Turkey Killing Tips

[brock ratcliff]

Montana Dekes work far better than they really should. 2d and yet animals will hang out with their skinny new friends... A guy sent me pics from his cell phone several years ago of 4 PY bucks hanging around a montana doe deke he had smoked. They were laying around it, licking it, and sniffing it for over an hour! He is a big fan of decoys, and couldn't believe how well they liked the 2d deer that smelled like smoke. Sorta makes ya wonder why we think these critters are so dang smart...

 

[mrex]

More from the vault...this is the pre-roll from my second and last attempt at video production. The raw footage was taken during the 1993 Ohio spring season. We did the editing work on dinosaur equipment at Ohio University's Alden Library. (We paid a guy to let us in the media room after after hours). Keep in mind that turkey hunting was a relatively new sport in Ohio at the time and it's popularity was just starting to explode.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uFOFk07pnxk&feature=youtu.be

If you guys would like, I'll post some different segments of the Gobblemania videos between now and the season opener.

 

[hickslawns]

Good stuff! Getting me pumped up! Every time I hear "Gobblemania" I think of some wild weekend antics Joe might tell around a campfire. I don't know why that is? lmao

 

[jagermeister]

Another great clip there, Mike... Keep 'em coming!

On my way to the office this morning I drove by one of the fields adjacent to some county parks property, and there were 3 jakes, 3 hens, and 2 big strutting longbears out there, not 100 feet from the road. That bright morning sun was coming up, shining right through their tail fans, and making every speck of irredescence just glow like fire. It was a thing of beauty. Too bad I didn't have my camera with me!

I can't wait for turkey season!!! :smiley_crazy:

 

[Beentown]

Love the Top Gun'ish music! lol Thanks for posting Mike.

 

[Big H]

Another great clip there, Mike... Keep 'em coming!

On my way to the office this morning I drove by one of the fields adjacent to some county parks property, and there were 3 jakes, 3 hens, and 2 big strutting longbears out there, not 100 feet from the road. That bright morning sun was coming up, shining right through their tail fans, and making every speck of irredescence just glow like fire. It was a thing of beauty. Too bad I didn't have my camera with me!

I can't wait for turkey season!!! :smiley_crazy:

Hmmmm that wouldn't have been B.W., would it????

 

[jagermeister]

Hmmmm that wouldn't have been B.W., would it????

No, these were down closer to Seville... just north of 224.

 

[mrex]

Love the Top Gun'ish music! lol Thanks for posting Mike.

We played around with Queen's "We will rock you." After looking into the price, we decided to buy the rights to some generic music from an OU student.

 

[epe]

Hey mike, what's the way to get to Dow lake boat ramp from Lancaster-33 south?

 

[JD Boyd]

Paul, the first bird I killed was by your tactic. ( Not planned that way). The big tom was out in a field with two hens. Something spooked them, my buddy and I, and the hens took off leaving him behind. He was looking the other way and when he turned around they were gone. So he took off back toward the woods gobbling his head off getting no response back from them. So we get set up and my buddy starts calling to him and in ten minutes I killed him... That is still my most memorable kill to this date. Most of my birds have been killed right when they land out of the tree. It's always a good feeling to kill one but when they come in gobblin and struttin looking for a hen, it don't get no better than that.

 

[mrex]

Hey mike, what's the way to get to Dow lake boat ramp from Lancaster-33 south?

Exit off of SR 33 onto Columbus Rd. Turn right and go about a mile to the first traffic light. Turn left onto Lancaster St. Go a couple miles, (through several stop signs), and cross back over SR 33. Turn right onto Strouds Run Rd. and the boat ramp is 3 miles down on your right.

 

[finelyshedded]

This was a total blast catching up all the way through this thread. Lots of great info, tips and shared hunting videos on here. Thanks for sharing those hunts Mike, I agree with the others and keep posting them up as I could watch them all day.

Personally, I've only killed two birds as I haven't hunted them that much but that WILL change. Y'all got me all pumped up now and I'm gonna try and get out more often. Access and time will be my biggest obstacles.

Oh, my two birds were both jakes (13.5 lbs.& 19.5 lbs with the biggest having a 6"beard).
I've got along way to go and learn to be as good as many of you but am soaking in as much knowledge you seasoned Turk hunters can give.

Thanks again and keep it coming.

 

[Mountaineer]

Here's another tip:

I cover alot of area turkey hunting. Im hiking nonstop from daylight until quitting time. Although im turkey hunting, in the back of my mind im also thinking about deer. I find alot of good deer hunting spots while spring bird hunting...I also find sheds..shrooms..deadheads. In the course of the week, i might hike 50 miles. So..bring a gps along and make waypoints for future hunts for deer.

Spring bird hunting is an oppurtunistic time to get a jump on big bucks for the fall. The two go hand in hand.


JD..Ive done the same thing. Ive actually scared off hens accidentally and just around the bend i run into the ole gobbler. He comes right in because he thinks im the hen he's been with all morning.

 

[mrex]

Time off of work or time in the woods is a valuable commodity for most hunters. So if your time is limited, it's important that you chose the most productive time to hunt.

We have better success hunting the 2nd half of the season. IMO, there are only 2 real advantages of hunting the first half. One being that there are more gobblers to be had and two being that you can hear them from a greater distance. The disadvantages of the early season are, gobblers are with hens, they can see you from a greater distance and hunting pressure. The advantages of hunting the late season are, fewer hunters in the woods, (especially public ground), the foliage makes it easier to get inside their comfort zone undetected and the majority of hens are setting. The disadvantages of the late season are, fewer birds, harder to hear with the foliage and bugs.

Late morning and now afternoon hunts are far more productive in the late season. Especially for the run and gun style of hunting. If you can make a bird gobble later in the day, your chances of calling him up are far greater in the late season.

 

[Darron]

they won't be able to see you from greater distances this year the first week...............The green up now is like what it is most years towards the end of season.

Everyone has their fav times. Personally, I have much better luck the first two weeks of season versus the last two weeks. As mentioned, others like the late season. To each their own.

 

[Mountaineer]

Here's another tip I learned from poor setups over the years.

Calling a gobbler up out of a hollow is tricky. A gobbler being pulled out of a spot that's lower than you presents a problem . As the gobbler works up the hollow to the bench your on he generally will not come blundering up and onto your bench and expose himself..generally he will come up just enough so he can take a peek accross the flat your on. Most times he will only expose his eyes..if your to far back the ball game is usually over if your not.paying attention.

Mike..that's good info...later in the season is a good time.

 

[mrex]

Here's another tip I learned from poor setups over the years.

Calling a gobbler up out of a hollow is tricky. A gobbler being pulled out of a spot that's lower than you presents a problem . As the gobbler works up the hollow to the bench your on he generally will not come blundering up and onto your bench and expose himself..generally he will come up just enough so he can take a peek accross the flat your on. Most times he will only expose his eyes..if your to far back the ball game is usually over if your not.paying attention.

Mike..that's good info...later in the season is a good time.

Paul - I agree that if your not prepared to shoot quickly, it's usually game over. However, it's a lot easier to call a gobbler up hill than it is down. As you know, gobblers like to seek out high spots to strut, (display). Once they get ground on you it can be awfully tough to get them to come back down.

 

[mrex]

Two guys hunting together are exponentially more effective than one.

Filming a hunt is usually a lot more challenging than hunting alone because of all the added variables...bringing the bird to a specific spot, twice as much movement etc... However, I learned early on as a camera man that if I was set up 30 yards behind the hunter and did the majority of the calling, the birds that often hangup just out of gun range are now in range of the gunner.

Drag calling can also be extremely effective. If the caller is set up 50+ yards behind the gunner, (especially with a small hill or hump in between), he can often drag the bird into the gun. When possible, the caller sneaks off in the opposite direction while calling softly...creating the illusion that the hen is leaving. A lot of gobblers like to keep a buffer between themselves and the hens, especially when they know they are heard and probably seen...they cant stand it if the hens walk off.

 

[Mountaineer]

Yeah...Trying to call a gobbler that's above you is even more of a nightmare in steep terrain. Back in 08'..i was in vinton co and had a bird absolutely raising hell above me on top of the ridge..I was just below him on the side hill. I thought about backing out and trying to loop around and get on top but i decided to just try and call him over the edge. \Once i began calling, i could here him above me in the leaves approaching. I had my gun pointed strait up to the top..the problem i ran into i didnt know where he was show up..to my left ..to my right..i had no idea...I just kept the gun pointing and i figured wherever he popped out id swing the gun...well..he popped out to my left..peeked down over the ridge..id tried swinging the gun but he caught my movement and was gone in a second. When he popped out and peeked down over he was only 20 yards..but it didnt matter..the time it toook for me to see him..identify him and swing the gun was was too much...He bolted and i never got a shot.

 

[LonewolfNopack]

Good thread guys. Always enjoy reading turkey hunting wisdom. One thing that has worked good for me is simulating a turkey in ways other than a turkey call. Wearing a hat into the turkey woods provides you more than just protection from the sun, it also provides you a means to sound like a turkey flying down from the roost. If I know where a gobbler is roosted, I will get to the woods extremely early (1.5 to 3 hours before dawn) and set up within earshot of a gobbler, but out of the gobblers field of view. When the time is right, I will give a few tree yelps and then take my hat off and thump it rapidly on my knee. The hat breaking the air resembles the sound of a hen flying down, and a couple VERY soft yelps after fly down help to make it more realistic. This obviously requires movement, so like mentioned make sure you are not in the gobblers direct field of view, and always look for other roosted turkeys before you "fly down". Also, do not forget how effective scratching leaves is.

Another note of personal observation, most wild hens I've heard have between 9 and 13 notes in their "yelping sequence".