Turkey Hunting Tips | Wild Turkey Hunting Strategies, Techniques & Guides

Turkey Hunting Tips - Hunting for turkey is not so much different than hunting other game in the woods, but one difference might be the size. To be able to hit such a small target, it is of utmost importance to pattern the shotgun. Not balancing and zeroing the shotgun might keep a hunter from being able to hit that turkey.

There are a few materials available that might help a hunter pattern his gun. For example, many of the better hunting and sports stores offer turkey targets. If a commercially produced target is not preferred, a hunter may draw roughly the size of a turkey’s head on a paper and pin this paper to the usual target used to train.

To properly pattern a gun, targets need to be set up about every ten yards starting at twenty. This means 20 yards from the shooter, 30, 40 and then five yards distance for any targets after the 40 yards one. When shooting at the targets, try out different types and even different brands of ammunition, since most shotguns and rifles have different accuracy levels with different loads. If the hunter is lucky he has one of the few shotguns that is very accurate and there will not be much pattern work necessary. After setting up the targets, the hunter needs to aim at the turkey head. By shooting the head, he will learn several things about the gun (given of course that the shooter is a good shooter). First of all the hunter will learn from his shot pattern, where he has to aim at with the bead of the shotgun to be able to center his shooting pattern on the turkeys head. It will show if the gun is dead on, or maybe a tad bid high or low. As mentioned before, the hunter should try out different loads, so that he can learn which load gives him the best, most accurate pattern.

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Turkeys can be hunted with many different arms, including guns and bows. Turkeys are very wary and fast and therefore, hunting with knives or similar is just not possible. Whenever a hunter goes hunting for turkey, he has to make sure that he checks the local hunting laws and regulations in regards to arms. Generally these laws allow a shotgun with a gauge somewhere between gauge 10 to 20 and shot sizes between #4 and #6, as well as bows. Bow pulls must be similar to bows allowed for deer hunting. Some places even allow rifles and handguns as hunting gear during fall.

When turkey hunting with a shotgun, it is always important to aim for the neck or the head. Hitting the body or feathery part of the turkey might not kill to bird, but leave it wounded instead of dead. The turkey’s head and neck are very small targets compared to the deer and a good aim and a good choke are essential. There are many good scopes that might help bag that turkey, but one thing that is important before going on a turkey hunt is to pattern the gun in advance. Pattern means to do some target shooting on targets the size of a turkey head and neck. Using different ranges for the target to shoot at and different ammunition will help the hunter learn which ammunition gives him the best overall aim and accuracy. It will also show him exactly how he has to aim to get his shot into the center of the target when the gun pulls a little low or high instead of dead center. Patterning the gun is like pumping up tires for a long bike ride or making sure everything necessary for a trip is packed.

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Turkeys are notoriously hard animals to hunt. They scatter at the slightest noise, and they can move surprisingly fast. If you want to take down a turkey, you need a shot that is doesn’t spray outwards and that instead delivers a tight concentration of buckshot to the turkey’s head. To make sure your shotgun is delivering the right goods for the kill during a turkey hunt, you will need the right choke tube for the job. Without a decent choke tube on your gun, your turkey hunting is destined to end in disappointment and frustration.

For the uninitiated, a choke tube is a piece of metal that is attached to the end of a shotgun. It is used to reign in the pellets of a shotgun shot so that they are dispersed in a more concentrated format. Choke tubes are almost always used on shotguns these days, even by law enforcement, but hunters especially make use of choke tube to make killing their prey easier. Choke tubes come in a variety of different lengths and widths, each of which offer a different level of concentration of the pellets upon firing. Choke tubes can be changed on shotguns as needed.

Choke tubes are especially important in turkey hunting for the reasons mentioned above. Not every shotgun is ideal for turkey hunting, and in fact, without a choke tube, most are not up to the task. With the right choke tube in place, however, you can make most guns do the trick.

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When a hunter plans a hunting trip, he cannot just grab a shotgun or whatever other arms he owns and walk into the fields and bushes with his jeans, t-shirt and sunglasses. The reason this is not a very good choice in clothing for a hunter is that turkeys actually have very good eyesight. Therefore, to fool a turkey’s eye, much disguise is needed to succeed in shooting a bird.

Besides the fact that turkeys can see color, some studies have shown that a turkey seems to be able to perceive everything within its range of vision in an instant. Therefore camouflage is just as necessary as the skill of holding and sitting still.

Hunting gear and apparel is a big business—and for good reason. The appropriate dress when hunting can mean the difference between failure and success. Take a look and you will see what is available and recommended to wear when going for a turkey hunt. Start by discussing different boots options. It is important to say that generally, it is best if camouflage-colored boots are used instead of regular black or brown boots. If the hunter is able to pull the pant legs down or have other precautionary covers that will hide the boots well, he might be able to use a pair of the brown and black variety.

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