Turkey hunting is hard, fun, and can sometimes be hard to stop doing. Turkeys have very sharp senses. Just the sound of your heart beating can make the turkey disappear in a puff of smoke.
How to hunt a turkey: the basics
You have to find wild turkeys before you can hunt them. The easiest way to do this is to find out where turkeys live in general.
Get a good map of the area where you want to hunt.
You can try to get a response by waving or using a locator call, like an owl hooter, crow call, or even a turkey call. Mark the locator map when you hear a turkey gobble.
Walk around to find the best place. Check for signs of the bird's claw marks and feather droppings. With this information, you can find some places. Check as many times as you can along mud holes, creek banks, pastures, log roads, fencerows, etc.
Don't try to get too close to it. The eyes, ears, and mind of a turkey are much better than yours.
Pick a tree that is wider than your shoulders. This will keep other hunters from coming up behind you and thinking that you are a real turkey.
To avoid being seen, camouflage is almost a must. The eyes of wild turkeys are so sharp. Many turkey hunters wear a camouflage suit, a hat, a face mask, gloves, and a vest with lots of pockets so they can carry calls and maybe a snack. Also, don't forget to wear dark socks so that they don't show when you sit down. But the most important thing to remember is that how you move is more important than how well you blend in. It doesn't show everyone everything about you. Even though you are wearing camouflage, you still look weird in the woods. The hunter's worst enemy is anything that moves. A turkey can figure out who you are 10 times faster than you can.
The best shotgun and ammunition for hunting turkeys are those that make a tight, hard-hitting pattern from 40 to 45 yards away. Practice with a target that shows the important head and neck area of a turkey. You should be taking pictures of these parts. At 40 yards, you should have at least 8 to 10 pellets in the vital area.
Don't hide yourself so much that you can't see what's going on. Blinds are helpful for turkey hunters, but if they are built so well that you can't see out of them, they are no longer blinds. Instead, they are hiding places that are just as good for the turkey as they are for you.
Don't use gobbler calls any more. This call can be helpful sometimes, but it is also very dangerous. In places where there are a lot of hunters, you can bring hunters to you instead of turkeys.
Never wear clothes that are red, white, or blue. This is the colour of the gobbler's head, which is a turkey hunter's main goal.
If another hunter is trying to catch a bird, don't make things worse by calling the bird to you or scaring it away. This is not a good way to play sports. Hunters who are really good at what they do don't do things like that.