Break out the camo face mask and turkey vest. Spring gobbler season has come once again and the fiery action of the early season is in full swing. Gobblers are the most vocal right now and it’s time to capitalize while the getting is good.
Finding turkeys is the first challenge faced by prospective hunters and it can be an easy step to get hung up on. Silent mornings dampen the mood and can take the wind out of the sails for those 4 am wake up calls. Here are a few tips that will help you find turkeys and stay with them throughout the season.
Get Out and Scout
The best way to find turkeys is to put miles in the woods. Get out there and start walking around looking for where they have created scratches in the oak woods. If a flock of turkeys is in the area you will know it. They will tear the leaf litter apart as they peruse the forest looking for acorns, roots and insects. Most of my scouting is done while I am hunting, in the fall and in the spring. While I may be chasing whitetails in the fall months, I am paying close attention to the turkey activity that I see. Turkeys are creatures of habit. If they were there in November, they will be there in April.
In the spring, hunt and scout at the same time. Killing a turkey every trip out simply isn’t going to happen. Pay attention to the habits and routines of gobblers while you are hunting. A Tom is likely to repeat his daily routine in a similar fashion day after day. Things that may make him stray from this are hunting pressure and weather changes. Being an aggressive turkey hunter may pay off, however it can also ensure that you lose your opportunity to kill a turkey on a later day. The need for instant gratification among turkey hunters has probably saved the lives of many gobblers who would have been killed on the next hunt had a little bit of patience been employed.
Be Patient!
Just because you haven’t heard a turkey gobble in your favorite hunting spot doesn’t mean he isn’t there. The dream turkey hunt is one where you find a Tom gobbling right at day break and he gobbles every step straight to the gun barrel. While this isn’t 100% a fairy tale, it’s a far cry from the norm with most successful turkey hunts. I have found that birds over two years old are very reluctant to gobble more than necessary.
Increased hunting pressure from both humans as well as natural predators have closed the beaks on mature birds. At day break a gobbler with a set routine will likely know where his hens are and won’t have to gobble much on the ground to find them. These birds will stay with those hens until late morning and break off to feed and loaf during the middle of the day. This is actually when I kill the most birds. With a few exceptions, the majority of hens have been bred by this time and will be tending to their daily routines. With natural competition out of the way, it will be much easier to garner a Tom’s attention. That bird who didn’t want to gobble after he pitched down this morning may give you a great show.
Ask Around and Listen
With the exception of those deep woods turkeys with limited access to fields, most Toms will seek out open areas to strut and be visible to hens. It’s fairly easy to spot a group of turkeys in a field, especially if there is a tom that is strutting amongst them. The local grapevine is an excellent source for finding these birds. Asking landowners and farmers about the activity they see in the area will lead you to success. You can only cover so much ground when scouting. It’s wise to multiply your efforts and take note of what others tell you. I had a successful end to a hunt last year that started when I overheard a conversation between 2 hunters who had seen a gobbler in a field that they couldn’t hunt. It just so happened that I had permission for that tract of land and was able to slide in the next morning to reap the rewards of another’s scouting.
Anticipate a Turkey’s Actions Based on the Weather
Hunting the weather is key when turkey hunting. Ideally, every morning will be crisp with little wind and you will be able to hear a turkey gobble from a mile away. While some days certainly have more favorable weather conditions than others, you can find great success if you take the time to think like a turkey. A turkey spends his life outdoors, just because it’s raining or the wind is blowing 35 miles per hour, doesn’t mean that he doesn’t have to get out of bed. Turkeys simply find ways to cope with the given conditions and can become quite predictable.
During the early season when the leaves are still vacant from the oak trees, turkeys are more likely to roost in stands of evergreens or areas that offer more cover off of the ground. Windy conditions will make these spots even more favorable. Plots of thinned pines are my go-to areas on windier days during the early season. Not only will the turkeys be appreciating a break from the wind, but you will too.
Rain can dampen more than just the mood, but it doesn’t have to be the deciding factor in whether or not to go hunting that day. On rainy days, expect turkeys to stay on the roost longer than normal. This is because they cannot hear what’s going on around them and are reluctant to fly down off of the roost until they have had time to visually inspect the scene below them.
Once on the ground, expect turkeys to move quickly towards open areas where they are able to see predators approaching. The sound of rain drops falling in the woods steals away from a turkey’s natural defenses. When the rain stops, look for turkeys to become more vocal trying to locate hens. They will likely head towards fields where they can dry off more easily.
Locating Gobblers During the Hunt
When I’m hunting, my usual course of action is to let a Tom gobble on his own in the morning, meaning I don’t do any calling to provoke him to gobble. Locating a turkey without my intervention is a sure way for me to be able to set up on him with limited chance of him being skeptical.
If I don’t hear a gobbler, I will revert to an owl or a crow call. Generally a Tom will feel compelled to gobble back at an owl or crow call in the morning. Ideally, an owl will do my dirty work for me. If you hear an owl hoot or a crow calling, pay close attention.
Once the sun is up, I will switch to a loud box call making hen yelps. Be careful using a box call though, travel slowly and listen between calls. If a gobbler answers you, sit down and call him to you. I have made the mistake of moving closer to the gobbler on numerous occasions and I generally run into one of two problems. Either the gobbler was on his way to me moving quickly and saw me before I could set up, or I got closer and set up and the gobbler heard me call again from a closer distance causing him to believe I was coming to him.
This generally leads to a turkey that is hung up and will gobble in place, but will not come to you. If you find yourself in this predicament, the best course of action is to back up and continue calling. This will give the illusion that the hen has become less interested and may provoke the gobbler to become mobile.
Get Action out of Gobblers That are Henned Up
Attempting to call to a Tom that is committed to a flock of hens can seem useless. He simply doesn’t feel the need to leave the hens he is with to pursue another one. If he is in an open area or field where I can see him, I will sometimes deploy the strutter decoy and use a scoot and shoot method. The sight of another Tom strutting in the field will generally trigger a territorial response from any dominant gobbler. I am reluctant to use this method in places where I share hunting permission. Crouching behind a gobbler decoy isn’t exactly the safest idea in spring turkey season, and I will avoid it if I am unsure that I’m the only hunter in the area. When using this method, expect fast action and be prepared to take a close range shot.
Spring gobbler hunting poses unique challenges to the hunter and is extremely rewarding when patience and hard work meet opportunity. Use these tips to become more successful in the woods and remember to slow down and enjoy the hunt.
