# How do I start to turkey hunt?



## tmiller9661 (Jun 22, 2012)

I have a Remington 870 Wingmaster that I can hunt with. What type of clothes do I need to have ? I deer hunt and small game but no one I know turkey hunts and I'm interested in it.


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## DEDGOOSE (Jan 19, 2007)

There are alot of good folks out there that will help ya and with our tag structure many will take you along.. 

Clothing.. Most folks where camo, not required, turkeys were almost hunted to extinction before the advent of modern camouflage. Sitting still is the most important. 

As for learning. Unlike generations before us there exists many good and no so good learning tools available. 

I would highly recommend you purchase and read this book. Ray provides a great perspective on the turkey and its hunting without alot of the myths and B.S. others will lead you to believe Nothing will teach you what the birds will teach you but will provide a solid foundation in which to build your woods experience with as well as allow you to develop specific questions you can ask here or other places. Here is the book and you can preview it, maybe read the whole thing. 

http://books.google.com/books?id=ukYqfB3PmfIC&printsec=frontcover#v=onepage&q&f=false

Surprisingly Primos Mastering the Art of turkey hunting DVD which can be picked up fairly cheap explains alot of the basics..


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## walkingonwater (Jan 11, 2010)

This is only my 4th season coming up in the spring and started from scratch as it sounds you may. Unsuccessful my first year but since then have had the nourishment of turkey breasts the other two seasons. In otherwords, still a beginner as well. 
This site and certain individuals in these forums are what have controlled my learning curve. Dedgoose being one of them, and there are others. (No, I don't know him, but from the info he shared in the past, I keep my ears open). You will figure out the good sources of info from the curve balls in a matter of a season or so.

Just a few things I've done, and I am also from the roots of a small game/deer hunter...

Do your homework, now, and again come spring. Browse some of these forums throughout the winter. Get your feet wet mentally. Come preseason, do it again. Only at that time its more of a review.

Learn the Basics of turkey calling (video, internet, friends)

lots of research, the more research you do, I feel the better your chances are for success. Research the land you're hunting, the type of calls that are available, camo, turkey loads, scouting etc. Research, research, research.

Once you get rollin' it'll be hard to walk away from it!


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## FireDoc66 (Oct 9, 2005)

Drop me a PM when it gets closer to season, and if schedules can work out I'd be more than happy to help you out.


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## Mitchell Ulrich (Sep 10, 2007)

APPLICATION DATE: Jan 1st ~Feb 1st. Easy to forget.


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## ezcaller (Feb 21, 2009)

If I read your post right you have had success two out of four years. Sounds like a good start to me. If you have a place to hunt that holds turkeys your biggest battle is over. Your every day encounters while in the field will be your best teacher and the thing I call the Calling Connection will bring you back each year.


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## woodsman52 (Apr 29, 2012)

just starting out,keep it simple.find the right choke and shell for your gun.you might only get one shot,and seeing how with a turkey,the head shot is most common,you want to make it count.pick up a decent quality box call and practice basic turkey talk,such as the yelp,cluck,etc.dont get crazy on cammo,get some medium weight pants and shirt.get them on the large side so you can wear any color under clothes on a colder day.and one lesson,i have always remembered,is just when your patience,butt and back are screaming for you to get up,wait another ten minutes and good things can happen.do your homework,put in your time,learn from your mistakes and you will be holding your first bird in no time.good luck.


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## john warren (Jan 25, 2005)

you know,,a couple years ago i wanted to try it. so i askeed the same question. i was refered to ahead shrinker to try to talk me out of it,,,,,lol.

no actualy the michigan wild turkey federation, i think is the name, holds a seminar sometime between now and spring, where you can learn a lot, ask experianced hunters questions, learn some calling. look up their website and send them an email. as i recall the one i went to was near grand rapids , and was a great deal of fun.


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## john warren (Jan 25, 2005)

here is a site. theget together for this year should be posted in am month or so, usually the end of march.

http://www.mwtha.net/events.html


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## buck11pt24 (Mar 11, 2007)

One of the most important things I found is to scout. Find where the birds roost and where they go hang out after fly down. I would prefer to hunt where I watch them after flydown then to try to set up on their roost. Also is nice to have more than 1 property. Even the worst callers in the woods will kill a gobbler every yr if they scout and are in the place the birds want to be. If you can't sit still, pop up a blind. You can bring the blind out with you each time as it won't spook the birds, just make sure you get it set up before light if you are within site of the roosted birds.

Oh and most importantly.....DON'T MOVE UNTIL YOU ARE READY TO SHOOT! I've taken people out and when the bird is at 50-60 yards they start moving their gun barrel towards the bird and many times they get picked off and the bird will either boggy out or hang up. 

The more you go and call, the more you will learn. Good luck.


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## jafurnier (Jun 7, 2008)

buck11pt24 said:


> One of the most important things I found is to scout. Find where the birds roost and where they go hang out after fly down. I would prefer to hunt where I watch them after flydown then to try to set up on their roost. Also is nice to have more than 1 property. Even the worst callers in the woods will kill a gobbler every yr if they scout and are in the place the birds want to be. If you can't sit still, pop up a blind. You can bring the blind out with you each time as it won't spook the birds, just make sure you get it set up before light if you are within site of the roosted birds.
> 
> Oh and most importantly.....DON'T MOVE UNTIL YOU ARE READY TO SHOOT!


:

Turkeys are not super tough to get. The most difficult thing is finding birds to hunt. Also, do not overcall.


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## GoneThinkingOutdoors (Dec 31, 2012)

First off...welcome to the Madness...I GUARANTEE the first time you hear a Gobbler hammer back at ya, you will be hooked!! I am a Whitetail Fanatic and never thought I would find anything compare to the rush of Buck Fever but I was wrong!!
As for clothes...good news w/Turkeys, you DONT have to worry about Scent. Bad news...their vision is UNBELIEVABLE so you need to be covered from head to toe, facemask & gloves are essential, even if warm. NO JEWELERY
To start, you got a great gun...go get you a turkey choke and a box of #5 Turkey Shells. As for calls...first thing I recommend is read up and learn their language and what each call is and represents. Get you a box call and a slate call and start practicing. Go to Youtube, where you can find ton of instructional videos on everything about calling. Mouth calls are very hard for beginners but are overall the BEST because (A)makes you "hands free" when birds come in and (B) when you learn to do it correctly, sounds the most realistic. For your first year, I would seriously try to find someone who knows how to call and have them go with you so all you have to worry about is pulling the trigger!! Also, like previous poster mentioned, if you have issues being "Still", get a Ground Blind. Another great thing about Turkey Hunting is you can go sit in the middle of a cornfield and pop up a blind with nothing around ya and stick couple decoys out and Turkeys will come! Unlike Deer, where you gotta brush the blind in real good and allow time for them to get accustomed to it being there. Another great thing about Turkey Hunting is you can go out and have success at anytime during the day cause they are like us, they get up in the morning and run around all day and then go to bed at dark, unlike the bountiful & Nocturnal Whitetail!! 
Although with that said....if you know where the birds roost, position yourself in the nearest field just before daybreak and enjoy the show cause that is where you will see the most action and the most birds. 
Good Luck and once again....I GUARANTEE you will get ADDICTED!!


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