My first turkey hunt
Turkey
So I’m primarily a whitetail hunter and I’m going to expand my hunting this spring mostly because my 13 year old daughter wants to hunt turkey.. I’m narmally bass fishing that time of year exclusively..
So I guess my first question would be what do you look for when scouting? I have a bunch of calls I’m playing with and will be mostly hunting north central pa mountains.. I hope to get it down with a bow but she will Probably use a shotgun..
I’m planning to do a lot of scouting but not really sure what to look for.. there really isn’t many fields in my area so not sure where to start
Thanks!
Look for tracks, scratch marks, turkey dung, etc. Turkeys make a wide range of calls, gobbles, and chatter. If you do a web search you can likely get a feel for what they sound like. If you can figure out where they are roosting and spend time feeding you're in business!
Get out and listen in the spring the first warmer days. Scout for turkey sign, scratching and such. Early, they shoukd still be flocked up pretty good and it should be easy to see where a flock has been through. They should get spread out pretty well once they begin breaking up. Have hunted Potter county a few times but always run and gun with the benelli. I hunt mostly farms here in southcentral PA. But i know lots of ppl that head north to the big woods to hunt in the spring.
If i was going to bow hunt them, i would spend a few days "scout" hunting and just kinda home in on a bench or something that they seem to want to frequent. In my opinion, being where they want to be can exponentially add to your chances of success. Set up a blind and wait em out.
Deeks are good, but if there are going to be hunters around, be careful. Call every now and then, dont go crazy. Dont be shocked at all if they come in silent. A hot bird may gobble his way in, but there will be more birds that try to slip in undetected by other gobblers and try to get a piece of the pie on the down low. This is where a deek can help, as the silent birds will have something to key on, bringing them into your view versus by you without you knowing they r there. LOTS OF ORANGE on/around the blind especially if on state ground.
Just my thoughts, how i would try to do it. Good luck!!!
Take a shotgun if you haven't killed any birds and have fun.
Go listen a couple of times before season. Don't call, just listen. Go to where you heard them to hunt and kill them.
Don't call too much and hunt as late until at least 12 or 1 pm if legal. If you only have 2 hours to hunt, hunt from 10-12.
Thanks guys I’m on it and will be doing more research and asking some more silly questions..
I have a nice slate call but are the mouth ones better?
Thanks
Mouth calls will enable you to "finish" the bird if needed when the bird gets into sight. If you need to purr or yelp softly, its tough to run a slate if you are in the open where bird can see you. Obviously, in a blind its not as big a deal. Im a mouth call guy myself, but box calls can help you get the sound out a little farther if needed and slate/glass can sound really good and give you great purrs. Mouth call just gives me about all i feel i need. Gotta practice, practice, practice with whatever u use.
The only thing I know about turkey hunting in the big woods is that you will have fun if you find turkeys. Enjoy !
Don't over call if a gobbler responds. Use a Jake and hen decoy, or 2 hens. Find there roost and set up on there rout to the roost in the evening. Morning get about 20 yds away from the roost and cluck softly a couple times just before they fly down.
I agree with finding the roost area. They will frequently use the same area during Spring. Observe where they go from there and set up ahead of them next day. Good luck!
