Way Cool!!!! ....... Tutorial Please

[studabaka]

Well I got up this morning, got my cup of coffee and sat down to check in here. I see where Brent shouted he is off chasing turkeys and given it's the first day here and I never tried calling them, I figured I'd take a walk out back and give it a try. Now I know nothing about calling turkeys or if there are any around. I camo up and grab this little box thing off the self. I don't remember where it came from, but it's been collecting dust around here for probably 20+ years. It seems to make a cluck sound when you give a little push on the dowel sticking out the side. Anyway, I walk back behind the house 300-400 yards and find a nice spot to sit close to the bottom of a low wet drainage between a couple of small ridges. Visability ain't bad....ie I can see out to shot gun range except for a few thick areas here and there. I pull out my little box and give a few pushes on the dowel. Wait maybe 30 seconds or so and do it again. All the time looking, but not really expecting anything as I hardly ever see tracks back there. Anyway, after 5-6 times doing this I hear a dog bark. Just a single bark that ends as abruptly as it started with no tailing off. Well at least a dog finds me interested I'm thinking, so I give him a few clucks back and darn if he doesn't bark again. So this is kinda fun and I do it again. He barks again, but this time he is noticably closer. I'm not sure how far, but at least 2-3 times what I can see, I figure, so maybe 150-200 yards. I give him a couple more clucks and he barks again, still closer. Now I'm watching close expecting so see him any moment. A few more clucks, but now he doesn't bark back. I wait a bit and try again, but just silence...... so now I'm thinking, was this a dog? do turkeys make noise when you call them? If they do, what do they sound like? Maybe this was a turkey? I darn near pulled out my cell phone to call Ragn...... After waiting maybe 5 minutes or so, I get up and head further down the trail. I go may 50-60 yards and darn, I hear the dog, only this time he is around the other side of me. I quick find a spot and sit down. Pull out my little box thing and give a few clucks, but now the dog is back near where he was before and apparently moving along the side or bottom of the ridge opposite the one I'm sitting at the bottom of. Cluck, cluck.... single bark, cluck cluck, single bark closer, cluck cluck, single b..... hey wait a second, that ain't a bark it's a gobble, cluck cluck , single gobble really darn close, but I can't see nothing. Cluck cluck, silence....... cluck cluck silence..... etc. Then a red tail lands 20 feet above my head and starts screaching. I just watch him for a minute or two and he flys off. Now where was I  oh yea, cluck cluck and now here's that gobble coming from further down the trail. We trade a few clucks and gobbles and then silience, only this time I see movement coming up through the thick stuff between the ridges. I figure it must be a Tom right? I wasn't sure and while it probably got within 20-30 yards it was in and out of thick cover. Then I couldn't see it. I waited and watched for a while. Then tried a few clucks, but nothing.

Anyway, it was way more than I had expected and a whole lot of stuff I had never experienced. Amazing!!

So, I figure I got lucky [blessed], but would appreciate any input on just exactly what you are supposed to do and how to do it. The whole time I watched it, it was up wind moving to cross wind from me, but the first one was almost down wind. Do they care?

[Bob D]

Stu,

I am no turkey expert but I have killed my share. Two things I can tell you that's the truth. #1  If a turkey could smell , you would never kill him . #2  The best way to kill a turkey is to get between him and where he wants to go.

Bob

[studabaka]

Thanks.

I called in another this afternoon. Pretty sure it was a hen. She clucked back at me a couple times from the next ridge over and next thing I knew she was standin within 20 yards of me. I'm not sure who was more surprised. Think we spoted each other at the exact same time and she started running......fast!

[KySongDog]

I'm no expert turkey hunter either, Stu, but after 20+ years at it I can add some to what Bob D said..... you must have lots and lots of patience and above all sit stone still.  The least little movement and the jig is up. 

And it REALLY helps if you can find a gobbler with no hens around.   

[FinsnFur]

Brents guiding for the next several days...have to hit him up when he comes around if he dont see this.

[RagnCajn]

Way to go Stu. I may have to come over there and let you call me one up. I have not heard a Gobbler here in three weeks.

[studabaka]

You know the door is always open.

[keekee]

Stu,

Sounds like your hooked to me! I'm in Columbus testing for my Elc certs. But I got some free time here in the hotel before I head back home late tomorrow. I may haft to put this up in pieces over the next couple days ( I need to spend some time studying as bad as I hate to but I got to pass this test ) So, lets get started!


Turkeys in general are a moody bird. When a bird is hot! They will come! But when they are hened up they can be tough! Real tough! Theres a ton of info and opinions out there on Turkeys, some good some not so good and there's allot of tricks of the trade that can really cut the learning time in half. I figure we can break this down into topic's and we should be able to get allot of the high lights that can help someone out learning to hunt these birds.

In general.......

Turkeys are easy to find in the spring. The get all fired up and gobble before season starts, so a few mornings out at day light can put you right in the mix of them. This will also give you a good location of were the birds are roosting. And if they gobble good it will also give you a good idea of were they are going when they come off the roost. This can be a big help when the weather is bad or they are not gobbling good. I always make sure I know the area I'm hunting well. Sometimes they will hang up on little things like creeks, fences, thick brush or even ditches. So with a good look at the lay of the land when you get on a bird you can make sure you give him a good lane to approach your stand set up. Thats about all the scouting I do. I will try and locate around 30-50 birds per year. In several diffrent areas. If they are not ON in one area then they very well maybe ON in another.

Gear...........

Good camo from head to toe, face mask, gloves are a must. Turkeys have very good eye sight! And they pick up movement very well. Goos camo that blends into your area will be a big help. A good butt seat is a must! Helps you set still and keeps the rocks from poking you in the ass! Lots of guys use the Turkey vests and I do as well, but there not a must, they are nice to keep all your gear strait, mushroom bags, knife, toilet paper, water, snacks, and all that good stuff. I cover allot of ground for turkeys, I'm a run and gun hunter for them. A 10 mile day is not uncommon for me. So, a good drink of water is a must in these hills. I good set of shooting stix are good as well. It sucks when a bird is hung up at 50 yards for 20 min and you try and hold you gun ready up on your shoulder. I don't use them all the time but early season when the leaves are off there nice.

Good boots are a must as well. A 10 mile hike will wear some big blisters on your feet if you don't have good boots. And wet feet sucks. The springs are wet here, lots of mud and slippery hills, so good tread helps when your making double time getting in on a bird. I also carry rain gear with me. I got a small pack set of rain gear that goes right in my vest. Its nice if you get cough out in a thunder storm 10 miles from the truck.

The Reese Turkey tote are nice as well. When you got a long walk back to the truck these things take allot of the discomfort out of packing them out of the woods. They also come in hand for dragging coyotes out in the fall.

Gun........

This is a big debate about the Turkey guys, but to me. A good 3" mag with a good super full .660 - .670 choke will get the job done well out to 40 yards. Main thing is to just make sure your gun shoots a good tight pattern and know your maximum yardage for a good clean kill. Turkeys are head shot so, its a small target. I Black Powder hunt them most of the time but its just a matter of knowing your yardage.




More to come after supper!

[keekee]

I  will post a few more lines then I got to hit the books!

For calls............

There are a ton of calls out on the market right now. And about all it boils down to is finding a call that you are comfortable with. I use almost exclusively mouth calls, but all of them work. The main thing is to sound Turkey! Learn to cluck, purr, yelp, and a excited yelp and learn to cut and your good to go! There are a ton of good Cd's out there with some great real hen sounds. A good slate, box, or even push button calls and a few hrs of practice and your good to go!


Daylight..............

I'm not a big fan of setting up on birds right off the roost. It works but for me and my style hunting. I get in the area where the birds roost, take up a seat and wait for the birds to start gobbling. When they start gobbling on there own, I Liston to them for a bit. Allot can be learned by the way a bird gobbles on the roost. I take in all the goblin and then decide which bird I think I get the best chance of calling in. I take there location, how much they gobble, and how hot they seem. And then make my move!

If all is calm at day break. Sometimes I will give them a owl hoot or two, but most of the time I let them gobble on there own if they will. Also sometimes I will use a crow call at first light. If I can get the crows fired up and comming to me then if I get enough crows and racket going I can get a gobble out of a bird some were.

If that don't work then I hit the ground running! I will start out with a few yelps and wait. Then a few more clucks and a little more excited yelping. If I still don't get a responce then I do a good run of cutting with a few excited yelps in there. Wait for a bit, depending on how sure I am there is a bird there. If I still get no responce then I move about 300 yards and do it again. I keep this up till I hit a bird that will answer me. Then once I get a answer I wait a few min and hit him again. Just to make sure he answers again. If he don't I wait a few and hit him one more time. Allot of the time if the bird is on the move they wont answer. But if you go silent, then when they get in your area they will gobble on there own. I want them to haft to look for me. If you keep calling to them they will have a pin point on your location and there is no need for them to gobble. Most of the time I will stay on a stand for 45 min, if the bird don't gobble no more or show up. Then I move about 75 yards away and hit him again.

If he is still there allot of the time this will make him gobble. He think the hen is moving off and wants to let her know he is still there or is on the move. If he answers, I will stay with him and see what he does. If he don't I keep moving.


Better hit the books....... I will post some more up latter!


Brent

[studabaka]

I'm a listening ..... just in case you was wondering.

Planning on hitting a new farm at daylight. Just talked to the farmer and he said ta come on down. 

[keekee]

Set up.............


If I got a bird that is gobbling good on his own. Then I move in on him and let him keep gobbling on his own with out giving him any calls at all. I like to get as close to the bird as I can with out spooking him. If I can 50 yards from him, I will. It takes some time to get to were you can judge the sound of a gobble and know how far or were the bird is. But the more you do it the better you will get. I just don't like to try and pull a bird from 500 yards. I want to make it as easy as I can for him to get to me. Most of the time 100 to 150 yards is my comfort zone. If I can get that close I'm good to go. Also keep in mind that I don't want any hang ups between me and the bird. Thick cover, ditches, fences, etc may cause them to hang up. Also, I dont want him to be able to see me until he is with in gun range. In other words a small crest in the hill, a bend in a logging road or anything else I can put between him and me I will do that so he has to come with in my gun range to get a good look at the spot the sound is comming from. Sometimes you can do this, and then you just haft to watch your calling. And be patient.

Now, this will happen if you Turkey hunt much. If I am running and gunning. And I stop at a spot and give a few yelps and a bird answers me, and say he is on the next ridge over from were I am. I want to make sure the bird is ready to be called and he didn't just shock gobble at my call. I will pick me out a tree close by and have a seat. I will wait about 3-5 min and hit him with the call again.If he don't answer I will wait 3-5 min and do it again. If he still don't answer I move! I move about 100 yards and hit him again. No answer I'm gone.

Allot of the time the bird will be on the move. I wait 3-5 and hit him again and he is closer. I stay there. Wait a few more min and hit him again, if he is still comming then I get ready, and set still, let him close the gap to me.

One thing to watch for is sometimes they don't answer. Stay the bird answers me 2-3 times then goes silent. Get ready! Allot of the time the bird is on the move to you and just don't gobble. Wait a while and see if he gobbles on his own. You may get a suprise and the next time he gobbles he just out of site. What happens here is when he gets close to were he thinks the hen is and cant find or hear here he will gobble to let her know were he is. This happens allot!

There is nuthing worse than getting a bird to answer and he is across the ridge. Take off after him and when you get over there and call he gobbles from right were you just left! This will help keep that from happening some, but be careful. Always be ready with your head net and gloves on and you gun ready, or they will bust you every time. This is the OL SHIT factor.

Also on my set ups I want to be just a little above the bird or dead even with him. I don't like to set up below a bird. I wont say they don't come down hill but most of the time it causes problems. I just try and stay even or just above them.

Calling.......

When I set up on a bird, every one of them seem to be diffrent. Over the years I have kind of learned to go by gut feeling as to how to call to them, so this one is hard to explain.

But a couple things to keep in mind......

As the bird gets closer tone down your calling. You don't want to call as loud to a bird that is 100 yards as you would to a bird across the ridge.

Don't over call! I like to hear them gobble to but I'm more interested in killing the bird not listening to it. You over call they hang up! Remember your reversing the rules here. Usually the hen goes to the gobbler. Your making him come to you! Standing rule with me.....If he is still comming I don't need to call! If he stops, I give him just enough to put him back on the right track.

When the bird is real close, and you need to position him or turn him a bit. Use soft clucks, purs and very light calling. And not much of it, just enough to get him were you want him, or keep him from getting off track.

When your running and gunning, start out with a few yelps, no answer then drop the hammer loud and strait into so cutting. But start light first.

On those days when they don't gobble. Life sucks! But all you can do is know your area and were the birds go. Get in the area and set up. Call light every 15 min or so and stay ready. Fist time you relax they will bust you.

Rainy days. They like the fields. I do the same thing, just set up on the fiield edge. Put out a couple decoys and call light every 15 min or so and keep a good eye out and listen.

That should give you a good start Stu. If you got any questions just fire away! I will answer if I can!

Brent

[studabaka]

Brent,

This is great stuff and I really really appreciate it!! 

I have read and reread, plus Randy gave me a 30 min cell phone tutorial including sounds, so now I actually know what a cluck, purr, and yelp are  I was in the visitor waiting lounge at the hospital at the time and the looks from the people around me were priceless 

I think I have probably been over calling and I'm pretty sure the gobbler that came in but stayed in the thick and turned away cause I moved to get on him....... but the hen that stood 20 yards away in the clear with my gun on her convinces me that with a bit of this great coaching I'll get this to work. I feel a bit exposed/under gunned with my current little box call, so I plan on fortifying with a few calls from our resident call craftsmen, though I'll need to do a fair bit of saving before I can spring for a THO Crumpler  :shck: It sure is fun, but I'm not sure it's quite that fun 

Thanks again and I look forward to the possibility of posting and FnF tutored kill soon. 

[keekee]

If you got any questions Stu or anyone for that matter just drop me a line! Numbers on the website.

Brent

PS! Dont forget the camera!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[studabaka]

Well this evening was argueably the best yet. I haven't been able to get out at all this week, but hey, it's Friday. I headed out about 3:30 and made several stands, but never heard or saw nuttin. About 6:30 I'm in the same area as the start of this thread and where I had talked to a gobbler till dark last Friday night. I find a nice spot and figure I'll make this my last stand. After about an hour and a half with nothing, I lean my head back against the tree, close my eyes, and think about 'if ya ain't in the field there's no chance..... and .... it sure is a purdy evening.... and those kinda thoughts. I give a few more clucks w/o opening my eyes. Maybe a minute after that I here a gobble.  it's maybe 75 yards to my left and I'm figuring I better not chance moving, so I just sit there with my gun up on sticks pointing straight in front of me. Maybe a minute later I see him coming. Walking steady, head up, very few and very brief pauses. He's never behind a tree for more than a second or two, so I can't move. He's on a path that would bring him right in front of my gun at about 20 yards out. I'm thinking.... 'hey, this might be the day..... How should I write it up when I post it?..... Who am I gonna get to take a picture so I can put in the contest thread?......... '  he is gettin real close. I can see he has a nice beard.... he is 10 yards to the left of where my gun is pointing and goes behind the last tree and I move ever so slightly to sight down the barrel...... waiting....waiting.... how come he hasn't come out from behind that last tree  waiting, waiting....  Never saw him again.

I'm hearing some of you guys using decoys  maybe this is something I need?

[RShaw]

A turkey inside of 10 yards is getting too close. He can see your eyelids close at that distance.

Had I been in that situation, i would have prepared for a shot to my left when he gobbled 75 yards away. If you are right handed, you could have had the gun across your body and still been able to shoot anywhere to you right. And this is just me, but I would loose those sticks. In my opinion, there is just too much restriction using them in a turkey hunting situation.

I used to use decoys years ago, but I have quit using them. I had too many gobblers that would get goosey as soon as they saw the decoys. Just my experience.

Randy

[studabaka]

Thanks Randy!!

He was 20-25 yards out and 10 yards to the left of where my gun was pointing. I'm right handed, but left eyed, so I shoot lefty.

Note to self: turn toward the gobble the moment I hear it.

[HaMeR]

stu-- I don't like the sticks either. Not even for predator calling. I really like those rests you strap around at the knee. It cradles the gun nicely.

I'm wayyyy far from being anything but a lucky turkey hunter but I would like to add a little something if you don't mind. If you know your area real well you will know where the hangups are for him. When you know the easy access routes they like so much you can setup on those & have an idea of how you want to be setting.  A good rule of thumb is to position your off shoulder toward the intended travel route. This will give you a much wider swing without repositioning your body. HTH

[studabaka]

Hey HaMer, All thoughts and ideas are much appreciated. I have never seen the kind of rest you mention. I'll have to check into that. I don't like the sticks much either except they give me a way to have the gun kinda up and ready w/o killing my arms. I agree on your postioning point. I wasn't really sure which direction the bird would come as they have come into me in this spot from both directions. What mostly drove my positioning was the sun so I would be on the shaded side of the tree.

I got to tell ya, these turkeys are just down right fun. 

[HaMeR]

Stu-- Good choice on the shady side of the tree. Camo makers even mention that helps their patterns. Predator hunting tricks will help with turkey hunting IMHO.  Here's the rest I mentioned. When used in conjunction with the "Gobbler Lounger" ,, search for it at Cabelas while you're there ,, you can really get low & have support for the shotgun. Almost like shooting off a rest. That is the setup I use.  HTH

http://www.cabelas.com/cabelas/en/templates/product/standard-item.jsp?_DARGS=/cabelas/en/common/catalog/item-link.jsp_A&_DAV=MainCatcat20712-cat20790&id=0044463228601a&navCount=1&podId=0044463&parentId=cat20790&masterpathid=&navAction=push&catalogCode=IH&rid=&parentType=index&indexId=cat20790&hasJS=true

[FinsnFur]

A turkey inside of 10 yards is getting too close. He can see your eyelids close at that distance.

Had I been in that situation, i would have prepared for a shot to my left when he gobbled 75 yards away. If you are right handed, you could have had the gun across your body and still been able to shoot anywhere to you right. And this is just me, but I would loose those sticks. In my opinion, there is just too much restriction using them in a turkey hunting situation.

I used to use decoys years ago, but I have quit using them. I had too many gobblers that would get goosey as soon as they saw the decoys. Just my experience.

Randy