New to Turkey

[JoeT]

I decided to give turkey a shot this year… Pardon the pun! I bought my calls and have been practicing and I put in for the lottery… At 65 it’s not always easy to learn something new but I’m willing to give it a go! Any advice from you real old timers?

[Eyesofthewoods]

I’m not an old timer but my dad was a first generation turkey hunter when my brother and I were in middle/high school.  Just practice calling and spend time out in the turkey woods.  Every time out is a learning experience.  Good luck!

[overtimehunter]

Where ya located ? What zone ya hunting?.   My advice would be (1)locate and scouts birds early without turkey calling to them. ( hunt an area you know has birds).  (2) woodsmanahip, learn the property and where birds roost and feed. (3)   Call a lot less , and listen more,  call softer then you think you need too . Be patient. (4) join the nwtf and attend some nwtf events in the area    Be safe and have fun 

 

[Rjtfd]

Don’t call loud and don’t call too much. If you get a gobbler to respond than you can answer him once and than sit quiet. When you think it’s time to call again don’t just be patient and wait. Gobblers are use to the hens going to them and if you keep calling he’ll just sit and wait. Patience is the biggest tip it’s hard to sit and wait when he’s not responding anymore. He’ll sneak in so be ready keep eyes open for every little movement. 

[Bucndoe]

Your NY license gives you a much better value and longer season than NJ. 2 birds and the whole month of May. A NJ Permit is only good in a specific zone for 5 days, then you need to buy another permit to hunt another 5 days in a specific zone again. If you are coming in blind to NJ to hunt state land on your own it may be a bit difficult finding birds while not pissing in someone else's coffee.

If you are hunting private land you will cut out some of the issues public land hunting brings and most likely be able to pick the landowners brain as far as locating birds.

Edited February 23 by Bucndoe

[JoeT]

1 hour ago, overtimehunter said:

Where ya located ? What zone ya hunting?.   My advice would be (1)locate and scouts birds early without turkey calling to them. ( hunt an area you know has birds).  (2) woodsmanahip, learn the property and where birds roost and feed. (3)   Call a lot less , and listen more,  call softer then you think you need too . Be patient. (4) join the nwtf and attend some nwtf events in the area    Be safe and have fun 

 

Sounds like good advice!  Not unlike any other wild bird hunting!

[jerseyboy32]

1 hour ago, JoeT said:

I decided to give turkey a shot this year… Pardon the pun! I bought my calls and have been practicing and I put in for the lottery… At 65 it’s not always easy to learn something new but I’m willing to give it a go! Any advice from you real old timers?

Go to the nj fish and hunt site. There is a 3 r. It’s hosting a turkey seminar. One in south nj other in n nj at pequest   I suggest trying to register 

Edited February 23 by jerseyboy32

[JoeT]

1 hour ago, jerseyboy32 said:

Go to the nj fish and hunt site. There is a 3 r. It’s hosting a turkey seminar. One in south nj other in n nj at pequest   I suggest trying to register 

I have conflicts for those times but on the NWTF site I found a great on line course- thanks!

[Bond,James Bond]

   Try to find a Mentor in your County who might Team up with you. 

[Bond,James Bond]

Another Good Tip is try to Park at a Public Parking Area before 4am. Last Spring a few times,I arrived just before 4am. Started to walk in and 2 Vehicles  together  drove on in just minutes after ,I arrived. 

   Try to be first if you can. Even so with the Popularity of Spring Turkey Hunting- the Hunters driving in minutes behind you will park right there next to you.

 Hope This Helps.

[Jcol6268]

I’m not an old timer but picked up turkey hunting without being brought up as a turkey hunter. I would ask a million questions to my friends I’ve made over the years who were turkey hunters. I know this isn’t helpful but I learned that the biggest learning tool is time in the field. There are a few pointers that have helped me though. 
 

You don’t have to be a great caller to call in a Turkey. Sound isn’t as important as cadence. Volume is important too, knowing when to rip it (windy days) and when to soft call (personally the most important for me). 
 

The best turkey hunter I’ve had the chance to hunt with gave me this piece of advice, which I find helpful in my mind. Remember that you’re trying to recreate a scene. An everyday occurrence. Not every hen out there is just hammering off the walls every morning (although sometimes that’s what the gobbler needs). You’re just out there trying to recreate a scene that is like every other day of the week. Soft calling helps. When you fine that hot bird, you’ll know what he needs. 
 

Being a good woodsman is more important than being a good turkey caller. Having an understanding of the woods you’re hunting and where turkeys will move is a big step up. When you don’t know an area, first thing in the morning, turkeys will land and I find more likely will move away from an area that provides for access. I personally think they know where people come from. And I think turkeys see us in the morning and dark, more than we think. However I have no proof of this lol just my experiences. 
 

One of the toughest things I had the learning curve of grasping is when to call and how much to call. You strike a bird and he’s answering you, do you keep calling, do you shut up and let him come. This is really where experience pays off. A lot of guys will say shut up and just let him come. Sometimes that’s the case, sometimes it isn’t. Is he a kamikaze bird that is trying to run into his death, or a pretty quiet sly bird trying to sneak in. Does he have hens, or is he a lone bird. There so much that goes into making those decisions. Experience helps. You need to make mistakes. 
 

Another important part is patience. Whether I'm running and gunning or trying to hunker down. If I’m running and gunning and I strike a bird, and he’s coming and goes silent, I’m not writing it off (even if hens took him away/ or so I think) and walking away. I’ve learned the hard way multiple times. I stand up and end up busting that turkey that was coming in to check things out. That burns! Especially as a new hunter trying to figure this stuff out! lol. Nothing prettier than an old Tom sneaking his way to you through the woods, trying to be all sly, only to find himself at the end of your gun barrel. 

I love hunting turkeys right off the roost, my next favorite time to hunt them, is that mid morning 930-1030am range when those gobblers have done their morning thing with their “morning hens” and are now looking for the next hen to spend some time with. If your hunting public land, you’ll find a lot less people still in the woods, and you’ll find some Tom’s out there looking for a lonely lady! Getting in the woods late and hunting til the end of the day (12:00pm) has laid itself to be some of my best days in the woods. 

I’m certainly not the best turkey hunter and still have a lot to learn, but these are some of the things I’ve picked up as a newer hunter. I’ve managed to kill a couple birds every year since somewhat getting the hang of it. I’ve also tagged along with some buddies that know what they are doing and that helps. I’ve probably traveled to more states now to turkey hunt, then states I’ve traveled to for deer hunting. 

 

[JoeT]

@Bond,James Bond thanks for the early bird tip and @Jcol6268 your mid morning option as well.   Given that I have only been hunting two years and birds and not deer, I don’t know the woods well so the mid morning time may be a better option in the beginning.  It sounds like there is a lot of trial and error before you get productive at harvesting.  It seems like this is part of the allure of turkey hunting!  I appreciate you guys sharing advice- it’s what makes this forum so helpful for me!

[mazzgolf]

I'll let others chime in on hunting advice - but due to your age, let me bring this up that I haven't seen anyone mention.

I don't know how good your 65-year old back and joints are - but sitting down on the ground with your back next to a tree, keeping as still as you can possibly be, for an hour, or two, or three, can be hard on people with bad backs and knees and things like that.

If you don't think you can do it, get yourself a small wall blind, doghouse blind or something where you can move a little more without being seen. Buy a comfortable stool or chair that will help if you have a balky back.

It's no fun turkey hunting if your back is killing you and your knees lock up and your feet fall asleep

 

[JoeT]

50 minutes ago, mazzgolf said:

I'll let others chime in on hunting advice - but due to your age, let me bring this up that I haven't seen anyone mention.

I don't know how good your 65-year old back and joints are - but sitting down on the ground with your back next to a tree, keeping as still as you can possibly be, for an hour, or two, or three, can be hard on people with bad backs and knees and things like that.

If you don't think you can do it, get yourself a small wall blind, doghouse blind or something where you can move a little more without being seen. Buy a comfortable stool or chair that will help if you have a balky back.

It's no fun turkey hunting if your back is killing you and your knees lock up and your feet fall asleep

 

Very thoughtful advice.  Getting down on the ground is usually not the problem- it’s getting up that’s the challenge.  I have a pop up blind and a marsh stool- they may do the trick!  Thanks

[Batsto]

You will love Turkey hunting. Get out and  scout, locate sign and you have spot. Practice your slate call. A good cluck goes a long way. A nice low camo beach chair is a plus. I love napping in my chair. Don’t forget a nice thermos for some coffee and be patient. Turkey hunting is very cool. You see a lot of critters.