The Game of Turkey Hunting
Mr. Hillman
A loving husband and dad, a proud hunter and outdoor adventure seeker!
Your guide to turkey season tricks and tips
We’ve said hello to spring, but for some of us this means only one thing - Turkey Season! As we are getting ready to shoot those big Jacks, make sure you get some things straight first, and come prepared!
Turkeys are notoriously cautious and paranoid creatures. These mad gobblers are unpredictable to say the least, but that is exactly what it makes them so thrilling to chase. Although challenging, but fun to hunt, trackers with a well-developed strategy plan have better chance of getting some ass shot, regardless of where they hunt.
The Rules of Turkey Hunting
Have in mind that during spring turkey season, only toms – the mature male turkeys - are allowed to be legally taken. In most states during fall, either gobblers or hens are allowed to be harvested. You can easily spot the difference by their vivid feather costumes. Males are noticeably bigger, nearly black, with red and blue heads and silver shine.
Females are mostly or entirely brown. Inform yourself better on turkey season dates, license fees and permits, harvest times and other regulations according to which state you are about to get busy hunting! Take into consideration that if you are a new beginner getting into this mad men-turkey racing just now - go with a friend! Someone skilled, who has done this before.
The best way to start is before you actually start. Does this make any sense?
Let me clear this out for you. Begin with exploring the area where you chose to start your turkey hunting season a few days before it officially opens. Observe where they gather. Turkeys’ perfect environment consists of 10% to 50% non-forested areas, then search for areas where they like to roost, feed and bathe. Turkeys like to roost near big trees, so take that into consideration when determining where is best to place your decoys. Scout the terrain for turkey hotspots, observe for fallen feathers, droppings, tracks of any kind and off course for gobbling sounds!
Gear up!
Get yourself all things necessary to secure your success! Hunting clothes and camo gear include a good quality turkey hunting vest to store all your goodies, long sleeve camo shirt to cover your entire body, masks or veil for the face, decoys, turkey calls, gun and special ammunition, and effective camouflage off course! Choose your best gun to turkey hunt wisely! However, we urge you to be extensively cautious and always be aware of your surroundings! Gun safety must come first!
When is the best time to hunt?
Most hunters will agree that best time for successfully shooting down your gobbler is early in the morning, before day breaks. But mid-to-late morning gobbling is proving to have some well-deserved success!
It’s the sound of turkey season!!!
Use a turkey call to attract those toms. You may call and passively wait. Turkeys may not answer the first call, but they will eventually come to the sound if you have mastered the sorts of techniques well enough. Two are the killer calls that ensures you plenty of gobblers in the sack! Those are the plain cluck and hen yelp. Here is where your hunting buddy comes in handy! It’s proven that calls made 20 yards back from the shooter’s position, ensures luring them closer for more accurate shot! So, there you go! Divide and concur! If you are not experienced enough in eliciting the right sounds, remember you are luring possibly the wariest birds on the planet, we suggest you start with the box, push pin and slate calls, as they are easiest kind. Be patient! Wait for the gobbler to gobble first on his own, and then proceed with the cluck and the yelping.
Which turkey decoy should you use?
With turkey season, come a lot of decisions! Decoy decisions! Which decoy should you use? For us this is a no brainer, if you are on a budget, best decoy choice would be the hen decoy! Consider placing a hen and a gobbler together, with the make a little bit behind the hen to looks like they are about to mate. This will spur some firing jealousy in the gobbler, and send him running straight up to your spot! Jake decoy can also work just fine by itself.
It’s just enough to bring in a flock just socially to check what’s going on. Turkeys have a keen eye, therefor make sure your lures look real! And don’t put your decoy too far away from your ground blind. Anywhere past 15 yards is too far of a distance, and makes it way more difficult to shoot. 10, 12, 15 yards is perfect, because once the tom focuses on the decoy, he is not looking back, he is thinking of love!
Some final tips.
Use turkey calls to get all the attention. If the jack is concentrating on your traps, drop the caller and remain silent. If nothing happens after couple of hours after sunrise, your best chance is to choose the next spot from your turkey map and put your decoy there. Turkeys begin to move to a higher ground so a slope or ridge is where you should place them back again. And remember, turkey hunting is a game for the patient. It’s not the most fun way to hunt, but patience kills more turkeys than any call ever has!
And for those obsessive turkey hunting maniacs who want to show just how much they enjoy and love this gobbler chasing madness, check out our awesome 3D Turkey Shirts! Turn your hunting passion into a lifestyle, reveal new levels of comfort and design with the highest-resolution-image prints of your favorite game animals and birds! Are you looking for a hunting gift? Regardless of a birthday or Christmas event, Hillman T-shirt is the gift that gets you into that hunter's heart forever.
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