I began my obsession with turkey hunting in the low-population days of the early ‘90s, when hearing a gobble in the distant hills was grounds for buying a lotto ticket. Between 1992 and 1997, I never fired a shot but learned every way possible how “not” to get a turkey. Failure, after all, is the best teacher, and boy do I learn often.
It wasn’t until moving to Kansas in 1998 that I bagged my first gobbler more because of an abundance of uneducated birds than my skill as a turkey hunter. Regardless if this newfound success was misplaced, I returned to Michigan in 1999 with confidence and have been pretty successful ever since. But I sure paid my dues, something that sportsmen in this age of easy answer-tutorial-instruction-chat room-technology aren’t as willing to do, though nothing compares to on-the-job training, especially with these birds.
So as you put your time in, I’ll add some tips from more than 30 years of chasing turkeys with hopes they’ll help knock the peak off your learning curve and put a gobbler on the dining room table. Let’s start with one of my favorites — decoys.
Don’t … always use a decoy. Admittedly, I’ve killed or called in more gobblers using a decoy than not. Hell, I even called in a bird for a friend who shot a tom right off the back of my good hen deke. But as my calling progressed over the years, I’ve seen a marked improvement in bird cooperation when calling with no decoys. Now Laverne and Shirley (my two rubber fakes) only make a guest appearance when gobblers are consistently with hens and won’t leave their side to investigate my calls.
In nature, adult male turkeys strut and gobble to attract hens and compete with rival males. Sometimes the gobblers approach the hens, and vice versa. Problems arise during the vice versa, when gobblers wait for the hen (in this case, the decoy), sometimes all morning. This is called “hanging up,” when a tom refuses to come any closer because he’s waiting for her to come to him. With no decoy, his curiosity will often bring him right into shotgun range.
In addition, the majority of hunters use decoys, which increases the chances that the bird you’re working has seen plenty of them, or maybe has even been among a group where another bird was killed. These cunning critters connect dots quickly and become decoy-shy in a hurry.
Lastly, deploying and retrieving decoys can be impossible if wishing to go undetected. Sneaking close on a roosted tom and then walking in the open to place the decoy, or wandering out to retrieve it if the birds haven’t come close enough for a shot, are perfect ways to end the hunt. So use them, but only if you must.
Do … learn to call. Practice often throughout the year, not the night before the first hunt. It’s the most rewarding facet of the sport, leading to the next don’t.
Don’t … ambush turkeys. While a perfectly legal method of killing your bird, it’s more anti-climactic than “Star Wars One — The Phantom Menace.” You get one bird for your season, so make it a good memory and call him in.
Do … learn to walk quietly in the woods, but don’t walk too quickly. Half as slow is a good measure. You’d be surprised how many toms hear or see you coming well before you ever knew they were there.
Don’t … avoid owl hooting and crow calling to locate gobblers. Yes, it works, but if you’re patient, a vocal tom will give himself away soon enough since they “shock” gobble at nearly everything. Every time a crow or rooster sounds off, or goose flies over, listen for a gobble. Locate-calling provides a better chance of him locating you.
Do… remember mosquito repellant, especially in the upcoming third hunt, which lasts the rest of May. Controlling your movements is difficult whilst flailing away at the thirsty hordes circling your head. And do check for ticks after you’ve been sitting among the leaves all morning.
Don’t … be that guy who can’t pass a roadside gobbler without stopping to call, especially during the hunting season. You’re not only helping him associate a human-hen imitation, but you’re likely interrupting a hunt for someone nearby. Turkeys are found along many roads, treating them as strutting areas as well as opportunities to ingest grit. But it’s a good bet that a hunter is in the surrounding hills just praying for that car to keep going so he can continue calling. (And if you’re the guy in the gray pickup who screwed up my daughter’s hunt this past opener, I hope you’re listening.)
Don’t … call often to birds pursuing a hen away from you, even if they answer your calls. They’re unlikely to turn around and give up the real deal, and you’ll only show them your playbook of calls. Be patient and get ahead of them tomorrow.
Do … scout. Ninety percent or more of successful turkey hunting involves finding them and learning their daily patterns.
Don’t … assume that because you can’t hear any turkeys or don’t get responses to your calls that birds aren’t close. I’ve had them strut all the way across a field to the shot without uttering a peep. Walk like game is close and you’ll never scare them.
Don’t … fail your trophy tom turkey in the cooking department. Sure you can grind him into burger or deep fry him into oblivion (cough — like my brother Jake — cough), but try going old-school with a roaster bag and stuffing. People overcomplicate the process or doctor them up so much that you may as well have saved the vacation time and spent the gas money on a store-bought chicken. And the carcass makes great soup stock.
Don’t… give up on gobblers with hens. Not every hen lays eggs, but most do. And once all eight- to 12 eggs are laid, she’ll incubate for 28 days. Toms that wouldn’t leave their hens can become bachelors overnight in search of a new girlfriend.
Do … be patient. If you can hear gobbles, he can hear your calls. Resist the urge to run toward a gobbling bird until you’re convinced you can do so without him seeing you. I’ve called birds from up to a half mile away, so getting closer isn’t always necessary.
And do … remember to thank landowners. The third hunt often takes place on private lands simply because many state-land birds have either been shot or so harassed that it’s a futile chase. Leave zero footprint and be kind, courteous, and grateful.