Don't make these beginner turkey hunting mistakes! What are some other mistakes to avoid? Let me know down in the comments! #turkeyhunting #turkey #rookiemistakes
Here's an experience for you back in the mid 90's when I was deer hunting this awesome woodlot on my grandparents farm !! I was all set up for ground blind deer hunting all decked out in camo garb as usual sitting on a 5 gallon bucket just before daybreak so around 5 30 am and good cold but excited for the morning's hunt and wouldn't you know it at daybreak here comes flying and flopping out of the stand of trees above me a whole gang of turkeys flying out of roost which was an awesome sight to behold but needless to say I saw no deer that half a day's hunt but sure did enjoy that wildlife experience and to top it off I was totally unaware of this turkey roosting spot !!!!
Only been turkey hunting once and literally, on the way out, I jumped a turkey after all day of not seeing anything. It's crazy how close you can be without even realizing it.
Another mistake is calling to much. People think he is gobbling that means to keep calling louder and more so he will come in. You want to stop calling for. 15 20 minutes and see if he will work your way then call softer as he gets closer
Agree. When I started 31 years ago it was definitely the hardest thing for me. I would watch hunting tapes and they called constantly, didn't think about the editing of the tape. Always thought best way to learn was from your mistakes.
Just started this week usually at this time of the year iam working. I only use a smoothbore flintlock . I had 9 Gobblers not Jake's come in .This was unbelievable. I got so excited i tried a long shot and was using not enough powder. I had gun set up for rabbit and squirrels. Lesson learned take a good shot and use plenty of black powder. Like 100 grains of 2f. In a 54 cailber flintlock. I have been back two more times no luck seeing anything. I know that was a once in a lifetime hunt that 1st day to see all them gobblers and none never gobbled either they just appeared like God or something .
I'm literally just did number two. Mainly because I forgot my boots and didn't realize until I got to where I was going. I went out anyways and it was a mistake.
My buddy and I did the same thing. Going to do a double on whitetail. It would have been my first buck (little guy) and he was going to take the doe so I could get my first buck and my gun clicked and his went off because I didn’t rack a shell in my 12 gauge. This was way back when I we was like 13 so 30 years ago. At the time I was so mad at myself but he lightened the mood by giving me such a hard time that we just had to laugh and after dragging the deer out a mile we was both kinda glad we only put one on the ground. At 13 years old we was still pretty small kids lol
This is my first year hunting turkeys and I did everything perfect and the Tom seen my decoy he started running and I got my bow ready, he then stops dead in his tracks and three deer come running full speed straight twords him and he made a b line for the other property.. Let's just say I'm targeting them deer this fall😂😂
I use some form of blind. Almost never fails. I will hear them come from the right. They shut up and they sneak around me or just another bird comea out behind on the other side. I am using a ground blind for the first morning hunt. I then carry a camo mesh in my bag for later hunts. When I dont have one. A small pine tree works good. Use the land to hide. Good luck.
Yesterday, we had a tom in the field behind us about 100ish yards away and he was hung up. We called to him and didn't move a muscle. He stayed there just strutting and gobbling. My brother got impatient and decided to try and crawl after him. It was a big mistake and the tom started to make a break for it. He shot up and sent three rounds down range towards the bird but it was already too late.
Hey man , I know this video is not about calling, but I just wanted to know when I should cluck at a turkey or Yelp at one, I always see guides clucking and yelping but can’t notice a pattern, and it can be a bit confusing for a beginner like me
I think clucks by themselves are best when you can see the bird. Yelps for when you can’t see them. You can and should mix a few clucks in your yelps for realism. I will say though that everyone has their own cadence for calling. It’s more art than science.
Another rule is being more aggressive in your style of hunting will kill you more turkeys than being less aggressive how much more aggressive will depend on each individual situation and only experience will teach you how aggressive to be but BE AGGRESSIVE BUT you MUST learn the difference between acting irrationally due to inpatients (mistake) and acting aggressively based on the conditions and circumstances of each individual situation and your experience Been turkey hunting for 35 years and enjoyed BARELY a 50% success rate my first 6 or 7 seasons and was hunting good turkey properties then I got much more aggressive in being willing to always if at all possible set up no further (or closer) than 65-75 yards from a roosted bird or birds and do not hesitate to relocate if your gut tells you to and if conditions allow and hes close enough go after and get as close to within 150 yards or less of a gobbling bird as you can I become more aggressive and in my last 26 seasons have enjoyed a 90%+ success rate in multiple states In short I learned to become as aggressive as the conditions would allow me to without spooking the birds Second rule is LEARN to judge how far a Tom is by his gobbles And learn to tell the difference between when he's gobbling on the roost and on rhe ground Also wind direction is HUGE in misleading you into misjudging how far or near a turkey is you hear gobbling The wind affecting sound can and WILL be very deceiving Just a few days ago while hunting on public ground on a field edge that at least 4-5 Toms were roosted less than 200 yards off of (the woods were so badly overgrown with thorn bushes and underbrush and the topography so severe getting closer without spooking them wasn't possible and the brush so thick your field of view was much to limited to set up in the woods) and gobbled that moring then about 9:30 I heard a turkey gobbling behind me to the south south east of me I was facing dead west and the wind (less than 10mph) was easr south east based on the volume of his gobbles I judged him (as it turned out an overestimating and incorrectly) to be at least 250 yards away east south east of me I was told by my friends who knew that area of the two spots where turkeys most often tended to enter the field I was sitting in one and the other which was about 150 yards to my right/south of me and the same direction the gobbling was coming from my gut SCREAMED move to that location but I had a turkey decoy out and in past expenses I felt if the toms came out in the field they would come to my decoy and be in range so I stayed put BIG MISTAKE as first one then another soonfour Toms in all came out pretty much exactly where my friends said they usually did Using my LRF I determined the Toms were about 150-160 yards from me I called and got one Tom to come about 25-30 yards closer but still more than double of my gun and loads effective range no doubt all four Toms saw my hen decoy but it didn't matter They all gobbled well back to my calls and looked my way do doubt saw my decoy but they all fallowing a wooded point crossed tge field into the woods and out of my life What astonished me most was despite turkeys being only about max 160 yards to the south of me sounded much farther from me (I would've guessed 250 yards at least) because of the turkeys locatin to my south and a wind directly in my face so I learned after 35 turkey seasons and hearing 10s of thousands of gobbles if I don't carefully consider the impact wind has on sound I can and WILL badly misjudge how far or near a turkey is to me Secondly for the remainder of my turkey hunting life if ever my gut tells me to relocate I'm going to do so If I had listened to my gut and the amount of information that justified relocating those four Tome would've literally popped out of the woods with in spitting distance of me vs way out of range Also I failed to correctly interpret the info my friends gave me about where the turkeys most often crossed the field combined with the long wooded point they used to cross the field and even if I didn't know this info my experience should and did tell me the toms coming from that direction if they came out in the field would pick that area to enter the field from and then if they crossed the field would use the wooded point to do so my lack of being aggressive and ignoring what my gut instinct of 35 turkey seasons had taught me cost me to not fill my tag Live hunt and learn I will not make those same mistakes again if ever
I dont agree with some of what you said. 1. You forgot to add ober calling. 2. When you have birds hung up a ling way out or moving the opposite direction a good idea is to get up and move try to cut them off or just chnage positions. I cannot tell you how many hung up birds have died by my shotgun from a simple 50-100 yard move. Sometimes on a tough hung up gobbler I will actually move back 40-50 yards sit down and call and they come in thinking you will leave. 3. Decoys and decoy position. Decoys work amaziby when used correctly
Big thing I learned is if you don't think you have a shot don't take it. If you wait they might leave but at least there's a chance they come back. And you won't wound the poor bird instead of killing it.
Washington Department of Wildife and Forestry states that turkey hunters need to call their turkeys in instead of stalking because stalking creates dangerous situations where a hunter could accidentally shoot another hunter calling in a Turkey. We have to remember that we are not alone when he hunt.
New subscriber here. Love your video, lots of great advice! We have a similar UA-cam channel if you want to check it out, "Hunt and Gather With the Chatters".
Here's an experience for you back in the mid 90's when I was deer hunting this awesome woodlot on my grandparents farm !! I was all set up for ground blind deer hunting all decked out in camo garb as usual sitting on a 5 gallon bucket just before daybreak so around 5 30 am and good cold but excited for the morning's hunt and wouldn't you know it at daybreak here comes flying and flopping out of the stand of trees above me a whole gang of turkeys flying out of roost which was an awesome sight to behold but needless to say I saw no deer that half a day's hunt but sure did enjoy that wildlife experience and to top it off I was totally unaware of this turkey roosting spot !!!!
And never set up with the sun in your face, it's just a natural spotlight shining on you.
Only been turkey hunting once and literally, on the way out, I jumped a turkey after all day of not seeing anything. It's crazy how close you can be without even realizing it.
That’s one of those things that’ll make you want to quit turkey hunting lol
Another mistake is calling to much. People think he is gobbling that means to keep calling louder and more so he will come in. You want to stop calling for. 15 20 minutes and see if he will work your way then call softer as he gets closer
This was the hardest thing for me. Got to learn when to call and when to shut up.
Had that exact situation this am.
Agree. When I started 31 years ago it was definitely the hardest thing for me. I would watch hunting tapes and they called constantly, didn't think about the editing of the tape. Always thought best way to learn was from your mistakes.
First one here, and I hope these will help this year!
I hope so too! Good luck!
This helped this is my first year going and very nervous trying to be confident but keep shaking and scared
Don’t be nervous! You’ll make mistakes and learn along the way. It’s all part of it! Let me know how your first hunt goes!
Just started this week usually at this time of the year iam working. I only use a smoothbore flintlock . I had 9 Gobblers not Jake's come in .This was unbelievable. I got so excited i tried a long shot and was using not enough powder. I had gun set up for rabbit and squirrels. Lesson learned take a good shot and use plenty of black powder. Like 100 grains of 2f. In a 54 cailber flintlock. I have been back two more times no luck seeing anything. I know that was a once in a lifetime hunt that 1st day to see all them gobblers and none never gobbled either they just appeared like God or something .
Thanks!
I'm literally just did number two. Mainly because I forgot my boots and didn't realize until I got to where I was going. I went out anyways and it was a mistake.
My buddy and I did the same thing. Going to do a double on whitetail. It would have been my first buck (little guy) and he was going to take the doe so I could get my first buck and my gun clicked and his went off because I didn’t rack a shell in my 12 gauge. This was way back when I we was like 13 so 30 years ago. At the time I was so mad at myself but he lightened the mood by giving me such a hard time that we just had to laugh and after dragging the deer out a mile we was both kinda glad we only put one on the ground. At 13 years old we was still pretty small kids lol
This is my first year hunting turkeys and I did everything perfect and the Tom seen my decoy he started running and I got my bow ready, he then stops dead in his tracks and three deer come running full speed straight twords him and he made a b line for the other property.. Let's just say I'm targeting them deer this fall😂😂
Hey man can I use a camo blind or do you recommend just a cushion and leaning on a tree (obviously sitting down)
Just sitting on the ground works just fine! You just have to be more careful with your movements
I use some form of blind. Almost never fails. I will hear them come from the right. They shut up and they sneak around me or just another bird comea out behind on the other side. I am using a ground blind for the first morning hunt. I then carry a camo mesh in my bag for later hunts. When I dont have one. A small pine tree works good. Use the land to hide. Good luck.
I love sitting in the turkey woods regardless birds or no birds.
Leaving patience back in the truck.
Yes that's a problem for me I've got up and scare them off coming to me as with lots of people
Yesterday, we had a tom in the field behind us about 100ish yards away and he was hung up. We called to him and didn't move a muscle. He stayed there just strutting and gobbling. My brother got impatient and decided to try and crawl after him. It was a big mistake and the tom started to make a break for it. He shot up and sent three rounds down range towards the bird but it was already too late.
Yeah the best thing may have been to give him the silent treatment.
Hey man , I know this video is not about calling, but I just wanted to know when I should cluck at a turkey or Yelp at one, I always see guides clucking and yelping but can’t notice a pattern, and it can be a bit confusing for a beginner like me
I think clucks by themselves are best when you can see the bird. Yelps for when you can’t see them. You can and should mix a few clucks in your yelps for realism. I will say though that everyone has their own cadence for calling. It’s more art than science.
One of the biggest ones I see is using alarm calls to try and lure a tom in.
That patterning comment!!!!!!! TELL EM AGAIN!!!!
Another rule is being more aggressive in your style of hunting will kill you more turkeys than being less aggressive how much more aggressive will depend on each individual situation and only experience will teach you how aggressive to be but BE AGGRESSIVE
BUT you MUST learn the difference between acting irrationally due to inpatients (mistake) and acting aggressively based on the conditions and circumstances of each individual situation and your experience
Been turkey hunting for 35 years and enjoyed BARELY a 50% success rate my first 6 or 7 seasons and was hunting good turkey properties then I got much more aggressive in being willing to always if at all possible set up no further (or closer) than 65-75 yards from a roosted bird or birds and do not hesitate to relocate if your gut tells you to and if conditions allow and hes close enough go after and get as close to within 150 yards or less of a gobbling bird as you can
I become more aggressive and in my last 26 seasons have enjoyed a 90%+ success rate in multiple states
In short I learned to become as aggressive as the conditions would allow me to without spooking the birds
Second rule is LEARN to judge how far a Tom is by his gobbles
And learn to tell the difference between when he's gobbling on the roost and on rhe ground
Also wind direction is HUGE in misleading you into misjudging how far or near a turkey is you hear gobbling
The wind affecting sound can and WILL be very deceiving
Just a few days ago while hunting on public ground on a field edge that at least 4-5 Toms were roosted less than 200 yards off of (the woods were so badly overgrown with thorn bushes and underbrush and the topography so severe getting closer without spooking them wasn't possible and the brush so thick your field of view was much to limited to set up in the woods) and gobbled that moring then about 9:30 I heard a turkey gobbling behind me to the south south east of me I was facing dead west and the wind (less than 10mph) was easr south east based on the volume of his gobbles I judged him (as it turned out an overestimating and incorrectly) to be at least 250 yards away east south east of me
I was told by my friends who knew that area of the two spots where turkeys most often tended to enter the field I was sitting in one and the other which was about 150 yards to my right/south of me and the same direction the gobbling was coming from my gut SCREAMED move to that location but I had a turkey decoy out and in past expenses I felt if the toms came out in the field they would come to my decoy and be in range so I stayed put
BIG MISTAKE as first one then another soonfour Toms in all came out pretty much exactly where my friends said they usually did
Using my LRF I determined the Toms were about 150-160 yards from me
I called and got one Tom to come about 25-30 yards closer but still more than double of my gun and loads effective range no doubt all four Toms saw my hen decoy but it didn't matter
They all gobbled well back to my calls and looked my way do doubt saw my decoy but they all fallowing a wooded point crossed tge field into the woods and out of my life
What astonished me most was despite turkeys being only about max 160 yards to the south of me sounded much farther from me (I would've guessed 250 yards at least) because of the turkeys locatin to my south and a wind directly in my face so I learned after 35 turkey seasons and hearing 10s of thousands of gobbles if I don't carefully consider the impact wind has on sound I can and WILL badly misjudge how far or near a turkey is to me
Secondly for the remainder of my turkey hunting life if ever my gut tells me to relocate I'm going to do so
If I had listened to my gut and the amount of information that justified relocating those four Tome would've literally popped out of the woods with in spitting distance of me vs way out of range
Also I failed to correctly interpret the info my friends gave me about where the turkeys most often crossed the field combined with the long wooded point they used to cross the field and even if I didn't know this info my experience should and did tell me the toms coming from that direction if they came out in the field would pick that area to enter the field from and then if they crossed the field would use the wooded point to do so my lack of being aggressive and ignoring what my gut instinct of 35 turkey seasons had taught me cost me to not fill my tag
Live hunt and learn
I will not make those same mistakes again if ever
Great story and advice. Probably the longest comment I've ever read but worth it. Thanks for sharing
Don’t call too much!
Soild video
I dont agree with some of what you said. 1. You forgot to add ober calling.
2. When you have birds hung up a ling way out or moving the opposite direction a good idea is to get up and move try to cut them off or just chnage positions. I cannot tell you how many hung up birds have died by my shotgun from a simple 50-100 yard move. Sometimes on a tough hung up gobbler I will actually move back 40-50 yards sit down and call and they come in thinking you will leave.
3. Decoys and decoy position. Decoys work amaziby when used correctly
Thanks for your comment! I do have other videos that cover those mistakes as well.
Big thing I learned is if you don't think you have a shot don't take it. If you wait they might leave but at least there's a chance they come back. And you won't wound the poor bird instead of killing it.
A lot of times they’ll present you with a better shot.
Washington Department of Wildife and Forestry states that turkey hunters need to call their turkeys in instead of stalking because stalking creates dangerous situations where a hunter could accidentally shoot another hunter calling in a Turkey. We have to remember that we are not alone when he hunt.
Yeah the popular fanning tactic has gotten a few people shot.
Store's turkey's !!!!
Bullshit you don't show the shooting
dont bring your wife,she cant sit still,or be quiet,blah blah blah😬😬😬
New subscriber here. Love your video, lots of great advice! We have a similar UA-cam channel if you want to check it out, "Hunt and Gather With the Chatters".