Turkey hunting advice needed please!

[returnofsid]

I've never tried to hunt turkey but would love to give it a go! Needing some advice on archery turkey hunting, with my 8 year old daughter tagging along!  She woke up begging me to take her turkey hunting, quickly bathed, got dressed and said "I'm ready to go hunting!" HAHA  Gotta love her!

We have a blind and a slate pot call that I've been practicing on.   Everything I've read says that we'd be best off being out before daylight.  Unfortunately, that's obviously not an option today.  Is the afternoon/evening time of day as productive as early morning?  I do not have any locator calls or decoys.  I could purchase a decoy or two.  Would I need to purchase 2 (hen/jake) or would just purchasing a hen decoy be acceptable?

I've got an area that I know has a lot of turkeys present, private property so no worries about other hunters.  If we went today, we'd be walking in quietly about mid-day and setting up the blind.  Is it even worth heading out today or would the hunt be blown?

May 14-17, we'll be camping so will have the opportunity to get out before daylight.  Would we be better off just going fishing today, waiting until the camping trip to turkey hunt?

[270Shooter]

I know this is late but I think the afternoon can be productive, especially if your on an area where the birds come through often and they haven't been pressured. If you're going to setup and use a blind I wouldn't worry about the located call since you won't be able to be very mobile anyway. I'd go out and set a hen decoy if that's all you have and call softly but not too much. Or if there is a certain time when you know the birds come through just sit and wait until you hear or see them nearby.

[returnofsid]

By the time we decided to go ahead and go, stopped at Walmart to pick up my turkey tag and a cheap inflatable decoy, it was pouring before we left the store.  The weather was heading north, the direction I planned to hunt.  Wind was blowing like crazy, so I decided not to even waste the hour drive.  Madison was a bit bummed but got over it.  What I really need to do is find somewhere closer to town, Spokane, that would allow me to take her out for a few hours after she gets out of school.  I know there's a lot of turkeys directly north of town, Indian Trail area, but I'm just not sure if that's an area where hunting is allowed.

[bearpaw]

I hope this helps you.

You don't need decoys to call turkeys or hunt turkeys using other methods, I never use decoys, I own a couple dozen and use none of them. I call lots of birds to as close as 10 or 20 yards with no decoys. Save yourself that money!

The blind is perfect for you and your child, one method is to set it up along a meadow with turkey sign and sit quietly. Your odds may be better by not calling than calling and making the wrong sound. On other occasions you can try calling, try hunting both ways.

We kill birds at all times of the day. I would say the early morning accounts for 5 out of 10 birds we take, mid day 3 out of 10, and the afternoon about 2 out of 10 birds.

Call WDFW Region 1 Office and ask if any nearby landowners have turkey problems or might allow turkey hunting. Also ask if any local landowners are in any of the land access programs.

I'll send you a pm with some additional advice.

[returnofsid]

Thanks so much!  I'll follow up on some of the advice, suggestions and leads today!  My daughter's dance schedule definitely puts a damper on our turkey hunting...lol.  She's had competitions or performances every weekend for the past 3 or 4 weeks.  Dance class/practice every day after school except Mondays.  If I'm able to put something together in time, close to home, maybe I'll get her out this afternoon.  Other than that, we have another competition next weekend, then nothing for a few weeks so we'll have a couple weekends open to hunt! She's been practicing on the pot call and actually getting pretty good!  She's super excited to get out, sit in the blind, and start calling.  My problem will be keeping her from calling too much! HAHA.  She's convinced she's going to call a turkey in for dad.