Let’s test your fall turkey hunting knowledge with this quiz and see if you’re ready to put a wild turkey on the table like the Pilgrims and Indians did instead of that store-bought farm-raised Butterball.
A three a.m. start to get here in the dark and a headlight handshake introduction. Sitting in the dewey stillness of the morning hunt, with a front pew view of the world as it wakes. Listening to the rise and swell of a rural orchestra, straining to hear a single note in the dazzling crescendo of sunrise - the gobble. It’s the waiting, and willing my heart to slow its race.
Deer hunters have made a science of pinpointing the very best location to up their odds for harvesting a mature buck. Turkey hunters can boost their success by copying this page from the whitetail hunter’s playbook.
After an unsuccessful morning turkey hunting, youth hunter Avery Miller and I, met up after lunch with high hopes for a better afternoon hunt. However, we were met with a strong 30 mph winds that were forecasted to stay until well after sunset. Since we were already on the 2nd day of a two day only youth hunt there wasn’t much time to come up with a plan B.
At its foundation, spring turkey hunting isn’t a “high tech” pursuit. You do your scouting; you try to figure out the birds’ general patterns. You practice calling to get good enough to sound reasonably like a turkey. You shoot a few shells to learn the effective range with your gun, load, and skill.
There’s still plenty of time to take a long-bearded tom.
In today's world the majority of turkey hunters do not have the luxury of being able to hunt on different land everyday of the season. Finding land to lease or get an old-fashioned hand shake for permission to hunt someone else's land is getting harder to find.
Turkeys can drive hunters to tears and tremors. How can a bird with a brain the size of a walnut outwit us so often? But that’s the game, and it’s what makes bagging a bird – especially a wily old longbeard – so satisfying. When a particular tom has you turned inside out trying to drop the hammer on him, maybe you need to consider employing some turkey hunting tag team tactics.
Turkey hunting "how to" video with tips from expert turkey callers that every turkey hunter can use. Watch hunting strategies and tips for better owl hooting and crow calling (0:00 - 10:40) then learn how to use a friction call (10:41 - 19:29) from world champion turkey callers. Stay tuned for an update on trapping coyotes and the final story on the old buck, Peaches.
