Any Turkey Hunters????

[ajensen83]

I am hoping to get a turkey next spring... any turkey hunters willing to share info so I can start preparing????? HELP... thanks guys... AJ
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[Hunt4BigBucks]

Better draw a tag first, good luck! I drew one in 2006 and had a blast. if you draw a tag you should learn the unit and find out where the birds are roosting and where they go in the mornings and then set up in there path with a couple decoys and calls, when the tom comes in to kick your jake decoys arse you let him have it![]
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[Extex]

How many points do you have? They are giving nearly double the amount of permits this year that they have in the past. Most of the added permits are in the late hunts with hunters being able to hunt several units instead of one to spread everyone out.

As in all hunting scouting is key []. If you have never hunted turkeys they are acually quite dumb but their eyesite is unbelievable. Finding them then having good camo and patience are the most important things in turkey hunting if you want to do it right.

My kids are mad because they have to wait another year.


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[HookJaw_Brimhall]

Right. They are actually breaking the units down into regions for the late hunt. So it will be kind of like deer, you can hunt the Northern region or the central region and so forth. This will be a great year for alot of people because of the increased permit numbers. I was just about to give up on trying to draw a tag but now with the increased odds, I'll give it one last try. I still think it is absolutely ridiculous to pay 45 bucks plus 10 for the drawing process, just for a stupid bird. That is something the DWR should consider changing.
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[ajensen83]

I have one point from last year... but half of my buddys drew out last year without tags, so I am hoping that and the fact that they doubled the amount of tags should give me a good shot at drawing... any suggestions for calls or guns????
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[HookJaw_Brimhall]

Shotgun. []
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[Extex]

Guns - 12 ga is preferred over a 20 ga but a 20 will work if you use good loads. Using a buffered magnum load 1 1/4 oz to 2 oz of 4,5 or 6 shot traveling about 1200 + fps when it leaves a full choked barrel will work good out to 30-40 yds. Pattern your gun - make sure your pattern is centered on where you are aiming - different ammo will not pattern the same out of the same gun. You can use expensive specialty lead alternative loads but be carefull with a full choke - Hevishot and other alternatives are not supposed to be shot thru a full choke - hevi shot is harder than regular lead and will not deform like lead thru a choke and can mess your gun up.

I now use a 20 ga with an improved cylinder choke with 1 1/4 oz of # 6 hevi shot and it will stomp flat any turkey out to 40 yds. It is expensive but bad medicine for a turkey. You don't have to have the specialty chokes and shot - I have killed a lot of turkeys with 12 ga high brass #4's and 5's and they all worked as long as I put turkey's head/neck in the pattern.

Calls - if you are a first timer get you a diaphram pack with an instructional tape or disk and practice. Also get you a push button type call to use if you can not get the hang of a diaphram they are easy and fool proof and will sound like a turkey. There several push button types - my 6 yr old can talk to any turkey out there right now with a little Knight & Hale push pull call - not hard to use but you do have to move to use it.

Diaphrams - I prefer the primos calls - its almost like you have to find the one that fits - everyone is different and there are a lot of diaphram makers.

If you hunt one of the late hunts the call is not that important [] Those turkeys get to a point where a call is a deflector instead of an attractor in the high pressured areas - they get called at a lot so they get smart.

Good luck.
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[ajensen83]

thanks a lot for the help... I really appreciate it.... now the hard part... any suggestions on where to go in the central region... I can find lots of turkeys but they are mostly on private ground..

how about a benelli super black eagle II with a 24 inch barrell and the pistol grip for the shotgun???
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[Extex]

Sounds like you have yourself a turkey gun [] Don't be surprised at the recoil with turkey loads - those SBE's are thumpers. I can not help ya with the central units - the only areas I am familiar with burned last summer. I will either go all southern or go for a Merriams unit.

I did find out there is no more waiting period for a tag after drawing - so my kids get to apply!
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[Extex]

Saw this today:

SALT LAKE CITY – The National Wild Turkey Federation is hosting a free clinic December 1 from 10 a.m. until 1 p.m. at the Lee Kay Shooting Sports Center. The clinic is designed to teach novice wild turkey hunters how to hunt successfully while making a safe outdoor sport even safer.

Utah recently doubled the number of tags that will be made available to hunters during the spring 2008 turkey hunting season, which will increase opportunities for hunters of all ages. A portion of the tags will be reserved for youth hunters.

Turkey hunting is one of the safest hunting activities, and in fact one of the safest outdoor activities. Spring turkey hunting incidents resulting in emergency room visits have decreased from approximately 8.1 per 100,000 participants in 1992 to a low 2.95 per 100,000 participants in 2000. This decrease is phenomenal considering that the number of spring turkey hunters has increased by 60 percent during the same period.

“The NWTF and our partner state agencies have worked hard to improve hunting conditions for all hunters,” says Jon Leonard, NWTF’s Utah state chapter president. “We’re sending more turkey hunters afield than ever and this clinic is designed to educate them on hunting safety and success – which all hunters can benefit from.”

A recent report shows that young hunters supervised by an adult mentor have one of the lowest injury rates of all hunters. "The most important factor affecting youth hunting safety is the presence of a responsible, attentive adult hunter, which is often a parent," says Jim Wentz of Silvertip Productions, which helped compile and analyze the research.

NWTF Senior Wildlife Biologist Tom Hughes says that teaching young hunters in Utah –
a state relatively new to turkey hunting – how turkey-hunting tactics vary from those used for bagging deer and other game will improve hunting safety. During the clinic, Hughes will teach hunting safety tips such as target identification, entering and exiting hunting woods safely, firearm familiarization and more.

Hunters also will learn about:

· Locating turkeys in Utah
· Planning successful hunts
· Obtaining hunting permits
· Selecting firearms and ammunition
· Choosing decoys
· Trap shooting
· Patterning shotguns

Attendees under the age of 18 should be accompanied by an adult and bring a cased shotgun, five rounds of ammunition for patterning and eye and ear protection. Participants will receive a free instructional DVD.
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