Reasons why you won’t Harvest a Turkey this Year

Reasons why you won’t Harvest a Turkey this Year

By Ryan Graden

I’m already playing the hunt over and over in my mind. Knowing that in a few short months, I will be back in the timbers coaxing a big Iowa Eastern steadily towards me as he continues to thunder his call over and over in response to mine. At least, that’s how I picture it. But you and I both know that despite our best dreams and wishes, hunts don’t always go as planned. In fact, I would say that in turkey hunting, there is plenty of room for screw-ups. Trust me, I’m speaking from experience here!

In the years that I have actively chased turkeys here in Iowa, I will admit that I have had far more “unsuccessful” hunts that successful ones. Now, don’t get me wrong, I’ve been able to put my fair share of birds on the table. However, I probably could have doubled that number had I not made the silly mistakes that kept me from toting one over my shoulder.

Please take a moment or two to think through this advice as you prepare for your spring turkey hunts no matter where you are hunting!

Mistake #1: Not Practiced
There are two areas that I would suggest to practice on over and over again. The first, your calling. The second, your shooting.

Let’s begin with calling. This is so important to being successful in the spring. It’s not often that a hunter will be lucky enough to find himself in the midst of a flock of birds without calling. A good sequence of calls will fool that smart old tom and give you a chance to make a good shot at him.

In the turkey hunting industry, modern calls have made it easy for anybody to become good at calling. Slate calls, box calls, diaphragm calls, and even the newer “blow-through” calls will give you an advantage in the woods. However, it’s up to you to find out what you are best at and what will be most effective for you. Most stores will help you figure out what you can use. I would suggest making a stop and talking to a salesperson who could lead you through it.

Once you’ve made your choice on an effective call, PRACTICE! When I had first decided that I wanted to use a diaphragm, I was working in city other than the one we lived in. I would use my time driving to and from work clucking on that diaphragm call over and over again. Trying different sounds, placements, and occasionally choking on it! Later that spring, quite quickly on opening morning, I fooled a tom into range and my practice had paid off.

Don’t sound like a dying dog! Whether you’re using a box, slate, blow tube, or diaphragm make sure you sound like a turkey before you head into the woods.

The second area of practice is probably a given, but many folks do not consider the need to practice it. Your shot has to be sure! You might say, “I shot my shotgun during pheasant season and deer season. It’s just fine.” However, may I remind you, this is turkey hunting!

Most folks, when hunting turkeys, are using a different bullet size, a new choke tube, and are sitting in a new position. You have to practice with these in mind or you just might botch the shot that you will end up replaying over and over in your mind.

Take a box and draw a dot on it that would give you good target to shoot at. Sit on the ground or your ground seat as you shoot. Practice at fifteen, twenty, thirty yards of further. Know your limits and be confident in them.

With the right combination and practice, you can make some great shots. To date, my farthest shot was fifty-two yards!

Mistake #2: Not Hidden
One of a turkeys greatest strengths is it’s eyesight. Their eyes are so powerful that they can look across a field and see any danger that might be lying in wait for them. One of the greatest blunders that I have dealt with in the past is not being properly hidden when hunting these birds. Being able to hide yourself is going to be one of the greatest advantages to bagging a bird. Here are some things to consider.

Invest in the proper camouflage to use through the season. Personally, I have a camo pattern that I use earlier in the season before the greenery pops out. It’s mostly browns and blacks mimicking a true fall color in the timber. If I was wearing something with more of a green, I would stick out like a sore thumb! As the Iowa season continues and the dates of the third or fourth season approach, I switch to a pattern that has more green colors in it. Again, I want to blend into the immediate undergrowth that is beginning to pop up on the timber floor.

The use of shadows is vital to hiding also. I’ve had times where I had forgotten this before and turkeys have pegged me as soon as they popped their head over the top edge of the ravine. It’s almost like I was a glowing warning to them.
If you can, tuck into the shadow of a tree or a bush nearby. It might restrict your view a bit. However, it will give you a huge advantage to hiding.

Mistake #3: Impatience
This is where I have become an expert! I’m ashamed to say it, but I have had plenty of experience in this area over the years. There is just something inside me that wants to “make this happen” and it’s caused me to blow a hunt more times than I’d like to admit! Patience is a vital part to a turkey hunt. If you’re not typically a patient person, you need to become one before you enter the woods!

The most common mistake with impatience is in your calling! When you get a tom to answer your call during a hunt, it’s often a natural reaction to begin to call more and more in hopes that you can draw him in quicker! However, a constantly calling hen is obviously a fake hen. Don’t make that mistake.

Remember, most hens will tell the tom where they are, and expect the tom to come to them. If they don’t, it’s not their loss. You need to be that “hen” when you’re calling. Don’t over call. Be patient and do not blow your cover.

Another area of impatience is moving. My grandpa would sit for hours in one spot and hope that he would call something into range. Sometimes it worked, but most of the time all he got was a sore seat! At times, it is necessary to move your setup and reposition to convince a bird to come into your area. The mistake happens when you reach a point when you haven’t heard the bird in a while and you’re not sure where he is. Don’t move! Be patient. From my experience, most of the time, that bird is coming in but he’s being cautious, quiet, and careful. If you move, you’re done!

If you know for sure that bird has left and is venturing in another direction leading you to want to move, take time to look around first. Be very slow in your movement and observation. There’s a good chance that he might be gone, but another has come in silently! That happened to me a few years ago. Thankfully, I did this (learning from experience) and to my surprise, behind me was a strutting tom. He had not made any noise! I was able to turn quickly and get a shot on him. He ended up being and still is the largest bird of my turkey-hunting career!

Mistake #4: Not Ready
All too often, birds will surprise you when you are least expecting them. You have to be ready and have a plan when you are calling to locate a bird.

If you don’t have a bird roosted for an early morning hunt, you will probably be going into the woods hoping to locate one to pursue. But a word to the wise, be prepared before you let off that locating call. Know where you’re going to sit. Know where you’ll blend in. Know where that bird might come from after you hear his call. And act on it all quickly!

Many times in the past, I have walked into the timber later in the morning knowing that the birds are probably off feeding somewhere on the sides of the ravines. I remember early in my turkey hunting outings I would reach the edge of a ravine thinking it would be a great place to locate a bird from. After letting out a call, I was surprised to hear one right below me causing me to panic and try to find a place to hide! Low and behold, that bird would come much quicker than I expected and the hunt would be a bust!

Before you call, take a moment or two to look around and make a plan. Know that, if you have an answer, you will sit by that tree, position yourself in this direction, and expect the turkey to come from somewhere in this area. If you aren’t prepared, you will miss a fantastic opportunity at a quick hunt!

Mistake #5: Miss the Flock
It’s hard to hunt turkeys if there aren’t any to hunt in the area. You have to be sure that the area you are hunting has a population of turkeys to hunt. No kidding, this seems obvious, but you’d be surprised how many guys have tried to hunt in areas that just, for some reason, don’t have many turkeys to pursue.

In order to know if you should spend your time somewhere, here are some things to think about. First, have you seen a turkey in this area? If not, put on your shoes and look for these next few things.

Second, are you seeing tracks? Check the field edges as the snow melts off. Look on old logging roads, food plots, etc.

Turkeys are grazers and they will be in these areas leaving tracks showing you they are there. If you have tracks and a good number of them. It’s worth spending your time there. If not, look somewhere else.

A third sign would be to look for some areas where turkeys have been “scratching”. In the timber, this often could be found on hillsides. Large swaths of leaves and dead undergrowth that has been tossed and overturned recently. Turkeys, with their powerful legs, will scratch and kick up the leaves hoping to find food, bugs, or grubs underneath the decaying undergrowth. Usually flocks will do this together and it’s something you will notice when in the timber. Find a scratching site, you’ll be in the right place to find some turkeys!

To sum it up, don’t screw it up! Do your best out there and heed these warnings. Trust me, they are all mistakes that I have made in the past and probably will still make in the future. However, if I can bestow a bit of wisdom on you allowing you to have success this spring, than maybe I can justify some of these blunders!

Chase on and chase hard! Fill the Thanksgiving table and have fun doing it. Good luck!