Turkey Hunting Tips for Beginners

Hunting is an undisputed exciting sport for many. People learn to get used to the techniques and tips to become successful hunters of turkey. If you are also one of those and want to know more about it, here are some turkey hunting tips for beginners.

Seek help from an expert:

As a beginner, it is a good idea that you call some of your experienced friends who are good at hunting turkey. This will help you in that:

You will have extra protection as hunting a turkey is quite a challenge in the beginning.
Your companion can also teach you many techniques that will help you late during your solo adventures.

Be an early bird:

The key here is you should be wide awake before the birds do. Yes! You will not learn and hunt these gobblers if you will keep sleeping till late in the morning. The ideal time for hunting them is the sunrise.

Call the turkey:

Being a beginner, you can take help of the different turkey calls if you do not have any experience of how to do it. As you will get more experienced, you will master the art, and eventually, you will be able to make various calls with your mouth.

Camouflage:

Well! In the beginning, you might not have an idea, but later on, you will realize the importance of hiding your body scent and conceal yourself. The turkey hunting gear for beginners is a must as it provides you the necessary items for the purpose. You can have the turkey hunting clothing tips from experienced friends and family also, but here are some options for you as well:

Camouflage clothing
Face masks
Gloves having a firm grip as if your gloves will be slippery, you will find it challenging to handle your gun.

Use of Turkey Decoys:

You will observe as you will go hunting the turkeys that the results broadly vary with the use of a decoy.

Especially at the start of the hunting season, if you take along with you a hen decoy and jake, you will get the gobbler to come within your range.
However, in the latter part of the year, you can go with a hen leaving behind the male decoys.
You may opt to spend a bit more on your decoy’s feather system, especially towards the end of the season.
At this point, you will find it easy to get your prey as the turkeys are way too tired, but then to fight a decoy for a mate.

How to choose a bird?

When you go out there to hunt turkeys and come across a flock of turkeys approaching you, you should know how to choose your bird. For this, you may keep in your mind these points:

If it is spring season, you are likely to have hens off-limits.
They are generally smaller in size,
The hens possess dull plumage with their heads having paler color, having an irregular shape
The male turkeys, on the other hand, are more extensive.
They have a bright red shade in their heads with slights pigmentation of blue and white.
The male turkeys also have beards
Juvenile male turkeys, also known as jakes, have small beards extending out from their chests.
If you have a closer look at the tail fan of jake, you will observe that it is incomplete.
The feathers of jake in the middle extend out more than the feathers on both sides.
The older gobblers, on the contrary, have a whole-length tail fan with their long beards extending out with a length from 8 to 12 inches.

It depends on your personal preference as to which gobbler you pick to hunt, but it is essential to know each type of turkey’s features as a beginner.

Weapons and Ammunition:

When it comes to the choice of guns and weapons, you need to have the following information:

You can have a turkey hunting starter kit for turkey hunting, especially if you are a young lad or a woman.
The 20-gauge shotguns come in handy for this purpose.
For experienced hunters, you can even go for the 12 gauge gobbler gun also.
For all those beginners out there, who want to start with the deadly pattern and optimum knockdown power, you should try the #5 shot.
You can even use the turkey hunting scopes to make your shooting experience worthwhile.
If you go for the open sight shooting, you can acquire your target faster, and you can have a clear view of everything in front of you and even make the adjustments if required.

Shot Placement:

As a beginner, this part is a bit tricky, and you can follow these tips for this:

If you have a shotgun, try taking only the headshots.
As for a beginner, it is said that the maximum range should be 45 yards.
Wait silently and patiently when you see a gobbler within your range until the bird pops its head up.
If you manage to try and dominate the decoy, and it sticks its head up, you can squeeze the trigger in the meanwhile.

What happens after the shot?

If you have managed to shoot your target at the right place, you will see the gobbler drop off the ground immediately.
If it tries and start running again, you should go for a couple of follow-up shots.
Ensure that you keep an eye on the object and not let it get out of your sight.
After you finally catch the gobbler, you have to tag it properly before deciding to move it.
You can even take a few snaps of your hunt.
As a beginner, it is a good idea to stuff a baseball cap or a blaze orange in your turkey hunting vest before you take the turkey to your vehicle. It is a lot safer.

Choosing the hunting spot:

It is essential to choose a perfect shooting spot because:

Turkeys happen to be very intelligent.
They are tricky creatures.

You can have the following in your mind during the process:

Start by having a comprehensive map of the hunting area.
Then find a particular spot where you think that the turkey will show up frequently.
Now narrow down the spot by choosing a specific piece of land or property.
Finally, mark a particular spot from where you will eventually take the shot.
If you are a beginner and find it difficult to mark the shooting spot, you can take help from the sporting goods employees, hunter clubs, and even area biologists.
Do not forget to seek the authorities’ permission for specific areas as there might be some rules and regulations regarding turkey hunting in some areas.
Scouting is the next step for you as a hunter. You need to check the ridges, power lines, river beds, dry creeks, high points and keep your ears on gobbling, if any.

You can even use the turkey calls but stop calling the turkey if it responds to your call because:

You may alarm the bird if you keep calling.
You might serve as an aid to other hunters in the area.

Other important tips for turkey hunting:

In addition to the above points, it will help you a great deal if you will keep the following in your mind:

Do not try to shoot a bird if it is more than 100 yards away from your spot.
Always try to use your terrain in a way that benefits you as a hunter.
Ensure that you are taking full advantage of the natural features of woods or the area you are hunting. For instance, the trees, bushes, hills, and ridges may serve your purpose for natural hideouts. So, cash on them.
While you set it up for the hunt, always go for a tree that has a broader trunk than your body width.
Always face the gobbler with your left shoulder in case you are a right-handed hunter and vice versa.
While you are making a call to turkey, you should keep yourself still at one point. Do not move.
Once you call and it does not respond, you can try calling it from some other point and then wait, and he might come later on.
If you happened to see a turkey approaching, but then you lose its sight, it means you have to wait quietly, and it may sometimes happen that they take a sneak at you.

Conclusion:

So now, if you are a beginner planning an expedition of hunting a turkey, you have had enough of a guideline to go out there and have an enjoyable experience. With time, you will be able to master the art and will be able to hunt like a pro. Happy Hunting!