Scout now to make finding turkeys later in the season easier than this.
Submitted photo
It’s going to be here before you know it. Words once used to quell anticipation for Christmas morning now stir the same sort of butterflies when uttered in relation to the upcoming turkey season. For the lucky few who have made the trek to Florida or elsewhere open early, the season is already underway. While the rest of us await our own opener, we are blessed with time to prepare.
I’m not sure when my first opening morning will be. I have a coveted Nebraska tag burning a hole in my pocket. The idea of going after one with a bow is growing on me. If don’t do that, then April 15, the opening day in Missouri, will be my first hunt of the year. Along with the two aforementioned states, I also plan to turkey hunt in Massachusetts this spring.
With a little over a month to prepare, I’m going to begin this weekend by taking my turkey hunting storage box off the shelf in my barn. This treasure chest houses my clothes, loaded vest and other turkey hunting accessories. Taking inventory of my goods is always enjoyable. I’m able to inspect the quality of what I have on hand, plan for any necessary repairs or replacements and figure out what additions are needed to complete my repertoire.
Calls are critical for turkey hunting. If you’re a beginner, a trip to your local sporting goods store could be overwhelming. You’re going to see a lot of different kinds of calls. There are mouth calls, slate calls, box calls, push-button calls, wing bone calls and more. Don’t worry. All you really need is one call you know how to use. For beginners, I would suggest a box call or a push-button call. They are simple to use and hard to mess up. A little research and a lot of practice will have you ready. People don’t all sound the same. Neither do turkeys. Make sure you start practicing now.
Speaking practice, all of you old timers with a rope of beards hanging in your trophy room, it wouldn’t hurt you to tune up a bit. Make sure those reeds are in good condition. Scrub the top pf your slate call with some sandpaper. Don’t forget to rough up the tip of your striker, too. Chalk your box call. Figure out the when and where for each call and assign them the proper locations in your vest or pack.
The National Wild Turkey Federation convention drew over 72,000 attendees this year. We know there are going to be other turkey hunters out there to compete with. This will certainly be true on public land, but it’ll be true on a lot of private land, too. You need to make a game plan for where you’ll be at sunrise on opening. Then you need to make a couple of backup plans.
Numerous scenarios could drive you from your first choice. Now is the time to prepare those spots. If you hunt from a blind, you should want to set them up before the season starts and have them outfitted with chairs and other comforts. Take a small saw and clippers to clear shooting lanes. To really open up an area, you can go in with a mower or weed eater. If I’m hunting from a blind, I like to have yardage markers staked in the ground at 20, 30, 40 and 50 yards.
The weather during turkey season can be wild. You may need a heater in your blind one day, a rain suit the next day, and nothing but a t-shirt the rest of the week. Prepare clothes to run the gamut of conditions. One big tip is to pre-treat your hunting clothes with permethrin. Sawyer sell this in a recognizable yellow bottle. Tick diseases like Lyme, Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever and Alpha-gal are no joke. Take the time to spray your clothes with permethrin a couple of days before wearing them, then spray yourself with insect spray the day you’re hitting the woods.
Decoys are a topic for discussion amongst turkey hunters. I like to use decoys. I have a spread with two hens and jake that sees a lot of action when I’m hunting from a blind or stationary position. At times, I’ll run and gun with just one hen decoy in my pack. And sometimes, I won’t use a decoy at all. I think they’re fun because you may get to watch a live bird interact with an impersonator.
Turkey season is a special time to be outdoors. In addition to chasing gobblers, you can hunt mushrooms and shed antlers, and usually fill a stringer with fish. Time is precious, that’s why we refer to using time as spending it. If you want your time spent turkey hunting to be as enjoyable as possible, you should be preparing.
See you down the trail….
Brandon Butler writes an outdoors column for The Republic. Send comments to [email protected]. For more Driftwood Outdoors, check out the podcast on www.driftwoodoutdoors.com or anywhere podcasts are streamed.
