Turkey Hunting Articles

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How Wild Turkeys Endure Winter, and What You Can Do to Help

February 4, 2023   |  From Articles

The gobbler began to stir with the first rays of morning light. He gave his body a shake to remove the accumulated snow that had piled onto his feathers during the night. As he surveyed the area around his cedar roost tree, he could see a blanket of white. This...

Early Results in for Year 1 of Alabama Turkey Study

September 1, 2022   |  From Articles

It’s no secret to hunters that wild turkeys are in decline over large portions of the U.S. — with the Southeast being particularly hard hit. Dr. Will Gulsby and his team at Auburn University, with the support of groups like Turkeys for Tomorrow, the Alabama Wildlife Federation, and the National...

Video: Hen Turkey Defends Her Nest from Raccoons

June 10, 2022   |  From Articles

There’s a lot of talk these days over nest predation of wild turkeys, particularly from raccoons, but evidence of it is difficult to capture firsthand, since most predation happens at night. Hens don’t stay on the nest 24/7, particularly in the early phases of incubation, but as the clutch gets...

Tennessee Moves to Later Turkey Season, 2-Bird Bag Limit, No Fanning on Public Land

June 3, 2022   |  From Articles

The Tennessee Fish & Wildlife Commission voted on a slew of big changes for the 2023 spring turkey season during a series of open meetings June 2 and 3, 2022. You can watch the full meetings here and here . So what do the changes look like? The first is...

Pennsylvania Turkey Hunter Gets a Gobbler in 49 States

May 23, 2022   |  From Articles

Editor’s Note: The U.S. Super Slam is taking a gobbler in all 49 states where they live (there are no turkeys in Alaska). Though the idea of it is growing in popularity, it’s still a feat only a handful of hunters have been able to achieve. Earlier this month, we...

Strut Report: Late-Season Turkey Hunting Tactics Still Working up North

May 18, 2022   |  From Articles

Turkey season blows by way too fast, doesn’t it? It seems like I just wrote my first Strut Report last week, but that was actually six weeks ago. We’re now in the fourth quarter, and this is my final report. But some of the best turkey hunting of the year...

Strut Report: Midwest Turkeys Finicky, Northeast Hunters Having Some Luck

May 11, 2022   |  From Articles

Many seasoned turkey hunters from the Northeast clear out to the Great Plains are reporting lower turkey numbers than 5-10 years ago, and this observation is echoing louder across the turkey hunting community as the season progresses. If you’re still out hunting, consider being selective in your harvest. That is,...

What’s Causing Poor Hatches of Turkey Poults?

May 7, 2022   |  From Articles

Of the many challenges facing wild turkeys right now in parts of the country, there are a number of things we don’t know, but one thing that’s unequivocal. There aren’t enough poults surviving to increase — and in some cases, even maintain — healthy turkey flocks from year to year...

Strut Report: Midday Gobblers Coming to the Call Up North

May 5, 2022   |  From Articles

Knock on wood, it looks like we’re finally over the cold-weather hump in the Northern U.S. Over the last few days in central Wisconsin, I’ve seen fewer turkeys in ag fields. Hunting pressure is a factor in that, but more forest foods are available now that things are just beginning...

A Blue-Collar Guy’s Turkey Hunting Super Slam

May 1, 2022   |  From Articles

April 2, 2022, was a day of firsts and lasts for avid turkey hunter Billy Barnett. Upon bagging a nice bird in Nevada, he got to mark the final X on his map, making the state the last of 49 he needed to complete his first U.S. Super Slam. Considered...

Podcast: Patterning The CVA Scout .410 Turkey Gun

April 28, 2022   |  From Articles

This turkey season, several of the distant shots I’ve heard have been little pops in lieu of big booms . The .410 turkey gun is definitely trending right now, and I’ve had several buddies make the switch themselves to the littlest legal turkey gun. Many are toting .410s for the...

Strut Report: Deep South Birds Holding Steady, Mid-South Longbeards Heating Up

April 28, 2022   |  From Articles

Last week, I forecast the action to be the best of the season . In some places, it was. In others, the next seven days might be even better. Of course, some areas in the southernmost regions are now closed, or nearly so. That said, most states in the region...

Strut Report: Midwest Seasons Start Strong, Northeast Season Openers Look Promising

April 28, 2022   |  From Articles

Last week, I mentioned that I’d be bowhunting during Wisconsin’s time-period A over hen and jake decoys and calling loudly. On opening morning, I hunted 200 yards from a roost and heard only three gobbles. A lone tom flew down and gobbled twice at my calls. He didn’t see my...

Turkey Hunting the Evening Shift

April 25, 2022   |  From Articles

The afternoon doesn’t get much attention from hunters or turkeys. Birds hunker low in secluded places to while away the midday. Hunters take siestas to catch up on lost winks, or maybe work in the yard, around the house or at their job. But if your daylight and midmorning sessions...

Is Your Deer Bait Killing Turkeys?

April 23, 2022   |  From Articles

Turkey numbers are down right now, and that’s no secret. The most troubling declines are in the Southeast, where some measures of poult recruitment show that hens aren’t making enough little turkeys in the spring to keep flock numbers stable. In Georgia, for example, hens were producing an average of...

Strut Report: Turkeys Firing Off in Midwest, Plains States

April 20, 2022   |  From Articles

I mentored two boys during Wisconsin’s youth hunt last Saturday. While I expected the wintery, blustery conditions would stifle gobbling and strutting, they didn’t at all. Both toms the boys bagged gave us the full show. The first one, roosted alone more than 650 yards away across a paved road,...

Strut Report: Expect the South's Best Turkey Hunting in the Next Week

April 20, 2022   |  From Articles

One step too far and that big, fat longbeard hit the deck, all but disappearing in a field of relatively short grass. Its red head turned a pale pink, and its snood shriveled to nothing. Two beady eyes peered from behind thin blades of grass. We waited to see who’d...

The Box Call Is the Deadliest Turkey Yelper You’re Not Using

April 18, 2022   |  From Articles

I learned to call turkeys with a Lynch’s Foolproof, a one-sided box call that has been in production for 80 years and is still made today. I got mine for Christmas about 28 years ago. It was an easy call to use, and it would make turkeys gobble so reliably...

Plan a DIY Tribal Lands Turkey Hunt

April 14, 2022   |  From Articles

The roosted birds gobbled incessantly as my wife, Becca, and I tucked in about 125 yards away and began calling. They answered every yelp. Unfortunately, their volume began fading once they’d flown down. As Merriam’s turkeys notoriously do, the toms were half a mile away within minutes, beelining toward another...

How to Turkey Hunt the Worst Weather Possible

April 13, 2022   |  From Articles

There is a universal question among turkey hunters, usually asked in the predawn while the coffee is being made. What will this weather do to the turkeys? We’ve always been told and assumed that birds gobble best when it’s clear, calm, and warm. Nice days and dogwoods, after all, are...

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