (woodland pattern) work fine? how do i wse a mouth call? is face paint ok or should i get a net to cover my face?

Stwart,

You'll get a 1000 opinions on your questions, so here is my 2 cents.

Bug spray has no effect on turkeys, here in S. Ga. I use to practically have to bathe in it to keep the mosquitos at bay, now I primarily use a thermacel, which is a gas operated mosquito repellant.

Face paint, I think it would work, but I use a face/head camo mask.

As for the mouth call, I could talk all day about them, but I would recommend that you order you a CD or tape on calling turkeys with them.

I'm retired Military and have used military BDUs' for years, I do mix them with other camo clothes, for instance, BDU trousers and a commercial type camo shirt or coat. One thing about camo clothing, I wouldn't recommend washing them in laundry detergent with UV brightners. Personally and some may laugh at me, but my turkey hunting clothes are not worn for any other type hunting at all and I only wash them in plain water, no detergent. BDUs' to me, do seem to fade fast over time, they will actually take on a gray look after few years or a lot of washing and even though you may not notice it, but you will stand out like a sore thumb in the woods.

I only take 3 calls to the woods with me, a slate call (Old Yellar), a mouth call, and a scratch box call. This works for me, and I know/have some friends that carry 10 or more calls with them, and that's fine, I just travel as light as possible.

One other thing, I personally don't like turkey vest, mainly because of Arthiritis, I just can't sit long on the ground, so I use a stool that keeps me about 6 inches off the ground, this dosen't make my old bones hurt as bad, particularly my knees.

I will recommend a good book and there are plenty of them and others have recommended this one and others on other post. The book by Tom Kelly, "Tenth Legion", is a good read on Tips, Tactics, and Insights on turkey hunting.

You'll get more info and opinions as soon as others read your post, so take heed, there are some great turkey hunters on here.

Good Luck and Happy New Year,
dog1

I agree with the above. The first 8-10 turkeys I killed were called in with a diaphragm call. I then decided I needed to branch out a little and have since called turkeys in with slate calls and box calls, but probably could have done fine sticking to the mouth call. I think your setup is way more important than the call type or your calling ability. I am no world champion caller.

I have found a loud box and high-pitched slates (crystal or aluminum) are good for getting a gobbler to sound off mid-day.
I mix and match my camo and prefer military BDU pants a couple sizes too big, so I can cram the pockets full and still be comfortable. I prefer a face mask. I wear a vest most time, but started out with just a day pack and did just fine. The vest is handy when you have killed a gobbler several miles from your truck. Good luck and welcome to the addiction.

I agree, good advise I would add the following.

I believe the three most important things in turkey hunting are Pattern your gun, scout and don't let the turkeys see you move.

Also buy some videos, most just show the kills but their are some good ones out there with good info on how to hunt turkeys.
H.S. strut has a great old VHS with perfect instructions on how to use a mouth call and look over the posts on this GREAT site you will learn a lot.
Good luck!

Moved to the General turkey forum as it will get more views and maybe more responses
JW

stwart - I also have a few questions, so I hope you don't mind if I jump in here. Hopefully my questions will help you out as well.

I'm very interested in going turkey hunting this spring, but I have other financial priorities, so I cannot be spending money on decoys and a ton of calls. All I would really like to invest in (at least for this season) is one (maybe two) call(s), and a small variety of shot in order to figure out what patterns well out of my 870.

It is my understanding that, although there are MANY calls that one can learn to master, that there are only two or three calls that you really NEED to bring in a gobbler. So, if you could have ONLY one calling device, what would it be? I will more than likely be hunting without a partner, so I imagine it would be helpful for the call to be hands-free.

When I have been deer hunting in the Blue Ridge Mountains, I have seen turkeys just about every time out, and actually killed a couple with a rifle during the short fall turkey seasons (though I was not hunting for them!). I am no-where near the mountains, and have access to a private tract of land in Caroline County. I have spent many days hunting deer there, but have never seen a turkey. I believe that I may have heard one once, but am not sure. I understand that turkeys tend to range a lot. So, just because I haven’t seen them during the fall, that doesn’t mean they aren’t/won’t be there during the spring, correct? Is there a way to use a turkey call before the season starts to see if there is any response? What’s the furthest distance a turkey will respond to a call (where you’ll recognize the response)?

Thanks!!

You say you shot a couple turkeys during the fall season but where not hunting turkeys, did you have a license to hunt them? Or where you hunting deer?

Are you kidding me? Are you seriously questioning me on this? Who the do you think you are?

Ok, before this goes sour, back to the question at hand.

If you are budget hunting (I totally understand!) go to WalMart and pick up a box of Remington Nitro turkey loads. The only size they carry in my area is the #4. They are inexpensive and will kill a turkey as dead as any high-dollar turkey load... just maybe at a shorter range. They are about $7 a box. My go-to load is the black Winchester Supreme 3" #6's, about $11 or $12/box. They pattern very well in everything I've fed them through. I've killed turkeys with both of these shells.

Whatever you shoot, make sure you know how far your effective range. Many say that your maximum ethical range is where you can consistently put at least 90 pellets in a 10" circle. If that is 20 yards, don't shoot at a bird past that range. If it is 40, you can shoot birds out to that range. It will all depend on your gun/choke/shell combo.

Diaphragm calls are inexpensive and very handy if you know how to use them. You can buy 3-packs for under $15. Some even come with instructional CD's. A good inexpensive box call is the Hurricane by Quaker Boy (I think that's who makes it) and they are about $20. A box call will be easier for you to learn than a diaphragm if you are like most people I know. I have called turkeys in with this call on its own, and it also works when wet. It is far from top-of-the-line but it will do the trick.

You don't have to spend a fortune to kill turkeys. The setup and stealth is far more important than the gear you take to the woods with you. I have a vest FULL of calls and gadgets, and I take it all with me on opening day. By the end of the season the seat of my pickup is FULL of calls and gadgets, and I only take my 1 or 2 never-fail calls with me. :) The piles of calls and toys are fun to play with and look at though :wink:

rw

Instead of flying off the handle like someone slapped your momma, you could have explained that Virginia is one of the states where it's legal to kill a turkey with a rifle. In the majority of states, it's not. If he hadn't have asked, I would have looked up and asked myself.