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How do YOU turkey hunt?

I operate really light and only use a blind if it's raining or I have my kids with me.

I use TSS if I'm shooting a sub gauge. No decoys and haven't in forever. 90% of my hunting is on public and my most expensive investment is my time.

Edit to say I am a red dot convert now…
 
mayberryrick said:
That's what an 835 will do to you!!!! 😂
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Was the third time i had called this particular bird in, everytime he came in behind me and would slip back out. The last time he came just a little to far, i was twisted all the way around and let the buttpad slip up over my shoulder and wham😂 last bird i killed with a twelve before switching to a twenty 😂
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knightrider said:
Was the third time i had called this particular bird in, everytime he came in behind me and would slip back out. The last time he came just a little to far, i was twisted all the way around and let the buttpad slip up over my shoulder and wham😂 last bird i killed with a twelve before switching to a twenty 😂View attachment 262140
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I'm guessing that hurt a tad.
 
I've been deer hunting hard for about 45 years but only really got interested in turkey hunting about 5-6 years ago.....and I really regret not turkey hunting for the prior 30-40 years!!!

I bought Avian X decoys the first year but after carrying them a couple of times, I realized that, for me, that's not how I like to hunt turkeys.

Deer hunting has always been a solo sport for me but I enjoy turkey hunting more if I'm with someone...my son or a good friend preferably...I will go by myself but its just not as much fun.

I also travel pretty light...all I carry is a 20 gauge youth 870 with a Burris FF3 loaded with 2 rounds of TSS #9; one or 2 slate calls and strikers; a crow call and a bottle of water / snacks in my vest.
 
I sleep in while the gobblers tend to the few remaining hens in late season. Then Get set up on a trail or a strut zone and just pretend to be a content but stubborn hen or 2 feeding quietly with a couple slates and strikers and a wing tip to scratch in the leaves with
 
Popcorn said:
I sleep in while the gobblers tend to the few remaining hens in late season. Then Get set up on a trail or a strut zone and just pretend to be a content but stubborn hen or 2 feeding quietly with a couple slates and strikers and a wing tip to scratch in the leaves with
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I've been sleeping in some as well. I get out about 9 and try to get a gobble. I still like being up out at sunrise to hear the gobbling, but I'm much more successful later in the morning.
 
Run and gun. No dekes: load my own tss 20 ga rounds and average shot distance prolly 20 yards. Have a red dot cause my eyes are starting to go down and they help with unbalanced shots.

If I wanted to hunt in a blind, I'd just go deer hunting…my son will have to learn to sit still somehow, so I'm prepared to have birds spooked by him 😂

Also, I don't post my kills to social media…will text em to close buddies but that's it. Lose lips sink ships
 
Get you a good road spot where you can see fields that have turkey good and park and wait or ride different areas like that. You can drive right up to them.
 
Gobble4me757 said:
Run and gun. No dekes: load my own tss 20 ga rounds and average shot distance prolly 20 yards. Have a red dot cause my eyes are starting to go down and they help with unbalanced shots.

If I wanted to hunt in a blind, I'd just go deer hunting…my son will have to learn to sit still somehow, so I'm prepared to have birds spooked by him 😂

Also, I don't post my kills to social media…will text em to close buddies but that's it. Lose lips sink ships
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If I wanted to be uncomfortable on the ground turkey hunting, I would just go to shopping with my wife.
 
TnKen said:
I've been sleeping in some as well. I get out about 9 and try to get a gobble. I still like being up out at sunrise to hear the gobbling, but I'm much more successful later in the morning.
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I used to work 3rd shift at work. I got off at 7:00, and usually in the woods about 8:00 or so. I killed several from 9:00 - 12:00.
 
My preferred method is to step out into a vast block of timber, find a tall ridge and listen. Then start making my move, what I consider a true run n gun with a goal of getting sub 40 yards.
The sound of a Tom firing off in an unknown area is pure bliss, just like an elk.

I don't decoy, no blinds and this year will most likely be my first year using optics and TSS by using my daughter as an excuse. It's usually me, my backpack, couple mouth calls and a pot call.
 
I will also add I was brought up turkey hunting in the 90s. My mentors were tight lipped about their pursuit but I was fortunate enough to meet a couple. Outside of them, it was learn as you go for me and my grandad. Turkeys started showing up on his Dickson Co farm so it was natural to start hunting them. I quickly gained access to thousands of acres of hardwoods in Houston n Stewart County along with public land hunting the obvious spots central to those areas.
The lack of pressure allowed me to screw up more than finding success.

I remember a few times in high school people accused me of roost shooting. lol, they only knew how to field shoot birds in the fall and thought it was impossible to kill a gobbler in the spring and be at school by 7:45am.

Oh the good ol days. I reckon it's that nostalgia that keeps me hunting the way I do. I'll walk past turkeys to go find the ones nobody knows about…too bad I never find them 🤣
 

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