woodsman04
Well-Known Member
Something else to talk about rather than fighting over stuff we cannot control....
The biggest mistakes I see hunters do or hear of hunters doing (including myself multiple times a year.....)
1. Spooking the turkey. When folks ask me how I can shoot turkeys, my simple response is my number one rule is to not spook the turkey. If this happens, your pretty much done. (Although I have one time spooked a turkey after calling him up, and when he ran across the hollow he gobbled again. So I went to the other ridge with him and STILL called him up again and killed him....virgin gobbler). In every decision I make in everything I do I take extra steps and thoughts to ensure that I will not spook the turkey. Sometimes, I do take risk and bump the turkey, and sometimes I do not. Everything I do is calculated somewhat I guess what a poker player would be like. But if I were a poker player, I would always bet/raise small, and probably fold a lot. When you cut your teeth like I did with not a lot of birds to hunt and real smart birds it helps you understand just how conservative you really need to be.
1. B) Patience. Don't spook the turkey, get a good set up, don't over call, listen and be patient. If he goes silent there's about three things that could have happened.....most likely he called up a hen, next he just shut up and expects you to come to him, and lastly either you or something else spooked him. Hang in there with him as long as your wife/job/life or a$$ cheeks allow. It's part of turkey hunting. Most of the times he finds real hens or hangs up from you. Just enjoy it.
2. When setting up on a bird, without breaking rule number one, always get above him or at least even with him in elevation if you are not hunting swamp river bottoms. (One part I lack experience in is river bottom turkeys, as in my opinion they are the hardest to call up of all especially early season because there is no vegetation or terrain to block their sight.) I don't know why exactly, but they are always more willing to come to your calling up hill than down hill. Does this mean that you cannot call one down hill? Absolutely not. But if I can get above him without breaking rule 1 that is what I do almost every time.
3. Calling too much. In essence, by calling too much you probably break rule 1 or come very close to it. Once that gobbler hears you, there is no need to keep on yelping at him. Almost never have I seen constant intense calling work. Does it work sometimes? Absolutely. Will you see me do it? Probably not. He knows exactly what tree your sitting beside when he hears your first calls, guarantee it.
4. Improper calling set up. This goes along with the aforementioned. Always try to have some sort of terrain break in between you and the turkey, if possible. A knoll, a ridge, a Bench, what have you. Set up to when he comes up over the rise he is within shot gun range. Like mentioned before, do not call too much. If you have your gun pointed at 11oclock and all the sudden you see his white head at 2 o'clock, if you've called too much your screwed because he has you pegged. Learn what turkeys sound like walking and drumming.
5. Trying to locate gobblers too "hard." Doesn't matter if it's an owl call, crow, or using loud yelps, cutts, and cackles. I don't know how many times on public or private land I've heard hunters overcall trying to get one to locate and fail. These gobblers ain't dumb a$$es no more. If I hear nothing on the roost, or if I leave work early to hunt mid day or afternoon, yes I will try to locate one but I do not burn the woods down trying to do so. I do consider myself a run and gun hunter but only to an extent. If I have the unlressured birds available or lots of land I will be more aggressive. Late season or not a lot of land I will actually just sit in a comfortable area for a while and listen. When /if I hear one I'll go to it.
6. Don't spook the turkey part 2. Cannot be overstated enough. Can't say how many times people have taken me with them to their spots to help them. First thing they do when they get out of the truck is starting walking fast through the middle of the pasture or field. Never walk through the middle of the field. Always stay on the edges with your eyes up and ears open. Don't spook the turkey.
7. Learn how to listen for turkeys. Again, people take me with them and when we are at a listening spot they want to whisper about stuff. They want to play on their phones. They want to puddle in their pockets. Cough. Sand or chalk up calls. When your with a buddy get 10-15 yards apart. Focus on hearing turkeys gobble, or perhaps you may even hear one drumming in the black dark still. During the day when your prospecting, don't walk side by side, or even directly behind one another. Let one of you get ahead several yards so you don't hear each other walking so much.
8. Learn to shoot left handed (or right handed). I'm not talking about being able to shoot 15 doves left handed or drop a whitetail at 127 yards left handed with a shaky rest. Im talking about trying to shoot something the size of a squirrel with a shotgun at 30 yards. It ain't got to be pretty. Just try.
Have fun. Be safe and courteous to other hunters.
And again...don't spook the turkey and be patient!!
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
The biggest mistakes I see hunters do or hear of hunters doing (including myself multiple times a year.....)
1. Spooking the turkey. When folks ask me how I can shoot turkeys, my simple response is my number one rule is to not spook the turkey. If this happens, your pretty much done. (Although I have one time spooked a turkey after calling him up, and when he ran across the hollow he gobbled again. So I went to the other ridge with him and STILL called him up again and killed him....virgin gobbler). In every decision I make in everything I do I take extra steps and thoughts to ensure that I will not spook the turkey. Sometimes, I do take risk and bump the turkey, and sometimes I do not. Everything I do is calculated somewhat I guess what a poker player would be like. But if I were a poker player, I would always bet/raise small, and probably fold a lot. When you cut your teeth like I did with not a lot of birds to hunt and real smart birds it helps you understand just how conservative you really need to be.
1. B) Patience. Don't spook the turkey, get a good set up, don't over call, listen and be patient. If he goes silent there's about three things that could have happened.....most likely he called up a hen, next he just shut up and expects you to come to him, and lastly either you or something else spooked him. Hang in there with him as long as your wife/job/life or a$$ cheeks allow. It's part of turkey hunting. Most of the times he finds real hens or hangs up from you. Just enjoy it.
2. When setting up on a bird, without breaking rule number one, always get above him or at least even with him in elevation if you are not hunting swamp river bottoms. (One part I lack experience in is river bottom turkeys, as in my opinion they are the hardest to call up of all especially early season because there is no vegetation or terrain to block their sight.) I don't know why exactly, but they are always more willing to come to your calling up hill than down hill. Does this mean that you cannot call one down hill? Absolutely not. But if I can get above him without breaking rule 1 that is what I do almost every time.
3. Calling too much. In essence, by calling too much you probably break rule 1 or come very close to it. Once that gobbler hears you, there is no need to keep on yelping at him. Almost never have I seen constant intense calling work. Does it work sometimes? Absolutely. Will you see me do it? Probably not. He knows exactly what tree your sitting beside when he hears your first calls, guarantee it.
4. Improper calling set up. This goes along with the aforementioned. Always try to have some sort of terrain break in between you and the turkey, if possible. A knoll, a ridge, a Bench, what have you. Set up to when he comes up over the rise he is within shot gun range. Like mentioned before, do not call too much. If you have your gun pointed at 11oclock and all the sudden you see his white head at 2 o'clock, if you've called too much your screwed because he has you pegged. Learn what turkeys sound like walking and drumming.
5. Trying to locate gobblers too "hard." Doesn't matter if it's an owl call, crow, or using loud yelps, cutts, and cackles. I don't know how many times on public or private land I've heard hunters overcall trying to get one to locate and fail. These gobblers ain't dumb a$$es no more. If I hear nothing on the roost, or if I leave work early to hunt mid day or afternoon, yes I will try to locate one but I do not burn the woods down trying to do so. I do consider myself a run and gun hunter but only to an extent. If I have the unlressured birds available or lots of land I will be more aggressive. Late season or not a lot of land I will actually just sit in a comfortable area for a while and listen. When /if I hear one I'll go to it.
6. Don't spook the turkey part 2. Cannot be overstated enough. Can't say how many times people have taken me with them to their spots to help them. First thing they do when they get out of the truck is starting walking fast through the middle of the pasture or field. Never walk through the middle of the field. Always stay on the edges with your eyes up and ears open. Don't spook the turkey.
7. Learn how to listen for turkeys. Again, people take me with them and when we are at a listening spot they want to whisper about stuff. They want to play on their phones. They want to puddle in their pockets. Cough. Sand or chalk up calls. When your with a buddy get 10-15 yards apart. Focus on hearing turkeys gobble, or perhaps you may even hear one drumming in the black dark still. During the day when your prospecting, don't walk side by side, or even directly behind one another. Let one of you get ahead several yards so you don't hear each other walking so much.
8. Learn to shoot left handed (or right handed). I'm not talking about being able to shoot 15 doves left handed or drop a whitetail at 127 yards left handed with a shaky rest. Im talking about trying to shoot something the size of a squirrel with a shotgun at 30 yards. It ain't got to be pretty. Just try.
Have fun. Be safe and courteous to other hunters.
And again...don't spook the turkey and be patient!!
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
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