Christmas is around the corner and it’s time to embark on your first turkey hunt of the winter season. You dream of scanning the terrain around, finally spotting the ten-inch beard. As you take the aim and shoot, you just bagged your first turkey!
Being hunting enthusiasts ourselves, we understand that it is not as easy as it sounds. Thus, we’ve assembled the top five turkey hunting tips for you.
1. Scout for the bird: Winter Turkey flocks are comparatively big. In the winter season, turkeys are concentrated near the picked-over crop fields, cow pastures, and feedlots, along creek beds, etc.
Locating the roosts in these sites will help you understand their movement pattern from trees to foraging places. You can put your ambush site easily with such prior information.
Setting up an uphill field from the trees could serve as a good location for your blind.
2. Choose the right diet: You may get tired walking in the wilderness. Make sure to take some energy-yielding snacks with you.
We recommend mac and cheese along with bacon. It will keep your energy levels up. Foods rich in sugar can make you feel crash and burn in the long run.
3. Dress for success: Turkeys are known for their excellent success. As you plan to take a big tom for dinner, you need to be prepared for snow. It is recommended to wear quiet and waterproof clothing. Try to avoid plastic camo rain suits at all costs.
Also, set up your blind 3 to 4 days before you hunt from it. It should blend well with the environment. Also, plan your ins and outs carefully.
4. Attention to calls: As turkeys are vocal birds, calling them aggressively is a good way to draw them. Make sure your calls are crack-free.
The friction calls should be dry which can produce cuts, squawky jake yelps, fighting purrs, etc. You need to be able to create the right sound and cadence. You can use a box call, mouth call, or slate call. It will make the tom irresistible.
As you focus on calling, you may need to visually imitate a bunch of turkeys to get them interested.
5. Check your gear: Most hunters opt for a shotgun with tight chokes and dense shots. Whether you are using a shotgun or opting for bowhunting, practice is the key. Practice in a sitting position from the blind. As a tom sneaks up from behind, learn to shoot without turning your entire body.
It is important to find out where the birds are roosting. While wild turkeys tend to stay in an area where hens are around, gobblers tend to travel in a circular pattern.
Another crucial factor is observing their droppings in the hunt areas. Chalky ones depict that they haven’t been there for a long time. Instead, you should look for more soft and moist droppings. This means the turkeys will most likely come around again.
It is also important to present those turkeys to present a good target. Accurate placement of decoys can help you take a clean, ethical shot on a standing bird. You can use a silhouette or two to make the visual appearance look convincing.
Remember, turkey hunting is a long game. Turkey hunters require both physical as well as mental strength. There will be challenges like toms strutting in the other direction or running away too quickly, etc.
You should have the willingness to try. Being more adaptable can change a hunt in your favor. Keep pushing yourself to scout more, hunt hard, and keep calling.
Though these five tips may seem like an oversimplification of turkey hunting. However, trying them can help you develop the right skill set for hunting wild turkeys.
Make sure to download the Camospace App and share your experience with other hunting enthusiasts on the hunting app. For more such insightful topics, don’t forget to follow our blog section on our hunting app.
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Be safe, and have fun. Happy Hunting!
