Home Forums Birds & Dogs Turkey Hunting Teach me to hunt turkeys

I can't add much more to what's already been said, other than to just get out there and do it! Experience is the best teacher. One thing I will advise is to be prepared for ticks. Judicious use of good bug repellent or treating your clothes and gear with permethrin is mandatory.

Permethrin has really made a difference for me, not just for turkey hunting, but deer hunting too. Haven’t found a single tick since I started dousing my clothes with Sawyers spray. Keeps gnats, skeeters, and flies away too.

I have the stuff I was issued in the Air Force. Meant to treat tents, uniforms etc. gnats run from me. Treat my hat and no problem with bugs in my face. Not for use on skin though

Best advice would be to call 1/10th as much as you think you should and when you think you should get up and move spots, sit tight for another 20 minutes and make sure you don’t have a bird coming in silently. Nothing worse than standing up and seeing a bird runoff that was on his way in.

The Sawyers spray I use is sprayed on all your external clothing. According to the label, it lasts through six washings and IIRC, about six weeks. Not for undies or hats. Read the label. They also sell it for farm or animal use, but the human kind works just fine and enough for one season is about $20.

Hang your clothes, socks, and shoes outside, give them a good spraying, and let dry. Supposedly not only repels bugs, but kills them too if they get on treated stuff.

I buy the bottle of permethrin at the farm store and mix my own for hunting clothes and spraying the yard.

Need to try it on the hunting blind too, inside and out for spring turkey season.

The thing about not for skin is that it supposedly kills whatever repels the bugs if you get it on your skin. Just what I have read on the web.

Kills ticks and damn fast. Have witnessed that while turkey hunting. See a tick crawling up my pants and it's not long before he is flipping and flopping like a little fish out of water.

Was first issued permathrin about 35 years ago when I worked as a naturalist for the DNR. It was an eye opener for me. As a kid running around a farm working and hunting when the creepy crawlies, ticks and chiggers, were out I always got my fair share of bug bites. I might spray down with some OFF but that was only marginally effective and had plenty of downsides. OFF on a gunstock ruined the finish and I melted the plastic screen on the fish finder in the bass boat with a careless over spray while night fishing for bass. My first job out of college with a biology degree was as a naturalist for the state's DNR State Park division. I was maintaining existing trails and laying out new sections of trail for construction. The first week or two I was miserable until somebody at HQ gave me a case of permathrin for the trail crew. Trying that stuff was one of those wide eyed "where have you been all my life" events. Never without it since and haven't suffered ticks or chiggers in a long time now.

Sawyers picaridin repellant is our day to day bug dope around the yard and while fishing. Won’t melt stuff, and isn’t as nasty as DEET on your skin. If I’m going into Bug Hell, I’ll do my clothes with permethrin and put picaridin on my ankles, wrists, and any exposed flesh.

Ive used it on my BWCA closthes and people say Permentrin treated clothes stink... riding in a enclosed vehicle. Is that true?
I couldnt tell on mine.
Thermacell isnt a bad turkey gear item to have.

Never noticed any smell with it before.

Those Thermacells are the cats meow. I use the schitt out of mine. Early squirrel season is when I get the most use out of mine.

I will look into this stuff Pappy.

Amazon and Whatamart have it.

Haven't been in a Whatamart since the Plague got into full swing, maybe since May. Amazing how stuff changes in no time, ain’t it?

And I haven't missed too much of the going into places either.

The more I have been away from the general public the more I like it.

Has me looking even harder at a piece of land to build on that's about 15 miles from town.

Even more distancing!

I don't notice any particular smells from permathrin treated clothing.

Everyone's talking calling, but if they're with a bunch of hens that doesn't work real well. If they are hung up, try to get to where you can see them strut, then belly crawl within range and shoot one. It's not easy, but I've done it dozens of times.

knowing where to set up is key. make it easy for the bird to get to you - few fences an less water is good. find a comfortable big tree to sit against... be patient.

Can't really tell you much more than this man did. Get out and hunt! Screw up. Hell...you won't even know you're doing it wrong and it just might work.

One of my most memorable hunts was one I didn't kill a bird but it was probably one of the more fun hunt's I was on.

I may be the odd man out. But, I'm not a big fan of decoys. They do have their place. But, I've watched birds get spooked by them more than I've had them come in to em.

They will help you clean your wallet. I was on the board for our county chapter for some time about 20 years ago. It was about $$ more than anything else. I was not a fan of their practices and bailed out of that pretty quick.