Spring Turkey Hunting Tips
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Spring time turkey hunting in Indiana is when you will do the
majority of your calling. We're not saying that calling won't work in
the fall, just that there is more "call" for it in the spring. There are
several different types of calls you will use while turkey hunting.
The cluck. You can use a few clucks when you want to imitate a
lone bird calling out to other birds. This can help bring in a wary
tom that might just hang up on you.
The Purr. This is done by birds that don't have a care in the world.
This too can assure a tom that there is a happy hen just waiting for
him. Don't purr too loud. Use this when he is almost in gun range.
The Putt. This is their danger call. One to several putts can be in
their danger call.
Kee Kee Run. This is used by a lost bird.
Gobble. This is used by the male bird. He is letting everyone know
where he is. You can use this to challenge another gobbler.
The crow call or owl call can be used early in the morning to locate
where the gobblers are at. You can also use it in the evening to
locate where they are roosting at so you can get a jump on them in
the morning. Thunder works well too, but kind of hard to use at
your leisure!
Assembly. This is used to assemble the rafter. It is a group of
yelps made by the hen.
Many times when you're calling to a tom and he gobbles back to
you, he is just teasing you. Playing hard to get. Actually, he is
with some other hens and a bird in the hand is worth two in the
bush. He isn't leaving his sweetie/sweeties for a unknown. When
this happens, stop. Take a break for a few hours, kick back and
relax, or eat some lunch. In time he will be done with those hens.
Sometimes he will advertise that he is lonely and that is all the
opening you'll need. You should be able to call him right in to you.
Remember that toms gobble to bring the hens to them. We are
trying to bring them to us. It is an uphill battle right from the
start. Refer back to the previous tip, a lonely tom in breeding
season is like inviting someone who doesn't play cards to your
poker game.
The biggest bird is generally the boss tom where you hunt. A good
way to tell is to find a rafter of birds. The bird that struts first,
longest will probably be your boss bird. He will often chase the
other toms. This is where scouting is so crucial to turkey hunting.
We are turkey scouting from February on. We like to see what
birds are out there, what they are doing, where they are going, and
when they are doing any of this. If they always go to the same
spot on a ditch in the mornings when they fly down, you can cut
your workload by large amounts by being where they are going to
go anyway. Just want to be able to get a shot on that tom before
one of the other birds busts you.
It bears repeating, scouting is the key to success. If you can't call
very good, you can still be a very good turkey hunting by knowing
the birds on your property. Know where they are going to be and
when. Time in the field is enjoyable and figuring these birds out is
a blast. If you are serious about turkey hunting, spend as much
time as you can in the field. If you have large clear fields, use
binoculars to scan the area and watch what the birds are doing.
Don't always scout in the mornings or evenings, scout in the
midday as well. The breeding season should be starting up before
our hunting season starts, so mid afternoon when the tom is lonely
is a good time to see what he is up to.
majority of your calling. We're not saying that calling won't work in
the fall, just that there is more "call" for it in the spring. There are
several different types of calls you will use while turkey hunting.
The cluck. You can use a few clucks when you want to imitate a
lone bird calling out to other birds. This can help bring in a wary
tom that might just hang up on you.
The Purr. This is done by birds that don't have a care in the world.
This too can assure a tom that there is a happy hen just waiting for
him. Don't purr too loud. Use this when he is almost in gun range.
The Putt. This is their danger call. One to several putts can be in
their danger call.
Kee Kee Run. This is used by a lost bird.
Gobble. This is used by the male bird. He is letting everyone know
where he is. You can use this to challenge another gobbler.
The crow call or owl call can be used early in the morning to locate
where the gobblers are at. You can also use it in the evening to
locate where they are roosting at so you can get a jump on them in
the morning. Thunder works well too, but kind of hard to use at
your leisure!
Assembly. This is used to assemble the rafter. It is a group of
yelps made by the hen.
Many times when you're calling to a tom and he gobbles back to
you, he is just teasing you. Playing hard to get. Actually, he is
with some other hens and a bird in the hand is worth two in the
bush. He isn't leaving his sweetie/sweeties for a unknown. When
this happens, stop. Take a break for a few hours, kick back and
relax, or eat some lunch. In time he will be done with those hens.
Sometimes he will advertise that he is lonely and that is all the
opening you'll need. You should be able to call him right in to you.
Remember that toms gobble to bring the hens to them. We are
trying to bring them to us. It is an uphill battle right from the
start. Refer back to the previous tip, a lonely tom in breeding
season is like inviting someone who doesn't play cards to your
poker game.
The biggest bird is generally the boss tom where you hunt. A good
way to tell is to find a rafter of birds. The bird that struts first,
longest will probably be your boss bird. He will often chase the
other toms. This is where scouting is so crucial to turkey hunting.
We are turkey scouting from February on. We like to see what
birds are out there, what they are doing, where they are going, and
when they are doing any of this. If they always go to the same
spot on a ditch in the mornings when they fly down, you can cut
your workload by large amounts by being where they are going to
go anyway. Just want to be able to get a shot on that tom before
one of the other birds busts you.
It bears repeating, scouting is the key to success. If you can't call
very good, you can still be a very good turkey hunting by knowing
the birds on your property. Know where they are going to be and
when. Time in the field is enjoyable and figuring these birds out is
a blast. If you are serious about turkey hunting, spend as much
time as you can in the field. If you have large clear fields, use
binoculars to scan the area and watch what the birds are doing.
Don't always scout in the mornings or evenings, scout in the
midday as well. The breeding season should be starting up before
our hunting season starts, so mid afternoon when the tom is lonely
is a good time to see what he is up to.
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