The chances

[gforrestersmith]

What are the chances of killing a turkey in a 2-day hunt? And how often do you see the turkeys?

[silvestris]

I can't answer the last question, but the answer to the first, all things being equal, is that your chances are twice as good compared to a one day hunt and half as good compared to a four day hunt.

[mark hay]

first off , WELCOME TO THE FORUM
second, i can't answer your question either. but i can throw out a few questions  that might help.
are there birds where you're going ? a few or a good population?
is there a lot of hunting pressure on the birds? is it private or public?
have you been there before ,, do you know anything about the land , the terrain?
are you guided or going alone?
have you ever hunted turkeys before ?
are you going as a resident hunter or non-resident hunter? the cost?
just a few things to ponder. i hope this will help you know more about your CHANCES.                 
GOOD HUNTIN'

[Steve_In]

Here in NW Indiana if your private ground does not hold birds you are limited to hunting 2 or 3 day draw hunts on F&W areas.  The more experience and time in the feild you have plus recent scouting, the better the chances.  The main problem is weather.  The chances of 2 bad days are far greater than 4 bad days in a row.  If you are talking guided your odds should go up.  The hard is supposed to be done.  Ask for references.

[gforrestersmith]

This is my first time hunting and i have a gobbler call a decoy and small blind. I am 12 years old going with my dad and i am hunting in north west oregon on public land with a 20 gauge shot gun.

[Gobblerman]

Gforrestersmith, welcome to the forum and the world of turkey hunting.  You are getting started at a very young age and you will have many years to learn about turkeys and turkey hunting.  Good for you! ....But remember that turkey hunting can be difficult and discouraging, even for much older hunters than you are, so take your time and learn all you can about wild turkeys and don't give up.  It will take some time, but if you give yourself time to learn, you will find that turkey hunting is a lot of fun and is a very rewarding way to spend your time out-of-doors.

First of all, try to get your dad to buy you a subscription to Turkey and Turkey Hunting magazine, or get you some other books on the subject or videos.   Spend some time reading about it and watching some good instructional videos.  Also, try to get your dad to buy you some calls...like a "push-button" call, or a "box" call, or a "slate" call...and spend some time learning how to make the sounds that turkeys make, especially hen (female) turkeys.

Also, there are two different seasons for hunting turkeys...the spring hunt and the fall hunt...and the methods of hunting in each season are entirely different.  Which season are you hunting in?  The most popular is the spring season (takes place during the springtime), which revolves around the hunter imitating the sounds of the hen turkey to try to attract a gobbler (male turkey).  Gobblers like to gobble to attract hens, especially early in the morning (right at daylight), so you want to be sure to be out in the turkey woods very early at first light so you can listen for gobbling from turkeys roosting in big trees in the area you are hunting in. 

If you are in an area that has many turkeys, you will almost always hear them gobbling at daylight in the morning.  Once you hear them, you want to try to approach as closely as you can without being seen, sit down and be still, take the turkey call that you have learned how to sound like a hen turkey with, and call to the gobbler to try to get him to come to you.  If he comes, be ready to shoot and do not move until he gets close enough for you to have a good, close shot and then shoot at his head, not at his body. 

You can use your decoy if you want to, but always remember that using a decoy can be dangerous if not done properly, especially a gobbler decoy.  Before you use the decoy, be sure you understand about the safety issues involved and always be careful!  Sometimes decoys help you and sometimes they don't...and often you can call gobblers without the use of any decoys at all.  Many of us hardly ever use decoys when turkey hunting.

Of course, this is a very quick summary of how you turkey hunt.  There are a lot of other things that you must learn about, especially being a good, safe and ethical hunter. 

If you learn as much as you can about turkey hunting before you go out, you might kill a turkey in one day or one weekend.  However, you must have patience and not get discouraged if you do not get a turkey right away.  Being a successful turkey hunter will take you some time, and part of being successful is learning all of the things there are to learn about the wild turkey and how to hunt and call them in.  And all of that can be really fun and rewarding, even if you don't kill a turkey right away.

There is more to hunting than just shooting something, and this is especially true about turkey hunting.  Do not get discouraged and give up.  Many of us have hunted lots of different game, both big and small, in our lives, and I would bet a lot of us older hunters would say that turkey hunting is the best of them all.  Good luck to you!  (And keep those questions coming...we will all try to help you as much as we can!)

Jim

[NEbeardhunter21]

hello gforrestersmith,
       First off, Gobblerman gave a very good summery of turkey hunting. The most important things to take from what he said are the ethical aspect and patience. Knowing how your gun "patterns" will help you determine what a safe shooting range will be. You don't want to take a shot if there is a chance of just wounding a bird. You want a clean kill. Also, be patient. I didn't get my first bird till my 6th or 7th time out. It can be frusterating at times but take the hunt for what it is, experience. The more you observe turkeys the more you will learn. And don't EVER underestimate a turkeys intelligence! Everyone on this forum has had birds up and dissapear right in front of them. They are very aware of what's going on around them. Remember also that turkeys see in color so you have to be completely camo'ed out or they will see you. Just a few more thing to think about and welcome again. We love to see the youth get involved with this wonderful sport, hobby,addiction,... whatever it is. If you ever have a question just ask, there is a great group of guys on this forum that will be more than happy to help you out.  Later

[silvestris]

gforrestersmith, ditch the decoy.  It could get you killed, especially on public land.

[rbewilson]

gforrestersmith, welcome to the forum,the only thing that i can add to what been said so far is learn from your mistakes,because you and your dad are going to make them,also enjoy being together out in the wonderful world of turkey hunting.And keep the questions coming. good luck

[Steve_In]

gforrestersmith, to put things into perspective I started turkey hunting when you were 6.  I harvested my first gobbler this spring.  Get in to it for the long haul.  Research the areas you want through your State F&W.  Also get maps etc.  My son is 15, he just got his first deer this year.  What a hoot for me.  I always tell him there is NO GAME WORTH harvesting that is worth harming a human.  Be careful at all times.  I would rather pass a shot than to shoot at something I was not sure of.  BTW it doesn't always work like the videos portray.