An easy way for finding turkeys is to simply walk around until you hear a call from them. Luring Turkey hunting is supported by a number of devices. The Turkey Locator Caller to detect male turkeys.

They will respond in a fair amount of times, but not always. The locator can be used to find new flocks, but also to keep track of how close they have come to you when luring them with the Turkey Box Caller.

The box caller has a long effect on the turkeys and they keep strolling rather quick towards you. Make sure to keep enough distance to an approaching bird, or even more if there is an entire flock. The gobblers won't come in a straight line to you, many times they build a front and you need to be very careful to keep all birds in view.

Once one of them detects you it will stand still and stare at you, and in most cases run away unless you can crawl behind a nearby solid object. Running or flying turkeys are the cause for many animal spookings that the player cannot explain. The rather small animal cannot be heard when it runs except from very close.

With the addition of the Turkey Decoy you have another possibility for attracting the gobblers. They will however not detect the decoys from very far and you still need to bring them into eyesight reach before they stroll towards the dummies. The decoys will keep the turkeys interested for a short while only. Field Judging Even though the weight is part of the score, the length of the beard is a much stronger argument.

Always shoot the bird out of a flock that has the visually longest beard. In case you are in doubt which beard is the longest, and for some reason don't think you can shoot multiples of them, pick the heaviest bird. A third factor in the scoring are the spurs on their legs just above the feet. These however cannot be seen and play no role in your judging for which bird might be the best.

Some turkey have a double beard. In an earlier version of the game, both of these counted and made for a really good score. Nowadays only the longer of the two counts. Doubled bearded birds never score high, so better ignore them. Senses Turkeys have no sense of smelling. Scent Eliminator will not make a difference so don't waste any on them.

Their eyesight however is as sharp as that of Pheasants , and they will detect you from far. The same goes for hearing, which is again exceptionally good. Shooting the animal The shot must be well prepared. Search a good place where you can stay undetected. Avoid hasty shots. A good spotting skill will support you picking the right animal if there are severals. Wait until the animal of your choice has come close enough for a good shot, or until you can safely hit a vital from the side.

It is not always possible to set up an ambush, or to move away on time. Stay alert for other animals e. It is best to shoot turkey in the head or neck. This will always lead to an instant kill. Otherwise if you hit they can run a few meters before dying, which can cause a flushing effect on bystanders of any species. Turkeys can survive long range shots unless you hit it with a. An experienced hunter can take out many turkeys, sometimes even multiple flocks at once, if shooting them one by one with a bow.

You may also use other bows, but they are all louder and harder to shoot. The silence of the Parker can be an important factor when detecting a turkey that has come closer than 20m and you need to quickly take it out before the others can see you. Make sure to keep the flock at a distance m and check left and right of their last known position, as they can go unusual paths to approach you. It can also be a double-edged sword. A gobble may draw a dominate tom to you looking for a fight or you might drive away less dominant birds that want to avoid a beating.

It is often used as a call of last resort. However, it can also be used effectively late in the evening when trying to get a tom to gobble on the roost. The cluck consists of one or more short, staccato notes. The plain cluck often includes two or three single note clucks. It's generally used by one bird to get the attention of another. It's a good call to reassure an approaching gobbler that a hen is waiting for him.

This is a great call while trying to encourage a gobbler to come into range if he starts to hang up. It can also be used while birds are still on the roost to subtly let a gobbler know you are there. The plain yelp of a hen is a basic turkey sound and is often delivered in a series of single note vocalizations.

The plain yelp can have different meanings depending on how the hen uses it, but it is basic turkey communication. It is also commonly used by a hen to communicate with a gobbler during mating season.

This is a basic turkey hunting call. If you can yelp, you have a chance calling in a turkey. More turkey sounds. While all adult male turkeys gobble, and all hens cluck and yelp, each turkey truly has a voice of its own. Each cluck, purr or cut has different inflections particular to each bird. Listen to and learn sounds of the wild turkey.

You will surely up your outdoor skills if you can properly identify wild turkey calls in the field and mimic them on your next hunt. In the s, Eastern and Osceola turkey populations remained only in remote areas of extensive timberland. These areas supported turkeys because topography made them inaccessible and kept legal and illegal hunting to a minimum.

Inaccessibility also made logging and agriculture difficult, so these areas remained forested. As a result, biologists began to associate the wild turkey with big timber, but that wasn't exactly accurate. Once timbered areas were re-populated with wild turkeys thanks to trap-and-transfer programs , wildlife managers began experimenting with turkey transplants in other areas.

Turkey populations blossomed throughout the United States, and with up-to-date research, biologists and conservation managers have identified a few very important ecosystems that provide optimal habitat for the wild turkey.

These habitats include rivers and streams riparian zones , oaks and grasslands, pine savannas and wildlife openings often called, forest clearings, meadows, pastures. Learn more about the 4 Great Wild Turkey Habitats.

From sounds to identification of species, there is a lot to learn about wild turkeys. Check out the following articles for additional information about wild turkey behavior, habitat needs and lifecycle. Why the Strut? Knowing the laws concerning the species you will be hunting is extremely important. Can you shoot before sunrise? After sunset? How long after sunset can you shoot?

These are questions that are best answered straight from the source. Just because uncle Bob said you can shoot up to an hour after sunset, does not make it the law. Know the laws before you hit the woods. Each state declares its own seasons and bag limits for each game species.

The state agency bases those decisions on science, harvest totals and much more. Whether small game or wild turkeys, be sure to know the season dates and bag limits. Before their population declined, wild turkeys were typically hunted only in the fall. When the spring seasons were introduced, fall turkey hunting became less pursued. In recent years, as populations have climbed and then stabilized, many states reintroduced fall turkey seasons. Currently, more than 40 states have a fall season.

Check your local regulations for season information or use our Spring and Fall Hunt Guides to get you started. Depending a hunters age, hunter safety education may be required to buy hunting licenses. Apprentice licenses may be offered to first-time hunters in lieu of hunter safety education, but the new hunter must be accompanied by a properly licensed hunter before hitting the woods.

Find out what education you may need before you buy your license and go afield by visiting the International Hunter Education Association. Wild turkeys have incredible eyesight, so you will want to conceal your movements as much as possible while out hunting. A good camo pattern for the terrain you are hunting is essential. Embedded with the NWTF logo, it is an awesome camo that blends well with the green up that happens each year.

You can also be assured a portion of your purchase also comes back to the NWTF to put conservation work on the ground. Check out all the options of camouflage offered by Mossy Oak. For those hunting from a blind, look to the Mossy Oak Eclipse pattern.

Be sure to keep your hands covered, as well as your neck and face. NOMAD offers gloves and gaiters to keep you in stealth mode while waiting out those toms. To hunt wild turkeys in most terrains, you will need basic gear. In most states, choices for method of take for turkeys are shotgun, muzzleloader or bow.

Thanks to modern turkey loads and turkey chokes, both 12 and 20 gauge do a good job at taking down a turkey. Many hunters choose to use a choke with their turkey guns to keep the pattern of the shot tight.

Learn more about finding the right choke for your gun. If you choose a bow, either traditional, compound or cross bow, make your choice something you are comfortable shooting from a seated position, as most turkey hunts happen from the ground.

Also to consider, hunting with a bow does present some logistical issues when hunting from a ground blind. Room is at a premium for drawing back your bow. Be sure to sit in the blind and practice drawing back your bow prior to your hunt. This will ensure you are not trying to draw too much weight on your bow as well. If you cannot comfortably sit and draw back your bow, you need to reduce your draw weight. Drawing too much weight can not only be awkward, but it can cause injury, create a safety issue and can put a damper on any hunt.

Learn other beginner tips for bowhunting turkeys. To be successful in turkey hunting, many hunters rely on calls to help bring the birds within shot range. Beginners usually find a box call the easiest to get a consistent sound. There are diaphragm or mouth calls, pot and striker calls made with glass or slate, box calls, wingbone calls and many others.

Some take more practice than others. Start with one call. Learn the basic sounds like cluck, purr, putt and yelp, to start. As your ability increases, you can add the more advanced sounds and learn to create dynamics within those sounds to keep the birds listening.

As you become more familiar with the basics of hunting wild turkeys, there is certainly additional gear you may want to purchase. From high-end binoculars to mapping apps , the array of gear available is endless.

Edit source History Talk 0. It's so popular that hunters are warned not to stalk them in case they might be heading towards another hunter's ambush. Turkeys are land roaming animals but are known to be able to fly around They can easily climb trees and enjoy using them as hiding areas from ground predators while they roost.

They're known to be very unpredictable and extremely easy to spook. As part of the Galliformes bird order, they are closely related to other game birds such as pheasants, partridge, and quail.