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<\/p>\nThere are a ton of different things that a turkey hunter needs to do to get ready for the season. Before the season even begins you need to complete a number of tasks to stay ahead of the competition. Not only do you have to start thinking like a bird you’ll also need to plan for your hunt.<\/p>\n
Hunters must consider everything there is to know about turkey. Figure out the places that turkeys roost, what gear you need to wear into the field, how to call in the birds and all the best places turkeys like to hang out.Luckily with a little bit of knowledge you should be able to bring home that gobbler you’ve been waiting for.<\/p>\n
Being extremely unpredictable and easy to spook, turkeys offer a challenge that other game doesn’t.\u00a0 This means that you’re going to have to do a little bit of work in order to be successful. if you do just one thing wrong they’ll fly off faster than you could ever imagine. The key to a successful hunt is to be fully prepared for anything.<\/p>\n
For some reason people feel like they should only scout during the deer hunting season,(how smart could turkeys really be?), but that couldn’t be farther from the truth.\u00a0 All you need to do is take the time to see where the wild turkeys are actually gathering.\u00a0 Without scouting for turkeys during the off-season you’ll never be able to find them during the actual hunting season.<\/p>\n
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Looking for turkeys really isn’t rocket science. All you need is a good spotting scope\/binoculars and a little bit of common sense.\u00a0 If you don’t already have a decent set of binoculars, you don’t need to spend a lot of cash.\u00a0 Bushnell’s Powerview 10x50mm binoculars<\/a> offer a ton of value at such a low price.<\/p>\n Hunter will be much more efficient with a little bit of knowledge on the local turkey population. Scouting for evidence of turkeys doesn’t just mean looking for the actual birds. Look for signs of tracks, scratches, droppings and feathers. These little indicators will show you where the birds actually like to gather.<\/p>\n You should go out into the field as early as you can before the actual hunting season. I’ll normally go out the first warm day the month before turkey season. Sometimes I even get to bring out my fishing pole. Start out with your normal hunting zones and expand if you see signs of activity.<\/p>\n As opening day approaches start marking everywhere you saw signs of turkey on a map and drive around listening for gobbles.\u00a0 They’re creatures of habit so returning to these spots will give you a shot at a nice gobbler.<\/p>\n When listening for wild turkeys it’s important to understand that not all turkeys are going to make the same sounds. You’ll have a significant difference between the sound of the hand and a gobbler.<\/p>\n An excited hen will make a series of fast, loud, short erratic clucks known as cutting.\u00a0 Whereas males will have longer drawn out distinct gobbles.\u00a0 A tom or gobbler will typically draw out their gobble for 2-3 seconds.\u00a0 With older males having distinct deep raspy gobbles and young males have shorter gobbles.<\/p>\nStart Early<\/h4>\n
Look For Tracks and Scat<\/h4>\n
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Normally I’ll start looking for tracks and scat(droppings) trying to differentiate the sex. There’s a considerable difference between a gobbler and hens tracks and scat.\u00a0 Hen poop looks kind of like a curly ice cream cone, whereas gobblers look more like little straight dog turds.<\/p>\n
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Listening and Calling For Turkeys<\/h3>\n