Turkey Hunting Help!

[¤_Ozark_¤_Hunter_¤]

Basically I need every type of help I can get. Other then using calls the calls themselves I have no idea what I'm doing. I have practiced quite a bit with mouth calls and box calls when I can (my wife hates absolutely hates the sound of them so just easier to do it when she's away) but I don't know what types of calls to use at certain times or what call to use (cluck, purr, etc.). I have never hunted turkey successfully last couple years I've went out but couldn't get any replies. What size shells do I need to use? I have a pump 12 gauge just not sure as to what size shot or shell is best. I could use a lot of help. I have a lot of time turkey season isn't till March.

 

[Doyle]

3" #5 OR #6 will be your go-to shell. Patterning the gun is absolutely critical. For calling, hit Youtube. Even that will be only a general guide as turkey calls can be species (and even region) specific. When calling remember the #1 rule - if you think you are calling the right amount, you are probably calling too much.

 

[¤_Ozark_¤_Hunter_¤]

Thanks a lot for the reply.

 

[MarkCO]

Yes, patterning is important. I use 2 ounces of #6 most of the time.

Scouting is important. You need to figure out where they roost, feed and water and the best bet is to get them on the way too or from. Once you find them, try calling in a variety of ways before the season starts and figure out what works.

When I first started Turkey hunting, I was actually raising Turkeys, so I would practice on them.

 

[Minorcan]

Doyle is most wise!!!

These birds are very sensitive to movement and noise. They can see and hear way better than you can even imagine. If you are using a pump is there a shell in the chamber? If not they will hear you rack one in, follow the sound to you and see you doing it. Be more wary than them if you can. See where their tracks are. Station yourself so you will not have to move to get a shot. Get there early. Do not call first. Listen and watch. When you are ready give a short cluck or chirp, Don't gobble first. Patience is the key.

I like to arrow them from a blind. A blind can also be helpful for new hunters. It masks your movement to some degree. Good Luck.

 

[Doyle]

I'll tell you how wise I am about turkey calling - I don't do it. At least, I haven't learned well enough to call myself yet. I prefer to sit in front of someone else doing the calling who is far more skilled than I am. Unfortunately, since I moved to MS I've lost access to my calling buddy so I've got to do it on my own.

The season before I moved up here, my buddy called up an Osceola for me and I popped it with a pistol.

 

[jimbob86]

You hunting this fall, or getting an early start on spring?

They are two totally different ballgames, really.

Spring gobbler season is usually about ambushing a tom that thinks there's a lady to be had ..... fall, for me, is generally a matter of separating all the jennies and jakes from the ol' boss hens, and calling them back to you ..... or simply getting between the flock and their destination.....

 

[¤_Ozark_¤_Hunter_¤]

It'll be spring. Arkansas let go of our fall season in 2009. Thanks for all the tips.

 

[bamaranger]

gobblers

I'm nuts about spring gobbler hunting, ...if I had to pick just one type of hunting, it would be spring turkey. Here's some guidelines I steer by:

Scout. You mention your're not getting any answers to your calls. It is highly likely there are not any birds there. Its hard to kill a gobbler where they are not. Get out before season and listen. Locate as many birds that you can hunt as possible.

Hunt. You won't kill one if your're not in the woods. Resist the temptation to quit early, or sleep in, or skip an opportunity to hunt.

Calling. It's possible to learn more these days, with the internet and video and turkey pros, in a few months, that used to take a lifetime. As stated by Doyle, over calling is a common fault. So is calling to loudly.

Technique. Same as above. There is more material available to the beginner than ever before. There used to be an ol'boy from Virginia that had a great set of turkey tips on U-Tube, I will check on his stuff in another post.

Guns/ammo. The 3" 12 ga. is the benchmark. You really want a full choke, ideally, an interchangeable choke system to allow screwing in a "turkey full".
You will get a ton of discussion on shot size and loads. I'm a number #5 shot man myself. As stated, pattern the gun. One thing I'm pretty firm about, get a sight set up if at all possible. The old single bead has killed a bunch of turkeys, but an adjustable sight set (attatched to the rib) or some type of optic mounted on the receiver is better. Modern loads shoot tight, and all guns do not shoot "to the bead". /point of aim.

Hope to post some more later.

 

[kcub]

I haven't done it as much as others but I aim at the neck so the pattern concentrates on the head, neck, and upper breast all of which are fatal.

The shot will be the easiest part.

 

[jimbob86]

The 3" 12 ga. is the benchmark.

The shot will be the easiest part.

One of these is absolutely true, IME...... and it's not the first one, if you do all the more important things right, before the hunt.

I've actually had LESS sucess when I shot very heavy loads, but skimped on on some of the more important stuff, like patterning the gun and load and practicing on shooting for the neck/head (harder than you'd think, if you grew up hunting pheasants and pointing the shotgun to a COM + lead, instead of aiming it at a specific point, especially under time pressure!)....

.....spend more of your time, money and efforts on learning your quarry's behavior, learning to call, learning to camoflage yourself, use dekes, etc.... and less in the gun store trying to buy a few extra yards of range with SuperDuper loads, chokes and guns......

 

[kcub]

I can see where the long 3" shot column, magnum powder load, and über tight choke can sum up to a blown pattern in a given gun.

 

[Erno86]

If you know wild turkeys are in your area...some toms might come in to your set-up, silent --- that is --- without making a single cluck or gobble. If you hear a tom or jake respond to your call at some distance --- get ready --- by pointing the muzzle of your shotgun in the general direction the tom is going to appear. If he shuts-up after he made the last gobble to your call --- he could be coming in quickly --- only to possibly hang-up just out of range.

Don't call to much while the gobbler is still on his roost. Just call enough to make him aware of your presence --- then stop calling till he flies down. He might go off with his hens {all henned-up} but he might come in to investigate you later --- after his hens have gone to nest.

Learn to use a fly-down cackle with wing beats by beating your hat against your thigh. Sit in front of tree that has a larger diameter than your body --- So you'll have less of a chance of getting shot from behind. Learn to shoot ambidextrous while sitting down. Wear eye protection and amplified hearing muffs. Buy a blaze orange carry net-bag, for carrying out your bird. Wear blaze orange when walking thru the woods.

Don't bother other hunters who are working there birds, and go to a turkey hunting safety seminar.

Try to set-up between his roost and his strut zone.

 

[natman]

I've actually had LESS sucess when I shot very heavy loads, but skimped on on some of the more important stuff, like patterning the gun and load and practicing on shooting for the neck/head (harder than you'd think, if you grew up hunting pheasants and pointing the shotgun to a COM + lead, instead of aiming it at a specific point, especially under time pressure!)....

I'm not surprised this didn't work, but it has more to do with not patterning and not practicing than the 3" shell.

I've had excellent results with 3" 2oz #4 Winchester loads in my Mossberg 500 using the factory X-full choke. You are quite correct in noting the difference between turkey hunting and wingshooting. Turkeys are hunted with a shotgun but the shotgun is fired as if it were a somewhat forgiving rifle. Some form of sights is a good idea, but it doesn't have to be fancy, a set of fiber optic open sights is just fine.

Calling in a turkey is difficult. Shooting one is easy, probably the easiest shot in hunting. You're shooting at a more or less stationary target at a range of less than 50 yards with a shotgun.

The first call to learn is the yelp. It says, "here I am, a nice friendly hen".

 

[jimbob86]

Natman, I can tell you from experience that heavy turkey loads are not good fodder for a Mossberg 500 ..... the gun was just not designed to take that beating ..... Mossberg makes a stouter model (835?) for magnum level loads ......

.... I beat my 500 to death with just a mild case of Magnumitus ......

....was doing the same with a Remmy 1200, when I noticed Eldest daughter's ancient polychoked Ithaca 20 guage was killing them just as dead ...... with #6 field loads ......

 

[bamaranger]

OK

I'm not going to get into a shell/gauge dispute anymore. Folks can believe what they wanna believe, and if they believe strong enough,anything I write here won't change their mind. Jimbob, you want to hunt gobblers with a 20 ga and field loads, have at it.

REgards my earlier comments concerning turkey videos, the guy on U-tube was "mddale31" and his stuff is still up, though nothing new in several years.

 

[¤_Ozark_¤_Hunter_¤]

Hey guys (and girls. Maybe?) Thanks for all the tips and Bamaranger I'll have to look him up.

 

[natman]

Natman, I can tell you from experience that heavy turkey loads are not good fodder for a Mossberg 500 ..... the gun was just not designed to take that beating ..... Mossberg makes a stouter model (835?) for magnum level loads ......

.... I beat my 500 to death with just a mild case of Magnumitus ......

Mossberg 500s have been shooting mountains of turkey loads for decades. I've had mine for almost 30 years.

There is a 3.5" version, but it's the same basic action as the 500, only lengthened slightly to feed the longer shells (535 and 835) and with a larger diameter barrel (835).