 Spring turkey hunting has always been my favorite time of the year. There is nothing quite like getting up on a crisp, cool morning and hearing the echo’s of gobblers gobbling in the swamps and hardwood draws. Turkey hunting is a challenging sport that gets a little more difficult each year as the number of hens is outnumbering the gobblers. I wish I had the time to tell you about all my turkey hunting experiences, but I will share one of my favorites.
I was about thirteen years old when my father and grandfather took me one morning to hunt on a track of land in Girard. This land had a fair amount of turkeys but the hunting was pretty hard. Around 9:00 a.m. we had not heard much, the day was cloudy and the turkeys weren’t talkative, so we decided to change locations. We moved to a big oak flat where turkeys liked to loaf throughout the day. We put our decoys out and settled in, my Dad and I were in the front with Papa behind us doing the calling and video taping the hunt. Papa called a few times and we finally got a response from a gobbler. We worked that turkey for about 30 minutes,  although to me it felt more like 3 hours. This turkey had been hunted before and wanted the hen to come to him. Pretty soon we had another gobbler’s interest and both were closing the distance to us quick. Finally, one of the turkeys came into view and began strutting. I can’t tell you how anxious, excited and nervous I was but as bad as I wanted to shoot, I had strict instructions from Papa not to shoot too soon. He was filming and wanted plenty of good footage. I waited in anticipation and finally Papa gave me the go ahead and the turkey was mine! I won’t tell you how many times I had to shoot, but I got him in the end. Just like that I was hooked and to this day I eat, sleep and dream turkey hunting.
Turkey season begins on March 22nd and goes through May 15th. The season limit is three gobblers. Wild turkeys are native to North America and do not migrate. They can live up to 12 years and can run up to 25 miles per hour and can fly for short distances up to 55 miles per hour.
A little known fact about the wild turkey is that Benjamin Franklin thought so much of the wild turkey, calling it a “bird of courage”, that he recommended the turkey rather than the eagle be chosen as the United States national bird.
 A widely known fact about the wild turkey is that come spring he has one thing on his mind. Girls. In summer, fall and winter his movements are dictated by his stomach and where his next meal is coming from. But in the spring he views life a bit more amorously. Hunting in the spring means making the sounds of a hen to get a gobbler to come to you.
For a successful hunt it is important to pick an area that is fairly open. Turkeys don’t like to walk into thick brush. Once settled, calling the turkeys is the next step. There are many types of turkey calls. My two favorites are the slate and a diaphragm call. These will make a gobbler go crazy. Which ever call you choose you must practice, practice, practice to master the calls.
Turkeys make more than 24 different calls and a good hunter should be able to recognize and copy at least 10. A few basics are the mating call, which is heard as three yelps rising in volume, a pause, then two soft clucks. The cackle is the call of a hen that is excited and is most often heard when the hen is flying from a roost. It consists of 12 or more yelps that rise in pitch and gradually decline. A cut is usually made by a hen and is a short, staccato yelp made in a series, varying in length. There are many videos and tapes available to teach hunters how to call turkeys.
Another key to a successful hunt is to dress properly. Turkeys have excellent eyesight and hunters must wear good camouflage. Never wear bright colors, especially white, red black or blue because these are the colors of a gobbler. Always keep your hands and head camouflaged and I also recommend camouflaging your gun. Eliminate movement and unnecessary noise as well.
When hunting wild turkeys I recommend a shotgun with a number 4 or smaller shot. I also suggest you practice on your aim and your ability to judge distances before hunting. You are shooting at a small target and none of us like the disappointment we feel watching a turkey we missed fly away.
When the time comes and your patience has been rewarded and a gobbler responds to your call and is strutting in full fan, take a deep breath, aim for the base of the head and bring your bird home.
Another tip I would like to share is, if possible, plant chufa’s for your turkeys. Turkeys will walk miles for these plants. A chufa looks similar to nut grass and has an underground nut the turkeys love to scratch and eat. Chufa patches also make a great area to set up in at mid-day.
Please remember to always keep safety in mind. Never shoot at a target unless you are 100 % sure it is a turkey. Remember you are heavily camouflaged and if you suspect another hunter is in the area call out, never try to walk up on them.
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