1.    Scouting is very important!  (See our page on scouting). Get out about a week or two before the season begins and scout the area you plan on hunting.  Look for feathers, tracks, droppings (droppings from toms look like J-hooks)  scratchings, dust areas, strutting areas, and finally turkeys.

 

2.   Use topos to plan where to scout.  Look for old logging roads, open fields with trees nearby, water sources, open fields near ridgetops.  Have at least three areas you want to scout.

 

3.   Be creative in your scouting!  Talk to the mailman on the dirt road, convenience store clerks, the guy at the gas station, the guy tractoring his acreage, the clerk at the sporting goods store, the guy walking his dog.  Talk to  anyone!

 

4.   Try to find roosting trees.  Look for feathers or droppings at the base of the tree.  When you find roosting trees try to determine which tree the tom is roosting.  If you're on public land avoid using locator calls.  You don't want the tom to gobble any more than he has to because other turkey hunters will hear the tom you just roosted.

 

5.  Get set-up within 100-125 yds of where the turkey is roosted.   Set yourself up against a wide tree trunk.  This will help to break up your outline, give you a firm shooting position, and provide a degree of safety behind you.  If you carry a pair of rachet-type pruners in your aresenal, try cutting some shrubs and thin branches to make a natural blind.  Keep in mind you should probably only do this if it can be done with minimal movement and noise.  Be sure to leave yourself a shooting lane where the blind won't hinder necessary movment like swinging your shooting gun from side to side.

 

6.  If you're getting set-up on a roosting site in the early morning hours, try to let the tom gobble on his own.  Then reply with a soft tree yelp just to let him know where you out there.  Try to sound like a hen just waking up.  Don't call too often.  Arouse his curiousity.

 

7.  Once you see that big tom coming into your calls, take a deep breath to calm your nerves a still your racing heartbeat.  The sight of a big tom doing the "herky jerky" lustily looking for a hen with his periscope neck fully extended is enough to make even the most seasoned turkey hunter turn to mush. 

 

8.  Wait for that big tom to stop and periscope his head straight and tall.  Once he provides you a good shot, gently squeeze the trigger.  Hopefully, if all goes well you are celebrating another successful turkey hunt.  Or maybe its your first!  Anyways, congratulations!