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Turkey Hunting Tips

Have you gotten you turkey hunting gear out and check it over? Or the new turkey hunters, have you started to learn the turkey language (yelps, clucks, purrs and others), behavior and pattering your gun?

To start with gear....... There are many types of calls some good and some ?  this deals with ease of use sound, and maintenance.

Box calls....  Very easy to use, great for yelps, clucks, cutting keekees and (some box calls) a gobble. Sound (depends on type of wood used to make it, and the maker of the call) Excellent to poor. Maintenance, being made of wood, can't get it wet (if so air dry) and have to lightly sand the rails and the lid, (the lid will develop a glaze (compressed wood)) sand and chalk with a rosin chalk, no school house chalk (contains wax).

Slate calls....  Very easy to use, great for yelps, clucks, cutting and purring. Sound (depends on type of surface made of from slate, glass, aluminum and composites, and the 'pot', this is the sound chamber, varies from maker to maker.) You will need a good striker, most come with the call, from plastics, composites, graphite and wood. I use a good hickory striker, one of the better strikers.  Sound Excellent to poor. Maintenance. Depending on the type of surface.....  slate, lightly sanded, can't get wet, glass, lightly sanded (can get wet) and chalk.

Diaphragms.....  Hard to use, great for yelps, clucks, cutting and purring.  Made from latex, from one layer (reed)  up to four, stretch across a frame, with different cuts and layering. The single reed is one of the easiest to use, (depending on the maker) clear and sounds of a young hen, with the multiple reeds (the more, the harder) an older bird and the type of cuts - raspy sounds. Maintenance once used, dip in a good antibacterial mouthwash, and separate the reeds with a toothpick and air dry. Keep out of the heat and sun.

Wingbone calls.....  Very hard to use, great for yelps and keekees. Sound is excellent if you know how to use one. Maintenance, really none, if it gets wet just air dry.

To learn how to use any of the above calls, get a good video, many are out there, and just practice. But not out in the woods!  This topic is a hot one. I hear alot about this, 'how I went out before session and called a bunch in' (this also includes presession scouting). You are only 'educating' turkeys, and when the session comes, where are they. Practice at home, and for scouting do it from the road, or ask the local farmers where they might be.

Decoys and gobble tubes...... both are good and both can be very dangerous. Decoys can help bring the tom the last few steps for a clean shot. But make sure the decoy(s) are place in front of you and you are up against a good tree  (the width of your shoulders) and a clear view. Some people mistake decoys for a real thing. Later on this topic. Gobble tubes, can bring in the big boys, but the smaller toms and jakes, might scare them off (if you heard the school yard bully, what would you do?). Bad points... most hunters key on a turkey gobble and you might get shot at.

Safety, never wear turkey colors reds, blues and whites. Have your back up against a good backdrop.  Never - ever stalk a turkey, it might be another hunter. But this is the KEY>>>>  in New York state, only bearded birds can be taken, if you can make out and be sure about the beard on the turkey, you are almost sure it is a turkey.

Guns....  Most hunters use from 10 Ga. down to 20. While the 12 ga. the most poplar. Next is the shot size, this depends on your gun and hunting style. Every gun shoots different, and the best way is to get a bunch of your friends down to the range with different turkey loads and pattern your gun out.