Beginner

A general discussion area for turkey hunters.
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pharrmgirl
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Beginner

Post by pharrmgirl »

My 10 year old son is wanting to turkey hunt this morning. I'm gonna go with him, but I have no idea what I'm doing. How is the strategy different from deer hunting? I need some beginner advice! Thanks so much in advance!

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howl
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Re: Beginner

Post by howl »

If you are in a spot a gobbler will come to, and it thinks you are a hen, and the gobbler must come wthin range to look at that spot, and there is nothing to deter or distract the gobbler before it gets there, the gobbler will likely come to that spot. How do you identify those spots? How do you convince the gobbler you are a hen? I've been working on that for going on twenty years. I get it wrong most of the time.

Another strategy is to have access to some gobblers and invite an experience turkey killer to help. Good luck!
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Hoobilly
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Re: Beginner

Post by Hoobilly »

I concur
May need a experienced turkey hunter to help with the basics.

Do you have a slate call or anything to call a turkey?
Don't start none, won't be none!

https://foxtrotammo.com/
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Grumpy
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Re: Beginner

Post by Grumpy »

A good call, and good hiding wearing good camo and always sit against something to break up your outline. If there are turkeys around some clucking on the call and patience and things may go well. Hold real still, no movements they have real sharp eyesight.
I was not his father but he was my son,,MAK IV, 10-15-1993 - 4-22-2007
"Rest in Peace my Little Buddy"
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Grumpy
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Re: Beginner

Post by Grumpy »

There are plenty of great videos of turkey hunts on youtube and you can learn a lot watching them. Easiest way I know to see how it is done if you have no one to show you, good luck, let us know how things went.
I was not his father but he was my son,,MAK IV, 10-15-1993 - 4-22-2007
"Rest in Peace my Little Buddy"
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ICDEDTURKES
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Re: Beginner

Post by ICDEDTURKES »

Ray eyes turkey hunting strategies book best I've seen for a beginner
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appalachianassassin
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Re: Beginner

Post by appalachianassassin »

the important thing is to go and deer hunting strategies will kill work just fine. not how I hunt but its how I started 20 yrs ago. I agree with icded, ray eyes book is great. best of luck
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turkeyinstrut
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Re: Beginner

Post by turkeyinstrut »

There is probably some "How to" videos on Youtube and any turkey hunting videos you watch will help if you pay close attention. It's tough when you are first getting started, when I first started I didn't know a soul that turkey hunted and there were very few turkey hunting videos out back then like Ray Eye, Kelly Cooper and maybe one from Quaker Boy and Ben Lee's instructional cassette tapes. To start out with just try to watch informative videos, buy you a couple calls like a good box call and slate pot call and practice, practice, practice and then practice some more...LOL. It's not rocket science but it takes a lot of determination and patients to become a turkey hunter.
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GobbleNut
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Re: Beginner

Post by GobbleNut »

Spring gobbler hunting short course:
Turkeys roost at night in trees. They gobble on the roost. Get in the woods where you think there are turkeys at the first hint of daylight in the morning. Sit and listen until you hear a turkey gobble. Sneak as close as you can without being detected (you can usually get within 100 yards or less if you are careful,...and even closer if it is dark enough). Sit down in a comfortable spot and be still. When you hear turkeys flying to the ground and calling, call back doing your best to imitate them (not the gobble, but the other sounds they are making). Hope that they start coming towards you and if they do, tell your son to point his shotgun towards where they are coming from (but not when they are close enough to see him move). If and when they get close enough (20-30 yards), tell him to shoot one with a beard right in his punkin head.

Anything that is unclear, just ask... :thumbup:
makeumgobble
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Re: Beginner

Post by makeumgobble »

he is ten so that sitting and waiting aint fun, my ten yr ol dint like it and niether do i, get you a box call, if you have a creek on the property that is where id start, at daylight listen real clise for a gobble, if none then just quietly walk the proprty calling on the box every 50-75 yds till u do, then get as close as you can witout him seeing you sit down and call back , if he (the gobbler) answers be patient, list your state might encourage some local help, if wanted
timbrhuntr
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Re: Beginner

Post by timbrhuntr »

Good advise so far and I don"t want to hijack your thread but come on there is no way that's the real Grumpy replying !
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OLE RASPY
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Re: Beginner

Post by OLE RASPY »

Good luck. Good advise so far.
TURKEYS
COYOTES
DEER
SQUIRRELS
(all in this order)
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Hoobilly
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Re: Beginner

Post by Hoobilly »

what part of the country you from? I am sure someone on here lives close enough to give a helping hand,

If you have deer skills, turkey cant smell you, but the hearing and eyesight on a turkey is phenomenal

if you screw up, don't worry about it.. try try again
Don't start none, won't be none!

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Re: Beginner

Post by Ozark Ridge Runner »

Take a look at the section right below this one. 'Hunt Strategies'. Read up on some first hand knowledge. There may be a 1000 years of turkey hunting experience in there.
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Hoobilly
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Re: Beginner

Post by Hoobilly »

timbrhuntr wrote: March 13th, 2018, 4:52 pm Good advise so far and I don"t want to hijack your thread but come on there is no way that's the real Grumpy replying !
he slapped on some Hai karate aftershave...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f592YE9pGVw
Don't start none, won't be none!

https://foxtrotammo.com/
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pharrmgirl
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Re: Beginner

Post by pharrmgirl »

Oh wow!!! That's a lot of information! Thanks so much, y'all! I'll let you know how it goes. I'm in Tennessee, and the season starts in a couple of weeks. This may sound dumb, but do you scout for turkey like deer?

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hobbes

Re: Beginner

Post by hobbes »

Going with someone that is experienced will jump you way ahead of the learning curve. However, that may not be available and many folks didn't really have access to experienced folks, so we just learned by falling down and getting back up.

Knowing the lay of the land is probably as important as looking for sign, but locating areas that the birds have been feeding by looking for scratching in the leaves will give you good indication that the birds are there. The lay of the land helps with knowing what kind of obstacles will hang a bird up when he's coming to the call. However, I find that the easiest way to determine if birds are in the area is to listen at daybreak for birds gobbling on several occasions before season, preferably on nice mornings. Listen to the birds gobble a little while after flydown. Get some idea of where they seem to go once on the ground.

Knowing when and how close to move in on gobbling birds comes with experience. The set up comes with experience also...........understanding where that bird will be willing to come to so you can be within range when he gets there . In general, they don't want to walk into something really thick and they can be hard headed about crossing something as small as a 1' wide wash. Fences can be hell. On other days he'd fly the Grand Canyon to get to a few yelps and you'll kill him in self defense. Too much discussion on this and you'll be confused and wandering in circles not knowing where to set up, but just try to think about where would a tom feel safe to move in on a hen, where can he see so far that he knows he should have already seen me so he hangs up, what obstacles may stop him.

Being new to the game, patience in an area that you believe the birds are frequenting, based off of lay of the land, scouting, listening for gobbling birds, and some basic calling will be your best strategy.

I'd suggest listening to birds as many morning as you can. Set up somewhere ahead of where you believe they will be going. Learn some basics calling strategies between now and season, and apply those to the best of your ability. You can kill birds all day long with nothing more than simple yelping. Pick up a simple call to use, likely a box call for a complete beginner, and think cadence.

There are some really good folks on youtube that can give some instruction in basic calling, but there are just as many folks that have no business trying to tell anyone how to call. I'd recommend some of those listed above.
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appalachianassassin
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Re: Beginner

Post by appalachianassassin »

lots of turkey hunters willing to take a newcomer under their wing. I never had the luxury as a kid and am always happy to take a kid or even a seasoned hunter who is having trouble filling tags. what part of Tennessee you in, there are several tn residents on this site.
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Re: Beginner

Post by makeumgobble »

listen in the morning for gobbling, ofcourse tracks and scratchings in the leaves are also clues, learn the difference in the size of a gobbler track versus a hen
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howl
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Re: Beginner

Post by howl »

appalachianassassin wrote: March 14th, 2018, 4:21 am lots of turkey hunters willing to take a newcomer under their wing. I never had the luxury as a kid and am always happy to take a kid or even a seasoned hunter who is having trouble filling tags. what part of Tennessee you in, there are several tn residents on this site.
That is a great offer and would be a huge help.

Any new turkey hunter should consider these:
http://a.co/bhWiz2p
http://lovettwilliams.com/prod_cd_all.html

And don't overlook the library for books.
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appalachianassassin
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Re: Beginner

Post by appalachianassassin »

howl wrote: March 14th, 2018, 9:33 am
appalachianassassin wrote: March 14th, 2018, 4:21 am lots of turkey hunters willing to take a newcomer under their wing. I never had the luxury as a kid and am always happy to take a kid or even a seasoned hunter who is having trouble filling tags. what part of Tennessee you in, there are several tn residents on this site.
That is a great offer and would be a huge help.

Any new turkey hunter should consider these:
http://a.co/bhWiz2p
http://lovettwilliams.com/prod_cd_all.html

And don't overlook the library for books.
I, myself, have a line of folks a mile long to take this spring. but, I know a lot of turkey hunters in east tn that help ppl too.
El Sicario
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devastator
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Re: Beginner

Post by devastator »

pharrmgirl wrote: March 14th, 2018, 1:46 am Oh wow!!! That's a lot of information! Thanks so much, y'all! I'll let you know how it goes. I'm in Tennessee, and the season starts in a couple of weeks. This may sound dumb, but do you scout for turkey like deer?

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AWESOME your getting the boy involved,wish you was here in Pa.I would be all over taking your boy for the youth hunt!!!!
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pharrmgirl
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Re: Beginner

Post by pharrmgirl »

Y'all are awesome! Thank you! I'm in middle Tennessee and we don't have anyone to teach us, so I guess we're in for an adventure! [emoji5]

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appalachianassassin
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Re: Beginner

Post by appalachianassassin »

the single greatest thing to killing turkeys is having turkeys to hunt. find the turkeys and we can tell you how to kill them. middle tn has some great public ground if you don't have turkeys to hunt on private. I meant to put in for chuck swan but forgot for the 2nd year in a row. don't be afraid to ask even the dumbest question, we were all beginners once and there are some real turkey killers here to help quide you along. you will get different opinions and all will kill turkeys. that's the beauty of it, you can find success with just about ant tactic. I will warn you, turkey hunting can become very addicting. side affects may include dizziness, drowsiness, weakness, tired feeling, blurred vision, headache, dry mouth or loss of coordination. be carefull or you may become an addict yourself.
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Re: Beginner

Post by Tankdog78 »

I would recommend to be in areas where there is sign. You are looking for scratching in the leaves or field ranges where you have regularly seen them. I hope you have some luck and talk to one you will probably get the turkey fever when you start talking to a turkey and he answers you back. On another note try not to over call to the bird because they will likely stay put you want it to hunt you The turkeys know exactly where you are when you call and they answer, the first bird I killed piped up on the ridge top I was on at 3 yards from me and I didn’t have my gun up because I had always heard don’t move sit perfectly still until they go behind a tree and then move. Good luck
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