Newbie Turkey Questions

[CharrDad]

Hey guys, I'm new to the forum ... and turkey hunting. I've been chasing turkeys for just under two seasons, but so far, have had no real success. I'm hunting public land in north GA. I've seen a few birds, but have had no luck conversing with them.

Questions:

(1) Is there a consensus on which state has the best turkey hunting? I'd be up for a road trip if it helped me tag my first tom.

(2) Should public land hunting really be this difficult, or have I just not payed my dues yet? I don't have a lease ... how important is that?

(3) I've been thinking about reaching out to a guide to narrow the learning curve ... anybody have any recommendations (in GA or elsewhere)??

Thanks in advance for any help or advice.

[loner]

never, been on a guided hunt but hunt private and public land here in ms.i am sure you can search the state you want to hunt for turkey hunting guided hunts.talk to a local wildlife manager with the state department or local conservation officer to get started.

make sure there is a decent population where you hunt.get a thermos of coffee and get out a few days prior to the season opener.find a high elevation and listen as day is breaking.mark these gobbles with your compass and determine setup areas.leave your calls at home.nothing is better than getting out there and looking for scratchings in the leaves where there were acorns.they will be 'v' shaped indicating the direction of travel.birds like to roost over water along creeks,sloughs etc.

if you have the time and resources to pay for a guided hunt,that is one way of learning but also,the laziest.good luck.

[CharrDad]

Thanks for your response. Taking a thermos of coffee ... brilliant!! That will make those chilly morning walks a bit more comfortable. I'll try the hill top listening approach this spring. I've done this to some degree in the past, but have often been greeted the morning of the hunt by others who have heard the same birds. I appreciate your take on the guided hunt option. My goal isn't laziness, however time is a premium commodity. I don't always have additional days to scout prior to hunting.

Thanks again for your help.

[loner]

sorry,to sound so smug.i have been many times where i knew the birds were only,to find someone else there are came in behind me.turkeys are going to be where they always are.if other hunters hunt the area you do,you only have a few options:

*hunt the area during the week

*take vacation during turkey season

*hunt only after other hunters are gone

*hunt midday

i hunt public land after most have quit or gone crappie fishing.toms WILL gobble after they get off the roost.every hunter will not kill a tom.they make them more wary and tougher to kill but older birds don't take to excessive calling.less and softer is better with lots of patience.

[CharrDad]

Thanks, great advise. Hunting weekdays seems the most plausible if hunting public land. I'll have to see if I can cash in some vacation days. I'll give the mid day hunting a try as well. I never really pushed it that hard after lunch.

[loner]

when the hens go to their nests,after 10.00am has been more productive to me than any other time on public land.the hunters that want to fish won't hunt long if the gobblers stop gobbling off the roost and stay with the hens.the toms get lonesome and respond up in the day afterwords.also,once the two tear olds start falling to the early hunting,the gobbling won't be as noisy as at first.btw,i am retired and hunt everyday so i have an advantage over the average hunter as far as weekday hunting.i rarely,hunt weekends anymore..

[Flintlock1776]

I have a Lifetime GA license and found birds a nit tough even on club leases.

My best bird ever I took in Missouri, private land.

I tried public land in NJ, no luck but 100% success on private land.

PA I had great success on public land. J

ust they way the cards played out for me. I don't think there is just one certain way to guarantee success. I do know I scouted hard and hunted hard no matter where I was.

Good luck.

[CharrDad]

Great advise loner. I'll absolutely give 'em a go after nesting hours.

Thanks Flintlock. The GA birds sure have not been easy for me. I have thought about Missouri - only about a 7 hour drive for me. Not too bad. I've read that the population is heavy and the hunting not quite as tedious as the N.GA mountains. I'm just trying to look at it from all angles. I'll be lucky to get a few weekends in the woods this spring, so I'm trying to shorten the learning curve any way I can.

Appreciate the help guys.

[dlriggins]

Never hunted in GA but here in IN public birds are tough as well my advice is as follows. Leave the deeks at home (too risky) dress warm and strip as the day warms, comfotable shoes Blisters are a pain (pun intended) carry pruners to cut brush and set up cover, bring every call you got (they have heard it all before so the stranger the pitch the better) hydration bladder, go deep it will cut back on the human factor, find em in the mourning and be prepaired for a long day of chasing and stalking, and most important GPS and compass we want you to come back when it is done. Hope this helps

[Flintlock1776]

Great advise loner. I'll absolutely give 'em a go after nesting hours.

Thanks Flintlock. The GA birds sure have not been easy for me. I have thought about Missouri - only about a 7 hour drive for me. Not too bad. I've read that the population is heavy and the hunting not quite as tedious as the N.GA mountains. I'm just trying to look at it from all angles. I'll be lucky to get a few weekends in the woods this spring, so I'm trying to shorten the learning curve any way I can.

Appreciate the help guys.

I got my biggest in Missouri and the story was written up in Buckmasters back in 2001. My highest success rate has been NJ. PA was behind NJ and GA came in last.

regardless, it is still great to be out anywhere chasing thunder chickens!

Good luck

[rhine16]

First of all, welcome to the forums.

To answer question 1, I've never hunted outside of MS, which I would imagine compares pretty well to hunting in GA. I don't mean this to denounce hunters in these states, but from what I've heard, Kansas, Texas, and Oklahoma birds are by far easier. Also, hunters who are successful down here seem to have a pretty good success rate hunting in South Dakota, Nebraska, and Missourri.

2) I think public land is definitely tougher because of pressure; however, I don't think that plays as much of a factor in turkey hunting as it does deer hunting. The mid-day hunts and week day hunts are good ideas.

3) I think you should try to find a "mentor" more so than a guide. I'm sure you can find someone around you to show you the ropes. Ask some friends who have been succesful over the years if you can go along and watch. You'll find that there are many different tactics to turkey hunting, and none are necessarily more right than another.

Good luck this spring!

[redkneck]

Well said Rhine. And welcome to the forums. Can't really add to that other than to say there are plenty of Texas hunts where you can hear more birds than you can count in one spot. You just have to call and sift through the jakes. Never been but know quite a few that have. If you go, bring snake chaps.

[Rhino]

Good answers. I'll add a little to this. I mainly hunt Eastern birds here in MS. I've also hunted Merriams and Rios. Never hunted Osceola or Goulds birds yet.

Questions:

(1) Is there a consensus on which state has the best turkey hunting? I'd be up for a road trip if it helped me tag my first tom.

That depends on the subspecies you want to hunt. If I was going to make a road trip to hunt Eastern birds I'd choose Missouri. If I was going to hunt Rios, I'd choose a place in Texas that has a 4 bird limit. Some areas in Texas are 2 bird limits. JMHO but Rios are the easiest birds to hunt. They also are more vocal throughout the day than the other subspecies of birds I've hunted. If you plan to hit to the road to hunt Rios, plan on hunting all day long! They are a blast to hunt! The only place I'm hunted Merriams is in New Mexico. Beautiful birds. Better be in good shape to chase them in the high country.

(2) Should public land hunting really be this difficult, or have I just not payed my dues yet? I don't have a lease ... how important is that?

Without a doubt, the less hunter pressure on the birds, the easier they are to work. Also, the more you know about what the birds you're hunting are more likely to go, the better your odds. It's easier to work a bird in if you're between where he is and where he wants to go.

(3) I've been thinking about reaching out to a guide to narrow the learning curve ... anybody have any recommendations (in GA or elsewhere)?

Never hunted in GA. I'd hate to recomend a specific guided hunt because you never know what the prior years hatches have been like or how hard they pressure their birds. Best to google some sites that show hunter's experiences from turkey hunting with specific guides. Whenever we go on a so called guided hunt we don't let the guide do anything but put us on birds and wait in the truck while we hunt them. I don't need or want a guide to call for me. It's a personal satisfaction thing for us to work our own birds.

[Flintlock1776]

Check GON magazine for guides or places to hunt or leases to join ; listen to O'Neill outside

http://www.gon.com

http://www.oneilloutside.com

I have spoken with O'Neill on his show several times over the years, he is a good guy.

[CharrDad]

Thanks a bunch guys. Great advise.

I've got a few planned hunts in the works now. No guided hunts planned, but was drawn for a quota hunt here in GA. Looks like I'll be doing it the hard way on public land again ... but that's okay. The satisfactions level will just be that much higher when I connect. Thanks again for the help.

Come on March 26th.

[justinloe84]

Hello Friends...

I have never done turkey hunting in my life before..But after reading this interesting forum,now i want to know from you guys that which are the sights where i can found turkey's easily.....Please reply me....Every reply will br appreciated...

Justin Loe.

-____________

To know about villa click on maison espagne and on location ibiza.

[Strut10]

Hello Friends...

I have never done turkey hunting in my life before..But after reading this interesting forum,now i want to know from you guys that which are the sights where i can found turkey's easily.....Please reply me....Every reply will br appreciated...

Justin Loe.

Justin..................welcome to the forums!!!

Give us an idea where you are in this great big country and I'm sure we can give you some ideas where to found turkeys easily.

[flylink]

Re: Newbie Turkey Questions

Hi,

I was not aware that hunting is about so much fun.. I have never done it before and don't know the rules related to it.. I was wondering to know being in Alaska where should I start it? I am interested in doing so..

______________________

Looking for the cheap flights : cheap tickets online and last minute flights .

[Rhino]

I'm not sure if there are turkeys in Alaska or not. Here's a link to the part of the National Wild Turkey Federation's web site that has just about everything about wild turkeys. The map on their web page doesn't show anything about wild turkeys being in Alaska.

Wild Turkeys, All About Turkeys: National Wild Turkey Federation

[Dawg]

Well said Rhine. And welcome to the forums. Can't really add to that other than to say there are plenty of Texas hunts where you can hear more birds than you can count in one spot. You just have to call and sift through the jakes. Never been but know quite a few that have. If you go, bring snake chaps.

If you ever do make a Texas hunt, go to central, south or way out west. Stay away from east or southeast Texas as the bird hunting here stinks. I started hunting turkeys hard about 4 seasons ago here in the eastern part of Texas. By the time the second season rolled around, I had encountered one hen (public and private land combined). We just don't have a good population of birds around here, they are few and far in between.

Good luck on your hunts!

[92xj]

Hello Friends...

I have never done turkey hunting in my life before..But after reading this interesting forum,now i want to know from you guys that which are the sights where i can found turkey's easily.....Please reply me....Every reply will br appreciated...

Justin Loe.

-____________

To know about villa click on maison espagne and on location ibiza.

Hi,

I was not aware that hunting is about so much fun.. I have never done it before and don't know the rules related to it.. I was wondering to know being in Alaska where should I start it? I am interested in doing so..

______________________

Looking for the cheap flights : cheap tickets online and last minute flights .

Seriously? Why are these two SPAM post still in the forums? Spammers are getting more personal these days and adding post to the forum but putting their spam stuff in their signatures. These two people will not come back and dont care about hunting or RealTree. Ban them already.

If I am wrong, these guys come back, participate and actually show they care about Turkey hunting or RT, I will apologize and go away for a long time.