Turkey Hunting Tips and Techniques for Beginners

Turkey Hunting Tips

One of the most exciting forms of hunting is turkey hunting. Birds are as tough for hunting as they are for engaging. In case you are interested in hunting turkey, the best time to do so is fall. Although turkey hunting has been one of the favorite activities of the hunters in the past, but it is still the passion of many people today. In the November and October mornings, you will find them gobbling around.

Where to find turkeys

The best place to find turkeys is the pine forests and mixed hardwood and similar other open areas. Sometimes you might even find them scattered in the bush lands. They are also found in the trees to get shelter from the wind. When they wish to eat, they come out in the meadows and fields. In case they don’t find any feeding or boasting site, they prefer to leave the place.

You have to be very careful when it comes to hunting them because turkeys are capable of hearing all the sounds around them. They are very sharp in figuring out what is the place from where the sound is coming. Therefore, when you are hunting a turkey, you are supposed to be extra vigilant. It surely seems to be a fun and exciting thing to do but the job is really very tiring.

Begin with proper plan

Before you get started with turkey hunting, the very first thing to begin with is scouting. Usually, hunters prefer doing this outside the season so that they can get an idea about the habits of the bird and its area. It is also recommended to practice your call so that by the time you are hunting the bird, your call is improved. Turkeys are capable of getting tired of the gobbling and they don’t really take much time to move out of the area.

Tips on hunting the turkey

Here are some turkey hunting tipsfor all:

  • As turkeyshave a keen eyesight, the hunter has to be in camo from head to toe and wear a face mask. It is recommended to use camouflaged shotgun.
  • For your safety, keep your back set against a large tree. In case you are a right handed person, you must position at 90 degree so that you can approach the turkey. Keep the left shoulder at the direction of the turkey instead of keeping your face towards it. This will provide you all the versatility you need for shooting.
  • First use the locator call for locating the toms in the evening before they fly up in the evening or morning. After this, when you are ready, go for the turkey calls.
  • If you are having troubles in hunting, then you can use the turkey decoys to distract the turkey from coming to the call.
  • Make sure you are not wearing or carrying anything blue, red or white. These are the colors of the head of the gobbler and they will make the turkey run away from you.
  • When you are carrying the decoy out of the woods, make sure you have draped it to ensure safety.

Other Considerations

If you have a played a great shot, this will make the turkey drop down immediately. In case the turkey starts running off, go for a follow up shot immediately. As soon as the bird hits the ground, instead of moving it, tag it the right away. Many hunters like to take help of another hunter. This is a great idea actually because when two hunters have taken the right position, one hunter can make the call and the other one can keep an eye on the bird to attack it. Keep in mind the more you know about your target, the easier it will be for you to hunt it successfully.

If you have not hunted before, it is never too late to get started again. It is not just the fall season when turkeys are seen, you can hunt them during spring too. Choose those locations where bird population is high and make sure the season is right too. With all the right turkey hunting tips, it will be easy to shoot the bird and go home with what you wanted. 

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