Turkey hunting for Dummy's

[giles]

I know it's a little late in the game for this to matter this year. But I realize now that I need a bit more knowledge behind me to kill a nice gobbler. You guys have a real nice sticky for new deer hunters, but I couldn't find a thread for new turkey hunters. Thanks in advance for any help/advice given.

 

[PA Bandit]

I look at turkey hunting as a mathematic calculation (i.e. algorithm). Each factor in a hunt can be assigned a variable. Each variable maintains a certain weighting (percent) of the overall outcome. So lets say "Y" = Success/Harvest and "A-E" = the following (these are not all the variables obviously):

A = Turkey is roosted within proximity
B = Turkey flys down in range
C = Other hunters in the area/Pressured bird
D = Turkey has hens
E = Turkey is responsive to calls
F = Turkey is responsive to decoys

For the standard guy (by no means am I stereotyping) who walks into the woods sets decoys out in a field and sits his success calculation is a probability calculation of the percent for each variable as such Y = A*B*C*D*E*F and obviously as each of these variables will never be 100% then with each variable added the overall percent of Y (Your success rate) decreases.

A "roost" hunter as myself has learned overtime the probabilities of all these factors and learns to compensate. First I remove all variables except "A" and "B" from above. So my equation looks like Y=A*B then I greatly increase my percentages for "A" and "B" by doing my diligence (what I call homework) in patterning birds before I hunt them. So lets say I have scouted out a bird I know his 1 or 2 roost trees and I know his typically fly down pattern. So for sake of discussion I am 80% Confident he is in his tree and I am 70% Confident (A little better than half because I have watched him for a while) that he will fly down to where I have set up.

Your success rate is such Y = .8*.7 so 56%.....That is pretty good in comparison to when you start adding in more variables such as (50% chance he comes to decoys.....etc...)

Short and sweet:

1. Do your homework and learn there patterns (Roost ---> Feed ---> Roost) and common strut zones
2. Eliminate as many variables as possible

[I do reliability engineering for my company so failure mode analysis is common to me]

 

[Boarhead]

Call em in and shoot em in the face.lol
Like Brock says turkeys are dumb.
One day they can have hens and are stubborn,the next day no hens and they run right in and you shoot em in the face.

 

[giles]

I've hunted them pretty hard this year. I don't have a decoy or any crazy calls, just a cheap Primos box call. I seem to be able to call hens and jakes in, just nothing any bigger. Maybe, the areas I've been hitting just don't have a high number or gobblers? Do jakes breed the hens?

 

[Bigslam51]

I've hunted them pretty hard this year. I don't have a decoy or any crazy calls, just a cheap Primos box call. I seem to be able to call hens and jakes in, just nothing any bigger. Maybe, the areas I've been hitting just don't have a high number or gobblers? Do jakes breed the hens?

If you have a large number of Jakes they will sometimes gang up on the long beards and run them off.

 

[lmbhngr]

Too late now, but I'm not too far from you and surely could've tagged along with you for educational purposes.

 

[giles]

Too late now, but I'm not too far from you and surely could've tagged along with you for educational purposes.

If your the same guy I'm thinking (recently lifted super duty), then we don't live far apart at all…Hillsboro area?

BTW, welcome to the dark side! lol

 

[lmbhngr]

I'm not from Highland Co, but did recently do a nice build on my SD. If you saw my truck you likely wouldn't forget it though. Maybe next year we could get together if you're still looking for a little assistance.

Thx...just stumbled onto this forum recently and decided to join to see what is going on around the area and state.

 

[giles]

I'm pretty sure your the same guy I'm thinking of. Black one…

I never did connect this year and I'll be looking to get under someones wing next year for sure. I passed on a number of jakes, I never did get a gobbler to come in range.