I am going turkey hunting for the first time this spring on my 80 acres. This is the first time they have opened a season in my area. They only gave out 15 tags and I drew one. Well what do I need to know? Like what shot size works well (I will be using a mossberg 500 12 ga.) What is the range that I should shoot? Which calls work best? Shoud I use a blind or will just camo be enough? Any other input would be great thanks.
What do I need to know about Turkey Hunting?
- Thread starter Twig
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Titan6
member
In Virginia I use #2 shot with a full choke and keep my shots under 50 yards. I don't use calls, the birds seem to hang out in certain spots, so it almost like farming....
627PCFan
Member
1. Pattern, pattern, pattern.
2. More than 40 yards is on the edge. Your shooting a shotgun, not a rifle.
3. Full camo is a must, blinds are preferable (I use a pop up bow tent blind)
4. Around my way, any call works
5. Dont stalk turkeys, thats how accidents happen
-best of luck-
2. More than 40 yards is on the edge. Your shooting a shotgun, not a rifle.
3. Full camo is a must, blinds are preferable (I use a pop up bow tent blind)
4. Around my way, any call works
5. Dont stalk turkeys, thats how accidents happen
-best of luck-
NRA4LIFE
Member
Patience. Never give up. Keep movement down to an absolute minimum. I've had them spook on me moving my thumb to the safety. I prefer mouth calls if I'm alone. Lets you have both hands on the gun at all times. Slate calls are good too.
skers69
Member
I use Winchester #4 shot 3" turkey loads. Works great in my mossberg 500. I do not use a turkey choke...you may want to look into it. Buy a couple of different loads and test them on paper. Full camo works well...wear a face mask. Don't spend a arm and a leg on camo...if you can get a shirt, hat, face mask. Get a call you feel works best for you and pratice it as much as you can. If you can spend a little time prior to the season on the land you are going to hunt...then do some early morning scouting. Make some calls just after sun rise. If you hear some birds...then you are going to be doing well. I use decoys....I have found that a jake and hen work just fine. If you can not afford to buy a pop up blind...then make a gound blind out of what ever you can find on the land. I also take along a back pack that has a bunch of stuff I don't need but want to take along anyway. Last thing...take your time...this can be very fun stuff this turkey hunting.
2dswamp
Member
Pattern your gun...see what it likes to eat b/4 you take it out to dinner. My Browning Gold loves #5 shot.
Practice calling several types of calls. Diaphragm, box, friction. They will all come in handy depending on the situation. Turkeys are like everything else, if you can't solicite a gobble from a bird with one call, try another.
Don't forget you locator/shock calls: crow,owl,peacock, hawk and etc.
Full camo (including face mask) and minimal motion.
A blind helps alot if you are going to stage a ambush and know where the birds tend to be at a given time. Full camo gives you mobility.
Don't quit hunting after mid-morning...late morning can be very prosperous after hen's have been bred and kicked toms to the curb. A horny tom might still be lurking and ready for Round 2.
As mentioned by NRA4LIFE...more birds have been killed by patience than anything else.
Where do you hunt?
Practice calling several types of calls. Diaphragm, box, friction. They will all come in handy depending on the situation. Turkeys are like everything else, if you can't solicite a gobble from a bird with one call, try another.
Don't forget you locator/shock calls: crow,owl,peacock, hawk and etc.
Full camo (including face mask) and minimal motion.
A blind helps alot if you are going to stage a ambush and know where the birds tend to be at a given time. Full camo gives you mobility.
Don't quit hunting after mid-morning...late morning can be very prosperous after hen's have been bred and kicked toms to the curb. A horny tom might still be lurking and ready for Round 2.
As mentioned by NRA4LIFE...more birds have been killed by patience than anything else.
Where do you hunt?
Ghost Tracker
Member
A word of warning (and it's happened to several folks including myself): Once you begin turkey hunting two things can/will happen; (1.) you become convinced that the turkey is the smartest animal on the planet...including you & me. And (2.) Turkey hunting will make you less fond of hunting ANY other wild game.
Have a Great Time & Good Luck!
Have a Great Time & Good Luck!
plexreticle
Member
- Joined
- Oct 8, 2006
- Messages
- 1,240
Stay still, don't fall asleep.
How diffrent do they behave from the the fall. I observe them alot in the fall while deer hunting but not much in the spring. Do the males and females travel together or not. Last deer season on opening morning 36 Turkeys walked by my deerstand in single file do they group up this much in the spring?
2dswamp
Member
Toms and hens will group up until the mating goes hot and heavy. Then you have a dominant pecking order scenario going on similar to deer.
Once hens become receptive, mature toms will run off jakes, mature toms will fight for breeding rights and hens will ignore both once they become bred and especially right before they start to nest.
Good luck!
Once hens become receptive, mature toms will run off jakes, mature toms will fight for breeding rights and hens will ignore both once they become bred and especially right before they start to nest.
Good luck!
mike724
Member
Turkeys
"Roosting" the bird at the end of the day, finding out where they tree up at night, while wearing full camo, and staying STILL is effective. Here in FL, we stop hunting at 1PM, take a nap in the afternoon, drift back out to where we think we'll find bird, and drift on back after dark to drink, lie, and spit in the fire.
Pattern your shotgun to find the point of aim and effective range.
HOLD STILL! Those birds can see a cricket at 100 yds, so any twitching will tell them to scoot.
Call gently. Their hearing is as acute as their sight, so you needn't call the bird in the next county, just the one who's out of sight. Listen as carefully as you watch, and be patient.
The last poster was right when he said they're smarter than we are.
Remember, when the fox chases the hare, he only runs for a meal. The hare runs for his life!
"Roosting" the bird at the end of the day, finding out where they tree up at night, while wearing full camo, and staying STILL is effective. Here in FL, we stop hunting at 1PM, take a nap in the afternoon, drift back out to where we think we'll find bird, and drift on back after dark to drink, lie, and spit in the fire.
Pattern your shotgun to find the point of aim and effective range.
HOLD STILL! Those birds can see a cricket at 100 yds, so any twitching will tell them to scoot.
Call gently. Their hearing is as acute as their sight, so you needn't call the bird in the next county, just the one who's out of sight. Listen as carefully as you watch, and be patient.
The last poster was right when he said they're smarter than we are.
Remember, when the fox chases the hare, he only runs for a meal. The hare runs for his life!
buck460XVR
Member
- Joined
- Feb 6, 2007
- Messages
- 10,079
If you know the areas that Turkeys frequent on and adjacent to your property, you have half the battle won already. Get a call and learn how to yelp. I believe Minnesota still has free turkey hunting clinics...go to one and then get out in the woods. Your life will never be the same after that first Tom thunders out a gobble 40 yards behind you. Good luck.
redneck2
Member
By far, the easiest way to score is to find out where they roost. Set up in the "fly down" field. They cruise down into an open field in the morning. If you've got a decoy set up, they may well come to it. Need to be there a minimum of 1 hour before first light. Even during the dark, try to stay hidden and keep movement to a minimum.
In the Spring, green fields are the key. Hens nest in or around areas that have green grass. The chicks that hatch can't digest seeds, so they have to eat bugs to survive. This doesn't necessarily mean total grass areas. The fields that I hunt are in low (swampy) areas and have lots of weeds in the untilled corn and soybean stubble. Toms come after the hens.
Camo head to toe. There are areas that they move thru on a routine basis. Set up there and don't move. Last year I had a hen less than 5 feet from me. She never knew I was there.
I'd strongly suggest Hevi-Shot if it patterns out of you gun. I got a huge tom last year at 52 yards.
In the Spring, green fields are the key. Hens nest in or around areas that have green grass. The chicks that hatch can't digest seeds, so they have to eat bugs to survive. This doesn't necessarily mean total grass areas. The fields that I hunt are in low (swampy) areas and have lots of weeds in the untilled corn and soybean stubble. Toms come after the hens.
Camo head to toe. There are areas that they move thru on a routine basis. Set up there and don't move. Last year I had a hen less than 5 feet from me. She never knew I was there.
I'd strongly suggest Hevi-Shot if it patterns out of you gun. I got a huge tom last year at 52 yards.
paintballdude902
Member
- Joined
- Jun 30, 2007
- Messages
- 2,872
i have a field here that i shoot skeet in on my sisters farm thatis mostly ankle high grass
you guys think that they would like that in the spring? it doesnt get alot of traffic
i see them all over the road coming in but the owners dont allow ANYONE to hunt the fields so im outa luck there
you guys think that they would like that in the spring? it doesnt get alot of traffic
i see them all over the road coming in but the owners dont allow ANYONE to hunt the fields so im outa luck there
308win
Member
Turkey are creatures of habit with a routine; when you see them in a certain location at a certain time they will be there at that time again.
Be aware of your surroundings; more than one hunter has been shot by another hunter stalking him. I remember one year a hunter was shot in the jaw and another was shot in the butt and soles of his feet. You may not think you look, sound, or act like a turkey but the next guy may not be so discerning.
Be aware of your surroundings; more than one hunter has been shot by another hunter stalking him. I remember one year a hunter was shot in the jaw and another was shot in the butt and soles of his feet. You may not think you look, sound, or act like a turkey but the next guy may not be so discerning.
awwhite1012
Member
A lot of yall talk about seeing what type of load works best in your gun and seeing what it shoots on paper. What type of spread should I look for on paper to know what type of shot/choke combination is working the best
308win
Member
As long as there is cover nearby the field should be a good site for them to feed on insects as they will be able to view the surroundings. Turkey depend on their eyesight and then their hearing. Look for tracks, scratchings, later in the spring also dusting areas. Like I said, if you see them once in an area you will see them again unless they have been disturbed. I have watched turkey cross large clear areas and they usually more or less followed the edge far enough away that they couldn't be easily ambushed by a predator but still close to cover. I have seen turkey in spring wheat that was almost ready to turn so it was knee high or a little taller.
bdg146
Member
Having never gotten a bird... AMEN!
My advice: Don't get to caught up in this load or that one- the deadliest load on turkeys I have ever seen was a leftover #8 dove load my Grandfather found under the seat of his truck. How many years it had been there, no-one knows! Grampa had cancer and was none to mobile, so we set him up and drove around the section to push a flock down a creek to him. Usually, pushing turkeys is as easy as herding cats, but this time, the whole flock (it was fall) went right down the creek, right to him. One shot took out 3 birds- 2 stone dead, and the other floppin around like a headless chicken........
All 3 birds were hit in the head and neck, at a range of 20 to 30 yards. If you don't hit them in the head, you may knock them down, but you probably won't kill them. The feathers make pretty good armor vs. shotgun pellets, so aim for the head. My 11 y.o. daughter rolled one tom twice last fall with a 20 guage at 25 yards and he got up and ran away. I saw the pattern hit him, low and behind CoM both times......
All 3 birds were hit in the head and neck, at a range of 20 to 30 yards. If you don't hit them in the head, you may knock them down, but you probably won't kill them. The feathers make pretty good armor vs. shotgun pellets, so aim for the head. My 11 y.o. daughter rolled one tom twice last fall with a 20 guage at 25 yards and he got up and ran away. I saw the pattern hit him, low and behind CoM both times......
Turkey Obsessed
Member
- Joined
- Feb 29, 2008
- Messages
- 8
Ahhh, the Turkey Woods!
I have been hunting turkey a few years now and my wife hates me in the Spring and Fall now. I am in the woods taking pictures, scouting, planning my next hunt or just plain old watching. I love turkey hunting. You will too. Everyone here that recommended patterning your gun is 100% correct. Different loads will absolutely pattern differently at all ranges. I like #5 in 3" or 3.5" shells. Your 500 will only use 3", but that is an ideal shell. I took three toms with #5 shot that was 1 3/4 oz in a 3" shell. One bird was taken at 10 yards. One shot drop. I load one shell weather I am using my semi-auto or my single shot. It makes you strive for the best shot. You will find that your gun will pattern best around 30-35 yards with a #5 or #6 shot in a 3" shell. Something nobody has answered yet is what type of pattern you are looking for. Get yourself some turkey targets and aim for the neck where it meets the head. You will need a MINIMUM of 6 vital hits to drop your bird at no more than 40 yards. Measure a range out and practice like crazy. Stay with the same brand and size of load once you find one that works best in your gun. I always pattern at 40 yards, because it is the most extreme I would normally get in a hunt.....although I had a stubborn tom this past Spring that I took at 58 yards. I could not get him to come any closer. I was confident because I patterned my gun with the particular load. I was using Winchester Supreme 2oz Turkey loads in a 3.5" shell. Brutal on the shoulder, but deadly (deadlier) down range. The bird lost all muscle control in the neck and died quickly after a short jaunt with his neck behind him.
In any event, turkey hunting will help you refine all of your hunting skills, because they are SURVIVORS and can see you even if you can't see them. I spooked several of them just by subtle hand movements. Remember that they are always on the lookout for predators, and you are a predator. I have been fortunate enough to be able to SIT STILL for hours and make the shot. I have been blessed to see several hens yelling back at my calling and work their way out of the woods to peck at my decoys. I have startled toms right out of their roost in the first daylight with ONE CHIRP of my slate call and the hunt was over in 13 minutes. As I said, FORTUNATE, because I have seen many more walk away from me....or never come near me.
Don't ever get confident, pattern your gun, get good camo, pattern your gun, learn to talk turkey, pattern your gun and finally pattern your gun. Good luck!
P.S. In NY, you can only use #4, 5 or 6 shot. Practice with these loads as they really are the best for MOST scenarios. #5 is my favorite, but they are all deadly at the right ranges.
I have been hunting turkey a few years now and my wife hates me in the Spring and Fall now. I am in the woods taking pictures, scouting, planning my next hunt or just plain old watching. I love turkey hunting. You will too. Everyone here that recommended patterning your gun is 100% correct. Different loads will absolutely pattern differently at all ranges. I like #5 in 3" or 3.5" shells. Your 500 will only use 3", but that is an ideal shell. I took three toms with #5 shot that was 1 3/4 oz in a 3" shell. One bird was taken at 10 yards. One shot drop. I load one shell weather I am using my semi-auto or my single shot. It makes you strive for the best shot. You will find that your gun will pattern best around 30-35 yards with a #5 or #6 shot in a 3" shell. Something nobody has answered yet is what type of pattern you are looking for. Get yourself some turkey targets and aim for the neck where it meets the head. You will need a MINIMUM of 6 vital hits to drop your bird at no more than 40 yards. Measure a range out and practice like crazy. Stay with the same brand and size of load once you find one that works best in your gun. I always pattern at 40 yards, because it is the most extreme I would normally get in a hunt.....although I had a stubborn tom this past Spring that I took at 58 yards. I could not get him to come any closer. I was confident because I patterned my gun with the particular load. I was using Winchester Supreme 2oz Turkey loads in a 3.5" shell. Brutal on the shoulder, but deadly (deadlier) down range. The bird lost all muscle control in the neck and died quickly after a short jaunt with his neck behind him.
In any event, turkey hunting will help you refine all of your hunting skills, because they are SURVIVORS and can see you even if you can't see them. I spooked several of them just by subtle hand movements. Remember that they are always on the lookout for predators, and you are a predator. I have been fortunate enough to be able to SIT STILL for hours and make the shot. I have been blessed to see several hens yelling back at my calling and work their way out of the woods to peck at my decoys. I have startled toms right out of their roost in the first daylight with ONE CHIRP of my slate call and the hunt was over in 13 minutes. As I said, FORTUNATE, because I have seen many more walk away from me....or never come near me.
Don't ever get confident, pattern your gun, get good camo, pattern your gun, learn to talk turkey, pattern your gun and finally pattern your gun. Good luck!
P.S. In NY, you can only use #4, 5 or 6 shot. Practice with these loads as they really are the best for MOST scenarios. #5 is my favorite, but they are all deadly at the right ranges.
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