Don’t look now but we’re just a month away from the opening of the spring wild turkey season in Louisiana. Just the thought that season opens in a month has the capacity to make you forget hunting anything else. Those who have discovered the sheer thrill and excitement of turkey hunting will make excuses for letting the trash pile up on the yard and delay breaking up the garden. Spring fishing hardly crosses the minds anymore of this contingent of outdoorsmen and women.
For starters, there is the setting. Being out in the woods as the eastern sky begins glowing is special in itself. Leaning against a tree amid a landscape awash in dogwood and wild azalea blossoms, listening to the wake up call of the first cardinal is part of the drama that is about to unfold.
As dawn breaks, a barred owl calls. Before another owl can answer, the woods reverberate with a sound that sounds something like a handful of bolts rattling around in a tin bucket. It’s loud, it’s dry, it’s raspy. It’s the wake up call of a turkey gobbler. Just getting to hear this sound makes crawling out of a warm bed long before dawn well worth the effort.
For those who will be turkey hunting for the first time this spring, here are some basic tips, words of caution and pointers to help your initial turkey season be rewarding.
CLOTHING – It isn’t necessary to buy a new camouflage wardrobe to hunt turkeys. Your deer hunting camo will usually work, but not if any skin or bright colored clothing are showing. Camouflage headnet and gloves are essential.
FIREARMS – Most hunters recommend a 12 or 20 gauge shotgun with a tight choke, preferably the “extra-full” choke designed specifically for hunting turkeys.
AMMUNITION – Use heavy-load shot shells in a 3 or 3 ½ inch magnum. Some shotguns shoot #4’s best while others pattern #5’s or #6’s better. Fire rounds of several shot sizes at targets to find out which works best for your gun.
CALLS – You don’t have to be an expert to call in a gobbler. One of the simplest for beginners is the box call. By stroking the lid over the lip of the box, realistic turkey sounds can be easily made. Also easy for the neophyte hunter to master is the slate call. Making small ovals with the peg on the slate or glass surface to simulate the yelping of a hen turkey will often gain a gobbler’s attention.
SCOUTING –Spend some time at dawn, listening for birds gobbling from the roost. Walk over your area, taking special note of turkey sightings, tracks, droppings, dusting sites and places where fresh scratching in the leaves indicate feeding sites.
OPENING DAY – Plan to be at a listening point late in the afternoon before the hunt. Listen for turkeys flying to roost. If you’re lucky, you’ll hear the heavier wing-beats of a gobbler. Ideally, he will gobble a time or two before dark, helping you key in on where he will be the following morning.
Before dawn the next day, sneak to within 100 yards or so of where you heard the gobbler. In Louisiana, decoys are legal and a hen or jake decoy placed in an opening near you will help attract a gobbler.
Wait until the cardinals and crows begin calling. Perhaps a barred owl or crow will entice your roosted bird to gobble. If not, try using an owl hooter or if you’re good enough, your natural voice, to trigger a response.
Begin calling softly and sparingly, like a hen turkey might do upon awakening before she flies down. Listen to how the gobbler responds. If your calling excites him, tease him by remaining silent for several minutes; this piques his curiosity sometimes to the point that he will fly down and check you out. Calling too often will usually result in the gobbler remaining on his roost, waiting for the excited hen he hears to present herself. If he doesn’t see her, he’ll likely lose interest and go the other way after flying down.
THINK SAFETY –Choose a set-up with your back against a tree wider than your shoulders. Never attempt to sneak up on a gobbling bird; it may be another hunter. Also, as you slip through the woods, a nearby hunter may mistake you for the gobbler. Should you see another hunter moving your way, call out loudly to him to alert him to your position. Never wear the colors of red, white or blue, the colors of a gobbler’s head.
Follow these tips and you might discover a new sport that’ll last a lifetime.