Turkey hunting is an exciting outdoor activity that is growing in popularity across North America For novice hunters, the thrill of calling in a wary old tom or jake provides a one-of-a-kind experience. However, turkey hunting does require specific skills and knowledge to be successful This ultimate guide covers everything a beginner needs to know about getting started with turkey hunting.
Learn About Wild Turkeys
The first step is developing a basic understanding of wild turkeys, their appearance, vocalizations, behaviors, habitat preferences and life cycle. There are 5 subspecies of wild turkey in North America – Eastern, Rio Grande, Merriam’s, Gould’s and Osceola. Each has slightly different physical features and behaviors.
Eastern turkeys are the most widespread east of the Mississippi They have chestnut-brown tail tips and striking white and black wing bars Their gobbles are very loud. Osceola turkeys live only in Florida. They have dark tail tips and mostly black wings. Rios range across western states and have tan tail tips and equal black-white wing bars. Merriam’s favor mountain forests and display light tail tips and lots of white in their wings. Gould’s are only in AZ, NM and Mexico with white tail tips.
In addition to recognizing differences between subspecies, beginners should learn to distinguish tom turkeys from younger jakes and from hen turkeys. Toms are much larger with bright red, white and blue heads. Hens are smaller and plainer brown.
Understanding turkey vocalizations is also key. Common calls are gobbles, clucks, yelps and purrs. Beginners can start by mastering the basic yelp and cluck on a call. As skills improve, add more realistic inflections.
Gear Up Properly
The right gear makes a difference in comfort and success when turkey hunting. Essential equipment for a beginner includes:
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Camouflage clothing: Patterned camo helps hide subtle movements from turkeys’ sharp eyes. Cover hands, neck and face too. Mossy Oak is a top choice.
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Shotgun: 12 or 20 gauge work well. Consider a turkey choke tube for tight patterns.
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Turkey call: Start with an easy box call. Then add mouth, slate and other styles.
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Knife: Useful for field dressing and tagging. A sharp blade makes quick work of tasks.
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Cushion: A turkey vest or pad helps relieve pressure during long sits.
Other useful items include ammunition, blind or setup spot, thermocell, decoys, and more. Prepare your equipment preseason and practice with calls and your firearm.
Find a Hunting Spot
Research public land hunting opportunities through state agencies, maps and scouting. Seek private land access by asking landowners’ permission. Another option is to join a hunting lease group.
When on any land, treat both the habitat and landowners with respect. Follow all regulations and hunting ethics. Do your part to leave the land better than you found it.
Connect with a Mentor
Following an experienced turkey hunter is one of the best ways for a beginner to build skills quickly. Watch and learn from their field techniques. Ask questions and absorb their wisdom.
If you don’t know an expert hunter, online forums and social media groups can still provide community. Just be sure any advice received aligns with ethical, legal practices.
Focus on Safety
Safe handling of firearms is priority number one. Keep your shotgun’s muzzle pointed in a safe direction at all times. Treat every gun as if loaded. Wear eye and ear protection. Identify your target clearly. Avoid ricochets.
Follow additional safety precautions climbing into setup spots, especially on public lands. Make your presence known to others. Consider wearing hunter orange even if not required.
Scout and Pattern Your Gun
Scout for signs of turkey activity like tracks, scratchings, droppings and feathers. Look for strut zones, dusting areas, and roost sites. Try locating birds on the roost preseason. This information helps select your setup spot.
Spend time patterning your shotgun and ammunition on targets. Every gun-shell combo performs a little differently. You want tight patterns and confidence at typical turkey distances.
Hunting Time Strategies
On opening day, get settled into your chosen spot well before fly down time. Watch and listen as the woods come alive at daybreak. When you hear gobbles nearby, give a few soft tree yelps and listen for replies. Stay quiet and still when hens and toms are talking.
Later season hunts often require more patience. Sit all day if needed. Call sparingly but aggressively with excited cutts and cackles when you strike a turkey’s interest. Cover mountainous terrain to locate scattered flocks.
After the Hunt
If successful, carefully field dress your turkey following proper techniques. There are online resources demonstrating the process. Be ready with a sharp knife. Transport your harvest safely and cool it quickly.
When sharing your story, showcase respect for the animal and hunting. Highlight the experience more than the harvest. For recipes, try marinades, poppers, jerky and more to enjoy wild turkey’s unique flavor.
With preparation and mentoring, new hunters can find turkey hunting highly rewarding. This guide outlines the key steps for beginners. With dedication to safety and ethics, you’ll gain skills and make memories in the spring woods for a lifetime.
Welcome to the National Wild Turkey Federation where sharing our passion of hunting wild turkeys with new hunters is part of the mission.
The NWTFs Turkey Hunting 101 is considered the premier educational tool to learn everything you need to know about wild turkeys, their behavior and planning a successful hunt, and we’ve compiled all that information here.
Below, you will find basic information on preparing to hunt wild turkeys and links to more detailed articles on different aspects of learning to hunt and more advanced hunting techniques. From choosing your first camo, call and gun to finding like-minded hunters, this site has you covered.
Turkeys are intelligent wild animals that are wary of humans. Their keen eyesight makes up for their lack of smell and they can detect even the slightest amount of movement, so hunting them is challenging. We encourage you to learn all you can before hitting the woods to begin your turkey hunting adventures – a safe and successful hunt depends on it.
To take the full online Turkey 101 course approved and developed by the NWTF, visit https://www.todayshunter.com/turkey101/.
Hunting Seasons (and other regulations)
Doing some research on your state’s department of natural resources website can literally put the law in your hands. Knowing the laws concerning the species you will be hunting is extremely important. Can you shoot before sunrise? After sunset? How long after sunset can you shoot? These are questions that are best answered straight from the source. Just because uncle Bob said you can shoot up to an hour after sunset, does not make it the law. Know the laws before you hit the woods.
Each state declares its own seasons and bag limits for each game species. The state agency bases those decisions on science, harvest totals and much more. Whether small game or wild turkeys, be sure to know the season dates and bag limits.
Before their population declined, wild turkeys were typically hunted only in the fall. When the spring seasons were introduced, fall turkey hunting became less pursued. In recent years, as populations have climbed and then stabilized, many states reintroduced fall turkey seasons. Currently, more than 40 states have a fall season. Check your local regulations for season information or use our Spring and Fall Hunt Guides to get you started.
Depending a hunters age, hunter safety education may be required to buy hunting licenses. Apprentice licenses may be offered to first-time hunters in lieu of hunter safety education, but the new hunter must be accompanied by a properly licensed hunter before hitting the woods.
Find out what education you may need before you buy your license and go afield by visiting the International Hunter Education Association.
Wild turkeys have incredible eyesight, so you will want to conceal your movements as much as possible while out hunting. A good camo pattern for the terrain you are hunting is essential.
Mossy Oak is the official camo of the NWTF and its Obsession pattern is our go to each spring. Embedded with the NWTF logo, it is an awesome camo that blends well with the green up that happens each year. You can also be assured a portion of your purchase also comes back to the NWTF to put conservation work on the ground.
Be sure to keep your hands covered, as well as your neck and face. Turkeys can spot the slightest movements and you don’t want that to be the reason for spooking a big tom. NWTF partner, NOMAD Outdoor, offers gloves and gaiters to keep you in stealth mode while waiting out those toms.
To hunt wild turkeys in most terrains, you will need basic gear. In most states, choices for method of take for turkeys are shotgun, muzzleloader or bow. Thanks to modern turkey loads and turkey chokes, both 12 and 20 gauge do a good job at taking down a turkey. With Federal Premium Ammunitions TSS turkey loads, even .410 shotguns are viable turkey guns.
Many hunters choose to use a choke with their turkey guns to keep the pattern of the shot tight. Most choke tube companies have “turkey” choke tubes are designed for turkey hunting. Learn more about finding the right choke for your gun.
If you choose a bow, either traditional, compound or cross bow, make your choice something you are comfortable shooting from a seated position, as most turkey hunts happen from the ground.
Also to consider, hunting with a bow does present some logistical issues when hunting from a ground blind. Room is at a premium for drawing back your bow. Be sure to sit in the blind and practice drawing back your bow prior to your hunt. This will ensure you are not trying to draw too much weight on your bow as well. If you cannot comfortably sit and draw back your bow, you need to reduce your draw weight. Drawing too much weight can not only be awkward, but it can cause injury, create a safety issue and can put a damper on any hunt. Learn other beginner tips for bowhunting turkeys.
If you are bowhunting, broadheads are one of the things you’re going to want to research. We’ve put some to the test and found our favorites.
To be successful in turkey hunting, many hunters rely on calls to help bring the birds within shot range. Beginners usually find a box call the easiest to get a consistent sound. There are diaphragm or mouth calls, pot and striker calls made with glass or slate, box calls, wingbone calls and many others. Some take more practice than others. Start with one call. It doesn’t have to be the most expensive box or pot call, just a good quality call will do the trick. Learn the basic sounds like cluck, purr, putt and yelp, to start. As your ability increases, you can add the more advanced sounds and learn to create dynamics within those sounds to keep the birds listening.
As you become more familiar with the basics of hunting wild turkeys, there is certainly additional gear you may want to purchase. From high-end binoculars to mapping apps, the array of gear available is endless. One item that is common for hunters to pack is a first aid kit. Hopefully the need for one never arises, but it doesn’t hurt to be prepared.
There are also what some hunters consider “necessities.” A quality knife and a Thermacell are two that top the list, especially down in the South where the mosquitoes never really disappear. A war with mosquitoes or other biting insects is certainly not going to help you sit still while waiting on those gobblers. While a knife is great for a lot of tasks in the woods, notching a turkey tag is a great reason to have one nearby.
If you find you are lugging a bunch of gear to the woods, you may be ready for a turkey vest or backpack. Each comes with a unique set of pockets and compartments and some can be lifesavers while out on the hunt as they incorporate cushioned seats into their designs. There are many vests designed for turkey hunters including the ones our partner NOMAD Outdoors has designed.
No matter what gear you decide on, it will need care and attention throughout the season to stay in top working order. After the season is done, your gear can use a little clean-up before being packed away. Read part 1 and part 2 of our guide to “After Season Gear Care.”
How To HUNT TURKEYS: Basics With Jay Maxwell
FAQ
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