Turkey tips

[webfoot]

Just joined this forum and thought I would post some tips I've learned over the years in hopes that you folks might would add to my list.  I don't claim any of these to be my original ideas-just gleaned from magazines (like Turkey and Turkey Hunting--great mag!!) and discussions.
 
1. Attach a split ring to my vest with an alligator clip attached to it to hold a small scrub pad for quick touch-up of pot style call surfaces.  Can also be used to hold mouth calls between set-ups.
 
2. Glue small circles of scrub pad to the top of my strikers for the same reason as above.  Sometimes the pad from the alligator clip gets misplaced during the heat of battle and the striker-top pad is convenient. 
 
3. Cover the striker tips with pen tops to protect them from moisture/dirt/skin oil while they are stored in my vest. 
 
4. Use a bread bag to cover my box call in wet weather.  It keeps moisture off the surfaces, but doesn't muffle the sound too much. 
 
5. Keep a couple of rubber bands in my vest for silencing my box call while moving through the woods, and to hold the above bread bag on a gobbler's head after a successful hunt.  The bag keeps fresh blood off my clothes on the walk back to the truck. 
 
6. Keep the handle section of an old gun cleaning rod in my vest game bag to use as a "stake starter" for decoy stakes.  It works great in hard soil for starting a hole. 
 
7. Keep a few short dowels in the game bag to use as "spin-stoppers" for my decoys.  These work good on windy days to prevent the unnatural spinning of the decoy.  Just place one on each side of the decoy's tail to keep the movement in a 20-30 degree arc.  Sticks work fine but break easy and can take time to locate on-site. 
 
8. Use a small kite string holder with 20-30 yards of thin mono line on it with a small fishing quick-snap on the line end for attaching to decoy tail on the calm days.  A couple easy pulls can give just enough movement to make the difference for a hung-up tom.  This also helps in judging distance for decoy set-up. 
 
9. Carry a "turkey tote" made from a short section of deer antler with a cord attached in the middle of the antler.  I wrap the cord around the turkey's legs above the spurs and sling him over my shoulder.  The antler fits my hand well and is much more comfortable on the hike out. 
 
10.  Carry a real wing in the game bag for fly-down imitation.  A few flaps against limbs/ground helps that old tom believe the hen has hit the ground.  Sometimes I don't even call.  I believe the real thing works better than a cap.  Can also be used to mimic scratching by rubbing across leaves when set-up. 
 
11. This last one may seem selfish but public land hunting is tough.  I take the time to pick up feathers that I find during scouting/hunting to keep other hunters guessing on turkeys' whereabouts.  Also, I cherish these wonderful birds and like to keep momentos of all my trips in the woods. 
 
None of these tips cost much or add much weight to my vest and all have helped me be more successful (can't be sure about #11 , but I like to think so).  Hopefully you folks have some more ideas to add to my list to increase the enjoyment/success of the hunt.

[Ozarks Hillbilly]

webfoot
 
First of all welcome to the flock.
 
You could add to your #11 on your scouting/hunting trips if you happen to run across another hunter that the Conservation Dept. has been baiting and netting birds in the area all winter long and have removed at lest 300 birds to be relocated to another state.[;)]

[gutpiler]

hillbilly,
I know it must be hard to swallow, having birds removed from your area to be transported out of state, but as a wisconsin hunter I have to take my camo hat off to your cons dept for releasing turkeys in wis 20+ yrs ago.Actually we traded your state turkeys for ruffed grouse.I always wondered how the grouse population faired down there and then ran into an article that said there wasn't the right habitat for them to do well.I would have to think your conservation dept dropped the ball on that one!Any way thank you for your sacrifice,I would never have been able to hunt turkeys otherwise.just curious, some of those grouse HAD to survive??? have you ever been scared $h!tless by one when it busts from cover 4 feet away???

[Ozarks Hillbilly]

Gutpiler
No apology necessary, I was just making a joke sort of to tell some one that you meet in your hunting area that to discourage them from hunting there.
 
 As far as grouse are concerned I don't think I have ever flushed one that I remember anyway. We used to have a good population of quail in my area and that was my favorite fall / winter pastime. There is no telling how many miles I have followed a old English Setter dog around through these hills and hollers. When my father was a boy they didn't even use a dog him and his brother would go out and kick up coveys of birds and never messed with hunting singles. Its been a lot longer than I care to remember since I have kicked up a covey on the way into the Deer or Turkey woods and had them cause me to have a runaway. Between lack of habitat and predation those days are sadly gone I am afraid.

[gutpiler]

Oops I read that all wrong! sometimes it gets cold enough up here to cramp  up my brain. Once again though ,thanks for the birds, I'd probably be looking forward to gathering nuts in may instead of going through my calls and dreaming of Toms! 

[Fan Club]

Here's a couple to refine your list Webfoot-
 
*Save the rubber bands that produce depts use on broccoli bunches. You know the type; 1/4 inch wide, real thick and bright pink. They show up well in the dark, on the ground and in the bottom of your vest or backpack. I use them on box calls, decoy stakes, ground blinds and a myriad of other uses.
 
* Take the dowels to be used to prevent decoy spin, run one end in a pencil sharpener and paint them dark green or brown. Secure with a rubber band.
 
* Always have several folded up plastic grocery bags in your vest. (Wal Mart tumbleweeds). Again, a plethura of uses. If you come across a batch of morels or wild raspberrys, bag 'em up. Put one on your turkey's head with a rubber band to contain blood. Sit on one if you forget or loose your butt pad.
 
 

[Cut N Run]

Here are a few tips that have helped me before;
 
If you wear a wristwatch, wear the face in toward your palm.  It is easier to keep track of the times when you hear turkeys and you don't have to move anything but your eyes to look at it.  You also won't have to worry about accidently flashing reflected light to the wary eyes of a nearby turkey.
 
Don't forget the soles of your boots are not likely to blend with the surroundings. A couple of camoflage bandannas secured over your boots with rubber bands will help keep the soles hidden and can be easily removed when you get up to move.
 
Put an extra shotgun shell by itself in the easiest accessable vest pocket on the same side of your body that you use to feed amunition into your shotgun.  If an extra shell is needed, you won't have to fumble around with other "stuff" in your pockets.  I suggest this because I know a guy who tried to load & shoot his disposable lighter once (he was using a single shot).
 
Carry an extra lightweight camo cap, pair of gloves, and an extra head net in the gamebag of your vest just in case yours (or your buddy's) get lost. It can help save a hunt & won't weigh much or take up too much space.  A lightweight cap comes in handy when the morning starts out cool and temperatures warms significantly during the day, you can change caps to help stay cooler. The extra headnet can also be used in addition to your regular one to help trap body heat in when it is cold out. 
 
Jim

[webfoot]

Thanks for the welcome and additional tips.  Just saw in a magazine another way to stop the spinning decoy.  Tie a 10" string to a grommet you place in the tail.  Use a short metal stake tied to the other end for sticking in the ground.  Less to keep up with and probably quicker than the two stick method. 

[trkyklr]

dang webfoot,you huntin ducks or turkeys?with all the decoy accessories your totin' it kinda makes me wonder,"spin stoppers","stake starters",& kite strings?whatever happened to just stickin the stake in the ground & ploppin a decoy on it?[:D][:D][:D]

[benhanson]

dog choke chain works for a turkey tote too