The Turkey are Calling

From the bird that almost kicked out the bald eagle to the thanksgiving dinner plate staple the wild turkey is one of the most beautiful and American birds that God has gifted us with. Not only do they taste amazing but they also can bring families together and create wonderful memories that will last a lifetime! How do you go about turkey hunting though, what do you do and where do you go. We will discuss all of that here and hopefully help you to get out there and create some of the best memories ever.

Where are they?

Flocks, more formally known as a rafter of turkey which can consist of anywhere from around 3-50 birds typically consists of any given mix of males and females. It is also very common to see a group of 2-5 males in a group together throughout the year and during breeding season known as a bachelor group. Turkey roosts at night like many birds to keep them safe from other predators. They tend to stick to wooded areas but heavily frequent open fields or strip plots during the spring and fall hunting seasons. Turkey’s are social birds within their species and like the comfort that a large group in numbers will bring. Turkey’s try to avoid areas that have a high population of coyotes, bobcats, wolves, lynx, and foxes. It is for this reason that often you won’t see them unless it is mating season. They have very good eyesight and will choose their roosting and feeding grounds based off of all of these things. A good place to start is your local public hunting hunting lands. Try going scouting in the evenings or as the sun is rising. You should be in the area that you predict they will be before you expect turkey to start moving into this area. Camo is very important when it comes to the topic of successfully downing a turkey. First set a place, then a time, get yourself in at that time and just wait. With any success you’ll be within shooting range of a beautiful turkey shortly after!

What type of gear do you need?

One of my all time favorite things about bird hunting and hunting in general is that you truly don’t need much at all to enjoy a hunt and be successful. If you have a shotgun that can fire, with some Walmart camo and a box call then you too can close the deal on a big turkey. Here is a list of some of my favorite things I like to have in the field.

1- My 12 gauge shotgun

2- A comfortable camo seat pad

3- Small to Mid weight backpack 

4- Headlamp light

5- Gloves

6- Comfortable mid to lightweight camo layers

7- Rain jacket

8- Box Call

9- Decoy

10- Good tungsten turkey load 

11- and last but not least some snacks with water and coffee

If you have this then you can go on a thrilling turkey hunt, and I would argue to say that many people have started turkey hunting with less than this. The point is don’t over stress yourself.

What about calling?

I’ll try to keep this part simple. Don’t freak out about the calling. Turkey are much like other game that you hunt, it’s more about the location than how good of a caller you are! Yes, mouth calls and scratch calls do exist and they allow for different cadences when calling. However, they are harder to do and take more practice, most people will find that simply using a box call is a better way to go when you're just starting out. Get a call early and practice with it. Practice makes perfect and the more comfortable you are the better your results will be.

Don’t Forget!!!

In basically every state you are required to fill a tag and have a hunting license along with some sort of hip permit, and it varies from state to state. Please do your research and make sure that before you leave for the field that you know the rules that the state you are hunting in requires and you have all the tags and licenses that you need. Above all be safe, enjoy a hunt and have fun with family. Don’t ever mix alcohol with guns and be mindful of other hunters around you or in your area! 

John Mason, Redsol - CEO 

“Adventure Awaits”