May 1, 2020 4 min read

On the right day, and under most circumstances, the thought of a lovely female is not far from the young man’s thoughts. Be it a blonde or a brunette, how is it possible for the young male to resist the call of the lovely lady?

That behavior has led to the downfall of many an otherwise sensible male. The Eastern Turkey is no exception to this call of the wild. This leads to persons hopping out of a warm bed at indecent hours to head into the local woods just as dawn breaks, only to hear the flapping of large wings as the bird he is seeking ascends from its roost.

Perhaps the turkey might call his entourage to join him as he remains on the ground locating a meal. Unlike the human male, the turkey calls his pretty ladies to him with his gobbles and is confident they will come. This is where the hunter bumps heads with nature. Under normal circumstances, it is the hen who goes to the tom while the hunter tries to reverse this process. He calls as the hen, hoping it will bring the gobbler to him. Sounds simple doesn’t it?

But many hunts, and many toms brought to the shotgun, have found it to be much more complicated than this. It has, over the years, pointed out to me a few things that are so important. First and foremost is safety. For some time, turkey hunting has been the most dangerous local hunting of all. At first this sounds impossible for a tom turkey doesn’t resemble a person and the simple fact that the bird has to have a beard should help. One cannot be seeking a legal tom turkey without first identifying a beard.

But most shootings occur when one participant hunting in his camo clothes is moving. Despite the fact the hunter is supposed to call the bird to them, you do have to get to the spot and might have to move. Herein lies the danger.

To fix this problem the hunter needs to be aware of who is in the woods, if possible, and where. Then settle yourself with a good solid object at your back. It seems that turkey hunting is safer now than it used to be for I hear of less accidental shootings.

The turkey has very keen eyesight and relies on it for protection, so all hunters of the bird dress in good camo. So that is my second tip. Be sure to be ready to be seen as these birds use it as their primary defense.

Third, it didn’t take me long to learn that a good decoy is needed, especially if it is a lone tom that appears to the call. When he spots that decoy, his brain just shuts off and you do not need to call any further. But I would still say, I would rather overcall than undercall. Many turkeys are taken because of their poor judgement and I do not think you can overcall.

Lastly, there is always the shot itself. First of all, you don’t kill the bird with a body shot. Aim for the head and the neck. Thirty yards is good but 60 yards might be too far away. Patience is required. One should know how the shotgun they are using patterns. This will help you decide on the range required. Those open spots on the target may mean a missed bird.

Oh, and I guess there is one more important thing for turkey hunting that I failed to mention. I failed purposely as it is the thing I hate most. That darned alarm clock going off in the wee hours before first light.

My first reported turkey kill this year was on April 25, by a youngster from Canonsburg. Gavin Frank Ross shot his second nice spring gobbler thanks to the mentor program. It was taken with a Stevens Model 301.410 purchased at Johnson’s Sporting Goods. The gobbler was 21 pounds had a 9 1/4-inch beard and ¾-inch spurs. The 10-year-old shot it at 38 yards. Congratulations to Gavin, his parents and the mentor program. He probably didn’t mind too much getting up early after making such a nice shot.