To get ready for September im gonna do some turkey hunting in March and April. Anyone have tips? I plan on using NAP killzone coc's to take a turkey.
Don't blink, breath or think about moving a muscle. Thats all I got. I haven't had the best luck lately with the birds so you probably don't want to listen to me. Turkeys are a fickle animal. One day you can get one to run over you coming into a call and the next time they'll completely ignore you or take forever to move 100 yards. They take the idea of patience to a whole new level. As for calling, less is more more often than not. If you get one to answer you, call to him again. If he responds again, lay off the call and only call enough to make sure he's coming in your direction or keep tabs on his location if you can't see him. This is at least how the birds I hunt operate. If I call too much, they'll hang up and wait for me to come to them, get bored and move on. Of course you occasionally have the bird who loves constant calling and will gobble and gobble until his throat hurts, then leave the area. Then there are the ones who rush right in, usually jakes. Then you have the prancers, who stay just outside of range and don't gobble, just strut. Then you have the ones who are so cunning, they'll make a loop around you and sneak up behind you. You hit the call, they gobble so close that it actually causes you to jump, which in turn spooks the bird because of course he saw it. In all seriousness. Turkey hunting really requires a good knowledge of the woods as much as anything. Knowing where to setup to prevent hang ups, or in areas they like to travel through, is probably more important than calling skill. I've heard some really nasty hens that sound worse than bad calling. Have fun with it. Don't be afraid of messing up because you will. Its my second favorite hunting season and I can't wait for ours to open in May.
If your going to do it with a bow you'll need a blind and decoy. Can be done without, but very tough as they will booger out at your draw 99.99% of the time. Excellent eyesight, 320 degree vision, coupled with the fact that something has been trying to eat them since they were an egg makes them super sketchy.
