How do I get my turkey to come back?
Get Him Into Range
Move closer to the turkey but off to the side of where you've heard the turkey gobbling. Take a stand, let the woods become silent and start soft calling again. If you've shot at the gobbler and missed him, plan to leave the woods and don't hunt that turkey again for two to three days.
Time of Day: Since Turkeys make their nest in trees and on the ground in wooded areas, one of the best times of day to hunt is first thing in the morning. Get out to your blind early and listen for the yelps, cackles, and gobbles of turkeys as they start in search for breakfast.
6s are ideal. More guns pattern the smaller shot better and out to typical turkey killing ranges, the high pellet count can literally swarm a turkey's vitals with a combined abundance of energy.
Closer is better, but not if the bird spots you. If you can get within 100 yards, count yourself lucky, though there are places where that's too close. Many birds are survivors because the hunter called without being in a setup position. It's common to try calling when you're walking along to strike a bird.
They respond to calling any time of day but they come to the calling better in the morning at first light. Another good time is between 9:30-11:30am when the gobbler(s) leave the tended hens and seek out other ones. I have had good luck at this time of day by simply giving an occasional yelp or content purr.
Turkeys do not have a well-developed sense of smell because of the relatively smaller size of the olfactory lobes. So, they are not going to smell out a hunter tracking them, however, they may outsmart him with their incredible vision and hearing.
Turkeys need open areas as well as woods. Turkeys love these high-protein and high-fat foods and will feed on the tender leaves and leftover grains in areas that aren't pressured too hard. Tip: Avoid tall, unharvested wheat fields.
Overall, the answer to the big question is that turkeys do not always roost in the same place. Turkeys are much like deer in that they shift to different parts of their home range throughout the year. That said, they do seem to favor certain ones, and spend more time roosting in favored locations than anywhere else.
But don't call too often – less is more. Calling every 15 minutes or so and starting off quieter and then getting more aggressive/louder as the day goes on are good rules of thumb. If you hear a hen, try to mimic her exact vocalizations.
A standard 2 ¾-inch or 3-inch magnum tungsten load is more than enough for killing turkeys out past 50 yards. Additionally, the advantages of tungsten shells make 20-gauge shotguns indisputably effective turkey killers.
Is steel shot good for turkey hunting?
But steel shot has some advantages over lead and can certainly be deadly on turkeys. Steel shells contain more pellets than their lead counterparts of the same size. The popular No. 4 steel load may contain as many as 300 pellets depending on the charge, while a lead shell of the same size contains just over 200.
When hunting wild turkeys with a shotgun, greater success is achieved when hunters shoot at the head and neck area of the bird. The most effective firearm shot for a turkey is to the head and neck. The preferred shot angle for bowhunters is broadside, aiming for the heart or lungs.
when to stop calling at a Turkey that hangs up how to call ... - YouTube
The fact that birds gobble and their location is known takes some of the guesswork out of it. Again, mornings generally provide faster and hotter action with vocal birds, making it the preferred time to turkey hunt.
Yep. Just get out there early. I have already carried decoys in all set up so all I had to do was stick them in the ground and hop in the blind.
When the gobbler quits gobbling, look at your watch, and force yourself to stay on your stand. Don't move around for an hour after the bird has quit gobbling. If you'll use this strategy, you'll see more turkeys, and you'll take more turkeys.
Turkey hunting gobblers in the afternoon takes a good strategy, but can often produce more birds than in the morning.
As a general rule a gobble made in a tree can be heard twice as far as one made on the ground. That same “twice-as-far” rule applies to all other turkey sounds. A gobbler in an open field will sound clear and can generally be heard twice as far as a gobbler in timber.
Turkeys, however, have seven different kinds of photoreceptors--one rod, four single cones, and two double cones--allhowing them to see a broader spectrum of colors, as well as UVA light. What this means is that in addition to being able to see color better than us, they can also see in the ultraviolet spectrum.
Essential Oils, Garlic, Cayenne Pepper and Professional Products are all known to be smells that birds hate. Keeping birds away by using smell is a effective and simple way of deterring birds. Birds hate the smell of many things that humans love!
How far can you call turkeys?
Using ridges, hollows and foliage for cover, you should have no trouble sneaking within 200 yards of a roosted turkey. Whenever possible, try to cut the distance to 125 or even 100 yards. The less terra firma between you and a bird, the better the odds that he'll pitch down and drift to your calls at daybreak.
He has an approximate visual field of 270 degrees around him, substantial compared to Bob's measly 180 degrees. Put that together with Tom Turkey's uncanny ability to rotate his neck completely around and he can spot the Bobs of the world coming a mile away, 360 degrees around him, with a simple twist of his head.
Tennessee is at the top of many turkey hunters' lists, mostly because it's a beautiful state with liberal limits, lots of public land, and accessible to most anyone in the eastern half of the US. Hunters get up to three turkey tags per season and there's about a quarter of a million Easterns to chase.
3 TIPS to FIND TURKEYS! - YouTube
Turkeys also prefer pine trees to any other types of trees. They offer cover year round and often a clean forest floor to take off and land on. A single pine tree will do the trick if it is big enough, but clusters of them are best.
Sleeping in trees provides protection from predators that roam and can see at night. They fly up to roost at dusk, and fly down at dawn to begin their daily rituals. Yes, turkeys can fly.
How to Hunt Afternoon Turkeys - YouTube
Find out where they roost, and you can sneak in on them on an early morning hunt. Turkeys are usually out in the open at dawn, midmorning, and in the evening. This will make it easy to see the strutting toms and how many hens he has with him. The fewer hens, the easier it will be to lure him away.
Registered. 22 Hornet, 222 Rem., 223 or 22/250 if you hand load and load them down some, all good for Turkey and accurate enough for head shots if possible.
Turkey Hunting Tips with Scott Ellis-Blind Calling for Spring Gobblers
What's the best choke for turkey hunting?
Full choke has tight constriction. The shot holds together even longer, making this choke good for squirrels, turkey, and other game shot at 40-yard and longer ranges.
Properly set up and fed the right ammunition, the 3-inch 20-gauge turkey gun is extremely lethal, and lighter to pack around the woods, and it produces measurably less recoil than the old-school 3-inch 12-gauge. Taking that to the next level today is the use of the . 410 bore as an effective turkey hunting tool.
1. Remington Nitro Turkey. Remington Nitro Turkey is one of the tried and true turkey hunting loads that is currently on the market. Available for both 20-gauge and 12-gauge bores, the load features 1 7/8 oz of lead shot traveling at either 1,210-fps or 1,300-fps.
It's incredibly tough on turkeys and allows more versatility than most any other gun on the shelf. Look across the turkey-hunting community, and you just might find that the 20-gauge is the most popular shotgun in the turkey woods this spring.
There are 225 No. 6 pellets in one ounce, 172 each in No. 5s and 135 each in No. 4 shot.
Even choke tubes in the $30 range can perform well with tungsten shot. Rule 5: In many cases, a tungsten-safe choke tube will also shoot steel shot well. Don't pass over the option to shoot steel just because you're buying the choke as a tungsten shot delivery system.
Two of the best turkey hunting camo patterns are the Realtree® EDGE™ and Realtree® Timber™ camo patterns. The EDGE™ camo is the newest pattern from Realtree®. From a turkey hunting clothing perspective, EDGE™ is a camo that works from opening day to the last day of the season.
Both pump and semi-automatic shotguns can be equally effective for hunting turkeys, but each has advantages (and disadvantages) over the other. If price is a primary consideration, you may choose a pump.
A turkey that's been shot and wounded will often find a deadfall to hide under. Look in these spots of heavy cover – and even in thick swamps – in line with the path the departing bird took after you pulled the trigger or released the arrow.
Dealing With Gobblers That Won't Come To Calls - YouTube
How do you respond to a turkey gobble?
If you get a gobbler to respond, move as close to his position as you can without being detected. This is a great morning or afternoon tactic. When the birds are already on the ground and you are prospecting for gobblers by walking ridges, if you get a gobbler to respond you need to cut the distance in half or more.
A: Turkey Calls can last up to 2 to 3 years if cared for correctly. The two parts of the call that can fail are the latex and the tape. The latex will wear out over time and the tape can delaminate if not allowed to dry.
It may be fun and stroke your ego as a caller to elicit ready responses, but it ultimately is unproductive. The other major factor in silencing is heavy hunting pressure in certain areas — too many hunters, too much calling, too much shooting. Duren cites his own experience this spring as an example.
Turkey Hunting in the Rain. Not all wet days affect turkey behavior the same way. Some rainy conditions actually make turkeys gobble more, whereas others shut them up. Thunder shocks toms into sounding off; steady drizzle and overcast skies seem to prolong gobbling activity well into the day.
You just have to know how to speak their language. One of the biggest myths of hunting is that male turkeys respond to calling only in the spring. The fact is, toms gobble all fall, too, and are sometimes more vocal in autumn than in spring. And they can be very responsive to a call.
Closer is better, but not if the bird spots you. If you can get within 100 yards, count yourself lucky, though there are places where that's too close. Many birds are survivors because the hunter called without being in a setup position. It's common to try calling when you're walking along to strike a bird.
While an aggressive tom or group of jakes might come in to challenge another male decoy, they will almost always come in to a hen decoy during the spring breeding season. As such, they are probably the best turkey decoys to use for spring hunts.
If a subordinate gobbler comes in, and he's already been beat up by a dominant gobbler, there's a very good chance that he's won't come in and get his head bloodied again. Many times, a turkey won't come to a decoy, because the hunter has made a mistake in where he's placed the decoy.
If your turkey is done too early, things can get a little complicated, but it's not the end of the world. If it's done around an hour early, let it rest uncovered for about 20 to 30 minutes. Then cover your turkey with some foil and a thick towel or blanket to keep it warm.
Can you recook an undercooked turkey? Yes, you can place the whole turkey back in the oven, covering it to avoid dryness. You can also baste it with butter to help maintain moisture. If you're in a bind and need your turkey finished in a hurry, the best thing to do is slice the turkey and then recook it.
Can you cook a turkey part way and then finish later?
Never brown or partially cook meat or poultry to refrigerate and finish later because any bacteria present would not have been destroyed. It is safe to partially cook meat and poultry in the microwave or on the stove only if the food is transferred immediately to the hot grill to finish cooking.
- Heat the oven to 350°F. Arrange a rack in the middle of the oven and heat to 350°F.
- Slice the turkey and spread into a baking dish. ...
- Cover the turkey with broth and dot with the butter. ...
- Reheat in the oven for 30 to 35 minutes. ...
- Serving.
