Home Forums Birds & Dogs Turkey Hunting Where does a noobie begin?

I’ve been hunting deer and small game all my life. I’ve never tried for turkeys. But this winter while out scouting for next season and feeding g the conclusion of hunting season, I found a lot of Turkey tracks and scratching. So, I’m loving the idea of getting after them this spring. But where do I start? I know nothing about turkeys. What’s a good resource to learn the basics about Turkey behavior and how to hunt them?

The very best way is to find someone who knows what they're doing to mentor you. That.......most times.....is easier said than done.

There's a zillion tutorials on YouTube, I'd imagine. Instructional books and videos.......

Forget everything you know about deer hunting and don't believe anything yoder says because he's a phony.

I would listen to wild turkey's if I could or find a recording of them (Youtube is your friend) get a basic box call and try and sound like what you are hearing. Spend time scouting and watching where they want to go. It is way easier to call them to where they already want to go than to try and call them somewhere else.

Pattern your gun and make sure the POA/POI are the same and that will let you know your effective range well.

Lot of good info here on the fire as well

Truth.

And you'll learn fairly quickly where the best setting is on the B.S. filter for this forum.

Do some reading. This is an older book but has some good information in it to get you started.

https://www.amazon.com/Spring-Gobbl...ver+hanback%2Cstripbooks%2C46&sr=1-1

Just send me a map to the turkey sign. I will go figure them it and tell you how to hunt them😂

Seriously….
Get you a gun and pattern it and know it’s limits. Use high brass turkey loads and a good choke. Plenty of example patterns to look at and copy your gun/choke/load combo to one you see that you like and start from there. Paper target patterns don’t kill turkeys so don’t get hung up on that.

Scout preseason and just before you hunt if possible. Not only go look for sign, but go early and listen to them on the roost. Stay far back where you aren’t seen and not in position to scare them. Remember, you are scouting. Do not call to them ever before the season. You not only want to listen to them on the roost, but you want to hear what direction they go each morning as they go about their routine.

When it comes time to hunt, place yourself in one of the spots they frequent during the mid morning hours. Don’t get too close to them on the roost. Don’t call too much. In your scouting, listen to the hens if you are close enough to hear them. They don’t talk much on the ground usually. Clucks, purr, and occasional yelps will work. Don’t try to be too fancy.

Hide well, and don’t move around much. Especially when the turkeys are close. Early season woods you better use terrain cause you’ll get spotted moving in the woods too much.

It ain’t a good hunt or a deer hunt.

When the moment of truth comes, don’t shoot the bird if he’s strutting or if his beak is pointed straight at you. The broadside shot of the turkey world is head up, beak 90 degrees showing his eyeball to you, and sim for the feathers/skin line on the neck.

Don't get excited and shoot a hen, if you do exit the area quickly

Hunt someplace that has a bunch of the bastards

First step....buy a shotgun

Second step buy good ammo

Third step go hunt


You might bring a call along but it isn't necessary. I do think it makes it more fun. You can learn some basics watching videos. I always enjoyed the Primos gang. But, they call too much and call too loud.....

Finding someone to hunt with can be helpful. I've learned patience kills more turkeys than agressiveness.

Only in Texas!

Comfortable walking boots, a comfy cushion to sit on, Permanone tick spray, know the lay of the land/good map & compass, learn to call well enough that you don't sound like a beagle caught in a fence, a shotgun that hits where you point it and a triple helping of patience. You're set!

Start dating a woman who's dad is a turkey hunter.

If he likes you, he slides a turkey permit application to you the next time she takes you home to meet the parents.

Or you might get killed in the woods in a hunting accident.

I'm here and married to her so it worked out.

(Find a mentor)

Funny but PLEASE do make sure of what you are shooting at. People every year get shot by other hunters thinking they were turkey. I never have understood that and don't guess I ever will.

He is still alive BTW

I learned on my own by reading books....I started out using a short blind....I just stuck sticks in the ground and drooped some camo mesquito netting over them. (A turkey can not see through mesquito netting) I also used a hen decoy for a couple of years....put the decoy facing away from you about 10 yards out.

I started with a Lynch World Champion box and Primous trough slate....learn to yelp...3 notes. Don't worry about clucking....clucking can be a dangerous call to use if you're not fluent in how and when to use it.

Concentrate on the 3 note yelp.

Your best bet is to get in area where you know turkeys are and get set up and do a couple of series of 3 note yelps....don't be concerned by what the turkey does.

10 minutes later give another 3 note series....do not call again for 10 minutes even if he gobbles his head off.

I killed two big gobblers the first year I hunted doing that....it's straight from the Lynch box calling instructions.

A few years later I became a free man free of blinds and decoys.

I still use a modified version on mornings I haven't heard any thing....I call it my 30 minute plan and it's been the death of a few silent gobblers every spring.
They may come in silent then blow your hat off that's when you have to remain cool and not give into temptation and call to try and rush things....remember he's hunting you.

A turkey hunter has to learn when to let things happen as you progress and learn more about the calling game then at times with the right calling you learn to conrol the situation to a degree.

Last but not least you can't look around turkey hunting like you might deer hunting.i hunted with a guy once that wiggled and looked around too much I told him if I hunted with him again I was going bring a roll of duct tape and tape his head to a tree.

I need to look and see if I still have any of my books when I started out...

Sometimes, using a stick to scratch on the ground, like a turkey scratching for whatever, has been more effective for me than any other call. Sometimes it's all about the small noises...

I've used scratching when I was moving towards a gobbler when the leaves were dry as tender...but this guy is starting out the less he does the better his end result will be.

I learned what scares turkeys away by scaring turkeys away! Lol!

You learn with every encounter, sometimes what to do and sometimes what not to do. That is what makes it fun.
Guns, shells, chokes, decoys, blinds, all that is just stuff. I like to watch the birds and see what they like and watch how they interact with each other. They are a great teacher by just watching them.