Getting Ready for Spring Turkey Hunting
One of the best parts of spring in Wisconsin - turkey hunting! But in order to have a successful spring turkey hunt, you need to get your ducks lined up first. Turkey hunting requires a great deal of planning and preparation.
The first item you need to address is scouting. I cannot stress the importance of scouting the areas you plan to hunt. Turkeys are creatures of habit so if you see them out in a field one morning, chances are they will be there again tomorrow. Find where the turkeys roost as well as eat. I like to scout turkeys by using locator calls such as crow and owl calls. These locator calls will typically get the turkeys to let out some gobbles. You don't want to be right where they are at this stage. Right now you are simply trying to locate where they are and the patterns the toms display.
The next item on your list should be ammo. Are you using a turkey gun, a plain shotgun or are you using a bow (which is a lot of fun!). Practice shooting whatever your weapon of choice is. You don't want to be there ready to take down a spring tom and have your gun be off target. Find which turkey loads your gun likes beforehand. Be sure to test various loads with your turkey gun and choke to find the load/choke combination that produces the most uniform pattern.
The last 2 years I have hunted with the bow using Gobbler Guillotine™ Turkey Hunting Broadheads. I personally think turkey hunting with the bow adds a whole new dimension of excitement to the sport. I highly recommend it!
Next is your gear. Invest in a good turkey vest. Be sure to get a vest that can carry all of your gear for you. Try and find one that comes with a seat. You don't want to have your feet and legs falling asleep at the precise moment that you've worked so hard to get to. Make sure your turkey vest has various pockets for you to carry your turkey calls in. You will want to have a good variety of calls ready and easy to get at. You don't want to have to make a ton of noise or movement because believe me, they'll see you. Have diaphragm mouth calls, friction calls, glass calls, box calls, gobblers, etc.
Most importantly practice your calls. Master each of the calls you plan to take along on your hunt. I practice my mouth turkey calls on the way to work since the family gets pretty tired of hearing me at home. Practice makes perfect!
Lastly, invest in some turkey decoys. Decoys allow you to call from one location and push the toms focus in a different area. Thus allowing you to get the ideal shot and bag a big bearded tom!
Good Luck!
The first item you need to address is scouting. I cannot stress the importance of scouting the areas you plan to hunt. Turkeys are creatures of habit so if you see them out in a field one morning, chances are they will be there again tomorrow. Find where the turkeys roost as well as eat. I like to scout turkeys by using locator calls such as crow and owl calls. These locator calls will typically get the turkeys to let out some gobbles. You don't want to be right where they are at this stage. Right now you are simply trying to locate where they are and the patterns the toms display.
The next item on your list should be ammo. Are you using a turkey gun, a plain shotgun or are you using a bow (which is a lot of fun!). Practice shooting whatever your weapon of choice is. You don't want to be there ready to take down a spring tom and have your gun be off target. Find which turkey loads your gun likes beforehand. Be sure to test various loads with your turkey gun and choke to find the load/choke combination that produces the most uniform pattern.
The last 2 years I have hunted with the bow using Gobbler Guillotine™ Turkey Hunting Broadheads. I personally think turkey hunting with the bow adds a whole new dimension of excitement to the sport. I highly recommend it!
Next is your gear. Invest in a good turkey vest. Be sure to get a vest that can carry all of your gear for you. Try and find one that comes with a seat. You don't want to have your feet and legs falling asleep at the precise moment that you've worked so hard to get to. Make sure your turkey vest has various pockets for you to carry your turkey calls in. You will want to have a good variety of calls ready and easy to get at. You don't want to have to make a ton of noise or movement because believe me, they'll see you. Have diaphragm mouth calls, friction calls, glass calls, box calls, gobblers, etc.
Most importantly practice your calls. Master each of the calls you plan to take along on your hunt. I practice my mouth turkey calls on the way to work since the family gets pretty tired of hearing me at home. Practice makes perfect!
Lastly, invest in some turkey decoys. Decoys allow you to call from one location and push the toms focus in a different area. Thus allowing you to get the ideal shot and bag a big bearded tom!
Good Luck!
Labels: turkey hunting
posted by Rob | 10:44 PM
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