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

Trying to figure out the best way to start hunting turkeys in the spring in Colorado. I have never hunted them in the spring but have harvested a few in the fall in another state. My boy is starting to get interested in hunting and I would like to get him in the woods and see if its something he would like to continue to do. Its the kind of hunt I would think would be better for him to learn on then my annual elk hunt. I found a spot that had a bunch of birds during an archery elk hunt this last year that would not be terrible to get to so I believe that would be a good place to start. So if you were just starting to hunt turkeys and didnt have any turkey specific gear what would you get? Do I need to get calls? I will be doing more research on hunting them until the season gets closer but figured it was worth a shot to ask you here. Thank you!

Shotgun, choke and shell combination that will pattern at least 100 pellets in a 10" circle @ 40 yards to point of aim. Comfortable boots, comfortable seat pad, a way to pack water, calls, a snack, clothing layers, compass and topo map, and a turkey back to the truck. I like a vest for that. If you elk hunt and use a diaphragm call then you can easily use a diaphragm turkey call. Get a few in different pitch/tones. Maybe a friction call like a pot/peg or box call. A locator call like an owl hooter, coyote howler, ect. Patience... lots of patience.

MOGC hit most of the equipment checklist.

Being Colorado......... I'm guessing you'll be after Merriam's birds. A good box call will be you friend. Maybe invest in a decent decoy, too.

NO ONE will teach you how to hunt turkeys better than the turkeys themselves. But to shorten the learning curve, look for some DVD's. Try to find DVD's that show Merriam's hunts since the terrain they inhabit is quite different from all the other subspecies (except the Gould's).

If you want to kill a turkey, learn how to cluck on a good box call and you will be in business. I have hunted them for 30 years and have called in more toms using a simple cluck than another other call. What MOGC said above concerning gear is good advice. Good luck and hope you enjoy the adventure.

Colorado Parks & Wildlife have several videos on the website---That would be a start. Check the NWTF website for Colorado. See if there is a chapter in your hometown----another good starting point.

And here in the neighborhood we have several batches of them wondering around in groups of 30 to 50 at times...

I chase them out of the yard all the time due to them always making a mess of the yard, and the wife gets all pissy about that...
They crap all over the place, but not as bad as the Canadian Geese do

I usually chase them off,by walking out in the yard with a ball bat or a golf club...

Family friends have a son that has to ride the Short Bus to school....I let him shoot a couple for their Thanksgiving dinner
with a 17HMR.. his first game ever taken... he skunked on going deer hunting with his mom for his first time this year...
so we thought we'd let him have an easy target his first year out....the kid is 15 this Dec...

Thanks for the suggestions guys! I have been watching the videos on the Colorado parks and wildlife site already. Already own several good sets of boots and and clothing we would need. I will have to spend some time getting shotguns patterned since I havent done that in a long time. I will start watching some videos on calling and clucking. How does a owl or coyote call locate turkeys? Im sure I will learn by watching some videos and getting out in the woods but you would think that would scare them away! Whats a good shotgun for a young boy? He is 7 and is pretty big for his age but I know my current 12 gauge is going to way to large in length of pull and recoil.

Get out and watch the turkey. Listen to the sounds they make, learn their patterns, where they roost, where they feed and water. The most important thing is being set up in a location where the turkey want to go. Do that, and you can kill a turkey with any shotgun and a simple push button, Easy Yelper box call.

What he said⬆️

Also, go on YouTube and watch a bunch of videos, mainly to learn the body language and defensive actions of the turkeys. Turkeys are really stupid, BUT have great senses and are extremely wary and suspicious. Finding them is the biggest challenge, around here anyway.

Lotta fun, low pressure compared to deer hunting, and the weather’s nice. Good luck.

Thanks guys! Going to order one of those easy yelpers. Season opens here mid April. When would you start scouting a month in advance or only a week or two? Once you figure out their pattern is it pretty repeatable?

Their pattern will change depending on available food sources and pressure from hunters and predator's. In the spring they eat a lot more insects and green forbs. It's never too early to start observing turkey behavior. Keep in mind that hens and gobblers don't flock together much until breading season.

As mentioned and I'll reemphasize it, you gotta be where the turkeys want to be.

Also, know how to set up. I knew a guy that was about as close to a world class caller as one could be. Still had fits with birds because he didn't know how/where to setup. I think he thought he was such a good caller, that it didn't matter.

It does

I know zero about setting up right now but starting to do a bunch of research and scouting the area more. Seem like lots of people like decoys as well is that something Im going to need?

One or two decoys help. It gives that gobbler something to look at. Otherwise he's looking everywhere for the hen he heard and is more likely to notice your movement. I've had them try to breed my decoy and flog my jake decoy. Have had a bobcat attack one. Several times hens have flogged my decoy when I was over calling the dominant hen of the flock.

All stated well above.

For positioning, If you're right handed, your 'best' shot is going to 9 oclock to 11 oclock (12 oclock being dead straight away from you). Ideally you want to be setup so the bird comes into that 9-11 position and you won't have to move. I got burned on that big time the first 5 turkeys I had come into my decoys the first year I hunted 20 years ago. It takes a lot of movement to position your gun to shoot at 3oclock. Turkeys can see something like 270 degrees around their head. Not much allowance for movement.

Don't over call .
Everybody I've ever known including me
has made that mistake.
They'll find you if they're going to.
If they have hens right there, they
won't leave hens that they can see

Since you are here in Colorado, I suggest you check out the CPW website for turkey hunting info, especially their Turkey Hunting 101, which has a lot of useful info for new hunters.
I hunt them on my farm near Rocky Ford, along the Arkansas, and the birds are all of the Rio Grande variety. Good scouting is essential for success, IMO- locating and patterning birds before the season really improves your odds of success. I do this every spring and fall, and so far have been able to take 8 birds in 9 seasons off the farm. I use mouth calls, as I find I can mimic the hen calls in my area better with them. Decoys work, sometimes better than others- I have had better luck with them earlier in the season than later.

once you call in a turkey you're hooked for life

This. Most people way over call. Once he has responded. He pretty much has your location locked in. Once he shuts up, he typically is headed your way. Don’t make it too easy for him to pinpoint your location down to the square inch and it keeps movement to a minimum. I use a mouth call for most of my initial location calling and then switch to a slate for lite clucks and Yelp. I called in my first turkey by myself 39 years ago.

Get out in the woods and make all the mistakes we made, it's called experience! There's no shortcuts...
That's also all the fun of it too! (the mistakes you make)

Im no stranger to mistakes I have made lots over the years! Looking forward to giving it a shot this coming year and just want to make it a good experience for my boy.

I started turkey hunting back when they asked "you're hunting what?!" and couldn't believe I'd waste my time doing it! That's a long, long time ago, almost 50 years now. I still really enjoy it. Best advise I can give you is know what your shotgun can do and what you can do with it. Learn to tell yardage and take high percentage shots. Be slow to move if one's near, a turkey's eyesight, and hearing, is incredible. You don't need to be an expert caller, practice simple yelps and learn the cadence of a turkey call. Most times, it's the quiet calls that bring the Tom in. Scratch leaves to sound like a turkey scrounging around, using soft putts and whines. Back when I started, there were no websites for info. I went to hunting expos and I found a biologist's cassette recordings of turkeys out in the woods and listened, over and over, to how real turkeys responded to crows, owls and hawks. And how they communicate with each other. Turkey calling doesn't just call in turkeys, I've had many encounters with predators looking for a turkey dinner too. Just some quick pointers that are my opinion and what's worked for me over the years. But the biggest thing, enjoy it and your time in the woods with your son!

just go do it .you and your son will have a good time even if ya'll don't kill a bird














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Most people call too much, If a gobbler answers you he has located you. stop calling, all you have to do is wait for him to come to you ... look up hill for him. 90% of the time he will circle you and come to you from the highest spot he can find. trust me on this..good luck

Sometimes...

This spring will be my 20th season and I’ve never gone a season without killing a bird usually multiple for me and my Dad whom I call for all on public land. And most guys would say I call way too much. Other than my first season I’ve never messed with decoys.

I typically only carry one call anymore plus I hoot with my voice to locate them.

I don’t think you need to carry as much as most guys and I don’t think scouting is important at all beyond knowing there’s birds in the area. You don’t need to know where exactly to sit or have a specific bird picked out. You’ll find that out when you’re hunting and hear gobbling birds.

Learn how close you can get away with setting up on a gobbling bird and learn to call and you’ll never eat a tag.

If a bird gobbles or clucks after moving closer to you he’s expecting an answer and if you don’t answer he’s not going to find you. They don’t always sneak in to gun range because they answer you. I’ve had a lot of birds go silent from several hundred yards out only to gobble just out of sight a half hour later looking for a hen. And you have to answer that bird.

you hunt in a different state than I do.. different Birds . HA

Virginia hunting - not Colorado, but I do call in Idaho when I can. The birds are harder to call than in VA, and they tend to hang up further out.

I'm a decoy fan, but get a good one - Avian X, DSD are good ones, and a couple other companies are starting to compete with them at a lower price point - MidwayUSA has a good selection for reviewing.

IMLE - get something out in front, the bird coming in is looking for "something" and will be hyper-alert for anything - you're going to get busted more than once by those eyes.

Box calls work, but a mouth call is less movement, and less likely to be seen - when I was commuting a distance to work, I called a bunch - and got pretty comfortable with a diaphragm call, it's dead time, so call away...especially at a stop light!

To me - just like an elk - the more you call before a hunt, the more you educate the flock on what you sound like - and they know what to avoid.

Anything that you move is subject to alert the bird - hat brim, shadow, etc - they pick up movement like a wild trout in clear waters.

You'll need to keep checking the spot through the coming year that you found the birds in - they will move as the climate and food sources change.

You’ve never had a Tom gobble, Yelp, or cluck to get the hen (you) to answer after he’s moved towards your position?

Hard to believe somebody hasn’t experienced that unless they’ve only hunted turkeys with decoys on field edges.

There aren't a lot of absolutes in turkey hunting. I've hunted hard pressured birds on public land that were super spooky and call shy that for whatever reason suddenly one day will run you completely over and you can't do anything wrong. I know a guy that when he calls it sounds like a beagle caught in a barbed wire fence and he makes it worse by over calling his small farm and yet he kills a bird or two every year. I hunt them based on their mood on the day I'm hunting and go with the flow. I'll agree that most days the less calling is better approach is solid advice. However, that's not to say that a cluck or subtle yelp here and there along the way to keep Tom interested and steering in the right direction is a bad thing. And often it's a necessity. Depends upon terrain, cover, hunting pressure and the gobblers temperature on that day.

Why does my method of hunting bother you? are you so smart you know more than any one else, and if they don't agree with you they are wrong... get a life.

When it comes to calls you need to find the one you can master. Whether it is a pot and striker, box or mouth call. I do think a good box call is great for locating birds and getting their attention. I’m not great with a mouth call but use one once birds are moving in so I minimize my movements. If I am calling for someone I will use my box or slate the whole time and set up about 10 yards behind the shooter. I wish I could use a mouth call as well as other folks do but I suck. However I have found that you identify your weaknesses and play to your strengths and ignore what everyone else is doing

Your method doesn’t bother me it’s just not a one size fits all type of deal. Telling a beginner to shut up after the first gobble every time you find a bird sets them up for failure.

Thin skinned much?

Best way to learn to hunt turkey is to find a local veteran hunter that will take you a few times. Learn how to call and WHERE to set up after hearing a gobble. What to do and what not to do. Tricks of the trade.

Thats the awesome thing about these birds, they all have different attitudes. While I agree, if he answers you he knows where you are....probably the tree you are even sitting under. Most of the time he's just saying... come join me and the other hens. It can be a long waiting game at that point. More calling can make those hens take him even further away from you. I like to call to the hens, get a ticked off hen and she'll drag him straight to you...but you've got to know when you are trying too hard...and that comes with experience. Every bird is different and that is what makes it so fun.

Biggest thing is patience, I remember in my early days...I'd move too soon, just to have the bird start gobbling again where I had been sitting all along. Patience kills birds.

I have hunted Eastern species most of my life and they are said to be one of the most wary species of turkey. Best advice I ever got was the "set up" was the most important aspect of calling in a bird. Hard to explain but I try my best to be uphill from the bird and along a route they typically travel. I call until I know the bird is answering me and coming then I switch to a soft yelps and clucks. Know your shotgun/load capabilities and practice with it every year. Preseason scouting is important.... go in at daylight and listen. I use a crow call, owl and hawk calls to help me locate and move in on a gobbler. Every day in season is a new day and only experience will increase your odds of consistent success. Good luck.

Join the local NWTF chapter, they will help you.

Find turkeys. Invite an experienced killer along. You will likely find one of us who likes it so much we're glad to just call them up for someone new to shoot.

Biggest thing is patience, I remember in my early days...I'd move too soon, just to have the bird start gobbling again where I had been sitting all along. Patience kills birds.

Yup. It pays to work a setup until you’re pretty certain no one’s coming in. They will shut up on you and come in silent, especially if there’s nothing for them to look at (decoy).

Spring turkey hunting relies on you getting them to go against their natural habit of gobbling to attract receptive hens. Gotta get them worked up enough to make them do what they ordinarily don’t- go to the hen instead of the reverse. I once had one pretty worked up and ready, until a real hen came along, walked right past my rubber one, and cut me out. The way she sidled around that decoy like it was gonna explode was pretty comical.

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.

I didn't read all the posts so this may have already been said but when calling Turkeys don't call and then get up and move for at least 20 to 30 minutes. I have had them come in silently and then start gobbling when they were twenty yards out.

In Colorado I did really well down around Wetmore, west of Pueblo, in the Wet Mountains. Have not been there for a long time as I moved but it was a good place to go in the late eighties and early nineties. It is worth checking out the public land areas down there. Call the game warden in that area.

If you think someone on the internet can teach you how to hunt turkeys you are in sad shape.

If you get a gobbler to respond, but he will not come all the way in, take you hat and start beating the ground - like two Toms fighting and he will come a runnin'

Started hunting them about 1993. We are allowed 2 Toms per spring season. Have missed very few seasons and filled both tags most. What the guys are telling you is quite accurate especially the need to master a call and be patient.
Those birds are rather dumb. When asked about turkey hunting my reply usually is, "I GO OUT EVERY SPRING AND GET OUTSMARTED BY THE WORLD'S DUMBEST BIRD."
If you hunt them you'll probably learn both how to harvest them and what it's like to be outsmarted by the world's dumbest bird.

If you want to hunt a turkey, set up in a location where the turkey want to go, you gotta be where the turkeys want to be and learn their patterns, do all of those and you are good to kill a turkey