Turkey Hunting Tips

[jforrest]

This will be my first turkey hunt this spring, I'm wondering what laws I need to abide by and anything I can do to help bag one. I will probably hunting on public land, Jasper Pulaski, to be exact.

Thanks in advance.

 

[Jack Ryan]

This will be my first turkey hunt this spring, I'm wondering what laws I need to abide by and anything I can do to help bag one. I will probably hunting on public land, Jasper Pulaski, to be exact.

Thanks in advance.

Try to roost a bird the night before or even a couple nights before is better than going out cold.

 

[Mini-14]

Best advice I can give

sit still, dont move, sit still, dont move, sit still, dont move & repeat

 

[Ogre]

sit still, dont move, sit still, dont move, sit still, dont move & repeat

What he said, and when you hear that Huey helicopter taking off, thats the turkey flying out of the tree your sitting under

 

[jforrest]

Try to roost a bird the night before or even a couple nights before is better than going out cold.

What exactly do you mean my roost, I take it as figure out where they are sleeping and get somewhere near that area in the morning.

sit still, dont move, sit still, dont move, sit still, dont move & repeat

Haha thanks, I do know you have to be extremely quite and still, but this is a good reminder...ill repeat that in my head while I'm out there.

thanks, keep the advise coming, and any laws i need to be mindful of.

 

[Mini-14]

Along with your turkey hunting license make sure you buy a game bird stamp..And make sure you have a plug in your shotgun that limits you to 2 shells.You cant have more than 3 shells.

 

[turkeykiller]

Along with your turkey hunting license make sure you but a game bird stamp..And make sure you have a plug in your shotgun that limits you to 2 shells.You cant have more than 3 shells.

????????? not sure what you are saying but you do not need a bird stamp just a turkey license

 

[Mini-14]

You do need a game bird habitat stamp and a turkey license. Look it up. Dont get caught without one.

 

[spainy79]

You do need a game bird habitat stamp and a turkey license. Look it up. Dont get caught without one.

You just earned rep because I did not know that! I checked the Indiana Hunting & Trapping Guide where it states that you will need a turkey license along with a game bird habitat stamp privelege. $25 for TL and $6.75 for the stamp.

 

[jforrest]

Thanks everyone, I'll be sure to get both the license and the stamp. Figure I'll go out a week before season opens and start scouting.

And during the hunt I'll remember, "sit still, don't move, sit still, don't move..."

What would be the best call to get, I only want to get one right now because I am strapped for cash at the moment (college student temporally out of a job). My first thought is one of those mouth calls that way I wont have any movement. But I don't they they have a very far range. Good or bad idea?

 

[Mini-14]

I would get a good box call to start with. Might take you awhile to learn how to use mouth calls.

 

[jforrest]

Any advise on a call box, will they all work when wet or will some do better than others?

 

[Jack Ryan]

What would be the best call to get, I only want to get one right now because I am strapped for cash at the moment (college student temporally out of a job). My first thought is one of those mouth calls that way I wont have any movement. But I don't they they have a very far range. Good or bad idea?

Quaker boy x-pot call - Shop sales, stores & prices at TheFind.com

These TYPES of callse are easy to learn and are capable of making most if not all the common turkey vocalizations other than a gobble and I wouldn't recomend that sound. I wouldn't spend a bunch of money on one, when you are just learning. The ones that are slate are easiest to learn on but he other materials all have their distinct advantages. They all work essentially the same.

Get on that comes with a tape or CD explaining the various vocalisations and examples. It's normally right there in the same price range as others with out it.

You can alter the sound enough to give some variation by using different strikers you can make your self for free or for right next to free. You don't have to spend a bunch of money to do this. I could call a turkey in with the bottom half of a pop can and a bic pen for a striker. You can make these calls out of a piece of roofing slate, a stick and a corn cob.

Learn to hunt instead of learning to spend money and you'll be a lot better off in the long run.

If you have an extra fiver pick up a crow call. You can use it in the morning to locate birds with out attracting their attention and you can use it in the evening as an additional locator call to "roost" birds. Your slate call will do this as well though it's not as loud. Birds will start to fly up to roost as the sun get's near setting. They all want to flock up in the trees to watch each other's back. If they hear another bird searching on the ground they will call back and forth to find each other. If that other bird is you, then you will learn where they are spending the night.

If they hear a hot hen fifty yards from where they just spent the night, in the morning, ready to rock, which direction would YOU fly down and walk to if you had a hot babe calling your name since the night before and again as soon as you can see the ground from up in a tree?

 

[jforrest]

Thanks a lot, yea i will definitely learn the hunt, I have been pretty successful with everything else I do. If I have learned anything from hunting over the past few years its this, money cannot make up for learning how to hunt the animal you are after. I just need to do a lot of research and go with my instinct.

I'll use my crow call (got it for coyote hunting) the night before! I just can't wait to get out there and spend some quality time outside in God's beautiful creation!

 

[csaws]

Along with your turkey hunting license make sure you buy a game bird stamp..And make sure you have a plug in your shotgun that limits you to 2 shells.You cant have more than 3 shells.

Also there is no shell limit for Turkeys. I called DNR last year to find out. I had the plug out for deer season and since I don't hunt waterfowl I left it out.

 

[csaws]

That is a good call Jack. I have a woods wise box call, some will play wet some will not. Get one that will since more often than not it will rain on your hunt.

As well as your crow call an owl call works well for locating.

 

[csaws]

One last thing find a comfy cushion to sit on, you will need it.

 

[jforrest]

Thanks for all the info everyone. I picked up a slate call made by primos today at Bass Pro. Only $10! It doesn't say anything about working when its wet though. Would a slate call with a wood striker work in the rain? I guess i could always try it in the sink or something

 

[jforrest]

Also there is no shell limit for Turkeys. I called DNR last year to find out. I had the plug out for deer season and since I don't hunt waterfowl I left it out.

Really? I figured I would need the duck plug.

I also got some shells today. I didn't feel like spending a ton on ammo so I went with plain old led. $7.95 for a 3'' Remington box of 10. I got shot size 6 though. At first I figured that way I would have more pellets on the target, but now I'm worried about penetration with the smaller shot. What side do you guys use? In lead though cause I can't afford Hevy-Shot right now.

 

[Jack Ryan]

Thanks for all the info everyone. I picked up a slate call made by primos today at Bass Pro. Only $10! It doesn't say anything about working when its wet though. Would a slate call with a wood striker work in the rain? I guess i could always try it in the sink or something

Just don't get it wet. Those same style of calls are made of several different materials and the strikers are made of different materials as well. If you got one with the tape or CD it has about all the basic things that generally work best, people learn first, and you need to know before going on to some fancy tactics. The fly down will be hard to make on the slate call but the clucks, purrs, and yelps are some of the best off a slate IMHO. You can also use two different strikers to give the impression of being two or more hens feeding.