New hunter seeking advice

[paulie]

Hello everyone! My name is Paul, I'm from SE Michigan. This spring I am going to try hunting turkey for the first time. I have a basic idea of what I'm doing but, I would very much appreciate any advice you all are willing to offer!! Thanks!

[grizzly]

hi paul i would do a little scouting when you find a place to hunt look it over get an ideal where to set up next get to know your gun how and where it shoots , practice your calls  i think being able to call well is important then on opening morning get your camo on head to the woods and learn old tom will teach you how this game work you'll learn more form your mistakes then i could tell you i've been hunting them since 77 and there are times old tom still makes look like a fool  the one bit of advice i'll give you is keep it simple for a while you can add gear as you need and have fun do'nt just go to the woods to kill a turkey enjoy the whole thing. i wish you good luck

[paulie]

Thanks Grizzly!

[Steve_In]

Welcome Paul.  What part of SE Mi?  I am from the Ft Wayne In area.  I know the northern In counties have a bunch of turkeys.  Do you have a place to hunt?  Scout it out, no need to call, just look and listen.  A good pair of binoculars really help.  Lots of good info here.  All you have to do is locate them, call 'em and shoot[:D]

[paulie]

All you have to do is locate them, call 'em and shoot

You make it sound so easy[:D]!
 
 
 I'm in Livingston county (about half way between Detroit and Lansing). I do have a couple small pieces of (private) land to hunt, I'm going to talk to the neighbors of one of the landowners to try and expand my access a little. I know that piece of property holds birds, I've seen them while deer hunting it and, the owner (who is a friend of mine) sees them all the time out there. Only problem is, he only has like five or six acres, which is why I want to try to gain access to the neighboring properties. Another thing I should mention, our spring season, is actually broke down into different hunt areas and hunt times. The first hunt in my area starts April20th, my hunt starts May 4th. So, I wont be one of the fist guys in the woods. But, I dont think anyone hunts the property I'll be on. Anyway (I've rambled long enough), Thanks for the help, I really do appreciate it!!

[Steve_In]

I hunt deer in Huntington Co on a 40 acre tract.  Can't hunt the neighbors, but I can track a wounded deer onto their property.  Find out the neighbors names and if you can a good time to call.  You might have your friend go with you and introduce you. 
Good luck

[Fan Club]

Hi Paulie, I live in SW Michigan, over towards Kalamazoo. Most of southern Michigan is broken up into small tracts these days so there's a lot of us in the same boat. I hunt a lot of 10 and 20 acre parcels...I won't say any of them "hold" birds, but there's plenty of free ranging turkeys around.
 
Your strategy on small parcels should be to sit tight and be patient. Call sparingly and look and listen a lot. If you see distant birds try to observe their direction of travel and any possible patterns. Avoid the temptation to go after them, because if you "bump" them, they'll likely run right off the property...at least for the day. If you can figure out where they roost and feed that's a huge bonus as you can set up along one of their travel corridors.
 
The birds (and  property) will teach you how to hunt them. You just gotta get out there and let it happen.
 
Welcome to the forum and the world of turkey hunting. Best of luck.
 
JB

[paulie]

Hey thanks JB! I was thinking about picking up Primos' "mastering the art of turkey hunting" DVD, just as sort of a "tutorial". Any opinions on that idea (good, bad)? I mean, I know nothing really compares to field experience but, I'd like to "tip the scales" as much as I can before I hit the woods (just a thought). Thanks again for for tips!!

[paulie]

So, what type of call should I start out with? That is to say, which one is more "novice friendly", and what make (brand) should I look at (or stay away from)? I'd like to get something fairly inexpesive (but not "cheap"), something thats a "good call for the money"!

[Fan Club]

> I was thinking about picking up Primos' "mastering the art of turkey hunting" DVD, just as sort of a "tutorial". Any opinions on that idea (good, bad)? <

Paul- Go for it. Information like that is most helpful for a new hunter and wasn't available when I started out. A few words of caution though, most videos make turkey hunting look too easy. A two hour hunt will be edited down to ten minutes giving the impression that all you have to do is sit down, make a few calls, and a gobbler will march in to your gun barrel. That couldn't be further from reality. Also don't be fooled by the word "mastering", as I don't believe anyone ever fully masters turkey hunting, the birds make sure of that!

>What type of call should I start out with?<
 
For a first call I would recommend a push/pull call as I have pictured. The Quaker Boy pictured was the first call my Dad gave me in 1994. The other is the Knight & Hale Tom Coffin, almost all major call companys have some variation of this style of call.

The motion required to operate a push/pull call provides a natural rhythm and spacing of notes making it a great first call for newbies. With box calls, pot & pegs and mouth calls you have to provide the cadence and rhythm which can be an added challenge on top of trying to find quality turkey tones as well.