For many, restraint can be difficult to control. After all, when you call to a gobbler and he answers, there is a degree of heightened expectation. At the same time your heart begins to race. He gobbles again and it’s hard to believe the bird can’t hear your heart thumping inside your chest. The bird is moving in closer and gobbling along the way. What will happen next?
Often the bird is heard before he is seen. All the while anticipation builds. Possibly the moment of truth is at hand. Thoughts race through your head. Should I call or wait him out? Then suddenly the bird struts into view. At a moment like this it’s hard to remember that patience and restraint needs to be part of the game plan in order to walk out of the woods with your tag on the bird. But this is where so many come unglued and the hunt falls apart.
With the bird on the move and coming to the call, now is the time to put the turkey call away.
Sure it’s fun to call and have the bird respond, at this point all you need to do is let up on the calling and allow the bird come to you. After all, he knows within feet where your last call came from. And if he has responded well and is in view, he is looking for you. Now it’s simply a matter of waiting. At this point all you have to do wait. It’s tempting to call, but why take a chance on spooking the bird?
However there is plenty that can go wrong. The hunter’s movement has to be restrained. If a barrel adjustment needs to be made, it should be done slowly and with careful calculation.
Another factor that comes into play is knowing how to accurately judge distances. When sitting on the ground, one’s perspective changes.
Keep in mind that gobblers stand tall and really look big, even at a distance. But don’t be fooled. Sitting and looking up at the bird makes the turkey seem larger than he really is.
To help determine distances, use a rangefinder. In most cases the best distance is at about 30 to 40 yards. So before taking a seat, pick out several trees in different directions at equal the proper yardage. When you do, DON’T take the shot until the bird reaches those established waypoints that the bird must reach before squeezing the trigger.
Sure birds can be taken at a greater distance than 30 or 40 yards with extended range shells, 3½ inch magnums along with heavier than lead shot. It can be done. But over time taking long shots will come with a price that will result in losing some birds.
Patience is the key here. Let the bird come in on his terms by not over calling and then shooting when the bird is within a reasonable range.
Like my buddy, Rick Martz, always said, “Just let ‘em walk right down your gun barrel.”
Lately on some of the outdoor hunting shows the hunter is taking the bird while he is in strut. That may look good on TV, but it’s asking for trouble in the field.
The target area on a turkey is the head and neck. Most hunters aim for the area a couple of inches below the lower part of the bird’s head. There are several reasons for this.
First, with the sight on the neck, the bird’s head can be seen and tracked with the bead of the shotgun. This sight picture then allows for changes as necessary. Second, it places the shot pattern in the middle of the target area which is the head and neck area.
The problem when shooting a bird while he is in strut is that the turkey’s head and neck are tucked back into the bird’s feathers. When the neck is in this position, there is less to shoot at. Again, it may look good on TV, but in the field, well, that’s a different story.
Every year at the beginning of the season you’ll hear hunters say, “The birds are done.”
Let’s face it, there are times when gobbling just doesn’t happen for one reason or another, but it’s not because the birds are “done”.
There are up to four gobbling peaks that turkeys go through beginning in late February and continuing until the end of June. The photo period controls this activity with sunlight entering the bird’s eye and triggering the pituitary gland, which in turn drives the bird’s mating activity.
Even though the birds may not be gobbling when you think they should, nature has its own plan, and sometimes it means being patient and not giving up. The vast majority of the big birds I have taken were a result of hunting the second half of the season.
As the season progress, things will change. One factor from the beginning of the season to the end is the foliage. That alone will change how birds are heard while on the roost compared with when they hit the ground. Simply put, the foliage will alter the way the birds are heard.
Gobbler season holds a lot of promise this year, but regardless of where and when you hunt, remember to make persistence and patience part of your hunt.
Pennsylvania’s annual youth spring turkey hunt will be held on April 21st.
Properly licensed junior hunters and mentored youth can participate.
A week later, on April 28th, all hunters can head into Penn’s Woods in pursuit of spring gobblers.
Personally I look forward to it.
Charlie Burchfield is an active member and past president of the Pennsylvania Outdoor Writers Association, an active member of the Professional Outdoor Media Association, Outdoor Writers Assoc. of America and the Mason-Dixon Outdoor Writers. Gateway Outdoors e-mail is GWOutdoors@comcast.net