"TURKEY HUNTING BASICS"
A building block for success

I have found through the years of guiding and hunting the wild turkey that success at all levels of this fine sport starts with the basics. Everything else you learn builds on that foundation. You never quite going back to the sound basics that have worked in the past. Therefore to be consistently successful year after year it is important to learn and understand these basics.

There is no substitute for good turkey scouting. This has always been the most important key to success for me. To know where to scout I look for areas that provide the basic survival needs for the turkey. These needs include food, water and sleep.

The wild turkey diet consist of acorns, any farm crop, grass and insects. Therefore I look in oak forests, farm fields and clearings. If you find a farm field surrounded by oaks, there is a good chance that you will see turkey and turkey sign.

Rivers are important to turkeys because they provide a water source, large roosting trees on their banks and cool shaded areas along their bottoms when the sun gets hot. Roosting trees usually consist of large poplar, oak and tall pines. Roost trees are often found along river edges, ridge tops and sometimes farm fields. Turkeys will often roost in the same areas day after day if not disturbed.

Once I have found an area that has the turkey's basic needs, I look for their tracks, droppings, feathers, scratchings and dusting bowls. It sounds like a lot to do, but it's not.

Looking for tracks is my main concern. They can usually be found on most any back woods road. Tracks tell me about the daily travel routine of the turkey. They also tell me how many gobblers and hens are in the group and sometimes can help me estimate what time they pass through a given area. The track of the gobbler is approximately 5 inches, where as the track of the hen is little more than half that size. Turkeys are birds of habit that usually follow the same routine day after day unless disturbed. With this in mind, I've come up with a way to determine the approximate time they travel through a given area. I usually go into an area in the evening and mess up the turkey tracks. I'll return the next morning at 10 AM, if I see a fresh set of tracks, that indicates the birds came through before 10AM. To narrow it down more I'll repeat the process and come back at 8AM. If there are no tracks I now know that they come through between sun up and 8AM.

The droppings of the wild turkey can be found anywhere that the birds frequent. Droppings are very distinct between the gobbler and hen. The droppings of the gobbler are and approximately 2 inches long while the hen droppings are both the shape and size of popcorn. Another sign I look for are feathers. Turkeys lose feather as they fly up to the roost. Most often found are wing feathers which are
the black and white barred feathers used on traditional arrows. When I find a couple of wing feathers in the same area I start to look for a concentration of droppings too. This will usually indicate a roosting site.

Scratchings can usually be found in oak forests. They are made when the turkey scratches it's feet on the ground to move the leaves in order to find food. Scratchings are V-shaped and important for two reasons. They tell me where the birds spend a lot of time and by following the point of the 'IV", I can determine the direction the flock travels and can also follow it backwards to the roost. Lastly, dusting bowls are a good place to find birds in the late morning and early afternoon. The bowls can be 12-24 inches wide and 3-6 inches deep found anywhere in sandy soil. The birds use them to cool off and dust their feathers when the sun gets warm. This is a good place to sit and wait for birds late morning and early afternoon.

Once your scouting is complete you are almost ready for the hunt. You may need a call or two before you go out. Without question the simplest and most effective call is the pushbutton call. By pushing the button you can make the basic calls such as the yelp, cluck, and purr. Since this call takes very little movement and only one finger to operate, I recommend it to hunters of all skill levels. Generally wooden calls produce better sounds than plastic. Giving my honest opinion, I believe my company (A-Way Hunting Products) produces the best pushbutton on the market. It uses a pin which unlike rubber band and spring operated pushbuttons, allows you to adjust tone and volume. Pushbutton calls are a good mid to short range call. I also recommend taking a box call in the woods with you. This gives you a louder long distance call for the windy days of spring. Mouth diaphragm calls are popular because they take no movement. However they require a little practice. For the beginner I recommend starting with an easy to blow single reed diaphragm of any brand. I called in my first gobbler with one of these. Because slate calls use both my hands, I use them when calling for someone else. Some are excellent wet weather calls. The AWay brand will work in the rain because of the acrylic striker that comes with it. Most wood and plastic strikers will not perform in wet weather. Now we are ready for the woods.

When you make contact with a gobbler for the first time, set up by a large enough tree to break your outline. If there are two hunters, you may consider using the buddy system where one person does the calling 30-40 yards behind the shooter. If the gobbler happens to hold up 60 yards from the caller, he is already well within gun range for the hunter. This method is often used on my guided hunts with deadly results.
Before calling it is important to remember to only call loud enough to reach the gobbler. If you call too loud, he will hold up out of gun range nine out of ten times. As he closes the distance, call less and call quiet. If there is one sound you need to master, it's the yelp. It's an "I love you" type call to the gobbler that I use 90% of the time when calling. I use clucks and purrs after the gobbler has been sighted and needs just a little soft talk to keep him coming. Clucks and purrs are contentment type sounds the turkey makes when it is feeding. There are many more sounds that the turkey makes which you will probably learn and use as you advance, but the yelp is the call most often used by hunters of all skill levels.

When setting up on roosted birds before daylight, I set up about 80 yards from the roost. When the tom starts gobbling, that is my queue to start calling. I call very little with soft yelps at this point. I just want the gobbler to know that there is a lonely hen nearby. If you over call, he may stay on the roost gobbling longer and attract a real hen, or another hunter. Either case, bad news. Once the gobbler is on the ground I try and really excite that bird by giving excited yelps and a few cuts, which are telling that gobbler, "I want you now!" I call less and less as he approaches. Once I can see him, I cluck and purr just enough to keep him coming. If he is coming in on course, I won't call at all. When he enters gun range and goes behind a tree, I move my gun if needed and will be ready for the shot as he comes out. Hopefully it will mean an early thanksgiving dinner

By starting with the basics, you will enjoy and appreciate just being out in the turkey woods for the learning experience. Consistent success will automatically follow.

GOOD HUNTING!