5 Tips for Turkey Hunters

We were seated in the perfect spot, me three feet behind and to the left of Knight & Hale pro staffer Keith Wahlig, who was throwing quiet yelps across the saddle. I hit the record button on the mini-DV camera as the top of the sun peaked over the Ozark Mountains in south-central Missouri.

Both of us jumped when the gobble shocked us in the cool morning mist. Wahlig, a fan of Knight & Hale’s Setbak 3-Reed turkey diaphragm call, cutt excitedly then gave the unseen birds another couple of quiet yelps. After five minutes he slowly reached down and scratched and rustled the leaves. Another gobble, this time closer, right over the lip of the saddle.

Wahlig shifted into shooting position, with both hands on the gun, cheek to stock. A pretty red head poked up over the saddle edge. Then another, and another. Five total. They came closer.

As they came into clear view I did a mental checklist while looking at them through the viewfinder: “jake, jake, jake, jake, jake.” Wahlig took his finger off the trigger and relaxed a little. The jakes, like a gang of gangly teenagers, fussed at each other as they headed left to right across the saddle.

It was good footage but not what we’d come for. We were after a mature bird, so after the jakes got out of eye- and ear-shot, we were up and off looking for greener pastures. Here are a few tips to help you become a better turkey hunter.

Hunt Saddles in Mountainous Terrain
Nothing really likes to climb straight up tall mountains. Look for the paths of least resistance anywhere you hunt, but mountains make this an easier task. Saddles, those lower places between mountains, or ridges connecting two higher elevations, are natural travel routes for turkeys.

Place a few hen decoys, or Carry-Lite’s Pretty Boy and Pretty Girl decoys, in an open spot in the center of the saddle and sit back to make some quiet yelps.

Don’t Shoot Jakes
If you want to kill big, mature gobblers, you have to leave the jakes alone. Set a goal and stick to it, even if it means going home empty handed. Don’t be disappointed when the red head you see popping over the ridge is connected to a young bird. Just sit back and enjoy the show, and you may learn something about turkey behavior.

Film a Friend
Plenty of memories are made during turkey hunts, and video cameras make it easier than ever to share the excitement of the hunt with friends and family. The cameraman should position himself behind and slightly to one side of the hunter, where he can get a profile of the hunter and easy viewing of the land in front. Use a tripod for a good steady shot. Use a camouflage shirt or to button around the camera and drape down over the tripod so it’s hidden from the birds’ wary eyes. Make sure to communicate to the hunter before the hunt starts that he or she must wait for your signal before shooting to make sure you’ve got the gobbler in the camera.

Try Various Calls
Always have several types of calls with you. During the trip described at the beginning of this article, Wahlig and I located five gobblers and worked close to them before calling. It was the third call Wahlig tried that was the key to getting the gobblers within range. They didn’t respond to his diaphragm, so he tried his trusty Sla-Tek friction call. They gobbled but didn’t advance toward us. When he yelped on his Mini-Slate friction call, they gobbled and came right on in.

Get Creative With Your Calling
Did you know that sometimes your best call is no call at all? Wahlig’s scratching in the leaves is the best example of a non-call call. Make your scratching sound like a hen looking for food and you’ve got one realistic call. Other creative ways to call is to go away from the bird instead of toward it. This sometimes works on hung-up birds.