So I am going to be going and doing my first real serious attempt at turkeys this year.

I have a bunch of calls that I have been driving the wife and dog crazy with.  I bought a hen decoy, and feel like I am fairly well set up. i don't have a pop-up blind but plan to brush in a spot and use some netting. Up to the waist or so.

As much as I can get from everyone I have talked to, its all about scouting and getting set up in an area with birds. ( Like most hunting, if the quarry isn't there you're just meditating with weapons.

So find a spot with birds get blind brushed in, get decoy out, call like a turkey wanting some lovin'........

Anything else you guys who arrow a bird every year can tell me?

Allan

Don't "over call"...calling too much can be a bad thing.  Experience will help you "read" the birds.  Sometimes aggressive calling is good, other times just soft calling is best! Oh, and get a THERMACELL...They work!!!

Second vote for a thermacell.

Another thing I used to do(pre-trad) that got the toms riled up and made em run in...get a jake decoy and set it up behind a low hen. Makes em think the jake is about to breed the hen and they get bent.

Good luck. Hoping for my first trad bird this year...

I know decoys are considerd a must by most turkey hunters but in my experince they hurt me more than help birds seem always to hang up once they see the decoy the stop coming, i think it is because we are goign agaisnt nature and the tom wants her to come to him  I have way more luck with no decoys actually ihave never killed a bird over a decoy just my experince

Still trying for my first too, going on season 5 or 6. I can get em' in shotgun range but not longbow. Too stubborn to pick up a scatter gun.  

Don't fall for all the gimmicks.

An old rusty door spring works just as good as the most expensive box call you can buy....

I agree with Biggie...man that hurts.

  Calling in my opinion is overrated. Pattern a bird or group of birds and set-up in the direction they want to go. Then a few soft calls may bring the bird on over.Birds not pressured much will come to lots of calling and decoys but hard hunted birds will be shy.A midday set`up in a strut or dusting zone without a call has been the death of a lot of birds.RC

Be sure it's a turkey you're talking to before you stick your head up. Run and gun shotgunners can ruin your day real quick.

scout,scout,scout, find where they roust,where they like to go when they hit the ground,set up your ambush in between, you'll be better off if they don't know you are there!! i gave up on calls and decoys 5 years ago and started hunting them like deer, i even got a couple from tree stands!!  

Arwin-Don't give up. It took me 7 seasons to kill my first turkey and it was with the bow. Had several in gun range but never wanted to hunt one with the scatter gun. My cousins told me I was crazy and stubborn but it was well worth it.

I found that soft calls do the best for me. I also put my hen decoy 30 yards past me and when the bird passes me then I shoot. If they are in full strut you will be able to draw unseen. SOMETIMES.

You can go to the NWTF website and hear some turkeys calling. This will give you an idea of what you should sound like and it gives a description on when to use it.


   Good Luck and Gobble Gobble!!

Biggie and RC are on the money with their advice.  I've taken numerous big Eastern longbeards, mostly by simply knowing the terrain and how the birds tend to use it on fly down, approaching the strut zone, etc.  As far as calling, less is usually "more" and sometimes not necessary at all. "Realistic" calls?  HA, some of the worse "calls" I've heard came from REAL hens!  Decoys do work at times, but it tends to be an all or nothing proposition; they either come in or hang up and drift away.  One possible exception though; I have seen the real feathers on a mounted decoy fool a dominate bird more than once.

QuoteI know decoys are considerd a must by most turkey hunters but in my experince they hurt me more than help birds seem always to hang up once they see the decoy the stop coming, i think it is because we are goign agaisnt nature and the tom wants her to come to him I have way more luck with no decoys actually ihave never killed a bird over a decoy just my experince  

This isn't going against nature that's what they are geneticly programmed to do.  Watch the bigger toms they will come in until they see the hen then she is supposed to come to the most attractive and most dominant bird.  How many times have you heard someone say " He came in until he saw my decoy then broke into a strut and hung up."  This is why.  Hiowever, as someone else said if you set up a jake like he's mounting a hen they will run in to flog him off of her if they're not henned up already.

I have had them come to the decoy without stopping but "most" have got within sight of them and stopped and strutted for a llooonnnggg time.
I`m gonna hunt without them this year at least I`ll be more mobile. I am using a Ghillie as well. RC

Luck.....some amount of luck has been involved in each turkey I have shot.  that means ya have to go often and shoot straight to take advantage of the luck when it happens.  

rusty

QuoteOriginally posted by Biggie Hoffman:
Don't fall for all the gimmicks.

An old rusty door spring works just as good as the most expensive box call you can buy....

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All Ive used is commercial calls, and would like to know any cheaper way to call, the Rio's down here respond well to my calls but they cost a fortune to keepm up....
Larry

QuoteOriginally posted by trashwood:
Luck.....some amount of luck has been involved in each turkey I have shot.  that means ya have to go often and shoot straight to take advantage of the luck when it happens.  

rusty

Would'nt That be skill..  

I am in Oregon and on private land which makes a big difference as far as callability and success.

Here is what we do.

We set up ground blinds a week or two before the season, but we have set up the morning of without any side affects.

I use Dave Smith Hen Decoy (google it).

I have found a Jake Decoy hangs the toms and other jakes up. I don't know why, but the Jake keeps them from coming in.

On the other hand the hen decoy brings them right in and they try to mount it.

We use a box call to get the toms attention and once I know he is within 100 yards, I go to a Jones slate call and purr.

I really recomend a ground blind. If you are shooting a trad bow, I recomend a Ameristep Penthouse for around $160.00 bucks. The Penthouse is 7' tall.

Get a few turkey hunting/calling videos and imitate what they teach you on video and also imitate the hunting sequences. Pay attention to the calls they are using during the hunt sequence.

There are several vocalizations that turkeys use to communicate and knowing which to do can make or break the set up.

Good luck,

Paul

I do not have much use for the hen decoys, I am trying the gobler decoy with the full fan this year. I do think this is dangerous and will be careful how I set up. When you get a bird interested and he is coming he will know exactly where you are. Keep quiet and he will come. I have had them take a hour from their last gobble to get to me. I try to set up near large trees, when the turkeys walk behind them you have a chance to draw your bow. Good Luck.

Learn to shoot your bow off a stool or off the ground.Personaly I know of no one who kills turkeys standing to much movement plus standing you look like a person.GUN or BOW
#1 Reason people spook gobbers when calling.Calling to loud.Get a slate.Theres only 1 way to call to loud.Thats if he's close then you should'nt be calling.
 I you want to use a mouth call.2 Things,learn to natural but also learn to put some filling into your calling.You do this by relacking and learning to call lightly as posable.
 I've killer 7 gobblers with my selfbows 2 with recurves 3 with compounds and quite a few with a gun gun.And for me personaly you need two things .A ghillei exspecialy to bow hunt and a decoy to take there attenion off you when your drawing.
 Back in the 80's and 90's decoys were the answer.But realize places that are hunted and get spooked by decoys when decoys are involed are really hardif not imposable to callback up to a decoy.Exspecialy if it's 3 or 4 year old.AND IF YOU DO RUN INTO A 5 YEAR OLD FORGET IT.There's not to many 5 year old gobblers out their.And if you do and kill him on the first try.Well you have became a turkey hunter.
 I don't care for blinds I kike the run and gun but you still have to wait the gobbler out once he's found.This caused be bird after bird when I was younger.Lission and lission close and anyone that has gobbler hunted more than 5 time will tell Im not lieing.
 WHEN YOU THINK HE'S GONE,LEFT.IF YOU DID'NT SEE HIM LEAVE HE DID'NT.WAIT,WAIT AND WAIT SO MORE.At least a full 1/2 hour more is better.Don't keep calling just set there and keep quit and he will gobble.And don't get fooled by a second gobbler.Asecond gobler sreaks in a lot he may not gobble one reason or another alots a times he's down the pecking order.
Sorry the only thing Iramble on about more is DEER HUNTING OR BUILDING SELFBOWS.

't be fooled by annother gopbbler