# Novice Turkey Hunter



## Storm

I have always wanted to hunt turkeys and this year I am going to do it. I need all the advice I can get from you guys. I already have a spot picked out that is holding several turkeys. Now all I need to know is what kind of call, mouth, slate or whatever, decoys or no decoys and so forth. Thanks


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## mallardhunter

I will tell you one thing that they have great eyes, they can see just about everything. You will be suprised on how good they can see. I haven't really decoyed turkeys in, but I would like too. All the hunting I have done is more lik spot and stalk. Good luck this year :beer:


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## tjz123

Regarding your post on turkey hunting. You will need a full set of camoflage including face paint or a mask. I use a full mesh mask as face paint is messy. You shouldn't have any exposed skin including you hands and ankles. A hat, pants, shirts and a jacket are also needed. Depending on the time of year you could be hunting in snow to 90 degree weater. It is a good idea to camoflage your gun stock and barrel. Soles of your boots should be dark brown or black.

Calls are a must. I use 2 box calls, 2 slates and have an assortment of diaphram mouth calls. Owl, crow and hawk calls are good locator calls. Coyote calls can work but may tend to spook the birds. Get a good calling tape or cd and practice. The diaphrams are the hardest to master but will work in any weather conditions when slate and box calls won't work well due to damp conditions. Box calls are the easiest to learn. There are box calls and slates that are said to work well in the rain but I haven't been too impressed with their sound/tone. Using boxes and slates involves hand movements which can be spotted. The key to any call is practice, practice and more practice. You need to be able to yelp so learn that call first. That is the most important call. A hen's clucks, purrs, cuts and cackles are not as important but will be more easily mastered after you learn the yelp. Learning to gobble is not really needed and can be dangerous as it has a habit of attracting male humans. I've found that practicing alone in a car is a great way to practice as it can be very irritating to other people. When calling turkey's, especially Easterns, less calling is better than too much. Merriams seem to like a little more calling. Ebay is a good source for calls and equipement.

Turkey's have very good eye sight and are very good a detecting any movement. They are not like deer which may stop and look if they see something out of the ordinary. A turkey will run immediately if it detects anything unusual.

Decoys are up to the individual. Some people swear by them and some don't. I use them and usually put out 2 or three. I use Deltas and put out one or two hens and a jake. Deltas are inflateable, have nice paint, are fairly rugged and deflate and fold up so you can carry them easily. They aren't too expensive. Montana Decoy has some nice silhouet decoys but are a bit more expensive. I wouldn't recommend mature Tom decoys as they may tend to spook other mature Toms or attract humans.......

A good quality vest with a detachable seat pad is very important for carrying all the calls, decoys, water, food, clothes, binoculars,etc and for carrying out your bird. A 20 lb + bird gets very heavy if you try to carry it out over your shoulder and is not a very safe way to carry them. Make sure the seat pad is comfortable. The vest I have even has a padded back for when seated and leaning against a tree.

A twelve gauge is the most popular gun with a special turkey choke and copper-plated lead-buffered turkey loads in #4 or #6 shot. Sight in the gun and only shoot a turkey in the head or neck. Shooting roosted turkeys is illegal, shooting flying turkeys is not ethical. Some people use scopes or special sights. A sling is very handy especially if hunting in the mountains and/or walking long distances. Some western states allow the use of rifles but using a shotgun is more sporting and challenging.

Watch videos and read about turkey hunting. Learn the lay of the land, where the birds like to roost, feed and get water. Look for signs of turkeys like tracks, feathers, and scat. A hen's scat is usually a blob while a Tom's is elongated and hook-shaped and both will be green and white. Fresh scat is soft and a brighter green. I wouldn't recommend calling when scouting except when using a locator call. Find the strut zones and you will have a better chance of getting a bird. Tom's sometimes use several different strut zones. If you see hens there will usually be Toms in the area. When Toms are henned up it can be difficult to call them to your set-up. Toms are used to hens coming to their gobbles. A Tom may come when they are done servicing the real hens. Most of the birds I have harvested were shot after 10:00 am.

I usually try to get to my hunting area about an hour before sun rise. Gobblers usually will start gobbling from their roosts shortly before sun rise. If you know where the roost is located try to get within 100 yards or so.

Some days the birds will be very vocal and other days they will be very quiet and will come to your set-up without calling at all. Jakes will often sneak in silently. Get all set up before calling and when calling be patient. Less is usually better than more.

Turkey hunting usually isn't as easy as it is shown to be on TV shows.
Tom


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## Storm

Tom,
Thanks for the advice. I will be asking for more during the season. Thanks.


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## tjz123

Where do you plan on hunting ?


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## Storm

Eastern Nebraska along the platte river. Would these be Merriam Turkeys, or Easterns?


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## tjz123

There are Easterns, Merriams, Rio Grands and Hybrids in Nebraska. Might be Easterns in the eastern side..... :wink: This is a good link for turkey hunting, it even has sound files of turkey calls.

http://www.wildturkeyzone.com/hunting/S ... braska.htm


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## Storm

Thank you for the link. It looks like it is full of good info. I will keep all of you posted on how I do.


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## tjz123

If you are going to purchase some turkey calls let me know. Sooner would be better than later as the diaphram calls will take you many hours of practice to master. E-bay is probably the best place for calls and you can usually get them cheaper than by going to Cabelas or other sporting goods stores.

If I were you I would buy a custom-made box call instead of a factory-made massed produced call as they will increase in value. I have sold a few culls from my collection on ebay and usually get at least double and sometimes 5 times what I paid for them. Expect to pay between $10.00 to $2000.00 bucks for a custom box call plus shipping.

Slates are fairly easy to use and I would recommend "The Freak" It has good sound, is easy to play and you can strap it around your leg so you only need one hand to use it- cost should be less than $20.00.

Diaphrams are cheaper. I down-loaded a few pictures of box calls from my collection into the photo album to give you an idea. These are a few of my favorites.
Tom
:roll:


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## dlip

Get yourself out of the direct sunlight, any shadow helps. Shut up, turkeys don't have as good of hearing as some other game animals, but they will get up on you real close if you aren't looking. Sit down, stay out as long as you can, weather effects the way a turkey moves, I've always found that when the weather is rough(thunder, rain), that you should stick around in the woods or on a tree line. I've always hunted one field until they leased it and I knew every step that the turkeys would take. Scouting is key!!!! I'm going to be takin a friend and his dad turkey hunting this spring and plan on scouting every weekend from the weekend after this one up until april 6th, the more you know about the turkeys the better!!! Unless you are using a slate or a diaphragm, dont call if they are close in, they can see real good. Regarding what someone said about camoflauging your gun, that is a good idea, matte black will do, but you don't want shine.I hope I helped you some.


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