Home Forums Birds & Dogs Turkey Hunting Lessons learned from y 2024 hunt... Decoys, blinds, calling, and blindsEvening: Set up on

Hunted one evening, one day, and a 13 minute morning...

evening:
Set up on the plowed field 2 days after a heavy rain because thats where I have permission to hunt..
Nothing came out. Some loud putting on the creek bottom 40 feet away on other persons land. I would never get causght, but thiught they may come out to mud to pick.
Nope... 2-3 birds loud putting in the creek... no luck.
Lesson learned... set up on the ambush trail and if you don't see turkey tracks in the mud... they are not coming.

Thursday:
Got in early on my public land spot. They didnt respond to my owl call.. so I went deeper to a utility line cut to draw from my targeted woods and next big woods block.
1/2 hour later... hear owl hoots and the birds go nuts where I suspected them... Then I see a red light set up 75 yards away. I'm set up in a fence blind tucked in a cedar bush that someone had previously hollowed out a blind. I keep it easy on the calling.
The birds flew down and and left both of us. I hear them start to come back later. Not sure if my neighbor was chasing them. No booms or birds come in.
Hear a gobbler coming in out of the big woods.. that was a new boy on the scene and he came right in.
I make the mistake of calling when hes too close and he's 30 feet out from the cedar bush and I can only see his head above the dead grass. Coming right to me and not my decoys... Not sure if jake or tom... Can't get my barrel through the cedar bush... Ugh.
He stops... sees my Jake decoy... does loud putts and slinks away. Jakey hurt me.
Jake decoy removed and other groups of birds evade me. Tough hunting.
Can you owl hoot too early? or do I suck? the birds responded to it later...

Saturday:

Go to my friend place 3 hours away... private property next too dairy farm and feild. He got his bird by 7:00 AM weds and says there are more.
Set up in blind... do a soft tree yelp and 3 different gorups sound off...
Decoys are a jake 20 yard to the left and a he 30 yard to the right on the plowed field where his trail camera saw them before.
Bursd coming in fast...
7 bird come out to the hen decoy... look like they were heading over to the dairy farmers silage pile... didnt stop.. unitl I called... I can't tell if they have toms with...
All of a sudden the hens turn back and start circling my hen decoy.
Thge two toms come back strutting...
Here the boss tom and more hens coming still... Over run with tuirkeys.
The circling hens get nervous and start to go back into the woods...
Luckily the toms kept coming...
I don't think any of them saw the jake decoy (note: my firends tom was shot as it came to the jake decoy...)
Light enough I can see we have towms...
3o ish yard... franchi affinity 20.. federal tss... burris FF4... one shot... drops... I've never shot a bird with TSS... It drops... hardly any floppig at all. I'm impressed.. thia may be my forever turkey gun.
13 minutes after legal shooting time.... 2 year old tom.

So lessons learned:
Jake decoy can help or hurt. I suspect my thursday tome was a satelite that couldn't deal with it. I think only one hen decoy used in the future. Not 100% on that, but it seems like the jake decoy may spook them 50% of the time. Its exciting the other 50% of the time.
20 gauge with TSS 9 shot is the real deal.

I had my mouth call with me and used it a little... but little confidence... still keep the pot and box around....
Fence blind is still my secutiry blanket... but I may go to a camo blanket next year.
My tactical sling pack works until you are bundled up for a cold MN morning.
Realized I used my bib pockets more than the pack... started to think a calling Bib / Apron may be a better deal over vests, messenger bags, and sling packs.... (anyone ever see a turkey apron???)

I was patterning my 12 gauge franchi and 20 gauge and really liked the less recoil between the 2 oz 12 ga load down to 1.5 oz 20 gauge..
Not sure what I will do with the 12 gauge now... leave it for predators? beaver shootig? I have a lot of 12 gauge turkey loads to use up.... especially 10 rounds of 12 gauge remington TSS I want to try.
I think I'm not buying the rem 870 compact now... just use the 26 inch barrel franch 20 and 28 inch barrel 12 in a pinch...
At least I'm saying this until the next time I go handle shotguns.
Some guys like pumps because you can close them quietly over my intertia autos that you sometimes worry about the benelli click... although I've never have a click occur. I notice people go "forward assist" on their auto's on in turkey hunting videos... not a bad idea.



Long read from the turkey grasshopper here. Lots of learning.

Did I miss any lessons or things you can point out?

You got a bird out of a couple of days of hunting. That's good.

If you have any doubts, the birds will teach you waht you need to know. They're the best teachers.

If you want to get better with a mouth call, only bring a mouth call...

Congrats on the bird!

Congrats

Attaboy!

Yes sir !! Conglads on the gobbler. Decoys are a double edged sword. My decoys usually just stay in the truck. Both hen & jake.

Good write up on your hunt. I am a first year turkey hunter so I like reading about what others have experienced. I am shooting a pump gun Win 1300 turkey. I am looking at trying the Herters 12 Ga. 2 3/4 #9 TSS load just because of less recoil and it is close to the 3inch 20 Ga load. I have added weight to my gun to lessen recoil. I will be testing it this week end.

Congrats on your Tom.

Try it. I was impressed.

Good luck.

Not sure I can do that yet... the box call gets me out on the windy prarie, but I will procatice more this year.

I'm exclusively a mouth call user... except if it's windy, then the box call gets the nod...