A Few Lingering Questions...

[GreyIC]

Hey folks...completely new to hunting and I figured I'd start with the first general season in 2015 - Turkey!

I have done enough research to feel as comfortable with the process as someone in my position and with my experience can.  I have my shopping list and a list of action items.  I even have a good idea where I want to look for birds.  It's really boiling down to execution, taking notes, and iterating.  I do have a few lingering questions, though, and I'm hoping some of you folks can help out.

How far into the bush do you typically go to get your turkey?  A few hundred yards off a forest service road?  Or do I need to plan on hoofing it?  Obviously, "where the turkey are" but I'm just trying to get an idea for how much hiking I'm looking at so I can plan my time most effectively.

Is Mossy Oak really where it's at?  Or will any camo work?

In the interest of coming to the table with more than hat-in-hand…   

I have found this book seems pretty comprehensive: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0865731314/.  I haven't read it all the way through yet - just skimmed through it and hit some interesting bits - but my quick look suggests it's a great compilation of a lot of the information I have found online.

I am certain considerably more time is spent waiting for the bird (that might not come), but these YouTube videos (here's the first one: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VbWi0BMK81E) were almost immeasurably valuable in showing me what turkey hunting looks like once you're setup.

Thanks in advance for the help!

[Birdguy]

I am by no means an expert but I have killed a few birds over the years, so I will be first to reply but I am sure more experienced and knowledgeable folks will add to it as well. Congrats on getting into hunting by the way  .

The birds really are where you find them. I have had birds that sounded off with the closing of the truck door or the racking of the shotgun  . Generally those are pretty short walk. Others, we have walked for miles and while you can hear them for a  long way they are not playing the game. Other times we just start waking and calling from time to time and never find any birds even though we know they are in the area.
    Camo, I have used all kinds (generally the cheapest I could find at the time) and used different brand(s) than my hunting partner and as long as you are smart about it and it matches the local bush you will be fine. HOLD STILL too!
    Read all you can search this site and be friendly to guys you meet out hunting and you will get what you need more often than not. Good luck and again welcome to the woods.

[MerriamMagician]

Turkey hunting is a great way to introduce yourself to the sport of hunting. I started my hunting career with turkeys also. It has grown into my favorite passion. I could give you a lot of tips as well as others could on this forum, but first, where do you plan on hunting? Eastern WA or Western? If your thinking Eastern WA I would recommend you start with Stevens County. Tons of birds, lots of public land as well as landowners who will let people turkey hunt, and beautiful country. If you don't want to drive that far there are birds in the Teanaway area also. I've never hunted there myself, but I know the birds are there and plenty of other guys hunt there.

If your planning on trying to hunt Western Wa for turkeys, well thats just a whole different ballgame. 

[turkeydancer]

I would also check with Cabelas in Tulalip (and Olympia) and Bass Pro Shops in Tacoma for turkey hunting seminars (you can do that on line under their events) .... I've done around 50 over the last 14 years, but am to busy this year to do any (although I was asked).  They usually have some short seminars at the Sportsmens Shows at the fairgrounds and other venues (Monroe, Puyallup, Seattle, etc).   All those should be happening around this time.  Good luck ....

[GreyIC]

Thanks for the feedback folks!

The NE of the state does appear to be the hot spot and it is on my list.  It is quite a haul though - I'd be driving from the Bellevue/Redmond area.  I had also thought about Klickitat County.  Teanaway would be more convenient, but everything I've read suggests the turkeys are hard(er) to find and that there aren't a lot of public hunting opportunities.  Am I mistaken?  Is Teanaway Community Forest a good spot?

I am considering some seminars - there is a turkey calling seminar at the Central Washington Sportsmen Show in Yakima Feb 20-22.  I am also aware of this event: http://hunting-washington.com/smf/index.php/topic,169502.0.html.  I'll definitely look into the other locations mentioned by turkeydancer.

Thanks again!

[Gobble Doc]

Congrats to going for a gobbler. 

My  would be to try to add a couple days to your trip on the front-end to just do some scouting.  It takes time to first find birds that you can hunt and then some more time to figure out what their patterns are.  Some scouting time is almost a necessity.  Once you figure out what a group of birds tends to do then you can make some educated plans on how to be successful in getting them.  The other dynamic is trying to balance out how much time to stay in one spot and be patient vs. getting up and moving around if nothing is happening.  My kid and I spent a lot of time in a blind our first few years and in retrospect I don't think it was a good idea as I don't think we were set-up in good spots to begin with.  So, I think a combo of staying mobile for some scouting and then setting-up and having patience once you're confident that there are birds around is what you're after. 

[turkeydancer]

    Hunting without success is called scouting .....