Favorite turkey hunting tactics ?

[bigbore442001]

What are your favorite tactics for turkey hunting? For myself, I tend to go to areas that have proven themselves in the past and use a diagphram call with a decoy set up. I call about every 20 minutes or so and wait for a couple of hours in one spot. After that, I figure if nothing shows up I better move on.

 

[The Baron]

I've learned over the years that a turkey hunter's greatest weapons are knowledge of the birds/property, patience, persistence and versatility.

If I had to choose a favorite morning scenario, it's sneaking in early, hearing him gobble on the roost, then getting setup close (but not too close). A few tree yelps, and he pitches down and a few minutes later struts right in. For the mid-morning or afternoon, there's nothing like trolling a property and getting a hearty response to your calls, then 5 minutes later having a big tom gobbling and coming looking for you.

I have killed toms in morning setups off the roost, running and gunning at all times of the day, setting up in a likely area and blind calling, ambushing them on travel routes or at strut zones or feeding areas, and even sneaking up on birds that wouldn't budge and weren't paying enough attention to notice their end coming. I always love a hard gobbling bird coming to my calls, but I am satisfied by any plan that ends with a mature gobbler riding out over my shoulder, with my flinter in the other hand. :thumbsup:

 

[jdixon]

I used to hunt -em like you described, kinda like deer hunting turkey. Success rate was too low. Last couple of seasons I have been just getting out in the woods early, still dark, and begin walking. Maybe hit a located call, usually not, just wait for a gobbler to fire up, then I begin moving overland to get close to him. Running and gunning some guys call it. You end up bumping birds you never saw, making some noise you didn't intend to, but on average I get a lot more birds in the sights doing this then I ever did just sitting in a spot where I figure they will show up. Added benifit, it is great exercise - I will hump 3 or 4 miles some mornings. Occassionally, as a real bonus, while going overland to a bird you come across some fantastic little deer hunting spots you never knew were there :thumbsup:

 

[29caliber]

Bigbore...I've been fortunate to take eight gobblers over the past three years and, while I've learned new ways to mess up, I've tucked away a couple of things that turkeys seems to do and tried to take advantage of them. One of these is that gobblers tend to head for a field after flying down, usually accompanied with hens that can out-call me, thus leading the gobblers where they so desire, often away from me because I think they see new hens as competition. Because of this, I've had more luck setting up in a field that these birds usually head toward rather than trying to set up close to their roost. This means that I'm often setting up 200+ yards from their roost but within hearing distance.  The other thing that I've noticed is that gobblers seem to have a pecking order, or at least have a jealous streak, and will challenge other gobblers that are invading their space.  Therefore, as part of my field set-up, I try to sound like a gobbler that has moved in on the turf of the resident gobblers. That morning, after they've gobbled a few times on the roost, I answer them with my own gobbles. Eventually I add hen yelps from 2-3 different calls. I then work up to cutting off my own hen yelps with single and double gobbles, trying to sound like there's a party going on and they are missing out. If they come to investigate this new guy, my tom decoy with near-by hen decoy usually will bring them in on the run, often with the jakes in the lead. This technique worked twice this spring, bringing one gobbler on a dead run across a 10-acre field. It's almost comical to watch a couple of toms batter both the decoys. This set up is also good for later in the morning when you've done your scouting and know that birds sometimes show up in certain fields so that you can get there ahead of them. Be ready because they can come in silent...and behind you (don't ask how I know!) Tom

 

[29caliber]

Bigbore...Another successful tactic I've used later in the morning when the turkeys are already in the field is to get the dominant hen upset with me by answering her calls in a manner similar to what she is making but in just a little more challenging way.  (Generally, I'd just find a big comfortable tree to lean against several yards back in the woods and forget setting out any decoys.) Sometimes it will cause her to come looking for the hen who evidentally doesn't know her place and, at times, drag the gobbler with her. Even if she doesn't bring the gobbler in with her, it's a good chance to watch a hen up close and get a lesson in what good calling sounds like. I kept a hen around me for a good half-hour this spring doing this, sometimes as close as 10 feet as she searched for the elusive hen that had made all of that ruckus earlier. Just when she'd start to leave, I'd make a soft cluck or mutted yelp and she'd turn around and come back, still looking for that invisible hen. She slowly circled me twice in the half-hour before finally determining that the rebellious hen had departed.Tom

 

[huntertrapper]

we find a place they roost every night and just head there. or an area where the turkey hang out then go and try and find em before daybreak.hear one close sneak down to within your or the turkeys comfort zone and set up. im hunting with a selfbow this year so the gotta be close and i have to be able to draw with out them seein me so ill setup in some ligfht brush or behid a stump or a few branches and sit towards my decoys... roughly 15 yards or less...