IT’S NOT TO EARLY TO BE THINKING ABOUT SPRING TURKEY HUNTING

IT’S NOT TO EARLY TO BE THINKING ABOUT SPRING…

TURKEY HUNTING, THAT IS.

By Don ‘Dr. Honk’ Mattice

Deer season is over and the duck and goose seasons are winding down.  The ice forming on most lakes in the Hudson Valley draw our attention to ice fishing and turkey hunting.

Turkey hunting?  Yes, turkey hunting.  It is not too early to start preparing for that spring hunt of a lifetime.

Getting in shape -  Now is the time to start walking

Many older hunters and some youngsters stop exercising after deer season.  We get complacent and are content to sit in front of the television and do nothing that even resembles a workout.  In addition, we all tend to pack on a few extra pounds during the holidays.  If you are going to chase Mr. Long Beard in the spring, it is important to keep your legs, lungs and heart in shape.  For me, I start walking my Labrador retriever 1 1/2 – 2 miles a day, 3 – 4 times a week (He actually walks me, I don’t have much of a say in the matter).  I extend that distance from mid-February through mid-March to 3 to 4 miles and maintain the same frequency.  I need to be in shape for my first hunt, which normally begins the last week in March.  You see, for the last ten years, I have had the privilege to hunt on a good friend’s farm just outside of Sparta, Georgia.  The terrain ranges from flat to rolling hills but we do a lot of walking during that six-day hunt.  When you have access to over 800 acres of prime turkey country, you should hunt at least 800 acres.

Practice calling

If you are new to the game or a seasoned veteran, winter is a great time to practice sounding like a seductive hen.  Get outside and break in a new mouth call or learn to work a slate or box call.  Practice getting the right cadence (rhythm) and you will probably get a gobbler to answer this spring. I practice calling while ice fishing during the slack time between flags.

Many years ago, when I first began turkey hunting I learned to call with a diaphragm call.  I heard from other hunters that this was the most difficult call to master and they were right.  However, the advantage of being able to call without moving your hands is priceless, especially when that gobbler is in full strut and heading towards your setup.  I highly recommend that you  try this type of call.  The first challenge to mastering a mouth call is getting used to having a foreign object made of aluminum, latex and adhesive tape between your tongue and the roof of your mouth.  Once you position the call, you will immediately start gagging.  This is usually followed buy a lot of spitting and more gagging, but eventually you will start making sounds that somewhat resemble turkey talk.  Keep practicing; you will get the hang of it.

Another thing I have discovered, after many years in the field, is that you should not be a one-dimensional caller.  Learn to call with a diaphragm, box call, slate, or wing bone yelper.  There will be occasions when you will not get a response using your favorite call and begin to think there are no birds in the area.  Before you decide to move, run one of your other calls. You may be pleasantly surprised.

Scouting

I cannot emphasize enough the importance of scouting.  If you are serious about killing a gobbler this spring, you will need to put in the hours and the miles prior to opening day.