Ohio Valley Outdoors Magazine

Taking high pressured turkeys
By Michael Gordon

Location, location, location. We’ve all heard the saying. The businessman’s credo being the key to success. Well hunting turkeys successfully is all about location too. Being in the right place with the right set up is half the battle. Knowing where turkeys live, what they eat, and when they eat is an arsenal of weaponry when it comes to killing high pressured gobblers.

Turkeys eat all day long. Most people don’t see them because they don’t look for them. Any time I’m in the woods I look for turkey signs. The late deer season is an excellent time to find areas turkeys are feeding and roosting. This past muzzleloading season not a morning went by I didn’t hear turkeys on the roost. They weren’t always in the same trees but they were always close to the same core area. Listening to them as I still hunted for whitetail I kept track of the movement and made mental notes as to which direction they traveled and why. Almost every morning they headed to a picked corn field. I knew they would eventually hit the corn but I also knew in the spring there wouldn’t be a picked corn field there.

Fortunately I know the farmer who plants the crops in this area. Winter wheat or clover would be coming up this spring for sure. Two good feeding areas for turkey. The gentle greening of the fields draws plenty of insects and shoots for the birds to feast on. I’ve watched turkeys feeding across a field hardly ever stopping to mill around. There was so much food available they simply fed continuously as they crossed the field to a wooded ridge.
Knowing where turkeys like to feed is a good starting point when you want to kill a pressured gobbler. Usually later in the season most of the turkeys have heard all the hen yelping they can stand from roadsides and hilltops. Hunters usually hit these areas hard the first week or two. Throwing everything they know at these birds. If I haven’t connected on the first day or two, I let the turkeys tell me what they want. I find the feeding areas and set up between them and the food.
The difficult part is finding the roosting area. Here in Ohio we have to quit hunting at noon. This gives me time to look around a little bit searching for signs of feeding birds. I also use this time to gather some early morels.

There’s nothing better than turkey breast and wild mushrooms.
When I set up between a food source and roost I don’t get right on top of it. My strategy is to let the bird come to me naturally then lure him in for a shot when I know he’s on the way. One of my secrets to getting birds to come my way is cutting. Imitating a mad old hen by using my tube call. When I get a response I try to call in the hens. Then I get set up and let the action begin. If you can get hens in a field or clearing, milling around and feeding, it won’t be long until Mr. Tom shows up. Sometimes he brings all the boys with him. I’ve had five gobblers in full strut, gobbling in unison trying to outdo each other. They didn’t have a clue I was there until I bagged the leader. They still refused to leave until they gave him a good thrashing when he was down. It was an unbelievable sight.

When I set up between feeding and roost sights sometimes it takes a while to have some action. I try to stack the odds in my favor whenever I can. I practice my calling always. I’ve been in my tree stand calling turkeys many times. I just copy what they do. I mimic them and respond to them. The hens always speak up. The dominant hen will scold, cut and yelp. Learn these sounds and use them. When I set up in the pre-dawn I try to envision where the turkeys will fly down. Eventually the turkeys will all fly down. If they decide to fly your way the trip will be short. But usually the smart old hen will fly in the opposite direction away from the new girls she heard fly down in your area. But be patient and stay put. Get comfortable and call only if you use quiet purrs and clucks imitating feeding birds. Tommy knows he’s heard girls in the other direction. If he follows the lead hen, she’ll tire of him soon enough and leave him to feed or actually lay an egg in her nest. This is when the big gobbler will come to investigate. Be very still and watch the approach lanes. If you scouted properly you know which way and what route the birds will take. I’ll say 50% of the time the gobbler will startle you with a gobble. He’s looking for you. It’s amazing how they can pinpoint the yelping. A decoy strategically placed will help at this time. Make the gobbler focus on the hen and not your position.

The decoy situation is tricky. I’ve had them putt and run at the sight of a decoy. Heaven knows why. Other times I’ve had come right in and want to jump on the dumbest looking hen decoy I have. But like all of us turkey hunters we all have a decoy in our vest just in case. Each situation differs, if I feel I don’t need to set a decoy I won’t. With my back against a tree I get low and comfortable so I don’t fidget around. My mouth call is used to yelp at the gobbler when I hear him. Then I wait for the snowball to appear. I’ve been surprised a few times when a bird came in silent. If I wouldn’t have seen the fan open up he would’ve busted me and flew off. Be patient and alert. Watch for movement and listen to the other animals, squirrels like to bark at turkeys for some reason, especially little red squirrels. These little guys make a racket.

And last but not least are the green fields. Turkeys go to the spring fields daily. They might take a different route once they’ve been shot at. But they’ll get to that field eventually. If you can get there first and set up to intercept them, your chances of harvesting a mature gobbler will increase. Here I will say, decoys increase the odds a little bit. When a gobbler sees feeding hens he gets interested. He might gobble from the middle of the field trying to lure them over but at least he’s in the field.