As we all know, there are still yet another few weeks of winter left but the anticipation of the signs of green growth announcing the start of spring has filled many hunters like me, and the preparations for the great gobbler hunting have begun. For most hunters this is one of many seasons spent hunting the wild turkey but for some this will be the first time behind the shotgun talking pretty to those fickle toms. A piece of advice for those newcomers, don’t give up!

Wild turkeys have proven to be a challenge in many states for both experienced and new hunters alike. Before my first time out in the woods in search of these elusive birds, I gathered up all the supplies I could, from the outfits, to calls, and even videos and magazines. I practiced daily sitting in front of the television mimicking the sounds and patterns used by the pros, even in the car using my diaphragm calls. Even the best camouflage won’t help much if you can’t call the bird into shooting range. I prepared myself for the upcoming hunts by learning as much as possible about the behavior and routines of my prey. That year proved to be successful after taking my first bird at 18 pounds and sporting a beard of 9.5 inches. Now every year before I enter the woods I follow the same routine by practicing my calls and scouting the area.

It’s amazing how much the hunting conditions and bird behavior can change from year to year so don’t get too situated with your techniques. I often have to make adjustments to my plan, sometimes within the first week of season in order to fill my tags. Take for example the 2004 spring turkey season in my home state of Maryland. In our region of Maryland there is no fall turkey season so our bag limit for the spring season is 2 and generally the birds are quite cooperative and responsive to the calls. My hunting partner and I had planned to hunt the same areas at approximately the same times as we had the previous year. Soon into the hunt, however, we realized the birds were obviously in a different stage in their transition that occurs throughout the mating season. They were not responding to the calls and were much more quiet than usual. Using the tactics we had used the previous year, and had been successful with, did not produce the results we had hoped for.

With only a week left in the season, and trying many different calls and tactics at multiple locations, our tags were still empty. Through the middle of the season we had a few close encounters but due to unfortunate circumstances, (i.e. the birds not coming within range or not presenting us with a good enough shot opportunity), we were left empty handed and open for suggestions. As most experienced turkey hunters can testify, the later in the season it gets, the more difficult it becomes to pull a mature tom away from his ladies.

We decided to change plans and switch to a spot and stalk method. This technique is not recommended for forest hunting because the fallen leaves and sticks tend to give the birds plenty of warning well before they are within shotgun range. In the farms where we had planned to hunt, there were hidden fields joined by small dirt roads winding through the timber that were used to navigate farm equipment to and from each field. From the prints in the mud we could tell these roads were frequented by a number of birds. Using this knowledge we returned with confidence and a new game plan. Slowly walking and observing the field edges and casting the occasional yelp, we finally found what we had bean searching for. With only four days left in the season the first tom was taken. Not much of a trophy but given the circumstances we were happy. Then again, with only two days till the season finale, using the same method we spotted a mature tom strutting for his girlfriends in the middle of a large field. We were able to seal the deal on this very respectable tom as he tried to flee the field edge with his lady friends. Weighing in at 22 pounds and sporting a beard of 10.75 inches he was a dandy (pictured above), and he provided us with a great deal of knowledge on pinning those hard-to-get toms for next time.