Guest firsttimehunter Posted December 17, 2008 Report Share Posted December 17, 2008 hi, i am in need of some help. this is my first year hunting turkey and i need some advice on how to hunt. is it better to hunt turkey from a ground blind or in a tree stand. any advice will be greatly appreciated. thank you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RackBlaster Posted December 18, 2008 Report Share Posted December 18, 2008 Hi , welcome to the forums. If i had to choose i would definitely hunt from a blind, i have been busted far too many times up in my stands while deer hunting. Those eagle eyed birds are always looking up for danger. Personally i like hunting turkey without a blind, it's just more challenging and exciting to me. I will use a blind on some occasions though. You can also get away with movement and noise in a blind and most of the time the turkey don't get spooked from seeing it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jake Lake Posted December 18, 2008 Report Share Posted December 18, 2008 Welcome! What state will you be hunting in? You sure don't wanna be in a tree this spring..on the ground whether in a blind or your back against a big 'ol tree is where it's at!! Pick up a couple different mouth diaphrams to practice callin'..also grab a slate call..both are extremely effective but do require a bit of practice...will you hunt private or public lands? make sure to get out there and try and find the birds and where they roost..heck, this winter is after deer season winds down is as good a time as any!!..if you have never hunted the wild turkey before..you are in for a treat my friend!! They are one heck of a majestic/magnificent creature!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jake Lake Posted December 18, 2008 Report Share Posted December 18, 2008 Also, be sure to use a minimum of full choke..there are extra-full choke tubes designed for turkey hunting on the market as well..I have put a clean kill on turkeys with a modified tube before but full is much more dense and accurate. Not sure what kind of gun you will hunt with but buy the heaviest load you can find..weather it be 3" or 3.5". Personally I like Federal #4 shot Turkey loads..but it all depends on the best round for your gun..you will want to also be sure to wear camo pants and a camo top..gloves and a head/facemask too..turkeys have a very keen sense of vision and can generally see you well before you see them as they have awesome natural camoflage!! No matter where you hunt you will want to be in the woods well before sunrise..try and set up between the roosting site and the food source..make a few calls after you hear the birds come off the roost and try and coax them to you..a turkey decoy is not needed but sure does help...all of the birds I have killed were 15 yards or less but some guys take them out to forty or forty-five yards..good luck to ya! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Adjam5 Posted December 18, 2008 Report Share Posted December 18, 2008 Welcome to the Forums! You have come to the right place Turkey hunting is a awesome interactive hunt. Only Elk and turkey( in the spring) call back to you when you hunt 'em. I recommend to hunt from the ground, back against a tree. Hang a piece of orange above your head on the tree to let other hunters know someone is there. Some turkey hunters stalk turkey calls, which is wrong. That turkey call can be another hunter...Be careful. The bird should come to you if your doing things right. Wear full camo with face mask to match the area. Shotgun with full or extra full choke, shooting 3" or 3 1/2" shells(whatever you can handle). Pattern your gun at the range before you go, so you know how the gun hits. You want at least 10 pellets or more in the kill zone. Use turkey head targets, your aiming for the head and neck. Practice at 20-30 and 40 yards. Those are the most common ranges at which a turkey can be taken. They do get closer. I had one walk around my gun barrel once:D. Calling is tricky. There are a few types of calls. Mouth calls, box calls and slate calls. Box calls are the easiest to use for beginners. A rain/water proof box call is good to have. One good way to learn about hunting turkey is to get a few turkey vids and watch them. Try to emulate the calling. Even better, get someone who has hunted turkey before and have them call for you until you get better. The box call requires 2 hands to operate, so you can't hold your gun while doing it. Thats where the mouth call comes in. You can call and hold your gun at the same time with a minimum of movement. Turkey will see anything that moves, their eyes are amazing as you will see. Check out this link for more info. http://www.nwtf.org/hunting_tactics.html Good Luck! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eddie234 Posted December 18, 2008 Report Share Posted December 18, 2008 I'd spend the cold winter months watching instructional video's, reading turkey books and magazines. After you figure out what all you need to do you'll need your equipment. I'd start out with minimal stuff and add as you gain experience. Some guys carry everything in their turkey vest while some guys hardly have anything, personal preference. I assume you have your weapon of choice? Gun or Bow. From there it will determine what all equipment you need. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pendog Posted December 18, 2008 Report Share Posted December 18, 2008 Welcome!! Some great info on this site... To answer your question directly...if i had to pick either of those two i would pick the ground blind every time!! Personally I would hunt from the ground, no blind. Some like it but i feel limited when i have hunted from them. Get a comfortable cushion and sit under a big ole tree, i like (if possible) to have the tree be almost as wide as my shoulders to help conceal my form and also for safety reasons. Mouth calls are the bomb as they say, you can put feeling and emotion into them. I use them 80% of the time, personal preference. When i first started I had not practiced enough with the mouth calls so i got one of those gun mount calls that you pull the string on, it worked great for in close when you need your hands on the gun. Box calls and slate are great as well, I love the lil heartbreaker by Primos, and Quaker Boy calls. Also MAD Aluminum calls are starting to grow on me. Dont over call, dont under call either. Each bird has a personality, some days they are in the mood and others they are not. Are you always happy and ready to talk to people? The birds have their bad days like we do. If you know a bird is there and he is not talking, give hime some time. Shoot your gun alot!!!!! I was always told not to point my turkey gun but to aim it. The newer guns are so tight you can and will miss turkeys at close range if your not carefull. Keep your head down on the stock and let it eat. I shoot Federal 5s but that is my preference, some shells shoot better through my 3.5 than others. Do not move when the bird is in sight, do not move when the bird is in sight!!!!! He will see you!!!! Full camo is the only way to go, watch our for your socks too, i hunted with a guy that had white socks under his boots and when he sat down his pants rode up and all you could see was a camo blob and white socks:D Not safe and the birds will see that. If you live in a state with orange regs wear the orange please!!! I have hunted in several states with different regs, i always wear an orange hat if on public land no matter what the regs are. You will make mistakes everyone does, dont give up. Turkey hunting is an addiction, I wont admit that because i dont want cured!! Good luck this spring. Sorry for the long post but i am starting to get excited for my South Dakota hunt in April and this didn't help LOL:) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest firsttimehunter Posted December 19, 2008 Report Share Posted December 19, 2008 thank you all so much. this will help me greatly. hopefully i can post some pictures on here in the spring. once again, thank you greatly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Adjam5 Posted December 19, 2008 Report Share Posted December 19, 2008 Don't go away...stick around a while:) I have, and you will too; learn a incredible amount of hunting knowledge on this board. Realtree has Guru's from A-Z... just ask. Good Luck with your hunt! Again Welcome to Realtree, and we hope you stick around a while. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rayzorp Posted December 24, 2008 Report Share Posted December 24, 2008 Wow,, I'm setting up my first turkey hunt for next year and I wanted to ask the same question,, well I feel better!!! Good Luck!!! Ray Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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