Turkey resource
Wisconsin
Wondering if any of you could recommend a decent resource to read about turkeys and hunting them? Not necessarily all tactics, but even what their habits are at different times of spring, etc. Thanks.
Between F&S, Outdoor Life, Realtree, NWTF and many others available with a simple online search, there's a pile of good info out there for tips and tactics, plus more YouTube videos than you could watch in a lifetime. Can pick up something from many of them, including calling and decoying, move or not move, etc.
That said, one of the best overall may be Wisconsin's old turkey guidebook (last updated in '04). Though older, the info included is mostly timeless — biology, ecology, hunting and safety, etc. Linked.
http://dnr.wi.gov/topic/hunt/documents/turkguide.pdf
Naz +1 and any books written by Ray Eye....
Turkey and Turkey Hunting Magazine... Stay away from Field &Stream and OL unless you want to read the some drivel that is driven by gadget manufacturers over and over.
One of my favorite reads is the Tenth Legion by Col. Tom Kelly.
Thanks all. Appreciate it.
DNR did publish a good turkey pamphlet years ago. I would check there as well.
10, that's the one I linked above. Good info.
I would like to relay one tip I believe to be true. Often people try to call a gobbler out of the roost only to have it fly down and head away 180. Think about it for a bit.
The hens roosted with the gobbler don't want competition. The hens with their allure pull the gobbler away from the competing hen (you)! Be patient however, that little turkey's pea-brain has libido...he will remember that "hen" and come back to breed her later morning before noon. Be patient and wait, calling every 30 minutes or so. The gobbler can peg direction and distance amazingly well.
I have moved a few yards and called again to give the returning gobbler a sense the "hen" is moving and has to hurry to catch too.
In the end, every turkey hunt is a lesson. Every turkey is different. Just when you think you have them figured out, you get fooled. Turkey articles are "just a starting point".
True Tree. Sometimes, though, esp. after winter break-up, toms are roosted separate from the hens. If you can convince a tom (such as the solo tom I had roosted 100 yards or so away second period) that you're an early hen that snuck into the area, he might come (as did mine). A couple soft "tree yelps" and a multiple gobble response (as you should if he's not spooked), then sit tight, quietly. He'll know where "she" is. If the leaves aren't yet out and you're within range, you may even see him rocking on the roost, maybe even fanning up there (as mine did, silhouetted by the light eastern sky), then down he goes into the forest floor (or if roosted within range of the field, may glide right to it, esp. if he spots a decoy). Fun stuff!
I am no expert, shot quite a few turkeys, and this year, I missed a 15 yard shot with the recurve, so that quest continues........
some days they are easy, and some days, for the life of me I can not figure them out....
Patience is the key, and having a few other areas to hunt helps also,
for me the best time to hunt has been 10am and late afternoon......
going after them with a full strut decoy, is another option,,,, I found that using this method with the gun, is easier, and sometimes they respond and sometimes they do not.......
wish I had another tag, but I do not, but now will be going out in the future with a heads up decoy attached to the bow.....
I am glad my hoyt buffalo, as a stabilizer thread, to accept the decoy.......
this year, when the turkey came in, the decoy, fell over and the bird started to move, but the shot was quick, and went to the right side of its head, and it was so so so close..........
Using a blind is a great tactic, as you can see in the posts from Adam, either way its all lots of fun.....
