TURKEY TURKEY TURKEY

[Oldnotdead]

Lots of great tips, though over the years I have found that nothing is written in stone. Both my hunting areas are in steep hill wooded country. Water being on the down side of roosts or directly under them. First thing the birds need in the morning is water. Sometimes they will drop down to the "short " side of a roost walking to water and sometimes they will glide down the length of the hill to the water source. I have killed many bird I've called down hill between the roost and the water. Last years birds were called down from a ridge above me mid morning.
Food in the spring there is a particular early spring flower they seem to love, I glass to see what areas they have turned over leaf litter. I'm lucky to have beech, hophorn, basswood, and locust. These are all hard seeded mast they will look for in the spring and definitely in the fall. Soft mast mushrooms,early wild flowers and sprouts,later wild strawberry, grubs in spring. Too many to mention in fall. Also grass hoppers. In the spring. Here we have an area that the ground literally moves in front of you with tiny grass hopper in the spring. These are a turkey's candy store. One more early spring plant for both turkey and spring bear hunters in wet areas is skunk cabbage.
Last experience I'll share. Learn to use your natural voice if possible. I get a wider range of vocals and pitches. I can mimic a birds note for note as it were. I always have a call with me and my hands free.

 

[Drslyr]

 

[Drslyr]

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[Autumnrider]

I never try to locate by using a hen call. To many times have I walked around a curve on a logging road and run into a quite bird that is running straight to where I just called. If you try to locate with turkey calls, sit down and be ready.

 

[Guff Dawg]

Very good tip! To add on to that, I've had great success firing up the hens that are with the gobbler. If you mimick her, copy her, and then cut her off, she's likely to come looking for you with the gobbler following.

True indeed! Boss hens can be your best friend, but they can also be an arch nemesis.

 

[Guff Dawg]

I’ve been turkey hunting on and off for 15 years without any success with a gun. My friends told me I was crazy last year when I said I was gonna get it done with my bow. And I did. First turkey ever. With the bow at 10 yards. I should stop now but my new addiction isn’t gonna let me. It will probably take another 15 years to kill another one but I love bowhunting!!!


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Don’t ever give up! Awesome bird

 

[jryser]

This year will be my first year hunting another species besides Eastern - headed to Florida in a few weeks to try for an Osceola!


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[Jefferson10940]

This year will be my first year hunting another species besides Eastern - headed to Florida in a few weeks to try for an Osceola!


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I am sure you will be posting up a pic within the 3rd day of the hunt! Good luck

 

[CarolinaDog]

Anyone out trying to roost birds in the evening? If so, had any luck and how do you go about it? I went yesterday evening after seeing several gobblers in the area. Got on top of a few hills and hit the owl hooter a few times.. no response. I was listening more than calling. I see birds daily but I haven’t heard them getting vocal yet. Hopefully soon. Our season opens next Wednesday.


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[Vthntr]

My only success has been by not calling but finding a listening spot. I hunt a local mountain and hike half way up and just sit till dark. Usually right before dark when the dominate Tom flys up he gobbles once or twice. Never have had any luck with a call just find a strategic point and listen. That gets me in the zip code for the morning.

 

[CarolinaDog]

My only success has been by not calling but finding a listening spot. I hunt a local mountain and hike half way up and just sit till dark. Usually right before dark when the dominate Tom flys up he gobbles once or twice. Never have had any luck with a call just find a strategic point and listen. That gets me in the zip code for the morning.

I like it.. Definitely is productive for the next days hunt. Last season I finally got them to start answering back to my call but I really hadn't tried it that much before. Some days they just aint having it.. some they cut me off before Im done. Now that I live where I hunt it makes it a lot easier to sneak out right at dusk and give them a try. I have definitely called in some owls while trying to roost the turkeys. Ive tried several different calls and a few seem really loud IMO. I don't want to sound like 500# owl. Im really liking the WoodHaven owl call. Sounds pretty realistic..To me

 

[KelvinM12]

Anyone out trying to roost birds in the evening? If so, had any luck and how do you go about it?

I like going in the evening to try to roost birds, and have roosted many that way. For the most part, I just listen. Go to an area you've heard them gobbling in the morning at before, or an area half way up a ridge where there's heavy scratching. A lot of times I've found they roost in or near where the heaviest fresh scratching is. Try to select a spot that gives you optimum vision in several directions and you can hear well. For the most part, I just listen. There have been times a bird gobbles once when flying up, and I've had times they can't stop, 20-30 gobbles! Listen for gobbles of course, but also just for fly ups. Turkeys are big birds, and those wings flying up are most often louder than when they sometimes coast down in the mornings. I'll use a predator call of some type in the evening if I haven't heard anything at all and I'm ready to leave, but I have rarely had success with that method in the evening.

 

[KelvinM12]

Anyone out trying to roost birds in the evening? If so, had any luck

Success story of an evening roost... Two years ago on public land I situated myself half way up a ridge where there was fresh scratching, and I knew first hand they had been roosting in the area. About an hour before dark, I heard a fly up behind me, coming from the top of the ridge. I turned in time to see him land in the tree. He was about 100 yards away at this point, just fanning in the tree, no gobbles. I knew the odds were not in my favor, but I was going to make a move and try to kill this bird! I literally sat there for about 10 minutes just thinking through my options, and planning out every move, because with their eye sight one wrong move and it's over. There was a very large tree close to the bird. If I could just get that tree between him and I, I could sneak to him within range "possibly" (lol) without him seeing. It was still damp from the rain the night before, and that made all the difference in the world. I crawled VERY slowly, put that big tree between us, then continued crawling to within 40 yards of his tree. I leaned over to where I could just see his fan, put the shotgun up, then leaned the rest of the way to see his head. That bird got a ride in my truck that night! Some guys may frown upon shooting one on the roost, but to each his own. It was one of the most memorable and exciting successful stalks I have even put on a bird. That's the bird below. Double beard!

 

[Bwhana]

Success story of an evening roost... Two years ago on public land I situated myself half way up a ridge where there was fresh scratching, and I knew first hand they had been roosting in the area. About an hour before dark, I heard a fly up behind me, coming from the top of the ridge. I turned in time to see him land in the tree. He was about 100 yards away at this point, just fanning in the tree, no gobbles. I knew the odds were not in my favor, but I was going to make a move and try to kill this bird! I literally sat there for about 10 minutes just thinking through my options, and planning out every move, because with their eye sight one wrong move and it's over. There was a very large tree close to the bird. If I could just get that tree between him and I, I could sneak to him within range "possibly" (lol) without him seeing. It was still damp from the rain the night before, and that made all the difference in the world. I crawled VERY slowly, put that big tree between us, then continued crawling to within 40 yards of his tree. I leaned over to where I could just see his fan, put the shotgun up, then leaned the rest of the way to see his head. That bird got a ride in my truck that night! Some guys may frown upon shooting one on the roost, but to each his own. It was one of the most memorable and exciting successful stalks I have even put on a bird. That's the bird below. Double beard!

View attachment 10882

And that was the bird I had several encounters with but never could close the deal before Kelvin got him. Our other partner was able to get the bird this one hung around with a few days later too less than 100 yards from where Kelvin got him. Don't give up on a spot just because one is taken out, another will use the same spot, just like a big buck's bedding area.

 

[KelvinM12]

Don't give up on a spot just because one is taken out, another will use the same spot, just like a big buck's bedding area.

Advice of the day right there! So true!

 

[cb750]

Anyone out trying to roost birds in the evening? If so, had any luck and how do you go about it? I went yesterday evening after seeing several gobblers in the area. Got on top of a few hills and hit the owl hooter a few times.. no response. I was listening more than calling. I see birds daily but I haven’t heard them getting vocal yet. Hopefully soon. Our season opens next Wednesday.


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Your lucky to have such an early opener. I'm over a month away. I haven't had much luck with an owl call but a crow call or even a loud noise that's sudden and short has worked for me. I tend to make the noise from s position at least 25 to 50 yards from where I would like to set up in the am. No clue if it makes a difference to the bird but it does in my head. Also it's always a bit of a guess.

 

[10essee]

Opening day success in North Florida. Had several birds gobbling to owl hoot and set up on the closest one. I waited till 30 minutes after full sunrise then hit him with a fly down cackle while beating my hands against my leg (little trick I use on close roosted birds). Made one cluck with 3 soft yelps and heard him pitch. He landed in the road I was setup on and instantly hit full strut. Double and triple gobbled right down the gun barrel. One cluck to stop him and break strut and 20. The Longbeard ate him up. Done within an hour.
11” beard 1 3/8” spurs and 21#.

 

[CarolinaDog]

View attachment 10897Opening day success in North Florida. Had several birds gobbling to owl hoot and set up on the closest one. I waited till 30 minutes after full sunrise then hit him with a fly down cackle while beating my hands against my leg (little trick I use on close roosted birds). Made one cluck with 3 soft yelps and heard him pitch. He landed in the road I was setup on and instantly hit full strut. Double and triple gobbled right down the gun barrel. One cluck to stop him and break strut and 20. The Longbeard ate him up. Done within an hour.
11” beard 1 3/8” spurs and 21#.

Congrats!!

 

[CarolinaDog]

My only success has been by not calling but finding a listening spot. I hunt a local mountain and hike half way up and just sit till dark. Usually right before dark when the dominate Tom flys up he gobbles once or twice. Never have had any luck with a call just find a strategic point and listen. That gets me in the zip code for the morning.

I like going in the evening to try to roost birds, and have roosted many that way. For the most part, I just listen. Go to an area you've heard them gobbling in the morning at before, or an area half way up a ridge where there's heavy scratching. A lot of times I've found they roost in or near where the heaviest fresh scratching is. Try to select a spot that gives you optimum vision in several directions and you can hear well. For the most part, I just listen. There have been times a bird gobbles once when flying up, and I've had times they can't stop, 20-30 gobbles! Listen for gobbles of course, but also just for fly ups. Turkeys are big birds, and those wings flying up are most often louder than when they sometimes coast down in the mornings. I'll use a predator call of some type in the evening if I haven't heard anything at all and I'm ready to leave, but I have rarely had success with that method in the evening.

Don't give up on the evening locater call.. I had an awesome experience this evening... I walked to one of the taller hills I can access and started calling with a couple of owl hooters about 7:25.. It took about 3 times in 5 mins or so for me hear what I thought was a gobble.. I moved about 100 yards closer.. waited a few minutes and called again about 7:35... a resident owl answered..when I answered back the turkeys cut me off and then another owl.. then some others owls joined in.. And me again and then the turkeys again.. at that point I let nature take over and it was like mother natures symphony... turkeys hammering.. owls making noises you wouldn't know were owls unless you had heard them before.. geese joining in.. If it got quiet for a minute or two I would sound off again.. start it all over. I think owls figured me out around 7:50.. but not the turkeys. I headed back around 7:55 and they were still gobbling at whatever.. I called several more times just to hear them gobble on way way out. last time I heard them was 8:04. These birds were several hundred yards away. I could have gotten much closer but really didn't need or want to. I know where they are.. season opens Wednesday

 

[Grindline1]

I don’t even have a shotgun yet LOL. Think I’m going to pick up a Stoeger m3500. What’s everyone’s recommendations on a slate call and striker?


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Stoeger M3500 is a great gun I have used for a few years of waterfowling and have taken a turkey at 55 yrd with a Carlson choke and Winchester xr #5's. I do prefer diaphram mouth calls (spefically batwing cut) for versatility in range with minmal movement, they are more difficult to learn. I found listening to real turkey sounds on YouTube and long truck rides to be the best practice. You do get some strange looks on the highway, but that makes it more fun.