“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
