How to Hunt Turkeys
Obtain your hunting license., Practice with your weapon., Gather your hunting gear., Decide on some decoys., Purchase blinds., Refine your turkey calling skills by listening and imitating turkey clucking, yelping and purring.
Step-by-Step Guide
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Step 1: Obtain your hunting license.
Contact your local Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) or Department of Natural Resources (DNR) for licensing requirements and rules.
Licenses may be purchased from State-approved license agents (such as some sporting goods stores), or, depending on your State, through an online application.
Pay close attention to your State’s hunting license requirements.
You will likely need to provide a hunter education course completion certificate.
Your hunting license will contain information regarding the length of the season, season dates, the hunting area, how many males and females you may hunt per day, and how many males and females you may hunt per season. -
Step 2: Practice with your weapon.
Because turkeys startle so easily, hunting them requires precision shooting.
Practice shooting from different positions (standing, sitting, lying down) and from different distances.
If you are using a shotgun, you will need to pattern it.
Patterning your shotgun allows you to make informed choices about which gun, ammo, and choke (the constricted end of a shotgun muzzle that shapes the spread of the shot) combination to use.
To pattern a shotgun, follow these instructions:
Position a 48” square piece of blank paper approximately 40 yards (36.6 m) from the muzzle of the gun.
Shoot at the center of the paper.
Draw a 30” circle around the center of the shot pattern enclosing the greatest number of holes.
Count the pellets in the circle.
Open an identical, unfired shotgun shell and count the number of pellets.
Calculate the percentage of pellets in the 30” circle by dividing the number of holes by the number of pellets in the shell.
Repeat this process 10 times and calculate the average of all 10 results.
If your pattern is small and clustered together, you have a good gun/ammo/choke combination.
If the pattern is spread out across the paper, consider changing one element at a time: begin experimenting with different pellet (shot) sizes, then different shell sizes.
If that does not work, consider purchasing a tighter choke, which will focus the shot in a much smaller radius. , In addition to your camouflage clothing, you will need a few reliable supplies to be well prepped.
Following are basics—you may include additional extras as you see fit:
Your weapon of choice.
If you decide you want to carry a firearm, opt for a 12-gauge shotgun or smaller.
A smaller shotgun means less bulk, making shots from a crouched position less cumbersome.
In terms of ammo, autumn turkeys (younger, smaller turkeys) require a smaller load than spring turkeys (mature turkeys).
Choose a smaller sized shot (1¾ ounces of size 6 shot) for youths (poults) or hens who have smaller, weaker bones.Turkey calls are invaluable as they draw the turkeys closer to the hunter and make for clearer kill shots.
Having three or so different calls—high-pitched gobble yelps, low-pitched gobble yelps, and high and low hen yelps—allows you to use calls appropriate for the situation. , Decoys are another means of drawing turkeys closer to the hunter.
This allows the hunter to be freed up to lie in wait. , Blinds are helpful concealment tools while hunting famously skittish prey.
Pop-up blinds are lightweight, easy to transport, and quickly create a place for a hunter to hide. , Sometimes it takes different combinations to lure out toms.
In the fall, make hen sounds to hens and tom sounds to males.
Do the opposite in springtime.
Following are four effective types of calls:
The Kee Kee Run is the high-pitched whistle made by a poult.
It sounds like “hurry-hurry-hurry” or “boy-boy-boy.” A lost yelp is made by a hen and sounds like a series of 10-15 sorrowful yelps.
A gobbler yelp is a low, hoarse yelp delivered slowly.
At times, these yelps are followed by purrs indicating aggression.
A gobble is a low, guttural sound made by a male turkey.
A long series of these may sound like a challenge to nearby turkeys.
Be sure you are alone when using this call as it may attract other hunters. -
Step 3: Gather your hunting gear.
-
Step 4: Decide on some decoys.
-
Step 5: Purchase blinds.
-
Step 6: Refine your turkey calling skills by listening and imitating turkey clucking
-
Step 7: yelping and purring.
Detailed Guide
Contact your local Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) or Department of Natural Resources (DNR) for licensing requirements and rules.
Licenses may be purchased from State-approved license agents (such as some sporting goods stores), or, depending on your State, through an online application.
Pay close attention to your State’s hunting license requirements.
You will likely need to provide a hunter education course completion certificate.
Your hunting license will contain information regarding the length of the season, season dates, the hunting area, how many males and females you may hunt per day, and how many males and females you may hunt per season.
Because turkeys startle so easily, hunting them requires precision shooting.
Practice shooting from different positions (standing, sitting, lying down) and from different distances.
If you are using a shotgun, you will need to pattern it.
Patterning your shotgun allows you to make informed choices about which gun, ammo, and choke (the constricted end of a shotgun muzzle that shapes the spread of the shot) combination to use.
To pattern a shotgun, follow these instructions:
Position a 48” square piece of blank paper approximately 40 yards (36.6 m) from the muzzle of the gun.
Shoot at the center of the paper.
Draw a 30” circle around the center of the shot pattern enclosing the greatest number of holes.
Count the pellets in the circle.
Open an identical, unfired shotgun shell and count the number of pellets.
Calculate the percentage of pellets in the 30” circle by dividing the number of holes by the number of pellets in the shell.
Repeat this process 10 times and calculate the average of all 10 results.
If your pattern is small and clustered together, you have a good gun/ammo/choke combination.
If the pattern is spread out across the paper, consider changing one element at a time: begin experimenting with different pellet (shot) sizes, then different shell sizes.
If that does not work, consider purchasing a tighter choke, which will focus the shot in a much smaller radius. , In addition to your camouflage clothing, you will need a few reliable supplies to be well prepped.
Following are basics—you may include additional extras as you see fit:
Your weapon of choice.
If you decide you want to carry a firearm, opt for a 12-gauge shotgun or smaller.
A smaller shotgun means less bulk, making shots from a crouched position less cumbersome.
In terms of ammo, autumn turkeys (younger, smaller turkeys) require a smaller load than spring turkeys (mature turkeys).
Choose a smaller sized shot (1¾ ounces of size 6 shot) for youths (poults) or hens who have smaller, weaker bones.Turkey calls are invaluable as they draw the turkeys closer to the hunter and make for clearer kill shots.
Having three or so different calls—high-pitched gobble yelps, low-pitched gobble yelps, and high and low hen yelps—allows you to use calls appropriate for the situation. , Decoys are another means of drawing turkeys closer to the hunter.
This allows the hunter to be freed up to lie in wait. , Blinds are helpful concealment tools while hunting famously skittish prey.
Pop-up blinds are lightweight, easy to transport, and quickly create a place for a hunter to hide. , Sometimes it takes different combinations to lure out toms.
In the fall, make hen sounds to hens and tom sounds to males.
Do the opposite in springtime.
Following are four effective types of calls:
The Kee Kee Run is the high-pitched whistle made by a poult.
It sounds like “hurry-hurry-hurry” or “boy-boy-boy.” A lost yelp is made by a hen and sounds like a series of 10-15 sorrowful yelps.
A gobbler yelp is a low, hoarse yelp delivered slowly.
At times, these yelps are followed by purrs indicating aggression.
A gobble is a low, guttural sound made by a male turkey.
A long series of these may sound like a challenge to nearby turkeys.
Be sure you are alone when using this call as it may attract other hunters.
About the Author
Alan Rivera
Alan Rivera specializes in lifestyle and practical guides and has been creating helpful content for over 12 years. Alan is committed to helping readers learn new skills and improve their lives.
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