New turkey hunter

[Gobble Doc]

I'm new to the board here.  I took my 2 kids turkey hunting the opening weekend up in the NE section of WA for 3 days.  I studied up where to look for birds best I could and got lots of maps.  Bottom line is that we spent hours driving around, walking, calling, more driving, and doing at least as much scouting as hunting.  In the end my kids counted about 50 birds that we saw but 80% were on private property.  The other 20% looked like mainly hens.  My conclusions included the following: for calling may have been scaring more birds rather than attracting; we would do well to meet some private owners in the off season before the fall; and next time I'm tempted to leave the calls at home and take a more "tactical" approach; and lastly the game reserves had many fewer birds than private property.   Does this sound like a normal first experience or should anyone spending 3 days in the most "turkey rich" region of WA expect to at least get a shot off at a bird?  Thoughts?   

[fishunt247]

More preperation before the season and you might have had a different experience. Stalking turkeys is pretty dangerous and not advised, and it would be like hunting a 20 pound grouse...not that enjoyable. Calling is the funnest way to go. Practice with your calls a lot before the season. Like everything, proficiency takes time.

[johng]

Howdy!

Fairly similar experience for me too dude.  I was in NE Washington and didn't see hardly any birds but did hear some Toms or Jakes gobble back.  I did some driving around the logging roads (where I saw other hunters doing the same) but spent most of my time sitting behind my ground blind where I knew / thought turkeys would be.  Alas, none came close enough to see my decoys (I think I need to learn a slate call and not just a box call) but it was still a lot of fun. 

Oh, I did do a fair amount of hiking but time spent was first:

1) Waiting behind ground blind and calling

2) Hiking

3) Driving around / talking to locals

I can't wait to shoot my first gobbler!

Good luck and let's keep at it!

[KimberRich]

More preperation before the season and you might have had a different experience. Stalking turkeys is pretty dangerous and not advised, and it would be like hunting a 20 pound grouse...not that enjoyable. Calling is the funnest way to go. Practice with your calls a lot before the season. Like everything, proficiency takes time.

I agree with the pre-season preperation but disagree with the stalking.  If the birds are henned up or are unwilling to come to a call are you supposed to just sit in your blind and hope one walks by?  I agree calling them in is the most enjoyable but early in the season they don't always want to cooperate.  If I hear a gobble I head straight for it and close the distance to 75 yards or less.  I generally hunt private land so don't have the issue of stalking another hunter but if I were on public land I would definitely be more careful.

[fishunt247]

If the birds are henned up or are unwilling to come to a call are you supposed to just sit in your blind and hope one walks by?

Get out of your blind, man. Run and gun until you find a bird that isn't henned up, or is willing to break from his hens, or a group that you can call the hens with the gobbler in tow. Not ALL of the gobblers are henned up. If you aren't out there to call one in, to have that conversation with the turkey, seems like a lot of money and effort to just go walk one down.

And I'd be willing to bet most of us hunt on public ground, thus making stalking birds inadvisable. Say you stalk a bird that someone else is already working, sneak to 30 yards, but oh there is a man in full camo sitting 20 yards on the other side of the bird...sounds like a very dangerous crossfire situation.

[Gobble Doc]

Thanks for the advice.  I'll continue to listen to the CD and practice the calls.  Also won't be doing much stalking at least on public land because some guys were firing really close to us and it was enough to convince me that not everyone out there is using a lot of common sense or good judgement.  It seems a lot like steelhead fishing to me.  Took me a long time to get my first fish but then you slowly start to figure out what to look for...  I can't wait to spend more time with my kids doing this and trying to get our first.   

[Intruder]

Forget the tactical/stalking approach altogether.  Dangerous for you and others.  Stick to calling, it's effective and way more exciting and gratifying!!

[PA BEN]

Get out on a high point in the evening and sit until dark, listen for gobbles at dark give load cuts with a box call to strike a gobble. Nothing wrong w/run and gun. If they don't come to you go and kill them. BTW, you will get busted a lot but it dose work.

[Intruder]

Get out on a high point in the evening and sit until dark, listen for gobbles at dark give load cuts with a box call to strike a gobble. Nothing wrong w/run and gun. If they don't come to you go and kill them. BTW, you will get busted a lot but it dose work.

Point of clarification.... Run and Gun is OK (prolly my favorite way to hunt em) but it's not stalking.  It just means you're moving a lot trying to locate a workable active gobbler.  You find one, move into position, setup, and call it in. 

[KimberRich]

If the birds are henned up or are unwilling to come to a call are you supposed to just sit in your blind and hope one walks by?

Get out of your blind, man. Run and gun until you find a bird that isn't henned up, or is willing to break from his hens, or a group that you can call the hens with the gobbler in tow. Not ALL of the gobblers are henned up. If you aren't out there to call one in, to have that conversation with the turkey, seems like a lot of money and effort to just go walk one down.

And I'd be willing to bet most of us hunt on public ground, thus making stalking birds inadvisable. Say you stalk a bird that someone else is already working, sneak to 30 yards, but oh there is a man in full camo sitting 20 yards on the other side of the bird...sounds like a very dangerous crossfire situation.

That's what I was trying to say..      Wasn't asking if I should sit in a blind.  Don't even own one.  Not sure what birds you've hunted but I've yet to "just go walk one down".   I don't think I'd hunt them if it was that easy.

I agree that a crossfire situation would be dangerous and much more probable on public land.  I just haven't seen a lot of guys 20 yards from a bird, in full camo,  just sitting there hanging out long enough for someone to stalk up on the bird, and not shooting.         There are a lot of crazies out there though that only care about filling a tag so I can see where dangerous situations can happen.  I've found it's not that tough to gain private access with a little leg work and knocking on a few doors. 

[Gobble Doc]

Thanks again.  I think for our first try we were probably doing a lot of learning.  At one point we were on a steep logging road when I heard a gobble out my drivers window.  Rather than keep driving and walking back quietly we made the mistake of parking there and then trying to call.  I look at our first trip as a success because we got to hear turkeys and see a bunch and on our next trip we'll be doing some things differently.  It took me years to catch my first steelhead on a fly and I'm expecting something similar for a turkey. 

[KimberRich]

Good luck Gobble Doc!! You're doing it right by getting out there and learning!  Hope you are successful in the near future.  Great job getting the kids out there also!