Will be going Turkey hunting this next spring for the first time. Was just wondering about decoys. Whats better this time of the year, hen, jake, or Tom? And how do you hunt them? Will be hunting from a ground blind. Do you use the owl call to locate them? Or do you just set up, set the decoys out, and start calling. Thanks for any tips!
What i do if I'm hunting private land is scout a couple days before find out where there roasting by using a crow call or owl hoot then when it comes time to hunt I set up with a submissive hen and a 1/4 strutting Jake about 5-10 yards in front of me and wait to call until I know there out of the roost maybe only every 15-30 minutes and hope for the best If I'm hunting public land I go out and put them to bed the night before and hope I can get close enough the next day and I usually don't bring decoys
We've always used a submissive hen decoy for the spring hunt. To locate as we are walking in on private land, we use the gobble only because we don't have an owl or crow and it seems to work just as well. Can't go wrong with the owl or crow call for locating though. I've never hunted turkey out of a blind. Last season I had a hen come with in 15 feet of me in full camo and didn't move. She didn't even know I was there, sitting up against a tree. If we have an idea where the birds are roosting, we won't even call to locate. Just head out and set up.
My first year hunting this year too and I will use a Submissive hen and a jake. Most guys I talk to set them up like bowhunter91 said. Good Luck this year!
Yup bowhunter91 hit it pretty much on the head. Only thing I will add is if you have the time and resources I will run trail cameras for 2 weeks ahead of season to kind of figure out their pattern, can check more often since you dont have to worry about scent control. If you set up on their daily routine with the setup mentioned above you should be golden.
