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 Post subject: Turkey season?
PostPosted: Sun Mar 18, 2018 2:49 pm 
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Joined: Fri Jan 02, 2004 1:01 am
Posts: 11360
Location: Hamilton, MS
10 days ago, I was seeing turkeys all over my property. Season opened 3 days ago, and haven't seen a single bird yet. How does a critter with a brain the size of a peanut get so smart? :roll:

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 Post subject: Re: Turkey season?
PostPosted: Sun Mar 18, 2018 5:48 pm 
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Location: Cypress, TX
Gene,
How do you hunt turkey?
Are you sitting in a blind?

Are you there at dawn?

I suspect you use a shotgun.
#6's?

Never shot at a turkey although they are plentiful here in Texas.
Zulu

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 Post subject: Re: Turkey season?
PostPosted: Sun Mar 18, 2018 7:29 pm 
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Location: Hamilton, MS
Zulu wrote:
Gene,
How do you hunt turkey?
Are you sitting in a blind?

Are you there at dawn?

I suspect you use a shotgun.
#6's?

Never shot at a turkey although they are plentiful here in Texas.
Zulu


I'm far from being even a mediocre turkey hunter, but here's what I've learned in the past few months.

In order of appearance:

You need a call to bring them in range, which means you need to learn their language.

I sit on my front or back porch, to call them in. Other people may use some camo tarp or similar for a blind, since they may need to move to where the birds hang out. Which is normally in some natural (to them ) habitat. They like trees for getaway and ground nesting with some nearby water (stream, etc.) with small to medium size clearings. The will fly up in a tree if spooked.

Don't bother hunting if it's cold or raining. They'll just hunker down some place and won't answer calls. Good times to hunt are daybreak for a couple hours and a couple hours before last light.

Weapon and ammo is usually regulated by the game dept. in your state, along with seasons and limits, hunting hours, etc.. Here we have a spring (gobblers only) and fall season (either sex), that allows archery, shotgun (20 and 12 gauge are the usual) and .22lr (no .22 mag). #5 shot is the most common that people use, either 2 3/4 or 3", but anything from #4 to #6 is good depending on patterning from your gun. Be aware that a 3" 12 gauge loaded with 1 1/2 or 1 3/4 oz of pellets is gonna put a hurt on your shoulder. I use 2 3/4" #4 shells so far, although I may step up to #5 next season ( more pellets=denser pattern=deader bird :D ).

Patterning is important since you need to hit them in the head, and a pattern with vacant areas in it could easily just wound the bird and then you've got to track him down.

There's lots of specific info on the web about the sport, and your fish and game dept. is usually very helpful.

Calls: Lots of different kinds, slate or "pot" calls like I have, box calls, and various others. Sporting goods (Bass Pro and so on) and gun shops will sometime carry them or you can order them on-line from various people and stores - even Amazon has them. Some states will allow pre-recorded electronic calling gizmos, but MS doesn't. Most hunters consider that cheating, and there's no evidence they work any better than a traditional call anyway. Best to check your Texas rules.

Now comes the hard part: learning the language and how to imitate it, and it's not a universal language. There are variations depending on the region and particular subspecies. But there are a few common calls - the yelp, cluck, etc. About a dozen in all. Here's a couple of helpful sites for this:

https://www.nwtf.org/hunt/wild-turkey-b ... key-sounds

https://www.realtree.com/turkey-hunting ... urkey-hunt

Happy hunting :-D

PS: You probably know already that different brands pattern differently also, so you might need to try out a few before the season starts.

_________________
I bring to life, I bring to death:
The spirit does but mean the breath:
I know no more. (Tennyson, In Memoriam)


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