Spring 2006

Basic Principles Help Bag Spring Gobblers

By MIKE SEYMOUR

Lady Luck can play a role in turkey hunting just as she sometimes does in deer hunting and other outdoor pursuits. Experienced turkey enthusiasts, however, don't rely on luck to help fill their pair of spring tags. Instead, these hunters abide by the principles of successful turkey hunting. While there are no guarantees in turkey hunting, paying attention to the following 15 principles will put hunters well on the pathway to a tagged bird.
Avoid crowded areas. In fact, avoiding areas where other hunters are present is a sound practice from both a safety and ethical perspective.
If possible, hunt on weekdays when fewer hunters are in the woods.
Do some hiking and get yourself away from roads. Also, consider approaching your area from a different direction than what you or others typically take.
Get yourself where the birds want to be, not where you want to go. Preseason and in-season scouting will reveal such locations.
Set up in an area where there is good visibility, such as a field edge, small clearing, or logging road. Gobblers like areas of visibility for their own safety and for strutting.
Because calling is effective for locating birds as well as luring them within gun range, be sure to become adept at using several types of calls. Change calls or calling strategy when birds seem unresponsive. As a general rule, less calling is more effective than over calling.
Use a decoy. Set your decoy in such a position that in-coming gobblers can easily see it and in such a position that will allow you a good shot-opportunity. Some experts suggest using a lone, hen decoy early in the season and adding a jake to the set-up towards season's end.
For those who know the habits of birds in a particular area, ''silent'' hunting is a viable tactic. Simply set up a decoy where the birds are going to be, and wait them out.
Because of the turkey's keen eyesight, good camouflage is a must as is the necessity of limiting hunter movement. Movement by hunters is the primary cause of missed opportunities on approaching birds.
Pay attention to barriers, and avoid setting up where barriers such as fences, streams, and roads exist between you and the gobbler.
Where the red wattles meet the feathers at the base of the neck is a good aiming point. Avoid shooting a gobbler in full strut.
Work the weather to your advantage. On windy days, call more loudly or call from an upwind position. On rainy days, head to the fields as that's where birds like to be.
Some surveys indicate the majority of birds are taken between 10 a.m. and noon so be persistent and patient throughout a morning hunt. Any seasoned hunter will attest to the importance of practicing the two P's of persistence and patience throughout the entire season.
Dress in layers as pre-dawn temperatures throughout May vary significantly from noontime ones.
Avoid over-pressuring a particular bird or area. Pressured birds or areas challenge even the most expert hunters.
On a final note, don't put too much pressure on yourself to shoot a gobbler or allow others to put such pressure on you to fill your tags. Instead, simply enjoy the challenge of the hunt and the magnificence of nature's spring mornings. After all, if you have the good fortune to be out turkey hunting, Lady Luck has already smiled on you.
Turkey Regulations
The spring turkey season extends from May 1 through May 31.Hunting hours run from one-half-hour before sunrise until noon, and the season bag limit is two bearded turkeys. No more than one bird shall be taken in a single day. Eligible hunters must possess a valid hunting license and a turkey permit. Once a hunter has filled his bag limit, he may call turkeys for another hunter, but he may not carry a firearm. Successful hunters are reminded that they must report turkey kills via the DECALS reporting system. Simply call 1-866-426-3778 within 48 hours of the take and have the spur and beard measurements available as recorded on the carcass tag.