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turkey for beginners?

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Guy:
I don't know much of anything about turkey hunting, but there seems to be a growing population of 'em here in Washington State.

Would like to try it out. Where can I learn more about it or can somebody here brief me on the basics.

I've got a good 12 gauge, and have hunted deer & upland game as well as waterfowl over the years. Tried turkey hunting once or twice many years ago when I was stationed on the east coast but never got the hang of it.

Are only male turkeys legal? I've stumbled across turkeys when I've been out hiking and mountain biking, and deer hunting, but what kind of area and food supply do they favor?

I'd imagine I want to use some kind of pretty stout load in the 12 gauge, and likely a tight choke? It's a Beretta 690.

Thanks, Guy

jackelope:
i learned enough to kill 2 birds my first year hunting by just reading and surfing the net, looking at forums and talking to people who knew more than me about it. theres lots of birds in the southeast and northeast corners, a few around cle elum, liberty areas, the klickitat, etc. they're spreading like wildfire. i shoot 3" mag #6 turkey loads( i forget the brand name) through a primo's jelly head choke tube. that pattern works real well for me.
i bought a primo's cd and practiced in my truck while driving so my wife wouldn't beat the sense out of me. another good site to look at is www.treetopturkeys.com for a sampling of what all the calls sound like. i think you can buy a cd from them too. there's a few basic calls to learna dn know and anything more than the basics would probably help but i wouldn't say you need to know them to kill turkeys. only turkeys with visible beards are legal during the spring season...which is the only season i've hunted them.
huntingnet.com has a very active turkey hunting forum that i frequented for info as well...
http://www.huntingnet.com/forum/tt.aspx?forumid=4

it's very addicitve so be careful. in the last 2 years i have aquired probably 25-30 different calls, decoys, vests, camo, etc etc etc....it's a total blast to hunt turkeys.

Shadow Cat:
I would pretty well mirror what Jackelope has to say. I sent you a PM and I hope it helps you some. I have been hunting them for a while now and have a fair amount of calls and decoys as well. A good vest is something you should have. Make sure it has enough pockets to keep your calls in and keep the QUIET when you are not using them and has a good seat attached to it.

I play with my calls all year long so I can keep the edge and get better at using them. I frequently use 2 calls at the same time making diffrent sounds so the birds think that there is more than one bird. I use a crow and owl call for locating the birds and then work them with my other calls.

Find a locale chapter of the NWTF. They are a great resource for information.

Guy:
PM was very helpful, thanks!

Am already starting to soak up whatever I can read here and elsewhere. I enjoy learning new stuff - and this is going to be very new to me.

Regards, Guy

300wsm:
Shoot them in the head or they will run/fly off.  I speak from experience.

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