spring turkey

[nomad_archer]

I have not been seeing any birds my way but I never do so there is no surprise there. What type of info are you looking for? I have had good luck getting close to birds. I typically call very little once I get a response I may call one or twice after that but not much more since calling less has worked for me. Now this year I will stop thinking so much and looking for the perfect shot and put the trigger. I have had 3 birds in the last three years walk away because I had good shots just not perfect ones and I didnt shoot. That is a fault of mine. I tend to think to much before I shoot and usually miss the opportunity.

I hunt green open spaces if they are available but they have to have some cover around them. Field edges work well especially if they are green fields. Otherwise I hunt the woods where the birds are. I have 3-4 spots at my camp that I can always get into a bird at least once or twice in my 3-4 days I have to hunt up there each year. I have had the most luck around 9-12. Usually nothing happens first thing for me but I hunt it anyways.

[00buck]

really would like info on decoys

[mrbb]

here is my take on decoys
just like with deer, yes they can work, and yes they can also spook birds away
I have tried a bunch, from the one's you blow up, one's that have them umbrella things in them to open up and prevent the folds from folding, the hard plastic one's and even the photo one's
I come from a hunting camp that is BIG into turkeys and we tend to elave things there for each to use if where not there
so I have used decoys from the 10 dollar cheap one's to the 200+ buck one's
I have mixed feelings on them
and to be honest these days I don't carry any if I go out
more due to lazy and like to travel light, even the gun I use is a light weight short 18.5 in bbl gun, patterns verty well at 40-45 yrds too!
so to me, there NOT needed
I personally think if you don't ming carrying them, having two or 3 works better than just putting out one
seems to make them more at easy, and more likely to come in, ad gives them more to look at, over looking for you!
I like to set them up about 20 yrds from me with HOPING the bird will show up over my left side ( I'm a RT handed shooter)
and I try to have the decoy out so it can be seen from farther than just close range birds, I want eye candy I guess when I set them out, I like a Jake decoy and a hen too, when I use them
all models will work I think, the one's with real feathers or one's that can move a little with the wind I think are best
BIG hard plastic one's look more real, but SUCK to carry and make a lot of noise if they touch branches while walking in, setting up
I have hd decoys out in front of me, and had them fall over(didn';t have time tio set up right, got too close to a bird) and when the tom started walking in to the decoy, at about 10 yrds from decoy(no shot yet) the decoy fell over LOL
that turkey looked at it for about 25 minutes without moving, and again NO shot, had me frozen!
and then it just went back the way it came
so decoys can make a hunt very hard to forget LOl
I still laugh when I think what that turkey must have thought happened to the hen he was coming into get some off of! HAHA!!
Must have thought she,it fell over when she seen the stud he was I guess! and had a heart attack! LOL