rodre01

I am a beginner in turkey hunting so any helpful tips would be appreciated.
We live on only almost 14 acres in middle TN so I don't have a ton of room to hunt and move around.
My main hunting spot which I have not turkey hunted a lot is the back portion of a I'd say between 6 and 8 acre(see picture) field with pretty much all woods surrounding with an old fence surrounding the field. Turkey could get through in certain places. You cant see any buildings from some of that end.

The only turkeys I have seen while spring hunting this spot I think, was only a hen yesterday morning and another this morning that came in. I put a photo on this post of the field, That will hopefully work. I'm trying to be able to bring turkey in with what I have. Not a lot of room to move around. Especially because also the season is ending soon over here. Any tips would be great.\Should I use a decoy should I get a certain kind of call? What all?

Hopefully this will be able to help others that have limited space.

Topgun 3006

You certainly aren't going to be able to "run & gun" over hundreds of acres like I do after the first couple hours in the morning on that small piece of property. The good thing is that you've seen birds and that field is surrounded with what looks like good woods where they may be roosting at night at least part of the time. I would be in the blind well before daylight with or without a decoy and just do light calling. If you have a hen decoy, I would use it. If birds come into the opposite end of the field and absolutely won't come to you at all, it may be possible to slip along inside the cover of the woods to cut the distance and then set up just at the edge and call lightly. Sometimes if you get within a bird's comfort zone they'll come in when they won't at those longer distances, especially if they can see that decoy a long way out. They figure if they can see it the decoy should see them and come to them because that's the way nature has intended it. We're trying to get them to do just the opposite and come to us. You may also try to slip out there not too long before dark and try to hear a bird gobble when he goes to roost. If one does and you know pretty close to where he is, you can set up just inside the edge of the woods less than 75 yards from him in the dark the next morning and get him to come in with a few light calls as soon as he flies down. In any event, I would sit the edge of that field from before daylight for as long as you can as it will only get better and the edge may be a strutting area for a longbeard after the hens leave him about mid morning. You need to have patience, especially when you have a small piece of property like that to hunt on. Good luck!

rodre01

Thanks a lot for the input.

Thats another thing, using a decoy. There might already be a post on this but I've heard that a tom might come maybe to the edge of a field were your calling and if he doesn't see any hens may just leave(if I recall right). Or he might come and see a decoy hen and just wait there for her to come to him. Or he might come in to the decoy?

Sheridan

You're right - "he might........".

Set a single hen 20 yards from you blind, maybe 10 yards into the corner of that open field.

Call softly and infrequently !

rodre01

Actually the season ends on the 17th over here.

Topgun 3006

My tag here in MI starts on Monday for the rest of May and I'll hunt a little bit down here during the first week, but I'll head up north to my cabin on the 10th where I have lots of acreage to hunt. I always seem to do well up there the third week of May after the majority of the hens are incubating. The less hens there are to compete with the better chance there is to call in a gobbler, so stick with it right to your last day.

Timbrhuntr

I agree with most but the call softly and not a lot ! I say let'em have it once I got out of the call soft and not a lot and started to blast them I get much better results doesn't always work but for me it works way better than the opposite ! Plus if you get'em fired up and they are coming and see that decoy they are more likely to charge in because they are already in the mood so to speak !

Sheridan

Call loud = you hear "other" birds calling loudly.

Remember turkeys are on the menu for every predator, so they don't like to advertise where they are all the time.

Call softly = that's how they communicate on a "normal" basis.

If the birds you hunt are pressured all season long they have learned to head in the opposite direction when they hear loud calling and when they see decoys that never move.

It's always fun to call to animals that have never been called to !!!

jmedenf

I would setup at one of the breaks in the fences, like the end of an old log trail. Set decoys where they can be seen from well inside the wooded areas. The further the decoys can be seen, the better. Be there early. Sometimes turkeys like to roost in the trees along the field edges. They will see you walk in during early light. I often hunt in open fields and have to be in-place and ready before 5:30. Then take a nap as the sun comes up. Make sure you pee before you sit down if you've had your morning coffee. Most of all, patience..... Good luck.

Timbrhuntr

In looking at your pic I hunt a similar property and have had good luck later in the morning calling birds into the field where they see my decoys. I have set up in the corner of the field like where you have your blind marked. Also I do a lot of lost yelping, kee kees and cutting. Also not sure what pressured birds have to do with calling as I have hunted turkeys from Florida to Ontario and New Mexico to North Carolina and a lot on public ground and all birds react the same to my calling. Sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn't but more often than not it works. Something else was said about patience I would agree with this and have had to sit almost all day before I was able to get a response ! Good luck !