turkey
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CAUTION: If sabbing in the field, wear only earth tones and BRIGHT orange. There have been cases where hunters have shot each other because one is wearing a pair of red, white, or blue underwear.
Whistling Turkeys Turkey range throughout North America, with the exception of Alaska, Mexico, and parts of Canada. Turkey can run 12 m.p.h. and fly at 35 m.p.h. for short distances. They live in small flocks with well established social hierarchy. They have sharp hearing and 300 degree vision. Turkey are considered a difficult animal to hunt and are killed primarily for trophy rather than food. Male gobblers are big birds and leave big signs: 18 inch primary feathers, 4.5 inch footprints, long j- shaped droppings. Scratches in the leaves near mast trees tell you where the turkeys have been feeding. Look for drag marks left by wing tips of strutting gobblers: in the dirt or sand they look like a mark you might make by spreading your fingertips and dragging them on the ground. Mark areas where you find plenty of signs on your topo map. Piles of droppings beneath the branches of a tree indicate a roost. Although turkeys do not always roost in exactly the same tree, they often use the same general area. Turkeys prefer hardwood with sturdy, horizontal branches as a roost, but they may spend the night in all kinds of trees, including near-saplings no more than 10 feet tall. Once you have found the turkeys, you can determine their routine. Get out in the woods at dawn and listen for gobbling. Note the direction a tom travels after flying down: he's probably on his way to meet his hens in a particular spot. Glass open fields later on in the morning and you may see him strutting and gobbling at the same time and place every day, too. Hunters will learn his routine and so should you. A hunter will quite possible hide near the roost. Preseason tactics:
During season tactics:
Turkeys don't like bad weather any more than you do; however a light all-day rain, heavy snow, or cold snap does not seem to bother them or the hunters. Sabbing during strong storms or foggy days is not really necessary. Turkey hunters rely on a huge assortment of calls to attract birds to them. Loud noises and unnatural calls will drive the birds away from the area.
Alarm Call Special Note: A saxophone mouth piece is, quite possibly, the most effective anti-bird call ever devised. The squawk produced by these little plastic gems can often be louder than a gunshot. Cheap versions can be purchased for under $20, and plastic reeds are now available that are more durable in the woods. We currently recommend the Tenor or Baritone mouthpiece, though an alto or soprano will work. Reed hardness is not that important, but a med-hard or #3 may more easily produce sound. Info from the hunters:
Five More Secrets From Alex Rutledge For Beginning Turkey Hunters
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