6 Turkey Tips That Will Prepare You For Spring

Wild turkey are not only fun to hunt, but, with their growing popularity and their paranoid mindset, they are also quite the challenge.  They are quick, yet they are so easily fooled. And although there are hundreds of things to remember, we compiled our best tips and strategies that we believe will put the odds in your favor this spring.

Here are 6 easy-to-remember tips that you should keep in your back pocket, in hopes that you land a nice tom.

Tip 1: Pre-Season Scouting Is NEVER A Bad Idea

Now, this tip truly goes for any game that you are hunting. If you want to be successful, it is important that you know your land, and can locate the areas of interest. Scout for food sources such as cut grain fields, or acorn filled flats.  Locate droppings, and scratching. Taking the time to understand your land by locating signs of “the flock” will help you better locate gobblers to hunt later in the season. Therefore, take advantage of any time that you have free, whether the weather is ideal or not, as you will better understand their mindset if you begin to understand how they navigate their land.

Tip 2: Try To Remember That These Birds Are Quick

Wild Turkey are very quick, soaring at speeds up to 55 miles per hour and gaining speed on the ground up to 25 miles per hour. Therefore, it is safe to say that you have to be ready to take your shot at all times. There are many ways that can help you overcome the speed of a turkey however, one of our favorite ways is by using…

Tip 3: Use A Pop-Up Blind

A pop-up hunting blind is more than just an easy-to-use piece of equipment that keeps hunters warm. Although these are positive reasons to use the pop-up blind, our most treasured reason is the fact that it helps us hunters more easily blend in to various types of vegetation that turkey’s might not be as “alert” in. For example, if you are planning to hunt a field, you might sit near a edge and set your pop-up on that edge. This will allow you to be there with those birds, as you might see them casually walking the field. If you spook them with your presence, however, we have already learned that they can fly away quick. Therefore, locate the presence of these birds in pre-season scouting and then be ready to take your shot out of your pop-up blind. The National Wild Turkey Federation gives great insight of when and when not to use a pop-up blind. Click here to read more on this topic.

Tip 4: Plant A Food Plot For Your Turkey

Yes, you read that right. Food plots aren’t only valuable for our beloved whitetail, but can actually be very beneficial if you are looking to harvest a nice tom this turkey season. Not only are these green, luscious food plots attractive to turkeys, but they provide them with a variety of difference food within the one food plot. For example, many types of food plots that are thriving with wheat, clover, and other forage is going to attract a lot of insects. Hens require a lot of protein in order to produce their spring eggs, and those insects are going to help them out during this time of year. Although their a many type of food plots that you can plant, a food plot with a lot of protein (insects) and a lot of vegetation all in one place is going to be your best bet. Try using your HuntWise app to mark our where you are planting your food plot(s). This will help you better manage your food plot, have multiple food plots, and overall, see what areas are going to be more successful for your hunt(s).

Tip 5: Try Calling In A Hen Instead

Sometimes, in order to harvest a gobbler you need to get a hen nearby. Therefore, try to think like a turkey. It is spring. It is mating season. Which means most likely, that gobbler wants to breed a hen and he is probably strutting his stuff. Granted, this tactic doesn’t work in every situation, however, if you can get a boss he fired up, more times than not she can bring a gobbler into range. Gobblers do not like hens talking with other turkeys. Therefore, have patience, and master your call.

And finally…

Tip 6: Don’t Be Afraid To Hunt The Weather

The weather is not always going to be ideal. Someday’s it seems as if it will never stop raining. Other days, if you are in the Midwest, you might be enduring some late snow. Therefore, learn to work with the weather, as if you understand how it changes the birds behavior, a rainy hunt might do you some good and fill a tag. Oftentimes, snow will slow down breeding behavior, however, they still need to eat. Many times rain will work against a bird's sight, which means they will often seek open fields. If you understand their patterns that they resort to, you can almost find success in any given scenario if you are willing and patient.

Granted, this is only 6 tips out of hundred of strategies. However, with these easy-to-remember tips in your back pocket, we are sure you will fill a tag this season.

Good luck hunters, and shoot straight.