I always was interested in what other Turkey hunters pay most attention to in their hunt. I ask other turkey hunters that I talk to in my area how they hunt all the time. Do you scout a lot and roost birds? Do you pour over topo maps and aerial photos before a hunt? Do you just go and adjust on the fly using your woodsmanship skills that you have honed over many seasons? Last but not least do you go to a property, listen for a gobble, get close and rely on your calling skills? These questions are posed only for properties that you are unfamiliar with or very little history with.
Scout a good bit local and hunt on the fly in the other state I hunt. Have hunted my other state for several years now so I can usually be within earshot of not uncomfortably close to the roost at daylight.
I try my calls at home when not hunting. Always trying to get that perfect sound. Then when out in the woods, it's completely different. Drives the family nutz though.......they just don't understand!
:gobble:
The most imortant thing is being where the birds are. Can't kill em where they aren't. Many ways to get there but fairly long distance (unobtrusive) listening will point you in right direction. Roosting the night before never hurts to be on em in am.
Understand something, birds move, get shot, are just quiet somedays. Lots of guys say they have birds located. Don't put all your eggs in same basket. Locate as many as possible, In as many places as possible. You're gonna need it. Both to switch gears when the birds you were gonna hunt aren't cooperating and to rest spots.
I'm a firm believer in giving spots/animals a break. Easier to kill when they don't know what's up
What other turkey hunters pay most attention to in their hunt: It really depends upon the area I am hunting. I hunt relatively open country in Nebraska. It's possible there to observe turkeys from a distance and their reaction to calls, decoys, etc. I do a lot of glassing, waiting, and listening to help determine what to do in particular situations. I've been fortunate to hunt an area with a relatively high concentration of turkeys that are visible. I take full advantage of the open country using my eyes and ears to locate birds.
In Colo where I hunt the turkeys are super quiet. I hunt areas with lots of ponderosa pines so it's nearly impossible to spot them from long distance. There are lots of predators in the area so turkeys that make lots of noise usually get eaten. This makes it super tough because there is so much country with few birds....and they are nearly impossible to locate because they hardly let out a squeak. I have to pay attention to fresh scratch marks and turkey droppings, tracks, etc. It can be somewhat frustrating locating quiet turkeys that are like ghosts....so every gobble or hen cluck/purr plus fresh turkey sign is pretty important for pinning down areas with turkeys.
Hffultz jr I feel you on that bro my wife has grown to hate turkey calls hanks to me now I have to go in the yard or do it at work on my lunch break only way to get better as for the topic on hand I try to know where birds are going to go and if I can't roost the then be ahead of them but everything that you asked is pretty much what all you use because you can do all the scouting in the world if they move then your adjusting on the fly anyways so basically your using all those things you mentioned above and just years of hunting and practice is how we all learn and eventually hopefully become successful in the turkey woods. Good luck to you
This seems pretty obvious, but the most important ingredient to turkey hunting success is finding birds to hunt before you start hunting. I don't care how good a caller or woodsman someone is, if they are hunting where there are no birds, they are not going to kill one. I know that sounds like a real "Duhhh" statement, but it seems that way too many guys think that the woods are full of turkeys everywhere and if they go out and randomly call somewhere and don't get a response, it is because their calling or woods skills suck. 99% of the time, unless someone is an absolute doofus that hasn't got a clue, that is not the case.
With the resources and tools that are available today, anybody can get a turkey call and get on-line and in a short amount of time learn how to call and learn the basics of turkey hunting. The key to their success from that point is basically one of finding the right place to hunt,...that is, a place that has some gobblers and with little enough hunting pressure such that the turkeys there are actually acting like turkeys are supposed to act. Sure, there is a learning curve associated with it, but that curve goes up sharply when a guy is hunting in the right place.
The bottom line is, if someone wants to be a successful turkey hunter, they should spend 90% of their time finding places where there are gobblers (preferably with some limited level of hunting pressure) and 10% of their time on everything else.
I rarely have the opportunity to scout. I love to do it, but family, work and distance tend to combine to prevent it. I'll assume we're talking about an area turkeys are known to inhabit. When considering a new area, I first view it on Google Earth with a close eye on the photo dates. Next thing is a topo map. A combination of experience and those two different views tells me if it lays out as a place I'd enjoy hunting and also where turkeys are likely to be.
While extensive scouting would be preferable, 90+% of the time I'm going in blind (other than maps) on my first hunt. Unless it's a really small area I can actually commit to memory, I'm going in with a marked map/s. I know where I want to start, and I have an idea how I want to cover territory until the turkeys tell me otherwise, and I'm quick to deviate from my tentative plan should the birds I've killed a surprising number of turkeys on that first day.
This is all predicated on the fact I have confidence on my ability to find and call birds if they are there. Practice nowadays is pretty much getting used to a mouth call again a week or so prior to season and making sure my old glass call and favorite striker are where I think they are.
1 calling 2 scouting
Quote from: GobbleNut on May 16, 2016, 10:30:25 AM
This seems pretty obvious, but the most important ingredient to turkey hunting success is finding birds to hunt before you start hunting. I don't care how good a caller or woodsman someone is, if they are hunting where there are no birds, they are not going to kill one. I know that sounds like a real "Duhhh" statement, but it seems that way too many guys think that the woods are full of turkeys everywhere and if they go out and randomly call somewhere and don't get a response, it is because their calling or woods skills suck. 99% of the time, unless someone is an absolute doofus that hasn't got a clue, that is not the case.
With the resources and tools that are available today, anybody can get a turkey call and get on-line and in a short amount of time learn how to call and learn the basics of turkey hunting. The key to their success from that point is basically one of finding the right place to hunt,...that is, a place that has some gobblers and with little enough hunting pressure such that the turkeys there are actually acting like turkeys are supposed to act. Sure, there is a learning curve associated with it, but that curve goes up sharply when a guy is hunting in the right place.
The bottom line is, if someone wants to be a successful turkey hunter, they should spend 90% of their time finding places where there are gobblers (preferably with some limited level of hunting pressure) and 10% of their time on everything else.
This is how I feel. With bird numbers way down in NY just sitting at the same old place day after day is not going to give you consistent success unless you have a honey hole. I don't know one spot that always holds a tom, but I have enough spots both private and public that I can search until I find a tom. I hit every one until I find a bird and average miles of walking per dead tom. They are just not around every corner anymore.
Before season I drive around and or walk the log roads and roads along ridge tops and listen. I like to know where several birds are just in case I pull up and there is someone in a spot,or if one gets a little stale I can go to another area where I know there are birds.I like to have plan A-C when I start out in the morning. I have never had a whole lot of luck roosting one in the evening. I do look over maps and aerial photos especially if I'm going in somewhere that I have never been.
I like to get in the woods before daylight to a spot were I can listen. When I hear him on the roost I like to get as close as I can before I sit down. Some times that will bite me in the butt by getting to close ,but more often than not I get to were I can see him fly down and then start calling.
A lot of times I will pull out of one place and go somewhere else mid morning.Usually to one of the other places I have found birds. I have killed just as many at noon as I have 0630 by doing this.
I put very little emphasis on calling. While it is an important part of hunting,I know I'm not a championship caller,but some of the worst calling I have ever heard has came from a live turkey. I believe knowing what calls to make when is much more important.
Like others have posted, I put the emphasis on scouting. You simply can't call in birds that ain't there! Next comes woodsmanship. Knowing the lay of the land and how to travel it quietly without giving yourself away while close in on a bird means a ton. I put calling ability way low on the list! I'm a firm believer that if you're not in the right place at the right time, then a world champion caller won't call in a bird. But on the right day with the right setup, a kid messing with a push button call for the first time might bring the same bird running in. We all love to take pride in our calling but scouting and overall turkey knowledge is what kills birds consistently.
Thanks to all for giving me your thoughts. I always enjoy hearing other fellow hunters methods or approach to turkey hunting. I myself like to learn the lay of the land either before I hunt it or I spend the first day walking and calling and looking. When I hunt a property I never laid eyes on before I look at the County GIS land website for the area I am hunting. I look at DNR topo maps to get a feel for the area. If at all possible I drive past the property and the surrounding area in the morning or evening to see if birds are around. As a few of you stated in your posts you need to hunt where the birds are. In the southern half of Wisconsin there are birds on pretty much every huntable piece of property. They aren't always there on the day you hunt them though so ... plan B, C, etc. I like to think of myself as an accomplished caller but I would never enter a calling contest. I think what ever methods a hunter emphasizes for themselves is exactly that, it works for them. Thanks again for the reply's and good luck to everyone still out there chasing a longbeard.
I don't want to bump birds, so if I'm not familiar with a property, I typically don't go there until the first time I hunt it even though I do look it over using topography maps, etc. beforehand. If it's close, I try to study it via binoculars and get one to shock gobble near dusk using a coyote yipper. When I do hunt it, I try to get to a good listening spot and wait for the real owls to get the toms gobbling. Since not all birds don't start gobbling at the same time, I'll wait a few minutes to try to locate all the toms before I start toward one and make my set up. From that point, it's sounding like a hen and gobbling to give the impression that a new hen is in the area and an intruder tom is courting her. I used this technique to take three Illinois gobblers in seven days of hunting this spring.
Quote from: GobbleNut on May 16, 2016, 10:30:25 AM
Sure, there is a learning curve associated with it, but that curve goes up sharply when a guy is hunting in the right place.
You said a mouth full right there. :icon_thumright:
An old turkey killing mentor told me many years ago: "HUNT turkeys where there ARE turkeys !"
Quote from: EZ on May 17, 2016, 02:53:40 PM
Quote from: GobbleNut on May 16, 2016, 10:30:25 AM
Sure, there is a learning curve associated with it, but that curve goes up sharply when a guy is hunting in the right place.
You said a mouth full right there. :icon_thumright:
An old turkey killing mentor told me many years ago: "HUNT turkeys where there ARE turkeys !"
Do this and just try to hunt smart and you'll get your foot on some heads.
Beyond hunting where the turkeys are I place PATIENCE as most important. ALOT of turkeys have lived to gobble another day due to lack of it!! :gobble:
Quote from: kjcamper on May 15, 2016, 07:19:02 PM
Do you just go and adjust on the fly using your woodsmanship skills that you have honed over many seasons?
This is what I do wrapped up in one sentence. I go, then react to what unfolds. Not a lot of thought goes into what I do next, it's more of a reaction than a plan. If I do start out with a any kind of plan, it is to kill a turkey that day. Everything after that is ad libbed.
That is one big reason why I despise blinds and decoys for my hunting use, mine not anybody else's. With decoys and blinds you have pretty much laid out your plan for the day or at least a big portion of it before the sun even comes up and even before the first gobble. They restrict your reactions to much for me.
Quote from: guesswho on May 18, 2016, 09:02:50 AM
Quote from: kjcamper on May 15, 2016, 07:19:02 PM
Do you just go and adjust on the fly using your woodsmanship skills that you have honed over many seasons?
This is what I do wrapped up in one sentence. I go, then react to what unfolds. Not a lot of thought goes into what I do next, it's more of a reaction than a plan. If I do start out with a any kind of plan, it is to kill a turkey that day. Everything after that is ad libbed.
That is one big reason why I despise blinds and decoys for my hunting use, mine not anybody else's. With decoys and blinds you have pretty much laid out your plan for the day or at least a big portion of it before the sun even comes up and even before the first gobble. They restrict your reactions to much for me.
Right on the money. Only thing I'd add is to plan what to do until a turkey is located or something on the ground gives you a good clue. To do this requires a bit of map study to determine likely listening spots and other terrain features to key on. Basically, pick out a starting spot and a series of spots to check. Once a turkey, or something else on the ground, gives you a clue, go with it.
As has been said, one must hunt where there are actually turkeys. Aside from that, for me, one of the most important considerations in actually closing the deal is proper set up. Ideally I like to be in a situation where a turkey can't see my exact location until he is in range. If he is 80 yards out, knows where the hen should be but sees nothing, he is more likely to hang up. So I use knolls, hedgerows, etc whenever possible so that the gobbler can't see my location until it's too late for him. The downside of that is if he is coming in quiet he can catch you drinking your coffee! jperch
Scouting the property you are hunting and having knowledge of how the turkeys living there use it. Whether you do it by listening, glassing, or trail cameras.....knowledge is very valuable to a turkey hunter. I've found it's a whole lot easier to call in a bird when you are where he wants to go anyways. I've developed the saying "plan your hunt and hunt your plan".
Second would be a combination of patience and confidence. I believe they go hand in hand. If you have confidence in your scouting and setup it's a lot easier to have the patience to work a bird or wait a bird out.
Scouting to be in the best possible area you can as far as turkey numbers and least amount of hunting pressure. Realistic turkey talk would be a close second. Calling being equal between two spots, one with hardly any turkeys and tons of pressure and the other with tons of turkeys and hardly any pressure, more turkeys will get killed off the later scenario. A horrible caller can still kill unpressured plentiful turkeys. A great caller will still struggle with ultra weary and pressured turkeys.
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Persistence.
:camohat: As Earl Mikel says ' the most important factor in turkey hunting is a QUALITY PLACE TO HUNT.' Emphasis added mine.
Yes, hunting an area where there are plenty of lightly pressured turkeys is great for success. However hunting an area with highly pressured turkeys and lower density numbers will make you a better turkey hunter. I know guys that hunt around here that used to hunt kansas and Nebraska yearly. About three years ago they quit. I asked why and was told it's no fun. They would drive all that way and have their limits in a few hoursof actuall hunting.It was no challenge to them and they got bored quickly. This was public land and not booked hunts. I will give a nod to the fellow that can consistently kill a few hard hunted birds every year compared to the guy that racks up limits on lightly hunted property loaded with birds.
Here in California the absolute most difficult aspect of turkey hunting is getting access on areas that have turkeys.
I spend a good amount of time during the off season banging on doors and asking permission. I would guess that an honest 99 out of 100 owners say no... And many times when I do get access, there are no or few turkeys using the area.
Spring and turkey season is a busy time for me and my family, and taking the time to really learn the public areas is a bit tough. Means more time in the field, and a lot more time learning those areas... Easier for me to take the kids out fishing for a day, and knock on some doors on the way home during the off season, and have a place to hunt I know birds are at...
I have access to two ranches that have held birds the past 4 seasons... Got access to another ranch that sure as poop should hold birds but I have yet to see or hear one... Working on another ranch this year, and if I get access, it will likely take a couple years to do so... But being 5000 acres located in one of the best areas near me for turkey (and quail), I will put the effort in every year to talk to the owner...
I have a friend who is a master at getting permission to hunt, and although I am not as good as he is, I am probably better than most. I dress with a polo shirt (often from my practice) and make sure I am shaved and look neat... Does not hurt to have a cute kid in the back seat waving at the land-owner either.
Every time you knock on the door, the owner is put out and rude... Trick is to maintain a friendly attitude, apologize for bothering them and leave with a smile... Many times these are nice people, and will feel guilty for their own behavior. When you show up next year, maybe they spend some time talking to you... And maybe the next year they say yes.
Bottom line, having places that hold birds is the toughest part of turkey hunting for me.
Quote from: jperch on May 20, 2016, 07:08:35 PM
As has been said, one must hunt where there are actually turkeys. Aside from that, for me, one of the most important considerations in actually closing the deal is proper set up.
Well said, and right on. The "set up" is becoming a lost art. I know when I get to the place I really need to be, I usually wouldn't have the time or the cover to put out decoys.
According to my wallet, emphasis must be on having more great custom calls than I could ever use in a lifetime!
To be serious though, I would have to say versatility in decision making and calling. I used to struggle killing birds because I was trying to call them to where I wanted them to be, not to where they want to be. I wasn't being versatile. To be able to analyze the situation; the land, the birds, and their current behavior, and be able to then adapt and make the right decision to put you in the best spot. Stay put? Move closer? Move further away? Call more and louder? Or less and softer?
Killed gobbler #1 this year by backing out and leaving a tom with hens undisturbed, knowing I now knew where I could call that tom to the following day.
Only way to get there is through time afield, studying and learning how turkeys behave.
And a cool site called OG!
I emphasize persistence. Being in the woods is the first and most important factor in killing a turkey. You can't kill one from your couch. On years where I struggle to get the first one, I get more obsessed. I am pretty obsessed, but it gets really bad when I am blanked. After I have killed one, it is easier to talk myself in to sleeping in because it is raining and to just head out later in the day, but when I am blanked, I get more motivated.
On new locations, I do a lot of what I call scouting with a gun. I am hunting, but paying a lot more attention to learning details for the future. I have been fortunate to hunt lots of private, as well as public, and have found my success rate is much higher when I have hunted a spot before. I am still relatively new at this and learning the lay of land is probably my most important weakness, so I spend more time in doing so.
After re-thinking my original reply to this question, probably the most important part of turkey hunting for me is just forcing myself to get out of a warm, cozy bed at 4:00 in the morning. Once I've done this and splashed a little water on my face to help wake up, I've got a fairly good chance of coming home with a gobbler sometime during the day. I've taken toms when it's just breaking day to way up in the morning, often with a needed nap thrown in there; however, if I don't ever make it to the turkey woods, the rest of the story is immaterial. I wish my biological clock were different, but I'm stuck with what I have.