Turkey Help

[dainer]

My dad finally drew a turkey tag this year. I have only been on 1 turkey hunt, we called in 1 Tom(which didn't pan out) and it was the blind leading the blind. Anyways, we have the load all squared away, but what do you guys think about decoys?? Are they necessary? I was thinking a Tom & a hen? Do I need 2 hens?

Also, I am a little rusty on my diaphragm calls and was thinking about just using my Fox Pro. Can you think of any negatives to this other than not being as satisfying as calling yourself? Would getting the attention of off you make much of a difference with turkeys? Thanks for the help.

 

[skimerhorn]

A decoy will help I would try a tom and a hen. Not sure if the FoxPro is legal?

 

[Deleted member 18333]

I assume you are hunting in Nevada so I believe you will be chasing Merriams. My experience with Merriams is large flocks. The Toms will be with many, sometimes dozens of hens. It is tough if not impossible to call the toms from this many live birds. If this is the case try to get between the roost and where the birds want to feed inthe morning. Look for open areas in the ponderosa forests. If you find a large flock try following them so see what the routine is. Its a good bet they will repeat his the next day. Onc eyou have this figured out then you cna use hte decoys if you want. I owuld suggest a hen and jake decoy. Set the jake up near hte hen to piss off the toms. Word of caution. I owuld never use a decoy on public land. You would be surprised how many people get shot during turkey season. The bird is not worth it. Another good strategy for henned up toms is to wait until later in the day after the hens have gone to their nests. The toms will be back out looking for love. Make sure of hunting hours as some states do not allow hunting after noon.

I would learn to call yourself. This is the best part of turkey hunting. If the diaphram is giving you fits then I suggest using a box call or slate. Since it sound like you are trying to call a bird in for your father then on your final setup get him 10 - 20 yards in front of you and you stay back. This will allow you to get away with more movement. Just like you are calling in a bull for your buddy. I like to use box calls first thing in the morining because they are so loud. After I have located a tom and have moved in closer I switch to a slate call. I only go to a diaphram when they are within the last 50 - 100 yards. Good luck to you and your dad. Hope to see pics soon.

 

[L. I. Yankee]

My dad finally drew a turkey tag this year. I have only been on 1 turkey hunt, we called in 1 Tom(which didn't pan out) and it was the blind leading the blind. Anyways, we have the load all squared away, but what do you guys think about decoys?? Are they necessary? I was thinking a Tom & a hen? Do I need 2 hens?

Also, I am a little rusty on my diaphragm calls and was thinking about just using my Fox Pro. Can you think of any negatives to this other than not being as satisfying as calling yourself? Would getting the attention of off you make much of a difference with turkeys? Thanks for the help.

Sometimes I use decoys sometimes I dont.I almost never use a tom decoy, I stick with a jake and hen set up when I use them. As far as the foxpro...check with your local game laws....you might not be able to use electronic callers for turkey season( a hefty fine would kinda put a damper on things.) Worse comes to worse with a little practice you can make just about every sound in the woods with a simple push button box call. Thats how I got started over 25 yrs ago and I did fine...Im sure you will...Any other questions shoot me a PM. Love to help a fellow turkey hunter any way I can........

 

[mdunc8]

Get a slate call if you're not comfortable with a diaphragm. For what it's worth, I use a single hen when using a decoy. I've never tried a tom. I'd suggest an owl or crow call to locate birds in the morning before it gets light.

 

[dainer]

Thank you guys very much for the pointers! Good point on the decoy possibly being dangerous. I never thought about that, but you just don't know with people. I am going to go scout some this weekend, and will report back with what I observe or any questions I have. If you can think of anything else, I'm all ears.

 

[DaveHawk]

If your not a seasoned TH get a box call. Just use a couple yeps every 30 minutes if and when you get a gobble shut up and wait.

 

[pointingdogsrule]

If your not a seasoned TH get a box call. Just use a couple yeps every 30 minutes if and when you get a gobble shut up and wait.

Just like Dave stated.

good luck to all
the dog

 

[TOM IN TENNESSEE]

FoxPro!!!???!!! GMAFB!!!!
That;s as bad as Texicans picking them off with a rifle over a feeder!

 

[dainer]

Tom - Thank you for bringing me to my next question. If I have a gobbler hang up at 150 yards, will my 17 HMR be enough to penetrate skull or should I bring the 204??

 

[RUT JUNKEY]

Slate call with a rosewood striker and a scratch pad to rough up the surface of the call a little . . don't be overly aggressive. . .if they gobble everytime you hit your call, go silent for a few and see what happens. I use the Avian X decoys ( feeder hen and alert hen) they are great for keeping the Toms attention away from you. Always place the decoys where you can see them or anything approaching them ( I never sit them in a direct line in front of me) . Just be VERY aware of your surroundings is the safest bet, especially if you are not on private ground. . .and here in Indiana on my private ground I still run off trespassers on the one farm every year. Be careful and good luck.

 

[ringer]

You can learn to use a diaphram call in a few minutes. I use a deepr sound plus an old Lynch box call. The diaphram is good for one last chirp before the tom comes in. We will be in AZ unit 1 end of this month. Have fun.

 

[putm2sleep]

What DaveHawk said. And what Tom in Tennesse said. WTH?

Anyway. Practice with your diaphram in your truck.... maybe you drive a Prius, if you plan to use a FoxPro?
(My son got his 1st one this Christmas, and has been practicing ever since. He is getting decent.)

Me = Hen and jake decoy. Crow call for locating in the dark of morning. Slate and box calls. My kid working the diaphram.

 

[dainer]

Actually, it's a Honda Civic hybrid. I really wanted the Prius, but since we don't have a Honda dealership in my town, I figured I would go with the Civic and really set myself apart. You would be amazed at how extensive the "Green" movement is here in NE Nevada. Thanks again for everyone's tips. I went out and purchased a Primos Turkey Starter Pack. (Diaphragm, slate, box) It's been 7 years since I played with turkey calls, but it's like riding a bike.

 

[L. I. Yankee]

good luck....lets see the pics.....

 

[konasage]

Timing is everything with these birds... If the toms are henned up you are going to have to spot them and move in or in front. If you hit just before or after hen up you will lure birds easier but don't be afraid to be aggressive if all else fails. Get a box call and use it, I have sucked many a tom away from hens by sounding like a raging bitch hen. Don't go in for lunch either, most of my birds have been killed mid-day after the hens go off to lay or set eggs and the toms are lonely and looking for love, 9am starts getting good.
Have you ever heard a hen in the wild when she puts her mind to it ... whoa. Close in soft clucks and purrs but when he's on a rope let it ride he will still be looking so set the hen decoy facing you about 30 yards out. Good luck, if all else fails do what the other hens do. Shoot straight

 

[huntrfish]

These guys are pretty spot on with everything said here. Technically, there have been many birds killed without decoys. On the other hand, there have been a ton killed with them too. If it were me, I would stick with a hen first, then a jake decoy. If all else fails and you have the $$, go big and buy a strutting tom. However, I have actually had large toms avoid the strutting tom decoys beccause they didn't want the fight.

I like decoys because it takes the focus off of me. It gives the bird something to focus on, instead of constantly scanning the woods to find the source of the call. If you've never seen a big tom come rushing in to claim his hen from the jake, it is quite a sight. I will use a box call as I am hiking through the woods and then if I get a response, if I have time, get the decoys out, and prepare for the show. Otherwise, I will call and sit a while. The last bird I shot came in this way. I was hiking and really not seeing anything. I stopped, called a little, took my pack off, got some water a granola bar, basically just taking in the nice spring morning. I had just bit a bite of granola off when BAM!!! a tom gobbled about 60 yards away from me. I felt naked, but I finally loacted the tom, and he was looking for the hen (me) that had been sporadically calling. When he went behind a tree, in one quick motion I got my headnet on, scooted against a tree, got my diaphram call, and got my gun. He couldnt find the hen that kept calling to him, but he eventually made it around the big group of trees and into one of the only shooting lanes I could find. You could tell by his behavior that he was not going to hang around long because he ccouldnt find the decoy and was pretty much honed into where I was. It was time...BOOM. Game over.

 

[smalls]

Tom - Thank you for bringing me to my next question. If I have a gobbler hang up at 150 yards, will my 17 HMR be enough to penetrate skull or should I bring the 204??

I like this guy.

 

[WindedBowhunter]

mdunc8 - I have hear the owl call is great, but that turkeys will go silent when they hit the ground. Have you found this to be true?

 

[1_pointer]

mdunc8 - I have hear the owl call is great, but that turkeys will go silent when they hit the ground. Have you found this to be true?

That hasn't been my experience in ID or IN (the only places I've called turkeys). I've located them with the owl, had the gobbling just off the roost and dead within a few minutes. That said, I only use it in an attempt to get them to gobble on the roost. Once daylight hits or I think they've flown down I put it away.