First year hunting

[jtwolf22]

Hi all,

  This will be my first year hunting Turkey. I am heading out to scout my area (Klickitat) on Friday, and already have some areas pinned on Onx from winter where I saw a few flocks. I luckily have been able to get the 14th, 15th, and 16th off work.

I have a diaphram call and feel like I am pretty decent with it compared to the youtube videos I've watched. I do also have one bent over hen decoy.

I patterned my shotgun on Monday and feel like I could easily kill a bird out to 60 yds, but will likely not take any shots past 45yds.

I am looking for any advice/tips you seasoned hunters can give me.

One specific I am curious about, is that I'm sure I'm going to run into several other hunters on opening day. What is the etiquette when being around other hunters, and how do I make sure I don't set up in someone's line of fire, especially if we're all heading out into the dark?

Any and all advice + criticism welcome.

Thank you all!

[baldopepper]

Best advice I can give is get out there and enjoy,!!  Turkey hunting is like most other hunting, you learn more from your mistakes than you do from your success. I'm sure you've read or watched the multitude of info out there on the internet or tv and probably would just be redundant to try to detail on a single post. Only single word of advice I can give when turkey hunting is patience. Many  new hunters give up and move around when birds are not coming as quickly as they'd like or have gone totally quiet- give them that extra 10-15 minutes even when you're sure you wanna move. Paid off a lot for me. As far as meeting other hunters, I kinda  use the old golden rule, keeps my conscience clean. After the long winter a few days out in the woods chasing spring turkeys is great-getting one is just frosting on the cake.

[10Key]

Beautiful country you will hunting, especially in the spring. that being said, the time I have spent over there chasing turkeys taught me that the birds seem to be very local. I would cover ground, be on the look out for fresh sign. Even better would be to be-friend a local to get intel

[ducks4days]

Just do the exact opposite of what I do and you're sure to whack a bird or two this year.

Being around other hunters, just give them plenty of space. If you see somebody working toward you or even working your decoys, make a really terrible call on whatever you use to get shock gobbles to let them know you're there. They will usually recognize that no living animal would make that kind of noise and realize there is another hunter nearby. Its not a bad idea to chat for a minute and figure out eachothers plans so you can avoid ruining their hunt if you move.