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beginner turkey hunter questions
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<blockquote data-quote="DartonJager" data-source="post: 2157611" data-attributes="member: 95733"><p>Didn't take the time to read every response so my apologies if I give previously stated advice.</p><p>Been turkey hunting for 30+ years in two states.</p><p>Killed over 40 Toms and Jake's combined about 60% were off public land. Have called in at least that many for friends and family to thier demise so I know a little about turkey hunting and are about 98% self taught.</p><p>First check the turkey hunting regulations in your stare and be knowledgeable of them as #2 or #3 shot might not be legal in your state as #4 shot is the largest you can use in the two states I hunt in.</p><p>I personally prefer 12ga 3.5" 2oz of #5 shot as the best all around compromise on close and far shot situations. If you have only a 12ga with a 3" chamber then I'd recommend 3" #5"s</p><p>If your gun already has a sight system go with that if not I strongly recommend you invest in an aftermarket iron sight system if your gun has a vent ribbed barrel that you can attach one to.</p><p>Next IMO patterning your gun is an absolute must there are countless turkey patterning YouTube videos that will show you how</p><p>Just read you only have a 12ga 2.75" so I would recommend nothing smaller than #5 shot possibly go with #6. Killing with Turkey shells is mostly a numbers game as in numbers of shot per ounce of shot. If memory serves me correctly 12ga 2.75oz shells have only 1.5oz of shot in them. There are dramatically more #6 shot per ounce VS #4 but #5 shot has better retained energy than #6 so considering your gun I would see which patterns better #5 or #6</p><p>If your gun already has a full or extra full choke I'd use that to pattern your gun first before investing in potentially expensive AM turkey choke tunes</p><p>You can download excellent turkey patterning targets for free if you have a printer to help you pattern your gun. But be advised 12ga 3" turkey shells have some recoil especially 12ga 3.5" shells kick harder than a millennial being dragged to a job interview.</p><p>Sooner or later you will get caught with a turkey in range and your gun is not up and ready to shoot, so YOU MUST practice and I do mean PRACTICE SLOOWLY and SMOOOTHLY bringing up and shouldering your gun, aiming and shooting in one slow smooth and fluid motion. I have mastered the fine art of sitting with my knees up and using them to help support my gun while my arms cradling my gun and using my slate call so this hasn't happened to me in many years but it still could, but now that I am quite good with a mouth call I don't need my hands to call to get the Tom to close the last few yards to get in gun range unless I need to purr to get him in as I can not purr with a mouth call to save my life.</p><p>Regardless you must practice cradling your gun to keep it ready to use and work your slate of paddle call until you can do it without thinking about it. Don't even think you can get away with picking up your gun off your lap shouldering it and shooting without the turkey spooking, if the Tom is in a big open area of field you still have a decent chance to get him but if you're in heavy woods or cover forget about it.</p><p>Invest in a good sling for your shotgun another IMO must have item</p><p>A Few other must have clothing items are waterproof boots, camo gloves are fine but plane Jane dark brown Jersey gloves have served me superbly for 30 years and are cheap so when you loose one INBD cheap easy and fast to replace</p><p>A good snug fitting face covering is an ABSOLUTE must</p><p>After trying over a dozen different types I now use and absolutely love using a single woman's elastic top nylons cut to size as it really stays in place well over my nose just below my eyes</p><p>A good camo ball cap</p><p>And of course camo clothes as far as camo pattern any type will do just fine best camo in the world is the camo that stays rock still</p><p>Also a good set of suspenders can't hurt you I use Sperry</p><p>Keep a small pump bottle of deep woods off on your person at all times while turkey hunting and get a bottle of Sawyer Permethrin and treat all your clothes hat and face mask per directions</p><p>Been using Sawyer Permethrin for years now and it really keeps ticks and skeeters off you Lyme's disease is a very very real threat</p><p>I use deep woods off very high deet content for in the field touch ups</p><p>I try to avoid spraying insect repellent directly on my skin at all costs but will load up on my clothes</p><p>If you can get them I simply can not recommend strongly enough Winchester Long Beard XR Turkey shells dollar for Dollar best turkey shell you can buy and are usually under $24 for a box of 10</p><p>Nothing in turkey hunting IMO is more important to your success than preseason and even in season scouting</p><p>You should be out scouting right now finding established well used roosts, strutting and feeding areas are IMO 90% of successful turkey hunting nothing beats putting one let alone more Toms to roost at night then setting up in morning to help you be successful.</p><p>Also knowing where an established roost is allows you to do dry runs in daylight and using a great pair of pruning shears clear a path through the underbrush so you can get in quickly and set up quietly. I have e gone so far as to bring a lightweight collapsible rake and clear a path of leaves and sticks up to the spot I'm going to set up on a roost.</p><p>Also be careful using lights getting to your spot. I use a Mini Mag light cupped in my hand to strictly control how much light is cast and only use it when I need to</p><p></p><p>If you are hunting in hilly country or hilly terrane ALWAYS ALWAY if at all humanly possible set up ABOVE the turkeys as turkeys are MUCH more willing to climb UP a hill to come to a call than DOWN. Why you ask? because for a turkey its a s**tton easier to run DOWN hill away from danger than UP hill.</p><p>If you can always try to roost birds the night be fore you hunt</p><p>Also do not worry if you don't kill a bird or one of the birds you roosted as I have killed about 60% of my birds after 9am vs calling them in off the roost</p><p>Once they are down off the roost and you didn't kill one then the sneakNpeek running and gunning begins</p><p>Toms when in the mood and the weather is right tend to gobble well just as the sun rises to usually 30 or so minutes after sun up or until The toms decide to fly down then they might or might not gobble but once they get with Hens your usually screwed until after 9am or so unless you know how to or are lucky enough to position yourself between the Toms and hens and where they want to go</p><p>Put yourself between a Tom and where he wants to go and you're the world's best turkey caller</p><p>If you're hunting large enough tracts of public land then that's when the sneaking peeking and running and gunning really begins and comes into its own.</p><p>I usually try to spot a Tom and depending on the situation either close in as close as I can to 70 if not 50 yards if possible and call him in or if he is on the move haul *** as fast as I can circle around and get in front of him and call him in</p><p>As I said most of my turkeys I've killed I spotted out in a field that were either walking to get somewhere or out strutting and were able to either close the distance and then set up on them and call them in or circle around and call them in and more than a few times if the Tom is heading my way and Im confident he will walk into gun range I don't even call them only when I need them to change direction to get in range will I call to them</p><p>Also I feel a good pair of binoculars are absolutely a must have piece of equipment I feel my 10x binoculars are second only to my turkey gun to my success as a turkey hunter</p><p>I literally have lost count of the Toms I've spotted in shade darkened corners or edges of huge fields I would have NEVER ever seen with the naked eye and not seen without the aid of my MIJ 10x Pentax binoculars and at least 55% off all my turkeys I've killed and 70% of my public land turkey kills I saw them only because I had binoculars with and saw them before they saw me and I put on a successful stalk I stay just back enough in the cover to hide me and use my binoculars to scan the fields works like magic</p><p>In my experience anything under 500 yards and count on a turkey seeing you especially if you allow yourself to get highlighted by the sun and that reminds me of another tip:</p><p>ALWAYS always stay in the shadows when ever humanly possible and when you stop for any reason but especially if your going to glass a field or area always do so from a well shaded position no exceptions.</p><p>Also a good lightweight hen decoy or two are a useful tool to bring with try to buy ones that fold up and store easily in your turkey vest. In my experience you don't need to buy a high $$$ decoy a decent decoy that looks like a real hen will work just fine I set mine up at about 15-20 yards out with her head facing me</p><p>As far as calls nothing beats a slate call either real slate or synthetic for easy to use and sounding exactly like a turkey I have and use both but the synthetic is essentially unaffected by rain or moisture where as the real slate will struggle if wet and even on dry spring mornings dew on your call will happen. I always have a piece of Scotch Bright and Emery cloth attached to my slate along with my synthetic striker on a piece of Para cord so I can rough up my calling surface and if I have time I always rough up the face of my slate call before every use</p><p>There are endless how to call turkey YouTube videos that will get you up to speed in calling but day in and out getting good at yelps and clucks will kill you alot of turkeys. What ever you do always start out calling softly and if you get no response increase the tone and volume if especially if blind calling, once you get no response to your slate or try either a paddle or mouth call as they are both much louder than any slate ever could be.</p><p>My favorite mouth calls are the double and triple stacked Premos mouth calls. Another great use for mouth calls and paddle calls is as a locator call although a paddle call is a very close second as nothing I've found is louder than a mouth call and I have used my mouth calls to reach out past 400 yards to call in 3 of my last 7 Toms after getting no response to my slate calls and have used mouth calls to get Toms to gobble countless times after 9am and was able to move in and set up and call them in. I have enjoyed much more success doing longer range calling with a mouth call than paddle but others it is the direct opposite. Regardless I won't go hunting without my synthetic slate paddle call and 3-6 different mouth calls.</p><p></p><p>As far as a shock calls I tried every type there is and none worked as well for me as a owl hooter</p><p>As far as hunting goes I try to get if I can within 50 yards of roosted birds without spooking them I do so if at all humanly possible I always try to get as close to 50 yards as I can as the situation, terrain or cover allows and again if possible set out a hen decoy or two, but if I can't set out a decoy I don't worry about it.</p><p>My ideal set up on a roosted Tom I put to bed the night before is when he Flys down hopefully to my hen decoy he will be in range</p><p>If I'm going in blind and wasn't able to roost a Tom it's a whole different strategy.</p><p>I have had happen countless times I saw a Tom or several Toms and Jake's in an area just before fly up time and lost them when they entered the woods that held a roost I knew of or had large numbers of mature trees suitable for turkeys to roost and either I heard them fly up (turkeys make an awful lot of noise when they fly up or down from a roost) but didn't hear a gobble, or didn't hear anything but they were the only turkeys I saw that evening so I started hunting that area next morning.</p><p></p><p>I will get out in that area as early as is practical get in some cover and just listen for hopefully a gobble close enough to be worth going after.</p><p>If that happens now the REAL turkey hunting starts. If the Turkey keeps gobbling you have to close the distance as fast as you safety can and yes while I have never actually ran my *** off I have considerable distancees at a good jog countless times to close the distance. Ideally IMO if at all possible you want to get under 100 yards from the gobbling Tom before he Flys down if you accomplishe this then the real work begins because it's now trying to figure out given the cover and terrain how you should try to set up on the Tom only through doing it will you learn how.</p><p></p><p>Another very important fact is the wind will either be your best friend or worst enemy. If it's a very windy day you will have considerable difficulty hearing Toms gobble even while roosted but especially once on the ground. If it's a calm minimal to no wind day you can hear a gobble on the roost so far way to be possibly not worth pursuing same for your calls on a calm low to no wind days I have successfully called mature lone Toms from as far as 450+ LRF confirmed yards away. But if it's windy and the wind is at your back I've seen Toms in fields under 300 yards from me I could physically see through my binoculars were gobbling like mad Men and never heard a sound they made.</p><p>Also keep in mind until you learn to judge well a Tom gobbling on the ground especially in heavy cover will almost always sound much farther away by at least a factor of 2x than they actually are.</p><p>You also after hearing a few Toms gobble on the roost then fly down and gobble you learn how to tell the difference between how a gobble from a roosted bird sounds vs one on the ground.</p><p></p><p>Also until you become experienced a gobble from a roosted Tom will sound closer than it actually is so keep that in mind.</p><p>If by chance you are fortunate enough to get set up on a roosted bird or group of birds do your best once it starts to get light to get eyes on them with your binoculars and #1 identify which are Toms/Jake's and which are hens.</p><p>#2 Extremely important is try to Determine if the Toms are facing towards you or not because they will almost always fly down the way they are facing.</p><p>If they aren't facing towards you you have try to call to them get their attention and get them facing towards you so they are most likely to fly down in your direction and be MUCH easier to call in and a decoy is a big help here. As to what call to use I would if he is roasted with any hens and they are calling try to mimic their calls as perfectly as you can and gradually and slightly increase the frequency and volume of the call if you see the Tom change direction and face you I usually reduce my calling to about half what I was if he starts throwing gobbles your way I usually stop calling all together unless he looks like he's going to change direction and face away from me</p><p>Unless I know a field is an established well used strutting area or my private land is just to small I do not ever set up blindly on a field set out my decoy(s) and start blind calling I absolutely and utterly believe run&gun sneekNpeek is the best way to hunt turkeys after 9am</p><p>A few pieces of equipment I would rate as must have are:</p><p>>Good set of binoculars absolute must have equipment</p><p>>As good a set of pruning shears as you can find. I have a set of Fiskers compound leverage shears and they are awesome built like an Abraham's MBT and have lasted for over 14 turkey and deer seasons combined have used them countless times to cut my way through nasty thorny patches of mutiflorose to get to a spot to set up on a bird</p><p>>Great 6-8" long folding wood saw. Both Gerber and Buck use to make one I own both both are great</p><p>Had them since late 1990's so don't know if either one is still are made</p><p>>Folding Turkey seat for some maybe not a must have but for my over 50 hips and keeping Yong turkey hunters still and being able to set up literally anywhere in anything and in considerable comfort IMHO they are well worth carrying and using them</p><p>>If you hunt public land a cheap blaze orange vest made from quite briar proof cloth. I have one and if I am set up with my boys on a roost just before we take a seat, I hang it on a limb or put it out on the ground behind us to signal to anyone sneaking up behind us the presence of other hunters. Been doing this for years and never had a turkey notice it let alone spook from it.</p><p>Hope I have given you a helpful item or two. Best of luck and be safe</p><p>For got to add a few other key points.</p><p>In any given situation where you have confirmed either by sight or you heard gobbling there are turkeys in your immediate area close enough to be worked and called in and for what ever reason you have decided to take a seat and set up it is extremely important to do so to allow you maximum swinging arc with your shotgun and prior to taking a seat look over the cover your about to sit down in and be sure there is nothing that will stop you from swinging your shotgun like a small sapling or similar immovable object. Also try to avoid setting up in cover that's so thick that it will limit your sight or movement to be able to shift your position to adjust for an incoming bird. By that I mean don't set up in cover so thick you can only see a bird if they are coming towards your direct front field of vision and can not see them if they come from behind or from your extreme left or right sides. You should be able to see any direction you can move your head and shift yourself while seated. You won't always be able to do so but if at all possible you should. I feel as long as as I can set up in even a little shade because I use a turkey chair if I have to choose I will always choose to set up in sparse poor concealment cover that allows a good field of vision and allows me to maneuver for almost any shot angle VS heavy cover that I feel will unacceptably limit my field of vision and ability to maneuver for a shot.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="DartonJager, post: 2157611, member: 95733"] Didn't take the time to read every response so my apologies if I give previously stated advice. Been turkey hunting for 30+ years in two states. Killed over 40 Toms and Jake's combined about 60% were off public land. Have called in at least that many for friends and family to thier demise so I know a little about turkey hunting and are about 98% self taught. First check the turkey hunting regulations in your stare and be knowledgeable of them as #2 or #3 shot might not be legal in your state as #4 shot is the largest you can use in the two states I hunt in. I personally prefer 12ga 3.5" 2oz of #5 shot as the best all around compromise on close and far shot situations. If you have only a 12ga with a 3" chamber then I'd recommend 3" #5"s If your gun already has a sight system go with that if not I strongly recommend you invest in an aftermarket iron sight system if your gun has a vent ribbed barrel that you can attach one to. Next IMO patterning your gun is an absolute must there are countless turkey patterning YouTube videos that will show you how Just read you only have a 12ga 2.75" so I would recommend nothing smaller than #5 shot possibly go with #6. Killing with Turkey shells is mostly a numbers game as in numbers of shot per ounce of shot. If memory serves me correctly 12ga 2.75oz shells have only 1.5oz of shot in them. There are dramatically more #6 shot per ounce VS #4 but #5 shot has better retained energy than #6 so considering your gun I would see which patterns better #5 or #6 If your gun already has a full or extra full choke I'd use that to pattern your gun first before investing in potentially expensive AM turkey choke tunes You can download excellent turkey patterning targets for free if you have a printer to help you pattern your gun. But be advised 12ga 3" turkey shells have some recoil especially 12ga 3.5" shells kick harder than a millennial being dragged to a job interview. Sooner or later you will get caught with a turkey in range and your gun is not up and ready to shoot, so YOU MUST practice and I do mean PRACTICE SLOOWLY and SMOOOTHLY bringing up and shouldering your gun, aiming and shooting in one slow smooth and fluid motion. I have mastered the fine art of sitting with my knees up and using them to help support my gun while my arms cradling my gun and using my slate call so this hasn't happened to me in many years but it still could, but now that I am quite good with a mouth call I don't need my hands to call to get the Tom to close the last few yards to get in gun range unless I need to purr to get him in as I can not purr with a mouth call to save my life. Regardless you must practice cradling your gun to keep it ready to use and work your slate of paddle call until you can do it without thinking about it. Don't even think you can get away with picking up your gun off your lap shouldering it and shooting without the turkey spooking, if the Tom is in a big open area of field you still have a decent chance to get him but if you're in heavy woods or cover forget about it. Invest in a good sling for your shotgun another IMO must have item A Few other must have clothing items are waterproof boots, camo gloves are fine but plane Jane dark brown Jersey gloves have served me superbly for 30 years and are cheap so when you loose one INBD cheap easy and fast to replace A good snug fitting face covering is an ABSOLUTE must After trying over a dozen different types I now use and absolutely love using a single woman's elastic top nylons cut to size as it really stays in place well over my nose just below my eyes A good camo ball cap And of course camo clothes as far as camo pattern any type will do just fine best camo in the world is the camo that stays rock still Also a good set of suspenders can't hurt you I use Sperry Keep a small pump bottle of deep woods off on your person at all times while turkey hunting and get a bottle of Sawyer Permethrin and treat all your clothes hat and face mask per directions Been using Sawyer Permethrin for years now and it really keeps ticks and skeeters off you Lyme's disease is a very very real threat I use deep woods off very high deet content for in the field touch ups I try to avoid spraying insect repellent directly on my skin at all costs but will load up on my clothes If you can get them I simply can not recommend strongly enough Winchester Long Beard XR Turkey shells dollar for Dollar best turkey shell you can buy and are usually under $24 for a box of 10 Nothing in turkey hunting IMO is more important to your success than preseason and even in season scouting You should be out scouting right now finding established well used roosts, strutting and feeding areas are IMO 90% of successful turkey hunting nothing beats putting one let alone more Toms to roost at night then setting up in morning to help you be successful. Also knowing where an established roost is allows you to do dry runs in daylight and using a great pair of pruning shears clear a path through the underbrush so you can get in quickly and set up quietly. I have e gone so far as to bring a lightweight collapsible rake and clear a path of leaves and sticks up to the spot I'm going to set up on a roost. Also be careful using lights getting to your spot. I use a Mini Mag light cupped in my hand to strictly control how much light is cast and only use it when I need to If you are hunting in hilly country or hilly terrane ALWAYS ALWAY if at all humanly possible set up ABOVE the turkeys as turkeys are MUCH more willing to climb UP a hill to come to a call than DOWN. Why you ask? because for a turkey its a s**tton easier to run DOWN hill away from danger than UP hill. If you can always try to roost birds the night be fore you hunt Also do not worry if you don't kill a bird or one of the birds you roosted as I have killed about 60% of my birds after 9am vs calling them in off the roost Once they are down off the roost and you didn't kill one then the sneakNpeek running and gunning begins Toms when in the mood and the weather is right tend to gobble well just as the sun rises to usually 30 or so minutes after sun up or until The toms decide to fly down then they might or might not gobble but once they get with Hens your usually screwed until after 9am or so unless you know how to or are lucky enough to position yourself between the Toms and hens and where they want to go Put yourself between a Tom and where he wants to go and you're the world's best turkey caller If you're hunting large enough tracts of public land then that's when the sneaking peeking and running and gunning really begins and comes into its own. I usually try to spot a Tom and depending on the situation either close in as close as I can to 70 if not 50 yards if possible and call him in or if he is on the move haul *** as fast as I can circle around and get in front of him and call him in As I said most of my turkeys I've killed I spotted out in a field that were either walking to get somewhere or out strutting and were able to either close the distance and then set up on them and call them in or circle around and call them in and more than a few times if the Tom is heading my way and Im confident he will walk into gun range I don't even call them only when I need them to change direction to get in range will I call to them Also I feel a good pair of binoculars are absolutely a must have piece of equipment I feel my 10x binoculars are second only to my turkey gun to my success as a turkey hunter I literally have lost count of the Toms I've spotted in shade darkened corners or edges of huge fields I would have NEVER ever seen with the naked eye and not seen without the aid of my MIJ 10x Pentax binoculars and at least 55% off all my turkeys I've killed and 70% of my public land turkey kills I saw them only because I had binoculars with and saw them before they saw me and I put on a successful stalk I stay just back enough in the cover to hide me and use my binoculars to scan the fields works like magic In my experience anything under 500 yards and count on a turkey seeing you especially if you allow yourself to get highlighted by the sun and that reminds me of another tip: ALWAYS always stay in the shadows when ever humanly possible and when you stop for any reason but especially if your going to glass a field or area always do so from a well shaded position no exceptions. Also a good lightweight hen decoy or two are a useful tool to bring with try to buy ones that fold up and store easily in your turkey vest. In my experience you don't need to buy a high $$$ decoy a decent decoy that looks like a real hen will work just fine I set mine up at about 15-20 yards out with her head facing me As far as calls nothing beats a slate call either real slate or synthetic for easy to use and sounding exactly like a turkey I have and use both but the synthetic is essentially unaffected by rain or moisture where as the real slate will struggle if wet and even on dry spring mornings dew on your call will happen. I always have a piece of Scotch Bright and Emery cloth attached to my slate along with my synthetic striker on a piece of Para cord so I can rough up my calling surface and if I have time I always rough up the face of my slate call before every use There are endless how to call turkey YouTube videos that will get you up to speed in calling but day in and out getting good at yelps and clucks will kill you alot of turkeys. What ever you do always start out calling softly and if you get no response increase the tone and volume if especially if blind calling, once you get no response to your slate or try either a paddle or mouth call as they are both much louder than any slate ever could be. My favorite mouth calls are the double and triple stacked Premos mouth calls. Another great use for mouth calls and paddle calls is as a locator call although a paddle call is a very close second as nothing I've found is louder than a mouth call and I have used my mouth calls to reach out past 400 yards to call in 3 of my last 7 Toms after getting no response to my slate calls and have used mouth calls to get Toms to gobble countless times after 9am and was able to move in and set up and call them in. I have enjoyed much more success doing longer range calling with a mouth call than paddle but others it is the direct opposite. Regardless I won't go hunting without my synthetic slate paddle call and 3-6 different mouth calls. As far as a shock calls I tried every type there is and none worked as well for me as a owl hooter As far as hunting goes I try to get if I can within 50 yards of roosted birds without spooking them I do so if at all humanly possible I always try to get as close to 50 yards as I can as the situation, terrain or cover allows and again if possible set out a hen decoy or two, but if I can't set out a decoy I don't worry about it. My ideal set up on a roosted Tom I put to bed the night before is when he Flys down hopefully to my hen decoy he will be in range If I'm going in blind and wasn't able to roost a Tom it's a whole different strategy. I have had happen countless times I saw a Tom or several Toms and Jake's in an area just before fly up time and lost them when they entered the woods that held a roost I knew of or had large numbers of mature trees suitable for turkeys to roost and either I heard them fly up (turkeys make an awful lot of noise when they fly up or down from a roost) but didn't hear a gobble, or didn't hear anything but they were the only turkeys I saw that evening so I started hunting that area next morning. I will get out in that area as early as is practical get in some cover and just listen for hopefully a gobble close enough to be worth going after. If that happens now the REAL turkey hunting starts. If the Turkey keeps gobbling you have to close the distance as fast as you safety can and yes while I have never actually ran my *** off I have considerable distancees at a good jog countless times to close the distance. Ideally IMO if at all possible you want to get under 100 yards from the gobbling Tom before he Flys down if you accomplishe this then the real work begins because it's now trying to figure out given the cover and terrain how you should try to set up on the Tom only through doing it will you learn how. Another very important fact is the wind will either be your best friend or worst enemy. If it's a very windy day you will have considerable difficulty hearing Toms gobble even while roosted but especially once on the ground. If it's a calm minimal to no wind day you can hear a gobble on the roost so far way to be possibly not worth pursuing same for your calls on a calm low to no wind days I have successfully called mature lone Toms from as far as 450+ LRF confirmed yards away. But if it's windy and the wind is at your back I've seen Toms in fields under 300 yards from me I could physically see through my binoculars were gobbling like mad Men and never heard a sound they made. Also keep in mind until you learn to judge well a Tom gobbling on the ground especially in heavy cover will almost always sound much farther away by at least a factor of 2x than they actually are. You also after hearing a few Toms gobble on the roost then fly down and gobble you learn how to tell the difference between how a gobble from a roosted bird sounds vs one on the ground. Also until you become experienced a gobble from a roosted Tom will sound closer than it actually is so keep that in mind. If by chance you are fortunate enough to get set up on a roosted bird or group of birds do your best once it starts to get light to get eyes on them with your binoculars and #1 identify which are Toms/Jake's and which are hens. #2 Extremely important is try to Determine if the Toms are facing towards you or not because they will almost always fly down the way they are facing. If they aren't facing towards you you have try to call to them get their attention and get them facing towards you so they are most likely to fly down in your direction and be MUCH easier to call in and a decoy is a big help here. As to what call to use I would if he is roasted with any hens and they are calling try to mimic their calls as perfectly as you can and gradually and slightly increase the frequency and volume of the call if you see the Tom change direction and face you I usually reduce my calling to about half what I was if he starts throwing gobbles your way I usually stop calling all together unless he looks like he's going to change direction and face away from me Unless I know a field is an established well used strutting area or my private land is just to small I do not ever set up blindly on a field set out my decoy(s) and start blind calling I absolutely and utterly believe run&gun sneekNpeek is the best way to hunt turkeys after 9am A few pieces of equipment I would rate as must have are: >Good set of binoculars absolute must have equipment >As good a set of pruning shears as you can find. I have a set of Fiskers compound leverage shears and they are awesome built like an Abraham's MBT and have lasted for over 14 turkey and deer seasons combined have used them countless times to cut my way through nasty thorny patches of mutiflorose to get to a spot to set up on a bird >Great 6-8" long folding wood saw. Both Gerber and Buck use to make one I own both both are great Had them since late 1990's so don't know if either one is still are made >Folding Turkey seat for some maybe not a must have but for my over 50 hips and keeping Yong turkey hunters still and being able to set up literally anywhere in anything and in considerable comfort IMHO they are well worth carrying and using them >If you hunt public land a cheap blaze orange vest made from quite briar proof cloth. I have one and if I am set up with my boys on a roost just before we take a seat, I hang it on a limb or put it out on the ground behind us to signal to anyone sneaking up behind us the presence of other hunters. Been doing this for years and never had a turkey notice it let alone spook from it. Hope I have given you a helpful item or two. Best of luck and be safe For got to add a few other key points. In any given situation where you have confirmed either by sight or you heard gobbling there are turkeys in your immediate area close enough to be worked and called in and for what ever reason you have decided to take a seat and set up it is extremely important to do so to allow you maximum swinging arc with your shotgun and prior to taking a seat look over the cover your about to sit down in and be sure there is nothing that will stop you from swinging your shotgun like a small sapling or similar immovable object. Also try to avoid setting up in cover that's so thick that it will limit your sight or movement to be able to shift your position to adjust for an incoming bird. By that I mean don't set up in cover so thick you can only see a bird if they are coming towards your direct front field of vision and can not see them if they come from behind or from your extreme left or right sides. You should be able to see any direction you can move your head and shift yourself while seated. You won't always be able to do so but if at all possible you should. I feel as long as as I can set up in even a little shade because I use a turkey chair if I have to choose I will always choose to set up in sparse poor concealment cover that allows a good field of vision and allows me to maneuver for almost any shot angle VS heavy cover that I feel will unacceptably limit my field of vision and ability to maneuver for a shot. [/QUOTE]
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