1.Turkeys can see 10x better than humans.
2.Never over call.
3.Be patient.
4.Dont use decoys in the mornings, as there are more hens available after roost.
5.Know your equipment and when and how to use it.
6. Dont use a turkey call while scouting, dont use a crow call as turkeys here crows all day long, use an owl hoot.

And when all else fails, do the opposite of #2,#3, and #4. It is amazing how one day something works and the next it does notwith birds. But for the most consistancy do follow all of the above tips.

I agree with them all except #4 should have a disclaimer. I always use decoys in the morning.I have had as many hens come in to my decoys then Toms....and a lot of times those hens are bringing in Toms with them. Also, depending on the time of year/mood, a Jake decoy can do you a lot of good. But Tuco is right, what works for one may not work for all. And a lot of things work one day and not the next.

I also you decoys in the morning and have had birds run to them and run away from them???? If it was easy it wouldn't be fun.

Everything you stated except#1 and 5 can be done with great succes and get Turkeys at the right time.

2.Never over call. I called in a hen and a long beard using a mouth call and slate,calling constilantly for a 1/2 hour. Tom wouldn't have come in with out the hen and I had to get her mad.
3.Be patient. I can only hunt to noon. I've had to push the issue moving in on a bird to seal the deal more then once,
4.Dont use decoys in the mornings, as there are more hens available after roost. You've never called a hen into decoy's and pulled the Tom's with them?
5.Know your equipment and when and how to use it. Agree
6. Dont use a turkey call while scouting, dont use a crow call as turkeys here crows all day long, use an owl hoot. I have used a crow call as a locator with great succes as have thousands/millionsof other hunters.

Dont move when the turkey is close

[quote]ORIGINAL: wis_bow_huntr

1.Turkeys can see 10x better than humans.Agree - maybe even better than 10X

2.Never over call. This advicecan bemisleading ifpeople think thatall they should do is cluck three times every 30 minutes. I really enjoy calling and typically call aggresively when a gobbler is fired up. I think you do need to call softer as the turkey gets closer, but that's when I switch to soft clucks, purrs, and 3-4 note soft yelps. If you ever had the chance to be around a bunch of hens you know that they are constantly making noise - clucking and purring, etc. That is normal and shouldn't hang turkeys up if done properly.

3.Be patient. I think patience is good, to a point. I don't have the patience to go out there and sit in one place calling at the trees with no gobbling or other turkey activity. I also am not the least bit hesitant to get up and change positions if I think a gobbler is hanging up. I learned this the hard way in Missouri years ago by being too patient waiting for a red hot gobbler to stick his head up over the ridge top I was sitting near. After gobbling his fool head off for what seemed like 45 minutes he grew tired of the game and walked off. All I needed to do was back out and loop around and get on the same side of the hill he was on and he would have waltzed right in after my first yelp, but I was being patient.


4.Dont use decoys in the mornings, as there are more hens available after roost. Disagree - I haven't used decoys much but most of the birds I've killed using them were taken in the morning.

5.Know your equipment and when and how to use it. Agree - I might also add use the best equipment you can afford - the cheap stuff won't hold up to hard hunting and rough use.


6. Dont use a turkey call while scouting, dont use a crow call as turkeys here crows all day long, use an owl hoot. I've killed a number of turkeys that answered a "shock caw" from my crow call. I listened to one gobble yesterday every time a crow sounded off. After this went on for awhile I really think the crows were messing with the turkey, but he gobbled anyway. My advice would be to carry a number of locater calls - I like a loud crow call but I also use a pilated woodpecker and a coyote howler.

I generally agree with not calling when scouting, but if you are scouting on a cold or windy day or early in theseason you might not hear a gobble or see a turkey. I have called sparingly when scouting in an effort to locate some birds - If I get one to gobble I immediately leave the area where he won't see me. I always wear full camo when scouting so, if I call a turkey in he is much less likely to see me and link the sound with danger. Remember, turkeys are out there every day making turkey sounds - if your calling sounds like a turkey what is the harm in it??

Has anyone ever bothered to informthe turkeys of these rules?

while i may not use a crow call to locate birds doesn't mean i dont use the real thign to locate a flock. I know in my area that a crows main exsitence seems to be to aggrivate turkeys. by simply slowing down and listening to the crows i have located and been able to sneak up on many flocks of birds.

also i do use dekes in the morning. last year used a deke setup to pull a 88 point a-typical to 10 yards.