Hunting wild turkeys is an exciting adventure that requires patience, skill, and knowledge about these incredibly wary birds. As a beginner turkey hunter, following some key tips and strategies can help set you up for success on your first hunt.
Scouting Is Essential
Scouting wild turkeys weeks or even months before the season opens is absolutely critical. Locating where turkeys roost, feed, and travel will allow you to set up proper ambushes during the season. Focus scouting on finding recent signs like tracks, scratches feathers, and droppings as these indicate active turkey areas. Also try owl hooting or crow calling to get gobblers responding and reveal their locations.
Use Proper Camouflage and Concealment
Turkeys have incredibly sharp eyesight, so remaining hidden and motionless is crucial Use camo clothing that matches the predominate colors of your hunting area such as greens, browns, grays, etc Also, break up your silhouette by hunting from a seated position behind a tree, bush or blind. Stay low and move slowly to avoid being spotted.
Pick Safe Set-Up Locations
When setting up to ambush turkeys, pick spots that provide a safe backdrop for shooting. Position yourself so that turkeys must approach from open areas instead of thick cover This ensures a clear shot opportunity and prevents accidentally shooting an obstructed turkey Avoid setting up on ridges or hilltops as your silhouette could alert turkeys.
Use Decoys Strategically
Decoys can attract curious turkeys into shooting range. Place your decoy in open areas near the turkey’s expected travel routes instead of right next to you. Hens often feed 20-30 yards away from toms, so replicating that distance can help. Avoid over-using decoys and use only one or two at most. Large flocks can warn turkeys that something is unnatural.
Master the Basics of Turkey Calling
Though endless turkey calls exist, mastering just a few basic calls can effectively hunt turkeys. The cluck, yelp, and purr are essential hen calls for beginners to learn. Use them sparingly and realistically to mimic a lonely hen looking for a tom. Avoid calling too much or too aggressively. Be patient and let the turkey respond before calling again.
Be Patient and Hunt All Day
It takes patience and an all-day mindset to successfully hunt turkeys. Toms are most responsive early and late in the day but can be called and killed at all hours. After sunrise, toms go silent but often still respond to calling around mid-morning as they search for hens. Stay alert and positive throughout the day.
Use Proper Shot Placement
Only take clear broadside or frontal shots at the turkey’s head and neck area. Their vital organs are all located here. Avoid angled shots through the body or shots at distant running turkeys. Wait for turkeys to move into open areas instead of shooting them directly behind thick brush. Practice builds confidence for making ethical killing shots.
Enjoy the Whole Experience
More than just harvesting a gobbler, savor the entire turkey hunting experience. Appreciate the sounds of spring and being outdoors in beautiful settings. Observing turkey behavior and interacting with these magnificent birds is a privilege whether you kill or not. Staying positive through mistakes and setbacks will make you a better turkey hunter in the long run.
Turkey hunting tests the skills of even veteran hunters. As a beginner, you can greatly improve your odds for success by following these key strategies. Scouting, concealment, calling, shot placement and patience are all critical factors to master. Hunt safely, ethically and enjoyably while learning through first-hand experience. With persistence and the right approach, you’ll be rewarded with the thrill of bagging your first gobbler.
Finding a Place to Hunt
There are most likely public land hunting opportunities nearby for those willing to get off the beaten path. Mobile and computer applications such as onX Hunt and HuntStand, provide users public land options, but checking with state agencies also is recommended to ensure public boundaries are correct and that you are following all applicable hunting regulations for that area.
Finding a place to hunt also could include asking a landowner for permission or joining/starting a hunting lease. No matter where you hunt, hunters should always show respect for the land, striving to keep it in pristine condition for generations to come.
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/.
How To HUNT TURKEYS: Basics With Jay Maxwell
FAQ
What is the best way to hunt turkeys?
How early should you start turkey hunting?
Is it better to hunt for turkeys in a field or in the woods?
What do you need to hunt turkeys?
You only need three things to hunt turkeys, a weapon, a call and a way to conceal yourself. The weapon is the most important purchase that you will make. Archery hunting for turkeys, especially with the aid of ground blinds, is getting more and more popular each year; however, most hunters choose to hunt with shotguns and the reasons are obvious.
When should you use turkey hunting tips?
The following list of turkey hunting tips—collected from turkey hunting experts with decades worth of experience—are for all the other mornings. Use them when gobblers get hung up, henned up, go quiet, or have seemed to vanish altogether. Because the truth is that most mornings, turkey hunting is pretty damned hard.
Can you hunt a Turkey with a shotgun?
On National Wildlife Refuges that permit hunting of upland game, persons hunting upland species other than deer and turkey with a shotgun shall possess and use only nontoxic shot while in the field. Haley Pond – Closed to Hunting: It is unlawful to hunt waterfowl on Haley Pond in the Town of Rangeley and Dallas Plt. in Franklin County.