Wild Turkey Hunting
The wild turkey is a North American native and is an extremely cautious bird, flying or running away at the slightest hint of danger. The males of the species are significantly larger than the females and have a featherless, reddish head, and red wattles about the neck and throat. Their ideal environment is in open woodland, where they can fly close to the ground. They tend to forage around ground level, looking for foods such as: acorns, nuts, berries, and small insects, although they have been known to eat small reptiles as well, but this is fairly rare.
Turkey hunting is very popular as a sport, with six different species pursued throughout North America, populating every state, plus parts of Canada and Mexico. The Osceola, Rio Grande, Eastern and Merriam are the most common, followed by the Ocellated and Gould's turkeys. A committed hunter will attempt to successfully shoot at least one from all these categories, and those triumphant earn the tag of world slam member for their efforts.
The wild turkey has extremely good eyesight and hearing, meaning that anything less than 100 yards will almost definitely alert the bird to your presence, so stalking is a pointless exercise. The use of turkey calls does work, but it is imperative that positioning is spot on. You need to sit perfectly still, in a safe vantage point, to give yourself the best chance of a clear shot and also to avoid potential accidental shootings from fellow hunters.
The recommended outfit is a hunters vest with blaze orange panels, which can be displayed when moving around in the field, but hidden when sitting still. Some also take the extra precaution of wearing a ballistic vest to give protection against shotgun blasts. The colors of red, white, and blue should be avoided for varying reasons, as each presents a danger to the hunter, so they should be eliminated from the choice of gear.
There are many factors to consider in order to gain maximum success while hunting for wild turkeys, but there are several that are absolutely crucial. Always make your position identifiable to other hunters, protect your position by hiding behind somewhere substantial like a large tree or rocks. Never stalk the game, positively identify the target and ensure the shooting path is completely clear. Avoid the colors of red, white and blue, otherwise you are wasting your time and additionally putting yourself in danger. A wild turkey is one of the hardest creatures to hunt, so total silence is the order of the day.
Turkey hunting is very popular as a sport, with six different species pursued throughout North America, populating every state, plus parts of Canada and Mexico. The Osceola, Rio Grande, Eastern and Merriam are the most common, followed by the Ocellated and Gould's turkeys. A committed hunter will attempt to successfully shoot at least one from all these categories, and those triumphant earn the tag of world slam member for their efforts.
The wild turkey has extremely good eyesight and hearing, meaning that anything less than 100 yards will almost definitely alert the bird to your presence, so stalking is a pointless exercise. The use of turkey calls does work, but it is imperative that positioning is spot on. You need to sit perfectly still, in a safe vantage point, to give yourself the best chance of a clear shot and also to avoid potential accidental shootings from fellow hunters.
The recommended outfit is a hunters vest with blaze orange panels, which can be displayed when moving around in the field, but hidden when sitting still. Some also take the extra precaution of wearing a ballistic vest to give protection against shotgun blasts. The colors of red, white, and blue should be avoided for varying reasons, as each presents a danger to the hunter, so they should be eliminated from the choice of gear.
There are many factors to consider in order to gain maximum success while hunting for wild turkeys, but there are several that are absolutely crucial. Always make your position identifiable to other hunters, protect your position by hiding behind somewhere substantial like a large tree or rocks. Never stalk the game, positively identify the target and ensure the shooting path is completely clear. Avoid the colors of red, white and blue, otherwise you are wasting your time and additionally putting yourself in danger. A wild turkey is one of the hardest creatures to hunt, so total silence is the order of the day.