Home

Celebrity Views
Product Reviews
Fowl Articles
Fowl Events
Fowl Links
Fowl News
How To's
Our Sponsors
Contact Us

Open to Everyone!
Free to Join!
Fowl Forum

Hogg Wear & More!
Hogg Store

About Us
Hoggonics

Turkey Hunting 101

--Keys to Success--

...by David Rearick

Bagging a gobbler sometimes can be as easy as setting up in a strategic location and waiting him out. Sometimes calling is as ineffective as it is effective in other circumstance, so scouting the area is my one key to success in the spring season. If you scout in the mornings, before and during the season, figuring out a turkey’s phase and understanding what he is doing makes him that much easier to kill when it is go time. There are four things I look for when scout:

• Location - Plain and simple, it is the easiest way to bag your bird. Understanding what a bird likes to do and how he feels safe is key. Look for areas he likes to hang early, mid, and late morning as more than likely he will continue to do so, even if pressure starts to set-in. Someday, even during the hunt, I take the time to see what the birds have done differently than the previous day. Maybe a bird got bumped and he is still a little shy. Every day doesn’t need to have a kill to being a success, as sometimes killing the boss tom takes many days to figure out just what he is thinking.

• The Roost - Turkeys roost in the same areas every year. Finding a solid roost is always a good starting point for the season. Sometimes, from year to year, birds use the exact tree as their starting point each and every morning. Find a roost, and stick with it early in the AM when all else fails.

• Other Birds - In many cases there are multiple birds in the area. Some are jakes, some are non-dominant adults, and one male bird is the boss. During pre-season scouting, I may hear 10 different birds during the first phase in the spring and then hear only one bird a week later. Why you may ask? Because their phase has changed and the non-dominant birds are looking to stay out of trouble. They are still there, but may require a wait out hunt in order to come in silent. I have been busted many times by birds coming in silent even an hour of the roost, as I stand up to head out. Be patient, it can be what gets you your bird.

• Terrain - Learn it, plain and simple. When a bird sounds off across a valley and you have no idea what is between you and him, you have a battle. If you know of trails, thickets, and other areas to work through you are far better off. If you go in blind, many times a bird will pick you out as you go across a sparse forest and you are done for the day. Nothing kills a turkey’s mood more than being spooked and if he is in strut and he spooks, I find it to be the most deflating experience for an excited gobbler. In my mind, it can shut him down for a few days in some cases. Utilizing satellite imaging tools can really make a difference, if you go into an area blind and may even help you locate a logging road or hidden field your bird has been using as his strut zone.

Learning from your mistakes and learning from the real deal himself, tom turkey, is the best way to gain an edge year to year. I never leave a season feeling defeated, even if I don’t get the bird I am after. Sometimes I get hung up on a single bird, only to let others walk, as I try and bag the big guy from the area, but I always learn something from him that I didn’t know when I started.

Weather - While I haven't covered much up until this point, weather is an important part of any turkey hunt. Unfortunately there is nothing we can do to predict what the weather will bring after we scout out a big longbeard before the season, but paying attention to temperature and barometric pressure change is all part of the game. These changes can either reduce or increase the bird's gobbling and mating actvity, so stay on top of them and learn what each change does as you spend time afield. For the most part, key in on steady or rising barometric pressure for best results.

The Author with a PA Eastern Spring Gobbler..

©David Rearick, Game Hogg Hunt Club^TM