Turkey hunting rookie

Hey guys,
I've never turkey hunted before and I'm going to give it a shot this weekend at my lease. I'm new to my lease (in Cisco 1100 acres) they say we have a lot of turkeys so who knows. I need advice on calls, strategies, decoys, time of day, and even size of shot. Thanks I'd really appreciate it!
Josh

The best thing I did besides hunting with someone who knew what they were doing was to sit and watch hunting shows with a turkey call. Make the same sounds and try to pick up on when they call and how much.


Anything 4-6 in a turkey load will be just fine.

A slate call would probably be easiest for ya. Get you a hen decoy and stick it out about 25 yards from you and call every once in a while. try not to over call this is easy to do. It would be good if you could roost the birds the night before but if not try to set up near creeks with tall large trees. It will probably be a learning experience for you the first few times out but you may get lucky and take a bird the first time out. Lets us know how everything goes

Check your pattern. What I mean is see how your ammo works with your gun. It may be a shotgun, but you are using it almost like a rifle when you get an ultra tight choke and a larger size shot.

I have a buddy that thought I was crazy when I told him this, but was supprised when his pattern hit 6" lower than his bead at 15yds.

Ok thanks! I'm going to buy a call and decoy from Cabelas tomorrow.

'91,

I have a box call that works really well and it's easy to use. It even works while wet (like we have to worry about that around here) and doesn't require chalk (chalk is used to help the box make the right pitch or sound, just in case ya didn't know). I think it's called a "Wet Willy" (no kidding) or something like that. Should be around $20-25 I think.

Youtube has some free movies you could try for the calls...

Good luck.

I thought atleast one of you would volunteer to go along and show him the ropes!

Well I'll give her a shot and see how it goes. I will be trying Saturday morning and will report back after! Thanks

As a beginner I'd definitely go with a box call rather than a slate. Slates can be finicky and take some practice to get right. Box calls are far more 'beginner friendly'. A locater call, like the hammering crow (also easy to use) is another good buy. Camo up well, including face and hands, and go get-em.

Just read this one and I will be in Cisco this weekend hunting as well. Sending you a PM with contact info. We can meet, bring your questions I will be happy to answer what I can. Show you how to use different calls heck we might make a hunt or two if you want.

What is the best choke and the best shells

X2

Full or extra full choke will work and i have always had great luck with winchester supremes number 5 shot

lead #5 works great, the new heavy shot offerings #6 is hard to beat. and like meredj says full or extra full. the gun I use mostly has a Primos Jelly Head extra full choke.

I wouldn't go with anything higher than 4 shot. I've wounded a few birds with 5's and 6's. Never had one run off with 4's.

I guess I'm a little overkill.

#5 lead shot will completely penetrate a turkeys neck at 50 yards, #6 high density shot will do the same. I like as much shot as possible in the pattern and get that with the smaller shot sizes.
You mileage may vary

Thanks guys gettin ready to get me a big gobbler this weekend

same here

Good luck this weekend guys.

Good luck!

another question. Bought a box call, how often do I call and how long?

I'm glad you're asking all this. I'm a noob to turkeys too and have some of the same questions. To those that have posted...thank you.

dont know how far you guys are shooting with the #5's and 6's.

I have shoot a turkey at 40 yards with a 20 guage 2 3/4 #6 and killed it.

But Jcarlson91 it dosent matter to me on what guage or shot size you are using dont waist time in getting to the turkey as soon as you shoot and he hits the ground move in on him fast.

But beware he may flop around and kick, just dont forget about the spurs on his legs.

Just a little tip.

that depends a lot on the bird you are working. a very vocal bird you can call a lot to, one that does not respond much often does not like a lot of calling.

Send out a few yelps every 10 to 15 minutes if sitting trying to get a response, one might move into your ares or decide the hens he is with are no longer wanting to play so he might go elswhere

also some times they may not Gobble at all when they are comitted to coming in. They are trying to sneek in and catch you off guard ( ie moving around or even just moving you're head.)Just to see if you are a real turkey or not.

is 3D camo needed?

No

Ok so here is my story; I bought a hen decoy and box call. Went out Saturday morning at about 7am. Set my decoy out and right as I was sitting down I heard one gobble from about 200 yards away. So I sat and waited thinking he was still in his rut. He gobbled for atleast 30 minutes straight and I thought I heard a hen going back and forth with him for awhile. So I tried my best to respond. Then I heard another guy about 200 yards in the other direction. So i waited and nothing. Figured I would move closer to the other guy and waited for another hour and nothing. It was past 11 so I decided to call it a morning and then ended up not going that evening. Any suggestions?

That's turkey hunting. If the gobbler is hung, you can try to back up or stop calling to get him to come to you. You can also check and make sure there isn't a big obstacle between you and the bird. We had the same instance on opening day and discovered a 30ft creek bed that the gobblers would not cross.

You can try to move closer but you make the gobbler want you to come to him and you also risk getting spotted...

At least you heard gobbles, I did not hear anything in my zip code on Saturday...

Yeah I was very happy to hear them. There is a small fence but I don't think that would of stopped them. I also need more practice with my call and may try other calls as well.

There is a push pin box call they call it. Some of them now days are plastic but I like the wooden ones, they are easy to use probably the easist of all the turkey calls.

If you happen to hear one close before you call or dont hear one the first set of calls you make that morning make sure they are softer not as loud calls, because if there happens to be a gobbler close you migh scare him a little since he has not seen nor heard a hen in his area the evening before.

Sometime it takes some aggresive calls and sometimes it dosent. Sometimes it takes decoys sometimes it dosent. I have called 2 gobblers in this year with using the Box call but with a rubber band installed around the call and holding it by the end where the screw is and shaking it side to side very fast and small movements side to side to sound like a gobbler.

It takes some experince of knowing when to call and how much and there are a few different calls (sounds) I use that a hen makes.
Fly down cackle ( Used when the hen is flying down from the roost in the morning)
Feed call ( when feeding, mainly used when the gobblers is within 40 to 50 yards)

Turkey also have 10 times better the hearing and eye sight that we do.

search on you tube there is a few of them, I know there is on on fly down cackle, just watched it.

for reasons only a turkey kor knows it may stop at a small fence, ditch or something else it would have no issue crossing when just feeding through an area when it is responding to a call.

Half the fun is just hearing them respond to your call..

All the fun is just not being at home with the wife and kids.

Do you aim for the neck, head or at the base of the neck????

If they keep gobbling and sound like their in rut what should i do?

Let me add some assistance here. Yote, aim at the base of the neck. Carlson, even a little fence can stop a gobbler in his tracks. Turkeys don't like to fly unless they have to. If it's a barbed wire fence, he'll come through if he really wants to. The reason he is gobbling and not coming is because he is probably already with hens. You left a 11:00, which may have been a mistake. In my years of turkey hunting, 11:00 to 12:00 has been a magic hour. He may have bred some hens and may be looking for more. Some birds will hang up, and whatever you do, will not come to your calling. It's okay to go towards them. Just don't get too close. If you can call the hen(s) in, the gobbler will more than likely be with them. As some have already stated, don't overcall, and if a bird is gobbling good, then all of a sudden stops, he is either on his way to you, or his hen has led him away from you. If he goes silent, have your gun up and be ready. Don't call every time he gobbles, he is expecting the hen to come to him. Give him a little silent treatment sometimes. He knows you are there and may get frustrated and come your way. Just remember, be patient. Patience is the key to success when turkey hunting. The gobbler is on no time schedule, so you may have to wait a while. Another thing to remember, it's no easy task to call a gobbler away from his hens, so don't get frustrated. If he won't respond early, leave and go try to find another bird, then come back to the same area later. This is when that 11:00 to 12:00 time can be very effective. It's turkey hunting. You are going to run into a fews bumps along the way. You will learn many things through trial and error while hunting. Good luck

Thanks for the great advice. One more question, I have a hen decoy. Should I put it up or no?

I personally rarely use decoys. That doesn't mean you shouldn't try though. I have been successful using them, but sometimes they will spook birds. I would give it a try and see how they react. When I use dekes, I usually use just one or two hens.