Turkey Hunting Tips
The turkey hunting season is here, and the excitement is through the roof. We know you are ready for this season’s great Turkey hunting bash happening in the major states of the United States of America. In addition, you must be excited to hunt those shiny gobblers and take them home as your trophy and, of course, a delicious meal.
But hunting Turkeys is no joke, and you must be determined to do so. Turkeys have excellent eyesight and can even see you blink, so every move you make must be well thought out. Make as little noise as possible and completely hide behind the surroundings so they do not see you.
Furthermore, having the right Turkey hunting gear and tools to get your job done would be best. Turkey hunting tips are all over the internet. But we at Best Budget Gears are here to provide the ultimate list of tips to make your hunting endeavors even easier and more fun!
Always be safe
Safety is the number one thing you must consider before doing anything. But if it is as dangerous as hunting big games like Turkey, you must be extra careful.
Always study the behavior of Turkeys before you go on a hunting spree. Understand what triggers and makes them violent and try to avoid such activities. Also, get information on the next medical professional and safety procedure under practice in and around your hunting area.
Feel free to ask for help whenever you can; if you have little hunting experience, feel free to take a mentor.
The earlier, the better
Go early at 3:00 AM to hunt a Turkey! Believe it or not, this is the number one Turkey hunting tip.
Yes, you read that right. This way, you can set yourself up properly on your designated hunting spot and be ready for the first sound of glorious male Turkey.
Also, the path to the jungle to hunt your gobbler will be settled when your big hunt arrives. Going early to any place is always a good thought if you feel like your initial plan when you decided to hunt the turkey has failed.
Finally, reaching early to your hunting spot will allow you to reach earlier than other hunters. Trust us, being early helps a lot!
Alertness is your best friend
During the early season of your hunt, the place you are going for a hunt is coming out of the winter season and entering spring. So the foliage surrounding you still needs to be ready. It is okay to play to be extra alert, at least initially.
Trust us when we say that Turkeys can hear you breathe and know your slightest movement, so whenever you strike a Turkey, back down before it can spot you.
Turkeys’ eyesight is so good that they can see five times better than you inside the jungle. So move when you are sure that Turkey cannot see you.
Do your research
Birds look alike. There, we said it. And it can be particularly hard to hunt one if you cannot identify the type of bird you are supposed to hunt.
So, research and learn about the various kinds of Turkey and their identifying features. Also, knowing about the place to find your Turkeys is equally important. How will you set your hunting target if you need to know where to set your traps?
Believe us when we say that a great Turkey Hunting Tip is to know about Turkey and their habitat.
Types of Turkeys
There are several types of turkeys that you can hunt. To clear out your confusion, we provide you with this great list.
Adult Male Turkeys
With a weight that ranges between 16 to 25 pounds, the adult male Turkey is one of a kind. Hunters normally call it “Toms,” and they have a mixture of blackish-bronze or black with white wing bars. Also, its head is blueish gray or red, and blackish brown is its tail color.
Did you know that they have a beard? Yes, Toms have a beautiful beard from their upper chest, which is 6 to 10 inches long.
Finally, a strutting adult male Turkey head turns shades of blue, white, or red. Their tail feathers form a semi-circle and are of equal length.
Juvenile Male Turkeys
“Jakes” or juvenile male Turkeys have the same wing bars color as the adult, a mixture of blackish-bronze or black with white. Their weight ranges from 12 to 16 pounds. In addition, their tail colors are blackish brown, and they have a red or bluish gray head.
Unlike an adult, a juvenile male Turkey has a range of invisible or barely visible beards from their chest. These beards have a length of 6 inches. While strutting, Jake’s Tail feathers form a step-like effect.
Female Turkeys
Hens or female Turkeys weigh only 9 to 12 pounds. Although hunters do not prefer it, they are visible. Their head’s color is bluish-gray or dull brown.
Did you know that you can hunt a female Turkey with a beard? It may be because of the confusion they create with their male counterparts.
Our most important takeaway from identifying Turkeys is that beards help determine the age and sex of a Turkey. This is one of the most important Turkey Hunting Tips.
Hunting Location
You can find Turkeys anywhere. These big casual games are easygoing. But there are some places where the probability of finding Turkey is higher. Therefore, your hunting location has reached our Turkey Hunting Tips.
Look for places that have a mixture of habitats. Agricultural areas, meadows, hayfields, forested areas, clearings near a forest, and powerlines are great places to find Turkey.
One great Turkey Hunting Tip is to ask around. Ask around to see whether anyone has sighted Turkey and where. This will save you much time determining where to go for your Turkey hunt.
And when you go to that area recommended by your informants, look at the map of that area to find out places with a mixture of habitats.
But before you go for a hunt, ensure you have legal permission from the land owner, know where you can and cannot park, and how to reach there. Also, making sure about the local hunting laws would be good.
The Art of Scouting
If we include scouting in our Turkey Hunting Tips, we can experience something important. Knowing a good scouting technique can make you break your hunting.
Every time you scout and watch a bird’s movement patterns, the chances of a successful hunt also increase. Plus, it will be well-spent if you go in the early mornings to hunt your bird.
There are many misconceptions about gobblers. People assume these birds are dumb, and you do not need to scout them. But trust us and learn how to scout; it will help you eventually.
Scouting activities need to start early. Listen to the sounds of male gobblers very early in the morning. Also, glassing helps.
Try listening and glassing from a nearby road or an elevated ground. However, you can scout these birds during late afternoons by glassing or roosting.
Adult male turkeys strut around the neighborhood during the beautiful spring season to attract the females. Try to spend some time before hunting in the same place you are hunting to have a general idea about the general population and whereabouts of the male gobblers. Also, try to find out an estimate of the number of female turkeys in the area.
If there are few female gobblers, you are in luck, my friend, because the fewer hens, the more chance you can attract and isolate the Toms. Also, the more acorns in that area, the higher the chance of finding turkeys.
Pack your gears correctly.
The Turkey Hunting Tips list will only be completed with including the correct gear you need to pack. Packing the right gear is the most crucial Turkey Hunting Tips.
Camouflage is the one thing you must keep in mind while you pick your gear. If you do not have a good camo, any hard work to get your next Turkey hunt will all go in vain. Always make sure for Turkey to avoid seeing you try to buy camo that blends with the place you will hunt at.
In addition, covering every inch of your body is equally important as blending in with the surrounding. Your clothing must include jackets, pants, overalls, long-sleeved t-shirts, neck gaiter, balaclava, boots, gloves, face paint, cap, hat, or beanie.
It would help to have binoculars, field knives, and range finders on your Turkey hunting trip. Also, rucksacks, cushioned seats, hunting blinds, and turkey vests are optional but can be necessary.
Roost man roost
Roosting is as important as carrying a good rifle, bow, and arrow while hunting turkeys. At dusk, as the sun is going down, some Turkeys will be out at your clearance waiting for you.
Male Turkey’s peak point of showing off and strutting in the evenings. They don’t care about safety and are not looking to sleep anytime soon.
You can easily estimate a gobbler’s night resting or roosting place by looking at their showing-off location. And the best part is you can even hear them. Look out for the sounds of flapping wings and breaking branches.
Try to map out the areas of Turkey roosting so that you can exactly be at that place the next morning when you go for a hunt.
Learn how to call
Spring hunting calls for many things and the thing that made it to our Turkey Hunting Tips is learning how to call those male gobblers out. It would be best if you seduced your hunt. Yes, as simple as that, call them with the voice of a lustful female, and then you will get a male gobbler out and about.
Types of calls can be a mouth or diaphragm call, a box call, and any other call that has worked for you. Learning how to use the various ways your targeted gobbler out in many ways allows you to be flexible in demand.
For example, a box call would get you caught when a Turkey is near you, but a diaphragm call would be a perfect choice. Also, a mouth call makes you use your gun simultaneously while calling your hunt.
However, if you are far from your target, a box call would be a wise choice. Since box call has a wide voice range, you can attract gobblers from afar. Also, box calls can be particularly useful during bad weather when it is windy.
Finally, hand power or slate calls can also help create pulses around you. However, every good thing has a bad trait, and the same goes for slate calls that mimic the sound of hens easily, but they need a lot of use of your hands. Also, they can’t be used during the evenings but can be used during day time.
Positioning your decoy
You know what you need while hunting and Turkey. It is a decoy. Turkey Hunting Tips would be empty if we didn’t include this.
Now let us look at the ways that will be useful for you to position a decoy. Remember, think like a gobbler. You would want to place your decoy 45 degrees from you but on the opposite side, where you suspect your Turkey will come from.
Setting your decoy in the right position is always useful, but it could backfire if you position it incorrectly. For example, if you hear the glorious sound of a gobbler from the right-hand side, position your gobbler on the left side around 22 meters away from you at a 45-degree angle.
When you use the technique prescribed by us, when Turkey comes to you from your call, it will see the decoy, ignore you, and go toward your left side. However, stay calm; try to maintain your composure. You might scare off your next great hunt.
Aim and shoot or release your bow only when you can see your Turkey.
Using the right weapon
A black shotgun that blends well with your surroundings and should be on your Turkey Hunting Tips. The shotgun must be as discreet as possible. It must be short, like that of Gauge 20, 16, 12, and 10. The choke must be full.
A full choke will give you a more lethal shot as far as 27 to 36 meters because it has a tighter pattern. Your Turkey shot will be 4 to 6 shots. Remember that for a higher downrange punch, use a heavier pellet.
Remember to take a shot when a gobbler is around 36 meters ahead of you. Dig your cheeks into your shotgun’s stock as deep as possible, and your head must be as down as possible. Also, set your optics to the juicy neck of a male gobble and relax. And bam! Take your gracious shot.
If shotguns aren’t your cup of tea, you can use a bow and an arrow. However, it can be more challenging than a shotgun. The shooting range is the number one thing on our Turkey Hunting Tips if you use a bow and arrow. Some arrows are made to target the neck and head, and some are made to blow up vital organs. So, make sure to know your kind and aim accordingly.
After the hunt
Please fill out your harvest tag and attach it to your bird as soon as you kill it. Also, keep your Turkey as upright as possible unless you ship it out. Make sure to carry your dead bird inside a bag and carry it without covering it.
