"Scout for Big Bucks during Turkey Hunting Season by Marty
Prokop"
Turkey and deer share the same habitats. Chances are if you are
turkey hunting you will be hunting on or near your deer hunting
land. Of course, deer season is not open, but turkey season
gives you time to master your deer hunting land and increase
your chances of harvesting a big buck or doe for the freezer
come deer season.
Spring and summer deer patterns are very
similar to those during the early fall, prior to the rut. When I
am in the woods during the springtime, I scout and begin to
pattern the deer on my deer hunting land for the early archery
deer hunting season to come.
Finding Big Bucks Starts in the Springtime:
In the spring when bucks go into velvet, they move into and stay
in their home ranges or core areas. When you are turkey hunting,
when you find bucks near their home ranges, you have found a
great place to hang your deer hunting tree stand for early
archery season.
The best way to find and pattern these big bucks is to spend
time in the woods. So when you head out turkey hunting, add
scouting for deer to your turkey hunting agenda.
Let’s Talk Turkey:
Here are some of the turkey calls I use. While I do focus on
deer hunting, I have had a fair amount of success calling to and
locating turkeys. I have a good wild turkey population on my
deer hunting land. So I do practice calling. I was once told by
a wise old turkey hunter, "If turkeys could smell, no one would
get them." Turkeys have extremely good eyesight, and their
hearing is exceptional. Having a turkey respond to your calling
can help you pin point its location.
Early morning is a great time to begin your
turkey calling efforts. Most turkeys will let out a morning call
when they leave their morning roosts and flutter to the ground.
If you aren’t hearing their morning calls use a crow call, owl
call or a coyote call. These mouth blown calls are considered
"shock" calls and, in many cases, a turkey will gobble once they
have heard any of the three.
Once you have located where the turkey is
gobbling from, rethink your position. Are you close enough to
the turkey to set up and be ready for a shot? If not, carefully
move towards the turkey being sure the turkey will not see you.
If you feel the turkey is close to your location, set up and
begin a series of turkey calls that are not "shock" calls. There
are a few different turkey calls, which replicate actual turkey
sounds, I use when out in the turkey hunting woods. These sounds
include the turkey yelp, cluck, cackle, cut, purr and putt.
The Turkey Yelp:
Once you have located the bird and he has gobbled back at you
start your calling by yelping three to seven times. The number
of yelps you use is not as important as the rhythm of the
calling.
Whether using mouth blown diaphragm calls or friction-type
calls, focus on rhythm more than worrying whether your calls are
raspy or smooth. A great way to learn the rhythm of real turkeys
calling is to purchase a CD or cassette tape of actual turkey
sounds. Listen to the recordings, and practice your calling
technique. Remember, it is not just practice which makes
perfect…it is perfect practice that makes perfect calling.
Turkey Clucking:
Turkeys often make clucking sounds while feeding.
You can replicate the turkey cluck with most calling devices on
the market today.
Again, go to your local sporting goods store and pick up a tape
to learn the sound of turkey clucking so you can practice
replicating.
Turkey Cackle:
Some turkey hunters call the cackle the true turkey mating call.
The cackle is made by turkey hens as they leave their evening
roosts and fly to the ground in the morning. The call is similar
to the turkey yelp. Here is the difference between the cackle
and yelp. The turkey yelp starts more rapidly as the hen leaves
the tree limb and heads to the forest floor. Then the turkey
yelp tapers off and slows down as the hen lands on the ground.
Words of warning, if you can’t cackle extremely well, don’t use
this call. If your reproduction of the cackle sounds unnatural
to the turkey, you will not pull them in. This call certainly
requires perfect practice to get right.
Turkey Cutting:
Cutting is a sound made by adult hens. It is a series of short,
excited yelps.
Turkey Putting:
The turkey putting sounds are made by both male and female
turkeys. A short, loud series of putts is made by turkeys as an
alarm sound. Soft putts, mixed with purrs, are sounds made by
more relaxed and content turkeys.
Turkey Purr:
The turkey purr is a soft call made by a hen turkey. Purring is
a great sound to use to draw your tom turkey in the last few
yards for a good clean shot.
Perfect Practice Makes Perfect
Calling:
The key to locating a big long beard turkey is getting him to
answer your turkey call. Use a crow, owl or coyote call to
entice turkeys to gobble back at you. As soon as the gobbler
answers and you are set up in a good location, use the
"non-shock" turkey calls listed above to help you bag your
turkey.
Remember, perfect practice makes for perfect calling skills. Go
to your local sports store and pick up a tape with actual turkey
calling sounds. Listen to the turkey calls and practice
replicating them.
With a little perfect practice you could call in your next big
long beard turkey. And with more time in the woods, you could
locate the buck of a lifetime and be ready when deer hunting
season opens.
Good Luck and Great Hunting!
Marty Prokop
www.free-deer-hunting-tips.com
