With the spring turkey season a few weeks away, it’s time to plan our upcoming hunt, time to break out the old box and slate calls and make sure they are in working order.
I have a good buddy that has his ‘turkey box’ that contains all his turkey hunting gear, everything from chalk for his calls to face mask and camo netting for a quick blind. About this time each March, Bob takes great pleasure in sorting through his gear, replacing what needs replacing and adding new items that he thinks might make him a more effective turkey hunter. He’s rigged and ready for the opener and I hope you are at least making plans to take to the spring woods in search of a boss gobbler.
It’s pretty common knowledge that, regardless where we hunt, there will be an abundance of Jakes (year-old gobblers) and three-year-old birds, thanks to a very dry spring two years ago when the majority of hens did not nest, there will be very few two-year-old gobblers. The difference between hunting two- and three-year-old gobblers is dramatic. The three-year-old birds have had another year to hone their survival skills and they are much tougher to call within shooting range than their younger counterparts. Since I do most of my turkey hunting with my compound bow, I consider any legal gobbler from a Jake to a longbeard a trophy.
Regardless whether we’re hunting eastern turkey in East Texas or the more abundant Rio Grande birds in the remainder of the state, there are a few tricks that will help us bag that boss gobbler. I’ve spent time in the spring woods hunting turkeys since the early eighties, and often with some very experienced turkey hunters. I’ve learned a few things from these guys and even more from the turkeys we hunted. In the outdoors, few things are absolute truth; when it comes to predicting patterns of game animals and birds, we can only guess and base our assumptions on past experiences.
One truly “hunts” turkey in the spring. Granted, some gobblers are shot around corn feeders, especially in Texas, but this practice takes much away from the true sport of spring turkey hunting. The hunter takes to the woods with his calls, decoys and shotgun or bow in attempts to first, locate a gobbler, then have the bird close the distance to what he thinks is a receptive hen.
Turkey hunting is definitely a challenging endeavor that can be likened to a chess game. Moves are made that result in consequences that hopefully result in a successful hunt and a big gobbler on the ground. Sometimes even the best laid plans don't work; sometimes they do. Here are some of the techniques I use when hunting spring turkey. I use these as a guideline but am always quick to alter plans when the situation dictates.
PATTERN YOUR SHOTGUN FIRST- All shotguns shoot a bit differently and it’s important to pattern your shotgun with the load you plan to use to hunt turkeys. Either buy a turkey target or make one. Here’s how: Use a piece of cardboard, a black marker and your hand for a pattern. Clamp your four fingers together then, touch your thumb to the fingers. This silhouette perfectly duplicates a turkey’s head. Your arm serves as his neck. Use the marker to outline your arm and hand on the cardboard. Then, back off 30 yards, hold a bead on the center of the bird’s neck and see how many pellets hit the neck/head. Adjust your sight picture until your pattern centers on the head/neck. Body shots on turkeys should be avoided when hunting with a shotgun. It’s pellets in the neck or head that puts the bird on the ground. I’ve killed several gobblers with my bows. When bow hunting, center of body shots are best.
USE FIELDS TO YOUR ADVANTAGE - Food plots are common these days and on many ranches, large fields are planted in winter wheat for cattle. If the areas you are hunting have land planted in wheat or food plots for wildlife , use them to your advantage. On many occasions, I’ve had gobblers spot my hen decoy, set near the edge of a wheat field, from a quarter mile away and come strutting within bow range. Try to set up in the cover of the trees and brush adjacent the field and place your decoys on high ground in an area with good visibility. Use dowel rods to give your decoys more elevation if necessary. Calling is helpful when using this technique, but once a gobbler spots your decoy, chances are pretty good he will make a beeline for it. Avoid calling too aggressively, especially to a bird heading your way. I like to set a Jake decoy a yard or so behind the hen. If there is one thing a boss gobbler cannot stand during breeding season, it’s the sight of a young gobbler (Jake) in the vicinity of hens.
MOVING IS SOMETIMES NECESSARY - On occasion, you might hear a gobbler respond to your hen yelps by gobbling but after repeated gobbles, it becomes obvious that he is not closing the distance to your position. When this occurs, sometimes moving just thirty yards then setting up and calling again will close the deal. In the real world, hen turkeys seldom stay in one place and call. When the turkey hunter moves thirty or fifty yards, the gobbler is tricked into thinking ‘his’ hen is on the move and he moves closer to locate her.
DON’T CALL TOO FREQUENTLY - CALL ‘ON THEIR LEVEL’ - I’ve found that turkeys do not respond well to calls coming from a lower elevation. When a gobbler responds to my calls when I’m hunting in hilly country, I always try to get on his approximate elevation or, above before I set up to call him in. Turkeys do not like to cross natural barriers such as fences, heavy brush or streams to approach what they perceive to be a receptive hen. Try to set up to call in areas that allow approaching gobblers easy access. Over-calling is a common mistake made by novice turkey hunters. Once a gobbler has responded to your calls with a gobble, give him time to close the distance to your location. At times, a ‘hot’ gobbler will stop, strut and gobble at every series of hen yelps he hears but most often, it’s best to call sparingly once a bird has responded and is on his way to you.
MID MORNING IS BEST - Many turkey hunters leave the woods if they haven’t shot a bird by 9 am. This is a major mistake. I’ve killed far more birds through the years from mid-morning until noon than during the first hour or so of daylight. When gobblers fly down from their roosts at first light, chances are very good they are already with hens. After the initial morning breeding activity occurs and hens head to their nests, gobblers once again become active. Gobblers are often not as vocal during mid morning, so remain very still and although you might have a preconceived idea of the direction the bird will approach, he might come from anywhere. Many times, I‘ve simply look up and there stands a big gobbler that showed up unannounced without a single gobble.
Luke’s favorite turkey hunting spots
For Eastern Turkey hunts: In Mike and Lori Ford’s Rio Rojo Rancho in Red River County - 903-674-3750
For Rio Grande turkey hunts: Sam Henderson’s Mesquite River Outfitters (www.mesquiteriveroutfitters.com) near Eldorado in southwest Texas. 3325-853-1543.
Ranger Creek Ranch Knox County:
Ranger Creek Ranch: 940-888-2478
E-mail: ranger@rangercreekranch.com
Listen to Outdoors With Luke Clayton at www.catfishradio.com. Contact Luke at lukeclayton@prodigy.net.