Gathering hunting tactical gear for the spring or autumn hunting season sets you on a path to adventure and hopefully bagging a big bird to feast on with the family. Turkeys give hunters a lot of trouble at times, and these five mistakes are all-too common. Learn how to avoid these errors to increase your chances of walking out of the woods with a prize gobbler.
1 – Lack of Location Knowledge and Outdoor Skills
Only rank beginners will find a comfortable spot and set up there just because it’s easy to get to or gives you a nice view. When hunting turkeys, you need to know the type of terrain and foliage cover they prefer. Learn to read the signs of their activities. Then, scope out the perfect hunting spot nearby.
You can use a blind, especially if you’re not very good at sitting still for long periods, or natural hiding spots like large trees and rocky outcroppings. You don’t want any of these in the way of the turkeys or your shot, however. The right camouflage hunting gear will help you stay hidden.
2 – Getting to Your Hunting Spot Too Late
Some common turkey hunting advice is to head out before sunrise to bag the early bird. While this may work well in some places, you don’t always have to trudge to your hunting spot in the dark. However, you don’t want to get there too late either. Turkeys are very vigilant birds, and any sign of their favorite spots being disrupted will send them into hiding quickly. Get there early, settle in, and stay quiet until it’s time to call.
3 – Sending Out Too Many Turkeys Calls
Most turkey hunters use calls, but it’s important to know how to do it right. You want to mimic the natural sound of gobbling to pique their interest and lure them in. This doesn’t happen every two minutes, and it doesn’t happen at the same cadence, frequency, or volume all the time either. Practice a few different types such as box calls, tube calls, and more. Then, aim for a ten-to-fifteen-minute schedule until you get to know the birds in your sights.
4 – Bad Placement of Your Shot
Even if you find the right bird, manage to get close enough without spooking them all, and have the best gear for the job, you can still fail if you don’t get shot placement right. Not only might you lose the bird in the brush or if it flees onto private property, but a bad shot can lead to suffering, which every hunter should try to prevent.
5 – Lack of Patience
All hunting is a discipline that requires patience, but turkey hunting often seems to need more. These birds don’t move around too much during the day unless something scares them, and it’s far too easy for you to do that if you make one of the mistakes listed above. Get used to sitting still and waiting. Stay comfortable with a camelback container of water. Don’t get antsy and start calling more often because you’re tired of waiting for the turkeys to appear. When they do show up, expect them to wander into unseen spots or even walk away for a while before they come back. Don’t take a shot until, you’re sure.
If you avoid these common turkey hunting mistakes, you will increase your chances of bringing home a big gobbler. Knowledge, preparation with the best Wild Oak's hunting gear, and patience are the three keys to success.