Patience Pays Off

If you hear a gobbler answer your calls and he heads for your set up then stops short and gobbles likes crazy at everything you throw at him, he may not like to go where your set up or may just be behind a fence, ditch, brush line or simply won’t come any closer. Stop calling, wait till he leaves then move to where he was and call from there, he has been there and just may head back to this area that was safe for him. Before you move, use a locator call to make sure your gobbler has vacated that area. Never spook a bird, you can always hunt him another day. Learn each time you go after a certain gobbler and sooner or later you will be where he feels comfortable and your patience may just be paid off with a big boss gobbler.

Foggy Glasses??

For those of you that wear glasses may find this little bit of information helpful. Most people that wear glasses have to watch what type of face mask they use, if any, so their glasses don’t fog. Although there are plenty of defogging materials out there on the market, so many are hard to come by, and the chances of you forgetting it on your next hunt can be high.
Almost everyone that shaves, uses some type of shaving cream. Try smearing shaving cream on both sides of your glasses then wiping it off with a towel. Not only does it help clean your glasses, but also it will prevent them from fogging the next time you walk out into the cold or put your face mask on. Don’t believe me? Just try this. The next time you’re in your bathroom, smear a little on the mirror above the sink before you take a shower. After you wipe it off, take your shower and see if it’s still not fogged when you’re done.

Get rid of those stakes…..

To me, simple is better, especially when turkey hunting. There’s no need to make things harder than what they are. I try to carry to very minimum gear that I NEED with me when hunting turkey. One little trick I’ve found to work well is to get rid of the two-piece decoy stake and replace it with a single stake. Normally when setting up decoys, I’m on a hot bird moving in, and need to get them placed NOW. Digging in my pockets for the other piece of the stake is something I don’t want to be doing at this point in the game… Check out the top of the line decoys this season.

Vestfull of Love

When you head into the turkey woods this season, make sure you have more than one call in your vest. Your calls can range from paddle calls to mouth calls. If you use friction calls, make sure you have more than one type of striker. H.S. Strut, M.A.D. Calls, Knight & Hale, etc. all offer a wide selection on different tipped strikers. This may be what you need to bring in that old long-beard into your sights.

Turkey hunting, like any other hunting, can go wrong or be successful, depending on your actions.

No matter how unprepared you might feel, keep in mind that turkey hunting begins in February and you need to do some pre-season scouting. Look for the food sources, cut grain fields and the tracks, droppings and scratching. The moment you locate the flock; you have better chances later in the year. Don’t waste any free day to go scouting, even on a rainy day. The more you know about, the better the chances for your hunt.

The best way to kill a gobbler in the spring is to find his roost the night before. Take advantage of your previous scouting observations and get some help from an owl or crow locator call to get a tom to gobble on the roost when it gets dark. The closer you get to a tom on the roost, the more you’ll know where and when is going to bet the next morning.

Try some bow hunting if you’re new to the property. You need a blind for this and you have to prepare for the shot and draw back. Remember also to place your decoys closer when using a blind and a bow.

Don’t hesitate to use the calling when you go turkey hunting. There are several options on this and don’t go to the field for the first time with a diaphragm call. Learn how to use the right call and typically you may only need the basic yelp.

Last, but not least, get some decoys also and use the calling accordingly to the decoys. And, keep in mind that you can never go wrong with a single hen decoy.