I have been bowhunting deer for a while now and enjoy it but have never seen turkeys from the stand at home where I hunt in Central IL. I am now attending school in Southern Ill and while deer hunting public land noticed alot of turkeys. I decided to take advantage of my time down there and got a tag. I am going to hunt with a gun (sorry you die hard bowhunters but gotta start easy and then work my way into more difficult hunting once I get a hang of it) Just wondering if any of you can suggest stageties that would be effective for chasing gobblers and calls or decoys that would be needed. Remember Im on a college budget. LOL. Thanks to all!
well ill tell you Andy, you certainly don't need the latest and greatest equipment to kill a bird. heck you dont even need a decoy, or a call. just some camo and a shotgun. Ive killed more birds than i can remember just by happening to be in the right spot at the right time. you mention you might get a call, i suggest a friction call for your first one. play around with a mouth diaphragm if your heart desires, it took me a couple of months to feel like i could put it in my mouth and not gag, or blow it and not sound like a cow elk. friction calls are fool proof and easy to get the hang of. as far as tactics go, just try and be where they want to be and ambush them there or in route to or from there. don't be afraid to get dirty, belly crawl closer if you have to. or make a big circle at a faster than normal pace to get in front of a bird. use the terrain to your advantage. if the public land your on gets pounded, you may be more conservative with your calling, but don't be afraid to use it. Ive killed a lot of public land birds with persistence alone too, don't give up. it can be frustrating. good luck!
First off, if you dont mind me asking, what state park were you hunting? I know the guy above me said no decoys but im banking on the fact that you could afford atleast a hen decoy if not a hen and a strutting tom decoy- ebay, craigslist... you can find a few for cheap. I think they're a key since when your calling, that tom is looking for the lady that made that call and he basically wants to make love asap, and when you throw in a tom decoy, those birds will get jealous of one another and that will really bring him in close. As for calls, i use a slate or a push pin box call, you really cant mess up with these calls. As for blinds, you may or may not need one. You say your gonna be hunting with a gun so you shouldnt have to worry about your movement getting detected by a bird. Also, because your gonna be gun hunting, i recommend you shoot your gun at a target that simulates a turkeys head and you want to make sure you have atleast 7 pellets in the neck/head area. Sorry for the long read but i hope you use it to your advantage- good luck this spring!
Another little piece of advice for you as well. If you are calling a bird and he seems to be coming your way but goes quiet, remember to sit still and hold tight. Once they go quiet they are usually coming straight to you, so be ready. I've had this happen more times than not, especially hunting high pressured birds. Just be patient and you should be rewarded. Good luck and be safe, especially on public land.
scout, scout, scout... its easier to call a bird into where he wants to go than anywhere else. Call soft, quiet, and very seldomly. Once he gobbles at you a couple times, quit. be patient, he will come looking, it may take him 10 minutes to appear.
Thanks for all the advice guys. Im really looking foward to trying it out. Im just gonna go everyday through the week of my season and see what happens. Im not really expecting to get one, just hoping I get an oppurtunity. And Illinoishunter102 I got a tag for Crab Orchard in Williamson Co.
As these guys have said, be very still and I would practice a little bit with a diaphram call and making some hen sounds but not too loud, so as not to scare him away if he's close to you...You can sit up against a tree and cover your legs in brush laying around, the key is do not move Good luck!
Im going to throw another question in here, how about locating turkeys the night before with a crow or turkey call? I've only heard of this tactic anyone know if this is a good move?
