Turkey rookie tips

Hey guys. Me and a buddy decided to apply for spring turkey in WI. We got our permits this week. Neither of us have ever turkey hunted. We could use any advice. Like should we hunt from a pop up shelter or be more mobile? I’m going to get a set of avian x decoys (Jake and hen). I’ve heard guys tell me they use both or just the hen or sometimes none. Any reason when and why for this? We’ll pattern the shotguns before we go. I’ve been practicing the mouth call a few times a week. Doing as much learning as I can from the Internet. But again any help is appreciated. We’ll be in Polk county.

Scout two weeks before, then scout really hard the week of your opener. Then don’t be disappointed when your first morning plan doesn’t work… Patterning the shotguns… very good!!! As for the blind or sitting out, depends on the weather for me and I now am bowhunting the scoundrels, but terrain may make you want one, not necessary for run and gun IMHO… Mouth call is very important especially w/out the blind, I run two very different sounding diaphrams in my mouth at the same time… Good Luck, hunting season 1 in Zone 7, hoping that the snow is gone again…

Mark

you will be happy with the avian x, i picked up 3 of them and they are awesome.

I am planning on my first turkey hunt this spring. I decided to use a ground blind since I will be using my bow. As far as calls and decoys I have no idea what I will be using.

Definitely go to a seminar the Dnr puts on,very good

Get in the woods early to scout, before the sun comes up. Find the roost area by listening for the birds as they come off roost. Hunt in that area with calls and decoys. Crap pickin buzzards will be there for the taking.

You don’t need to waste time and money on decoys for turkeys, as long as you go out a week or two before and figure out where they are and how they move you just need a good hide and a call

my first few seasons turkey hunting I just used a cheap quaker boy call and got the job done right now Im using XT diaphragm calls and a turkey nut slate

turkeys are creatures of habit, right up until they are pressured. knowing where the birds want to be and at what time of day will kill more birds than decoys, calls, a new benelli, etc.

More is not always better, set the call down. There is little more exciting than to listen to the birds gobble at sunrise from the tree but very few birds are killed in that first hour. When you get a bird gobbling at 9 am, they often ride home with you.

There are rarely two days that are the same, one day they want to stomp your decoys into the ground and the next day they will run from them.

bottom line, have fun

You are already doing some of the right things. When you pattern get a few different options. You and your buddy each buy one or two different loads and see which works best out of your guns.

Scouting and knowing your land will be more important than how good of caller or decoys you have. Scout as much as you can without spooking or pushing birds out. Glass from a distance get out in the mornings listening for the birds in the morning even in the evenings going back to roost.

I try not to make any calls unless locator call while scouting .I make sure to have back up plan if your option A is not working or birds moved before your season. Last year I ended up on a different farm which i got permission on late because my birds up and vanished and not even a gobble in the distance.

Have a couple calls mouth ,box and slate to start. The birds might not respond to one but the other. I have taken many birds in the morning without even calling just scratching the leaves like a hen feeding. The birds will tell you what won’t work so pay attention. Some might not want competition so maybe a hen decoy or none. Or some might not like all the calling and turn the other way. Have had that happen a few times makes you wonder how you call.

Just need to know what the birds are doing and want. If you do not have the time I would start without a decoy and make adjustments through the day.

Just being a better woodsman than caller will harvest more birds than decoys or calls.

I’ve done some turkey huntin so I’ll just throw a few things out here.

We’ve killed the majority of our birds without decoys.

Blinds are a good tool but not a necessity and a total PIA if run and gunning.

The majority of our birds have died within the first hour and a half. I’d say around 75% without going through logs. The second most productive time for us is around lunch time(nap time for most hunters), with late afternoon a distant third.

Good calling can change the game but unless you know what your conveying it’s just a bunch of ruckus. Great tone is easily ruined with bad cadence or the wrong call all together. Knowing when to or not to purr, assembly yelp or cut can spin them around quickly. That goes for towards you and away from you.

If your hunting public go were others won’t. By the time the season comes around every Tom, Dick and Harry has been out “scouting” all the easy areas of most public ground. Three years ago my 6 year old daughter and I ran into a pair of hunters who I’m sure gave us an unusual look as we went 150 yards in the dark through knee deep water to hunt a secluded piece of public.

Contrary to popular belief you can call birds downhill, uphill, and sideways.

Scouting is a great way to know where birds are but we refrain from bushwacking on food plots, it’s just too much fun calling them into range on their own turf.

Scouting is also not an effective time to practice calling or to see how birds respond to a call in my opinion. I’d personally want to save that call for the hunt.

Have fun with it, it’s one of the most rewarding and challenging things we’ve found to do in the Spring.

CW

Thanks for all the info guys. I’ve been working on my mouth calls on my 45 minute ride to and from work. I feel like I’m getting better except for the cluck. That’s not working for me but I’ll keep trying. We have 250 private acres so competition isn’t an issue. We’ve seen birds roosting in the fall. And we’ll get up there and scout a few times before our season. Threw a few rounds through the barrel to pattern the guns. Think we found our favorite shell.

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Nice work eye
I have been up listenomg in the morning over the last couple weekends. Birds gobbling and watching them feed and show off. Boys are being boys right now still have a ways to go.
Their pattern will change from the fall but you can start there and work off that information to start.

Keep working on the calls , i broke out my calls yesterday used them a little. Have some new calls coming to replace my most used they are really beat up.

I would make sure to get a couple other calls box and slate. A good vest will help with comfort and carrying around your calls. Good luck.

Eyefishin
I see you are in Somerset WI

There is a Turkey seminar this Thursday 630 at A1 archery shop. This would be a great seminar to make. MArch 10th

Mike Foster will be putting this on and should cover a lot of things you might have questions on. I will miss this year going to fishing up at Devils lake.

One way to get ahead of other hunters, is to use a boat to get to hard to get to areas without getting patterened like every other hunter that walks in.