An experienced turkey hunter knows the various calls of the wild turkey and practices calling throughout the year to stay in “calling shape” for hunting season. Following are the descriptions of several key calls used by turkeys and those who hunt them.

“All of these calls can be heard on the NWTF’s web site at www.nwtf.org,” said Tammy Bristow, the National Wild Turkey Federation’s Vice-President of Communications. “There is no substitute for listening to real wild turkeys to improve your calling.”

Yelp
The yelp is a basic turkey call that sounds nearly like it is spelled. It is often delivered in a series of single-note vocalizations and can have different meanings depending on how the hen uses it.

Cluck
The cluck consists of one or more short, staccato notes. The plain cluck, many times, includes two or three single-note clucks. It’s generally used by one bird to get the attention of another. It’s a good call to reassure an approaching gobbler that a hen is waiting for him.

Putt
The putt is a single note, generally associated as an alarm. It could also be several notes delivered in a sharp or rapid fashion, usually meaning they have seen or heard something they don’t like, and they are about to book it out of there.

Cutt
A series of fast, loud, erratic single notes is referred to as cutting. It’s a modified cluck and is a distinct abrupt call with a somewhat questioning nature. It can be heard at a great distance and is often used by a single turkey eagerly looking for companionship.

Purr
Purring is a soft, rolling call turkeys make when content. It can usually be heard by feeding birds. This is not a loud call, but is good for reassuring turkeys as they get in close to your position.

Just as athletes prepare for the season by practicing on the playing field, it is important for turkey hunters to pay a few visits to the woods prior to opening day.

Sure, any novice can wander into the woods on a good day, stumble across a vocal tom and put a bead on him. But to enjoy consistent success, you need a game plan that can carry you from opening morning to the close of the season. To do this, you need to get out before the season starts and learn the lay of the land and where the birds like to hang out.

Get to a high point before daybreak and listen for gobbling. Try to pinpoint where the birds are roosting. Scour the woods in search of roosting areas by looking for feathers and turkey droppings. Do the same around field edges and along logging roads or paths by checking for foot tracks, wing-tip drag marks from strutting birds and even dusting areas. Spend some mid-morning hours sitting tight along a field edge or in open woods, listening and watching. Record your observations in a journal or logbook to determine patterns in the turkeys’ behavior. Including weather conditions and other factors in your notes might also prove helpful.

A note of caution though: A lot of hunters are tempted to include a little preseason calling along with their scouting. It’s fun to get an ol’ tom worked into a frenzy. But don’t do it. Leave the calls at home until opening day.

“Birds learn quickly when they hear calls but never find a hen, or worse, find you,” said National Wild Turkey Federation COO and avid turkey hunter Carl Brown. “It only takes a single close encounter with a person to make for a call-shy gobbler.”

Once you pinpoint where the birds roost and where they head during the day to feed, plan a strategy that puts you along their travel routes. It is always easier to call a gobbler to where he wants to go than to get him to go somewhere he has no desire to be.

Turkey Sign
While scouting before the season, keep your eyes peeled for the below signs, which are good evidence of turkeys in the area:

• Tracks: Search areas where tracks will be noticeable such as along field edges and paths clear of leaves. Tracks will confirm that birds are in the area and maybe help you understand where they like to travel. Turkeys have three long toes. A single track measuring 4 ¼ inches or more from the tip of the middle toe to the heel indicates a gobbler, smaller than that and it’s probably a hen.
• Droppings: A hen’s look like small pieces of popcorn while a gobbler’s droppings are larger and J-shaped.
• Wingtip marks: When gobblers strut, their wingtips drag the ground leaving two parallel lines in the dirt, sometimes with turkey tracks visible between them.
• Dusting areas Turkeys bathe themselves in dust to rid themselves of mites and other parasites, creating small, round dirt depressions in the ground.
• Feathers: Turkeys will typically knock feathers loose from their wings as they fly up to and down from their roosts. Out West, tall timber areas littered with feathers and mixed with droppings indicate a good roost site. In the East, larger wooded areas make identifying roost areas a little more difficult as the birds have more places to roost. Look for likely roost areas such as creek bottoms and wooded ridges.

At the heart of turkey hunting’s amazing growth has been the fondness for calling to birds. There’s no greater thrill than working a bird within gun range by talking to them in their own language. Today’s market offers a variety of calls or callers, as they are also often referred, and standing at the counter of your local discount store or sporting goods shop can be a confusing experience for new and even experienced turkey hunters.

“Knowing how to properly and effectively use the call you select is just as important as having a quality call,” said National Wild Turkey Federation CEO and expert turkey hunter Rob Keck. “No matter which call type you use, listening to real turkeys and calling experts and practicing regularly will get you real results in the woods.”

Following is a short list with descriptions of the basic types of calls along with some of their benefits and drawbacks:

• Diaphragm or Mouth Call: One of the more difficult calls for new turkey hunters (and a few older ones) to learn to use, it is also one of the most widely used because of its effectiveness and hands-free operation. The call is simply a small horseshoe-shaped frame, wrapped in tape with latex stretched across the opening of the frame. A variety of turkey sounds can be reproduced by holding the call in the roof of the mouth and exhaling air between the call and the tongue. A caller uses the tongue to adjust pressure and alter the sounds of the call. These calls can often be had for a few dollars making them very cost effective.
• Push-Pin Call: A friction call consisting of a small box with a rod that the user pushes or pulls to make turkey sounds with, the push-pin call is great for somebody new to turkey hunting. Not only is it one of the easiest calls to use, but it also can be very effective. These calls are great at making basic yelps, clucks and both contented and aggressive purrs, and allow the hunter to minimize movement with one hand operation. Some models are also easily fastened to the barrel of your shotgun and then operated with your finger as you hold your shotgun on an approaching bird.
• Box Call: A turkey hunting classic, the box call was first patented by Henry Gibson in 1897. As the name implies, the call consists of a small coffin-shaped box that creates a sound chamber and is operated by running the lid of the call along the edges of the box. These calls can be used to replicate the entire range of turkey vocalizations including gobbles and offer great volume needed on windy days.
• Slate Call or Pot and Peg Call: Commonly referred to as a slate because of the friction surface most commonly used until recent times, this call consists of a small pot that acts as a sound chamber and is covered by a surface made of slate, aluminum, glass or other synthetic materials. The pot is held in one hand, while a striker, also made of a variety of materials including wood, glass and graphite, is drawn across the surface to make turkey sounds. Many hunters have developed a real affinity for their pot and peg calls as they offer realistic sounds, great pitch and volume and are dynamite for replicating purrs, yelps and excited cutting.
• Tube Call: A small tube covered on one end by latex, these calls were once crafted by many hunters using old snuff cans. It can be a tricky call to learn, but those that are skilled at using tube calls swear by them. Not only are they great for making gobbles, few hunters use them, meaning even fewer birds have heard them. This can sometimes translate into a bird that would ignore the calls offered by a box or mouth call to come running to the newer sound of this seldom used call.
• Wingbone: Native Americans were the creators of this call more than 4,000 years ago. Made by joining the small bones of a wild turkey’s wing together, most often the hen because of its smaller size, the call creates sounds by drawing air through the hollow bones. In the hands of a skilled user, the wingbone call has a fantastic sound that works well on today’s gobblers. It is also a call many hunters enjoy making and decorating themselves.

These are but a few of the many callers available to today’s hunter. Many turkey hunters will use a combination of the above calls, and with time and practice can become skilled at using all of them. Watching shows qlike NWTF’s Turkey Call television can help you to learn about calls — and how to use them — more effectively. Learn to use at least a couple different types of calls to improve your odds this spring. On any given day, a call that brought them in last week may have little impact today, while switching up to a different call might make all the difference.

Whether you’re a shotgun-toting turkey hunter setting up on the fly or a bowhunter set up in a high-sign area, a ground blind is an excellent way to conceal your movements. It also can add to your comfort by providing room to stretch, call and prepare for a shot in comfort.

“Blinds can be a big help whenever you need to conceal movement or are hunting with a partner,” said Wheelin’ Sportsmen NWTF national coordinator Kirk Thomas. “They’re especially good when you don’t know which direction the birds will come from.”

A number of blinds are available at sporting goods stores or through mail-order outlets that range from a short, two-foot wide piece of camo cloth staked into the ground around the hunter to complete tent-like blinds that offer shelter from the rain and sun. These larger blinds typically have easy-open shooting windows on each side and are commonly used by hunters that are disabled or using a bow.

For more industrious, budget-conscious hunters, a blind made from natural materials can be easily built and in some instances may prove even more effective. While using downed trees and logs to build low walls is a good start, probably the easiest way to build a blind is to break out a pair of ratchet cutters (like the ones available through NWTF’s Turkey Shoppe at www.nwtf.org) and trim a number of leafy limbs from the surrounding brush and trees. Stake the limbs in a manner that offers adequate room to move around inside if necessary, but does not stand out from the surrounding terrain. Get inside the blind and trim away limbs that obstruct your shooting lanes. It is important to remember not to conceal yourself so well that you can’t see what’s going on around you, particularly the approach of another hunter!

If building permanent, natural blinds, try to construct them prior to the season, but only after you have determined likely travel routes or entry points along the field. No sense building a blind in a poor location. If you know where gobblers are apt to roost and strut during the day, or if you have seen hens feeding in a particular part of a field where gobblers are bound to show up later, put your blind in these areas.

A safe turkey hunter, like a safe driver, is defensive minded. Below are the National Wild Turkey Federation’s tips for having a safe hunt that you should consider before heading out for your next hunt.

During the Hunt Defensive Hunting Tactics
Safety is a key element when you’re in the woods calling in that big gobbler. A safe turkey hunter is much like a safe driver-you must be defensive minded. Here are some tips to consider when you’re in the woods:

1. Select a large stump, blow-down, tree trunk, or rock that covers the width of your shoulders and is higher than your head. Place your back against the stump or rock when calling; a hunter is more likely to spot another hunter when moving to the front or side than from behind.
2. Do not wear any white, red, black and blue on your hunting outfit; this includes handkerchiefs, socks, underwear and even items like candy wrappers.
3. When calling, select a spot that is in open timber rather than thick brush: eliminating movement is more critical to success than hiding in heavy cover.
4. Be discreet and careful when imitating the sound of a gobbling turkey.
5. Always be alert. A good woodsman can always detect movement in the forest by watching other game or listening for the alarm cries of bluejays, crows, squirrels, or woodpeckers.
6. Continue to be on alert. When songbirds, crows or your turkey shuts up-look out; there’s a good chance another hunter is moving in on your bird.
7. When another hunter is in your presence, never move, wave or make turkey sounds to alert the other hunter. You need to remain still and call to them in a loud, clear voice to get his/her attention. These tactics are safer than quick movements. Use common sense.
8. If you are calling over decoys and elect to move to a new location, check carefully to ensure that no one is stalking your decoys. Check before leaving your set up. Should you see someone in the area, the rule above applies.

NWTF’s Before the Hunt Safety Tips
Safety is very important when you’re in the woods, but you must always prepare yourself before the hunting season or before you go on your hunt.

• Check with your doctor if you have any medical concerns.
• Hunt within your physical limitations.
• Let your hunting partners know if you have physical limitations.
• Let someone know where you are hunting and when you expect to return.
• Work to have a basic understanding of first aid.
• Carry, and know how to use, a map and compass.

NWTF’s Turkey Hunters Code of Ethics

• Never let peer pressure or the excitement of the hunt cloud your judgment.
• Learn and practice safe hunting techniques.
• Hunt the wild turkey fairly and with respect.
• Know the capabilities and limitations of your gun or bow and use it safely.
• Positively identify your target as a legal bird and insist on a good shot.
• Obey and support all wildlife laws and report any violations.
• Respect the land and the landowner and always obtain permission before hunting.
• Avoid knowingly interfering with another hunter and respect the rights of others to lawfully share the outdoors.
• Value the hunting experience and appreciate the beauty of the wild turkey.

Taking aim at a wild turkey just might be the most deceptive shot in hunting. Compared to a long-range shot at a white-tailed deer grazing 300 yards downfield or properly leading a mallard screaming through bottomland hardwoods, making a shot on a motionless 20 pound gobbler standing just 40 or less yards away seems like a pretty easy proposition.

Or Is It?
The most obvious shot to those unfamiliar with turkey hunting might be, just like with deer, trying to take a shot at the biggest part of the animal, the chest area and vitals beneath it. But that is a mistake that will more often than not wind up with a wounded bird.

“Avoid body shots on turkeys,” said Dr. James Earl Kennamer of the National Wild Turkey Federation. Thirty years of turkey hunting and expertise in wild turkey anatomy has made the Senior Vice President for Conservation Programs an expert on shot placement. “Their breasts are heavily muscled and tough to penetrate with even the heaviest turkey load.”

The only ethical and reliably effective area to place your shot is in the head and neck of the turkey, where lead shot can easily penetrate the skull and spinal column for a quick, humane kill. This is an area about the size of a five iron, so possessing the ability to accurately place a tight shot pattern is crucial.

“You should be able to put at least eight or 10 pellets in the vitals at 40 yards,” said Kennamer. He recommends waiting for the gobbler to extend his neck, because when the tom’s in strut, his spinal column is compressed and his head partially hidden by his feathers, making for an even smaller target area.

What if the bird doesn’t come out of strut? Give him a loud cluck with your call or a sharp whistle. Some hunters even simply shout a “hey you” at the bird. Either way, be ready when he looks, because the next thing you’re going to see after he lifts his head and realizes you’re a hunter is his tail feathers as he makes a quick escape.

Fields and planted wildlife openings figure prominently into any turkey hunter’s strategy. Agricultural fields and food plots act as natural feeding and strutting areas where turkeys can be found throughout the day, and because most of them are planted with equipment such as tractors, they are often easily accessible-a bonus when hunting with physically-challenged or older, less agile hunters.

Wild turkeys, like other wildlife species, often feed along field edges so set up just inside the line of trees making sure you have a clear line of sight directly in front of you and to your left and right. Use a pair of ratchet cutters if necessary to clear shooting lanes as a single limb can blow open the pattern on a turkey load and make for a missed bird. If the woods along the field edge or wildlife opening are devoid of low bushes and brush, be sure to use a blind to help conceal any movement you might make.

Open areas are particularly beneficial when hunting on days when toms refuse to gobble since you can often see birds at greater distances across fields and adjust your setup according to the direction the bird or birds are moving. Decoys, where legal (which is almost everywhere except Alabama), can be helpful on days when birds are silent or even when windy or rainy weather drowns out their calls.

“The visual attraction of the decoy can bring a turkey across a field or opening where otherwise it may have yet to hear your calls,” said Doug Howlett, editor of Turkey Call magazine. “When hunting windy days however, make sure your decoys are staked in a manner where the wind does not continually spin them around. A rapidly spinning decoy can quickly turn an approaching bird into a retreating one.”

While agricultural fields are great areas to catch birds scratching for waste grains, seeds and insects, openings planted specifically for wildlife, particularly turkeys, are hard to beat. If hunting public land is in your future, check with the state or your local National Wild Turkey Federation chapter to find out what Super Fund projects to improve turkey habitat have been carried out in your area (the “In Your State” link at www.nwtf.org is a good place to start). Many local NWTF chapters work with state and federal wildlife agencies to improve public hunting areas by planting wildlife openings and clearing roadways.

If you have access to leased land or own a piece of property, planting foods such as chufa or specially-blended wildlife mixes, such as the Strut ‘N Rut, can improve the ability of young birds in the summer to survive, and will help hold birds in the area you plan to hunt. Both Strut ‘N Rut and Turkey Gold Chufa® are available through the NWTF. Even if you have not planted anything by late winter, there are some mixes that include grasses and clovers that mature quickly and, if planted in early spring, can still offer benefits this hunting season. If the land is leased, be sure you have permission to plant or clear out openings first.

Now is the time to go through your gear and make sure you have all your camo and equipment ready to go. The following turkey hunter’s checklist will help you get prepared.

“One of the quickest ways to go from a great turkey hunt to a really bad one is to suddenly realize you forgot something,” said NWTF CEO Rob Keck. “Having the right call at the right time can make a huge difference, not to mention, being stuck in a thunderstorm without your raingear. That’s why a checklist can come in quite handy.”

The NWTF has compiled a comprehensive checklist for any turkey hunter, whether you are a beginner or an expert, or if you are headed out of state or to your own land. The NWTF’s online Turkey Shoppe offers many of the items listed below. Check it out at http://turkey shoppe.nwtf.org and always remember to hunt safely.

Equipment:

• Shotgun
• Turkey loads
• Turkey choke tube
• Patterning targets
• Camo blind — where legal
• Seat, cushioned stool
• Shotgun sling
• Turkey decoys — where legal
• Compass
• Maps
• Knife
• Ratchet cutters
• Insect repellent
• Flashlight
• Trail ribbon
• Binoculars
• Camo tape
• Cooler
• Water bottle
• First aid kit

Clothes:

• Camo gloves
• Camo facenet
• Camo paint
• Camo make-up
• Camo shirt
• Camo pants
• Camo jacket
• Camo turkey vest or pack
• Camo cap
• Camo socks
• Camo undershirts
• Waterproof/snakeproof boots
• Rain suit

Calls:

• Box call
• Diaphragm calls
• Slate or glass pot & peg call
• Glass call
• Gobble call
• Tube call
• Push-pin call
• Turpin/wingbone call
• Crow/locator call
• Owl hooter call
• Other locator calls

Call Accessories:

• Box call chalk
• Sandpaper
• Call lanyard
• Box call holster
• Archery gear:
• Bow (camouflaged)
• Broadheads
• 3-D Camo clothes
• 3-D targets

To Do:

• Pattern shotgun
• Scout territory
• Get landowner permission
• Pick landowner gift
• Practice calling
• Watch instructional videos, read books
• Renew NWTF membership
• Read Turkey Call for hunting tips
• Attend Chapter banquets/events

The ability to recognize letters and the sounds they form with other letters opens a world of knowledge to the reader. Similarly, the ability to recognize animal sign and distinguish the sign of one species from another makes a hunter not just a better hunter but also a woodsman.

For spring turkey hunters, wild turkey sign can be obvious or subtle, visual or audible. “Each sign gives clues to the daily routine of the birds,” said Dr. James Earl Kennamer, Senior Vice-President for Conservation Programs at the National Wild Turkey Federation. “Keep in mind, spring is the mating and nesting season for wild turkeys, and their daily routine revolves around mating. So, wherever you find hens, you’ll find gobblers. Recognizing and reading the sign can help put a hunter in the vicinity of a wild turkey tom.”

In the early morning, gobblers leave the roost hoping to soon find the company of hens. Try to put yourself within 100 to 150 yards of roosting toms. You can find wild turkey roosts by identifying roost trees and listening. Out West, tall timber areas littered with feathers and mixed with droppings indicates a good roost site. In the East, larger wooded areas make identifying roost areas a little more difficult as the birds have more places to roost. Look for likely roost areas such as creek bottoms and wooded ridges.

You can also listen for birds flying up in the evening. The most sure method, however, of finding a gobbler roost is to elicit gobbles from roosted toms, which are prone to gobbling in the evening to alert hens in the area of their presence.

You can get a roosted tom to gobble by hooting like an owl, howling like a coyote and cutting like a wild turkey hen. Use the hen call only if the other calls don’t trigger a gobble. Make sure your call is loud, and make sure you call from a distance far enough away that you don’t spook the birds with your presence. When the gobbler responds, identify the area where he’s roosted, and the following morning, set up within about 150 yards of his perch.

If you don’t tag a gobbler in the early morning, the hunt is not over. Identify areas where gobblers like to strut and other areas that comprise their daily travel routines.

In addition to seeing gobblers strut, you can identify strutting areas by learning to read the sign a strutting gobbler leaves behind. In addition to tracks, a strutting gobbler drags its wing tips on the ground. In sand or mud, the wing tips leave narrow, parallel lines.

Other sign to look for are droppings, tracks, scratching and dust bowls. An abundance of sign indicates that wild turkeys frequent the area.

Droppings not only alert hunters to the presence of wild turkeys but also indicate the gender of the bird. Droppings about two inches long and shaped like a shallow “J” are from a gobbler — a gobbler drops on the move. Hens, however, leave behind a small pile comprised of a single dropping.

Tracks also indicate the gender of the bird. Hens and gobblers leave behind three-toed tracks, but the middle toes of the gobbler are longer than his other toes. A single track measuring 4 ¼ inches or more from the tip of the middle toe to the heel indicates a gobbler, smaller than that it’s probably a hen.

Wild turkeys scratch in the leaves to reveal the insects and mast (acorns, etc…) that lies beneath. Scratching by wild turkeys can be identified by its V-shape. As they pull ground debris toward them with their feet, the wide end of the scratchings narrow to make a V shape as they pull back toward where they stand. The V shapes open forward in front of the birds as they scratch, indicating the general direction the birds were moving. You will find scratching along the forest floor and along the edges of limbs and logs lying on the ground. An area full of wild turkey scratching looks similar to an area rooted by pigs.

Dust bowls are easy to identify and make great places to sit, call sparingly and wait. Wild turkeys dust themselves to rid their skin and feathers of parasites. By repeatedly dusting themselves in the same site, the birds create a shallow depression, or bowl, in the soil. Wild turkeys dust themselves frequently.

In states or provinces that allow turkey hunting in the afternoon, roost sites come back into play as the day wanes. Wild turkeys tend to roost in the same general area. In the late afternoon, set up nice and tight to the roost area and catch a gobbler on its way back to roost.

Looking for a great way to show off that tom? Try a wild turkey cape instead of an expensive mount.

“Caping is inexpensive, easy to do, and extremely satisfying,” said NWTF CEO Rob Keck. “A simple process of skinning your turkey from head to tail, cleaning and boraxing the skin and pinning it to a flat piece of cardboard is all that’s involved.” Follow the simple instructions below for a good looking and simple way to capture the memory of a special hunt.

1. To begin, hang your tom by the head.
2. With a sharp knife, cut the skin where the feathers on the neck meet the skin of the head.
3. Continuing down the center of the back and toward the tail, remove the skin in an approximate two-inch wide strip. You will notice that the feathers attach to the skin in rows and the narrow strip of skin actually holds a much wider angular blanket of feathers.
4. Remove the skin to and including the tail skin.
5. With knife and spoon, remove the fat and flesh.
6. Cover wet skin in Borax.
7. Lay Borax covered skin on large piece of flat corrugated cardboard.
8. With straight pins, pin the head end to cardboard.
9. Fan tail, spread to the desired width and pin each feather in place.
10. With a pocket knife, lay each feather in place.
11. Let dry three to four weeks.
12. Remove pins, shake loose Borax and hang.

You may wish to mount the cape on a piece of wood cut to fit the cape.