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Turkey Killing Tips

Diablo54

Senior Member
7,082
126
Outside
They head for fields ric. They still gobble and do turkey stuff hahaa. But wind is a different story. Rain I don't mind...wind, fugg it better go to Kroger
 

yotehunter

Member
1,527
36
spencerville oh
Killed a one this morning in that mess, they will usually gobble less and stay on the roost longer. They like being in the open a little more,jmo but I would say the can't hear well just as we can't because of the bigger drops from the trees and they get out in the open to see . The wind is the hunters worst enemy you can't hear them and they can't here you. These are just my opinions, good luck hope this helps. Anytime in the woods is better than sit ten in the house, you can't get them sit ten in the recliner.
 

rgecko23

*Supporting Member*
7,466
0
Massillon, Ohio
Just as an FYI, make sure you hit that small vitals area. I looked over my footage frame by frame, and I hit the bird perfectly broadside, but missed the mark by a couple inches low. Stinkin sucks. I imagine its coyote bait now, cause it was hurt for sure. But they can run a pretty good lip while still injured.
 

brock ratcliff

Dignitary Member
Supporting Member
24,834
247
Hit 'em high, watch 'em die. And is one reason I no longer hunt them with a bow. To each their own, but if things were based on my experiences, bows would not even be legal for turkey hunting. Done right they die quickly, its just too easy to do it a little bit wrong.
 

mrex

*Supporting member*
439
79
They head for fields ric. They still gobble and do turkey stuff hahaa. But wind is a different story. Rain I don't mind...wind, fugg it better go to Kroger

This has been my experience also. Turkey's head for open spaces when it's raining. Rain dulls their senses and since their primary defense is eye sight, they like to get to areas where they can see approaching danger. Rain is the perfect condition for blind hunter / field sitters.
 

mrex

*Supporting member*
439
79
Hit 'em high, watch 'em die. And is one reason I no longer hunt them with a bow. To each their own, but if things were based on my experiences, bows would not even be legal for turkey hunting. Done right they die quickly, its just too easy to do it a little bit wrong.

I have a handful of conditions, each with an exception, for the people who hunt with me. First, we don't shoot at moving targets unless it's a second shot and the bird is hit. Second, we don't shoot Jake's unless you're a novice hunter. And third, we don't hunt them with archery equipment, except for one place that's inside the city limits where you can't discharge a firearm.

I read a study done years ago by the Mississippi DNR about the percentage of archery shot turkeys that go un-recovered and the number was astounding.
 

hickslawns

Dignitary Member
Supporting Member
39,721
248
Ohio
Having never even having a turkey interact vocally or show itself visually (during season), I will gladly take my shotgun. Seeing how we had 1, yes 1 bird taken on opening day in my county, I need every advantage I can get. lmao
 

yotehunter

Member
1,527
36
spencerville oh
Hicks my buddy shot the only bird in Allen county Monday. I finished up yesterday with a 22 lb 10.5inch beard and just over 1 inch spurs. Will get pick on here when I figure how. My buddy and I have had 3 deal breakers this year we should both be tagged out but that's the way it goes. And you asked bout the 100 acre woods ? Not sure which woods your talking bout the one southwest of grubb in auglaize county or the big thicket Kendrick woods. We are hunting north of the big thicket clear to ft Amanda we have beat on a lot of doors this year for permission,cuz there are a lot of birds but they are scattered and even more so since last Saturday they have had lots of pressure we've seen several other hunters out this way.
 

MK111

"Happy Hunting Grounds in the Sky"
Supporting Member
6,551
66
SW Ohio
I haven't read all 10 pages of this post so please excuse if this tip has been mentioned before.
Always place your Tom and hen decoys facing you. That way a Tom won't hang up further out thinking the hen will see him and will come over to him.
Plus the Tom coming in will only see the spreaded tail of your Tom decoy and will want to look into the face of the decoy giving you a good chance at a shot.
 

mrex

*Supporting member*
439
79
I haven't read all 10 pages of this post so please excuse if this tip has been mentioned before.
Always place your Tom and hen decoys facing you. That way a Tom won't hang up further out thinking the hen will see him and will come over to him.
Plus the Tom coming in will only see the spreaded tail of your Tom decoy and will want to look into the face of the decoy giving you a good chance at a shot.

Excellent tip. Positioning is far more important than what brand or how realistic the decoy looks. Gobblers often pay little attention to an upright standing hen. I've watched strutting toms leave a group of hens to investigate a hen decoy that's squatted in a submissive breading position.
 

hickslawns

Dignitary Member
Supporting Member
39,721
248
Ohio
Hicks my buddy shot the only bird in Allen county Monday. I finished up yesterday with a 22 lb 10.5inch beard and just over 1 inch spurs. Will get pick on here when I figure how. My buddy and I have had 3 deal breakers this year we should both be tagged out but that's the way it goes. And you asked bout the 100 acre woods ? Not sure which woods your talking bout the one southwest of grubb in auglaize county or the big thicket Kendrick woods. We are hunting north of the big thicket clear to ft Amanda we have beat on a lot of doors this year for permission,cuz there are a lot of birds but they are scattered and even more so since last Saturday they have had lots of pressure we've seen several other hunters out this way.

Congrats on getting your second bird. That is quite an accomplishment in our county. One IS an accomplishment around here. The woods I was thinking of is south of Dughill. Can't remember the name of the road to its north. Fella that owned it passed away and I guess the kids/grandkids manage it now. My Aunt and Uncle lived out that way for decades. Always used to drive by hunters on our way out to Christmas or Thanksgiving.
 
M

mrex.0

Guest
Excellent tip. Positioning is far more important than what brand or how realistic the decoy looks. Gobblers often pay little attention to an upright standing hen. I've watched strutting toms leave a group of hens to investigate a hen decoy that's squatted in a submissive breading position.

I hunted with a couple friends earlier this week up in Michigan and was able to film a text book example of this. The gobbler sprints across the field to a live hen, then leaves her to investigate our decoys. There's a sapling partially blocking my view just before the shot but you can see to the left a David Smith submissive hen.

https://youtu.be/A95wCLkVIIk
 
M

mrex.0

Guest

This was down south about half way between Adrian and Ann Arbor. I hunted with Eric Herzil, the vice chairman of the WC and his girlfriend on some property of theirs. LOTS of birds! Michigan is still the only state I've hunted that compares to Ohio for eastern's.
 

Cogz

Cogz
1,360
70
TX
If you struggle to consistently kill turkeys and killing a turkey is your primary objective in the spring turkey woods, I’ll let you in on a secret that will dramatically increase your success…and no, it’s not baiting or tenderizing them through the feet. This technique is a close second on the boring scale to sitting in a blind with decoys over a food plot or field edge. And I’ll add, I don’t hunt this way, and if turkey hunting ever comes to this for me, I will quit turkey hunting.

I know guys who can’t call a turkey on the telephone, yet they fill their tags legally every spring. They’re not good callers, they’re good crawlers. This doesn’t mean that they stalk turkeys, but rather, they’re good woodsman. They move quietly through the woods, are patient, and can sit statue still for extended periods of time. The single biggest mistake spring turkey hunters make is calling too much and calling too loud. I don’t know anyone more guilty of this than me. I just love to hear them gobble.

Most of the birds I call up each year are satellite 2 year olds. These birds make anybody look good. The handful of “hooked” spur birds we kill are usually taken later in the season and later in the day after the hens have gone to nest. Calling too much, as I do, is the formula for failure with henned up gobblers.

Some people think that turkeys on public land or any heavily hunted ground are harder to kill because they’re call shy. This is complete bullshit. A turkey brain is the size of a pea. They do not learn from their mistakes or by watching their friends make mistakes. A mature whitetail? HELL YES! A mature gobbler? NOT A CHANCE! I can’t tell you how many times we’ve called up a group of gobblers, shot one at point blank, stood up and high fived, while the surviving gobblers throttle the bird on the ground. Birds in heavily hunted areas don’t gobble much and usually go the opposite direction of your calls because they’re looking at hens and the gobbler to hen ratios are so screwed up that there is little to no competition. In nature, the hens seek out the gobblers. Every time you yelp at him, you’re saying “here I am.” And every time he answers you, he’s saying. “here I am.” And he expects you to come to him. The more you call and the more he gobbles, the better chance that a hen will intercept him and she doesn’t like to share. It doesn’t matter how good you sound, she looks better…they are all Victoria’s Secret Models. After hearing a gobbler on the roost, if a hunter quietly moves into a logical position and doesn’t make a sound, there’s a decent chance that gobbler is going to pass within range if you’re patient and still. I hear birds on the roost in the fall a lot while deer hunting…and they almost always pass by my stand sometime during the hunt.

Personally, I’d rather buy one at Krogers as the silent approach isn’t nearly as fun as calling up a bird, but if you just like to shoot them, it is highly effective.
I just want to say i’ve read and re-read this post and thread all winter. I hunted for three days, had three opportunities and killed one today. Thanks guys, this really helped me. I have a ton to learn still and am figuring out calling but it has been effective at locating and pulling them in, but moving slowly and not calling too much were effective for me.