Spring Turkey strategies

Trad Bow 1979 · Apr 4, 2021

Alright guys it’s been a crazy time between COVID and the 60 day dumpster fire legislator session. It’s April, time to start obsessing about draw results and turkey season.
I am looking forward to turkey season, I am going to try out the recurve this year so I am probably coming home empty handed. I think I’m going to spend the mornings and evenings cold calling and moving. During the middle of the day I want to try soliciting responses with the crow call. Other than that I really do not know much about turkey strategies.
Does anyone else have anything strategies or call sequences they are willing to share?

smokey172 · Apr 4, 2021

Don't be afraid to use a crow call at any time during the day. In a perfect world you would locate a bird before you set up on it. Sometimes a crow call, an owl hoot or even slamming the truck door will cause an otherwise quiet bird to sound off.

cosmic_cowboy · Apr 4, 2021

smokey172 said:
Don't be afraid to use a crow call at any time during the day. In a perfect world you would locate a bird before you set up on it. Sometimes a crow call, an owl hoot or even slamming the truck door will cause an otherwise quiet bird to sound off.

I have heard them gobble at just about any loud noise. Was hunting near a hi way once and the dumb bird gobbled at a police car siren. One time me and a friend had been hunting all day and were driving out in the dark, stopped to take a leak and slammed the truck door and bingo he let lose. We went to the same spot in the morning and killed him, 10.5 " beard and 22 lbs.

roadrunner · Apr 4, 2021

I've yet to have one shock at a crow call, several times with a raspy hen box call though (talking daylight hours). Always locate them in the predawn hour with either an owl or a box.

Predawn on the box is soft and multiple, anywhere from 8 to 12 yelps.

A wary bird is the toughest, sometimes they will gobble as both he and you move up a ridge, him working you to him.

I have learned when you're at the level you think he is, move up a little more to try and pull him up to you.

No certain sequences. Just like elk hunting during the rut, you do what they do or what they respond to at the time.

mozey · Apr 5, 2021

Been a dry year, so I'll probably sit water the first day. I'm just really looking forward to some forest therapy while putting my world's worst turkey hunter reputation on the line. Should be fun.

sbeard4 · Apr 5, 2021

Have heard them gobble in response to thunder before as well.

NMPaul · Apr 6, 2021

My strategy was to find roost, camp out close to it in the dark. Immediately screw it up as soon as they flew down. Go shed hunting. Stopped buying turkey tags years ago.
?

roadrunner · Apr 6, 2021

NMPaul said:
My strategy was to find roost, camp out close to it in the dark. Immediately screw it up as soon as they flew down. Go shed hunting. Stopped buying turkey tags years ago.
?

Never could figure out what to do after screwing it all up.

Now I know. I just took up springtime fishing.

sbeard4 · Apr 7, 2021

roadrunner said:
Never could figure out what to do after screwing it all up.

Now I know. I just took up springtime fishing.

Lay down take a nap.
Wake up from said nap to see some jakes running off from the decoys while trying to figure out why that man sat up.
Go for lunch

live4muleys · Apr 10, 2021

Whatever we did this morning worked. Found a gobbling bird and then struck out, went back to truck, did a call right before getting back to truck, gobble, chase gobble, strike out again, (same bird I think), went back to truck, gobble right before we got back to truck, chase gobble (again same bird), strike three, not out yet though, driving in truck, see turkey, get out hear another gobble, chase gobble, set up nice and one comes in, goes left instead of right, strike out, well one more chance, hear gobble, chase gobble, set up, kill bird. So to me the strategy was hear gobble and hope it works out. Hope you get enough tries that one works out.

BigChiefJ · Apr 12, 2021

NMPaul said:
My strategy was to find roost, camp out close to it in the dark. Immediately screw it up as soon as they flew down. Go shed hunting. Stopped buying turkey tags years ago.
?

My favorite screw up is when I get up for a "P" break only to flush the gobbler that was silently coming in from behind.

BeDawg · Apr 12, 2021

Or you can hunt them out of the roost with an AR 15 days before the season starts.

Was out scouting birds and found someone about to do this until I corrected him. I can’t believe some of the idiots here.

smarba · Apr 13, 2021

That's scary stuff BeDawg...

roadrunner · Apr 13, 2021

smarba said:
That's scary stuff BeDawg...

That's the norm for the fellas over by Espanola...

mozey · Apr 17, 2021

Anyone ever had a strategy for turkeys that works while it's snowing?

Felt like we had the perfect setup this morning, listening to gobblers coming off the roost.

Then it starting snowing and everything went dead.

bobby · Apr 19, 2021

Only had one day of gobbling on opening morning then the wind and storm blew in and didnt hear another gobble snow and cold wind, not the best recipe

cosmic_cowboy · Apr 19, 2021

mozey said:
Anyone ever had a strategy for turkeys that works while it's snowing?

Felt like we had the perfect setup this morning, listening to gobblers coming off the roost.

Then it starting snowing and everything went dead.

I have only killed one gobbler during a snow storm, he was with 7 hens and could care less about the snow, never gobbled but I called in the hens and he was behind them. I have killed many gobblers after the snow stops, they start covering ground looking for hens. Wait it out and when it stops it can be killer hunting.

hunter101 · Apr 21, 2021

Hunting in the snow is a little more of a challenge, but if you can find the roost and there's snow falling you can follow the foot prints.. During heavy storms such as rain and heavy snow they tend to stay on top of the trees! way at the top. Get yourself a crow call. Find a spot that you think may have turkeys, Lets just say close to a canyon (good spot). Right before sunset... I mean like literarily almost no sunlight left, let out a crow call and if there's turkey in the area you will hear one or more near that general area. I tend to do the spot and stock method, works best with these birds out here. Not like in TX were you can go out to a field setup a blind and call the birds in. If you hunting the Sacramentos/Lincoln National Forest there is some steep country and those birds be all over in the lower and upper hills. My suggestion is as soon as you hear the bird go chase it (quietly lol) if you are near the roost in the evening those birds will walk right in without you having to make any calls. Pattern them by finding the J droppings and feathers... then you know there's definitely turkey in the area. (pictures provided from last year)

mozey · Apr 22, 2021

Thank you both for the tips. According to the forecast, there's a good possibility I'll get to try some of them tomorrow morning...

mozey · May 7, 2021

The key for me is to hike into an area that no one else hunts and find some dumb birds that are willing to come jeer at the funny noises I'm making with my call.

The opening day bird never gobbled back but just tried to mimic the "hen" noises I was trying to make. I was shocked when I peeked around the ponderosa to see what I thought was a hen in full strut at 30 yards.

Today's bird first teamed up with his buddy before both of them came in looking for a fight.

Note to self: next time wait until the tom turns sideways before pulling the trigger so I don't shoot off a bunch of his tail feathers...