Beginner

[Fulldrw]

I am starting to turkey hunt for the first time this year. I was wondering what are the necessities that i all need to start out. So far I have the camo, gun, ammo, one plate and striker turkey call. Do i need a decoy, if so what kind? Do i need other calls, i was thinking about getting a reed call to cut down on movement? Thanks for your help.

DW

 

[Critter]

I'm not an expert in the turkey hunting field, but decoys are definately helpful. That being said, they're not mandatory if your able to set up quickly with a gun in different areas. Your best bet would probably be to find a crow call and and locate the birds in the morning, try and get set up with in 100 yards, and stick with your slate call. Reed calls are great to conceal your movement, but if you haven't practiced with them you'll probably do more harm then good. If your just starting out the best advice I can give you is to try and keep it simple......grab your gun, camo, and call and get out there and see what happens.....sometimes just diving in is the best way to learn. Good luck and have fun, it's a blast!!

 

[gersdorf]

Mouth calls are great because you can use one without moving but I have yet to get a sound out of one /forum/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/smile.gif Decoys help but I wouldn't say you need one. I think Buckwing has the best looking decoys on the market for hen decoys and the bobbin head decoy is great. For Tom decoys Bmobile and the Pretty Boy are both cool and you can attach a real fan to them. This is only my fourth year turkey hunting so I know there are alot more experienced guys on the site that can help. I will say that if a you are working a bird and he has made any noise and you are ready to give up wait another 45-60 minutes and he could be sneaking in. Good luck and I hope to see some harvest pics this spring!

 

[dbltree]

I hunted for years with out one but I will add that a tent blind is real darn handy also.

Certainly not needed if you don't have one but if your not great with a mouth call a blind offers great concealment.

Turkey hunting is like bow hunting for deer...eventually you end up with a garage full of toys but just some good ole fashioned patience and perseverance are usually more important.

Good luck! /forum/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/smile.gif

 

[teeroy]

i agree with critter, you have enough to get started. mouth calls can be tricky to learn, you might want to put that off for awhile. i have taken the majority of my turkeys, the way criter described

 

[GOLDTIP]

Scout your butt off!! Then when your done, scout again. Find out where they are strutting and be there before they get there the next day. Soft clucks and purrs seem to work best after that. Don't call your brains outs. It's a common mistake that all of us have made. Also, I learned a lot in the beginning by watching turkey hunting videos. Watch what they do, it'll help. Also know your gun, pattern it and experiment with loads and know your effective range. Do everything else the guys said earlier. Good Luck!!!!

 

[Iowabowtech]

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: CRITRGITR</div><div class="ubbcode-body"> If your just starting out the best advice I can give you is to try and keep it simple......grab your gun, camo, and call and get out there and see what happens..... </div></div>

Great advice. Sit in front of a large tree (if possible) that breaks up your outline. One of the biggest things to learn is how much to call and it can't be covered in a thread very well. I'd guess most newcommers would tend to overcall if anything. Sometimes a few are all that's needed or even desired, other times a hot bird will appreciate a volley of calling. One piece of advice I would add that isn't too debatable is to concentrate on not moving around much and NO jerky movements. If you turn your head, do it slowly, etc. Time to get out there and start the learning curve. Good luck!