We hope that your season was successful and look forward to next years turkey season. We appreciate the comments and numerous e-mails that we received this year. Don’t forget to keep practicing and preparing for next season. It is never too early to begin.

We are currently preparing our latest articles related to deer hunting and will begin providing them shortly.

Thanks again to all our guest and friends who visited.

Gobbler

When fixed properly, deer venison recipes can offer a very tasty meal with lots of flavor. As long as it is not over cooked, deer meat will maintain a moist and tender texture. It also does well when using various marinades.

We use deer venison for most of our recipes in place of beef and pork. As long as the meat is processed properly, it never has a gamy or wild taste. The final taste results provide a delicious treat when compared to other meats.

There are several recipes on our site that use deer meat. For a better selection, visit DeerVenisonRecipes.com.

Prepare

There can be quite a bit that goes into preparation. The hunter must prepare for all stages of the hunt. This can be broken down into several categories.

• Equipment and Gear: All equipment and gear to be used in the field should be checked for proper working condition. This includes turkey calls, decoys, optics, backpacks, vests, and anything else to be used.
• Clothing:It is a good idea to make sure all clothing to be worn while hunting still fits properly and is comfortable to wear. This includes boots, pants, shirts, hats, face mask, gloves, and anything else that is to be worn.
• Weapon: Regardless of the weapon of choice to be used for hunting, make sure that it functions properly. Also make sure to be familiar with all safety features.
• Turkey Habits: The hunter must also become familiar with the habits of the turkeys in the area to be hunted. This requires extensive scouting to learn as much as possible about movement activity.
• Knowledge Of Hunting Area: It is important to walk the hunting property to become familiar with the lay of the land. This can be helpful in determining good setup locations.
• Licenses: Any licenses or permits should be obtained prior to the hunting season. Make sure to read up on all rules and regulations that should be followed while hunting.

Practice

The hunter should practice with all equipment and gear before hunting. This will enable the hunter to become familiar with how every thing works.

• Turkey Calls: The hunter should learn how to properly use all turkey calls that will be used in the field. Practice on making the correct sounds of the turkey. Learning to use a variety of calls instead of just one will be more beneficial for hunting.
• Gear: Go through the motions of using all gear that will be used for hunting. Whether it be optics, decoys, or other, practicing with each ahead of time will reduce issues in the field.
• Weapon: This goes without saying, but obviously the hunter should practice using the weapon before entering the woods. For best results, practicing all year is suggested.
• Observation and Scouting: Whether the season is in or not, spend time observing and scouting the habits and daily activities of turkeys. This will add extra resources for current or future hunts.

By being prepared and practicing often to improve skills, the hunter will increase chances of having better results while turkey hunting.

I often ask myself why these people even bother stepping foot into the turkey hunting field. They are missing the whole point. Turkey hunting can and should be a fun and enjoyable event. Success is truly only found in the hunt itself and should never be judged by how many animals are harvested.

Sure there will be frustrating moments, but that is why it is called hunting. It is rarely easy and always challenging. But isn’t this what the true nature of hunting is all about. In essence, it is like a game of chess. It is the play and each move by the opponents during the game that brings gratification and success. It is not about who wins.

Turkey hunting allows hunters to spend time in the field enjoying what nature has to offer. A way of leaving every day frustrations of life behind. A way to relax and step back from the outside world. In many ways it is even a spiritual adventure. It provides a way to refresh our minds and souls.

Those that spend time observing our outdoors for its beauty and all it has to offer will always have a successful hunt. Those that waste their time trying to fill a tag will always miss out on the true successes.

So smile, be thankful, keep it fun, and make an effort to enjoy your next turkey hunting adventure.

Hopefully, the idea of turkey hunting brings with it a desire to enjoy ones self while applying skills in an attempt to out smart a gobbler. The focus should be on the actual hunt and not worrying about whether a turkey is harvested. This way the hunter will continue to follow the proper steps that will provide a chance at better results.

Even late in the year, it is still important to apply good woodsman skills. It is also necessary to keep a positive attitude and focus on making quality hunts. Those hunters that become frustrated will lose their desire and will often give up. On the other hand, those that find ways to stay focused and persevere will put themselves in position to end up with better results.

A good way to stay focused is to walk. After a morning hunt, spend the next several hours walking through the hunting property. Often, by doing so, the hunter will find areas that hold fresh turkey signs that can provide for new setup locations. This will usually rekindle the desire and bring hope back to the hunter.

Another idea to stay focused is to switch up on hunting tactics. Become more aggressive and spend less time at each setup. The goal is to cover as much ground as possible. Spend no more than one hour at each location. Move several hundred yards or so and setup again. Continue this until the end of the day or until turkeys are located. The more ground covered the better especially during the last week.

Sometimes gobbles will dwindle towards the end of the season. However, in most cases if the hunter has adequate calling skills and covers enough ground, the turkeys will still respond. The goal is to locate that one gobbler that is still out looking for one last mate.

Enjoy time in the woods, stay focused, and continue turkey hunting until the end.

Layout Of Terrain

The hunter should be familiar with the layout of the hunting area. This can be gathered through viewing maps or photographs but it is also important to walk the terrain on foot to get a better understanding of each section of the property. This also allows for scouting of turkey sign.

Learn how each ridge, hill, trail, and road connects with each other. Find the boundary areas of the property and make a mental note. Look for any land changes such as fields to woods, pines to hardwoods, open areas to thickets, and so on. This will help with understanding turkey travel habits.

Feeding Areas

Learn what and where the turkeys are eating. This may be from filed crops, food plots, or inside wooded areas. Turkeys eat a wide variety of foods. This will obviously change throughout the seasons depending upon what is available. Look for turkey scratchings that indicate selected feeding areas.

Water Areas

As with food, turkeys will need to have a watering area. For the most part, anywhere that water can be found on the property may be an area used by the turkeys. This may include ditches, ponds, creeks, swamps, rivers, and other areas that hold standing water. Keep an eye out for large number of turkey tracks that indicate regular use.

Turkey Hang Outs

There will also be other areas of the property that the turkeys will spend time at. These areas include roosting trees, strutting areas, and dusting areas. The turkeys will visit these areas daily. The hunter should locate these areas and make note of findings. Look for an abundance of tracks, feathers, droppings, and strut marks to indicate use.

Scouting And Patterning

The hunter can scout the hunting property to find the areas in which the turkeys spend the most time. In doing so, the hunter may be able to some degree pattern part of the daily turkey movements. This can be beneficial for locating good setup areas for hunting the turkeys.

Cover

Another advantage of knowing the land relates to cover. As the season progresses, the plant vegetation will increase. This growth will provide cover for the hunter as well as the turkey. The hunter will be able to use this cover when moving from one area to another. The hunter can also become aware of the best routes to take to avoid being detected by the turkeys.

Obstacles

The hunter that learns the land will be aware of any obstacles which may create hunting issues. These may include thickets, fence lines, waterways, and other areas that turkeys are less likely to cross. By knowing where the obstacles are located, the hunter can use these obstacles to his advantage for better setups.

Always make an effort to learn as much as possible about the area to be hunted. Keep good field notes of turkey sign. In doing so, the hunter will be more prepared and improve the chances for better results.

Related:

Turkey Hunting Tips

What Is Turkey Spooking

Spooking is the rapid fleeing response of a turkey when it is alarmed. This may be quickly running away on foot or flying away in the air. For the most part it is a safety reaction to possible danger.

Why A Turkey Spooks

The turkey uses its keen sense of sight and good hearing to be on the look out for danger. It is very aware of its surroundings at all times. Anytime the turkey sees  or hears something nearby that it detects as dangerous or unnatural, it will usually spook and leave the area.

How Hunters Spook Turkeys

Generally, the main reason for a hunter spooking a turkey is related to movement. The hunter usually gets too close to a roosting area, walks up on an unknown turkey, or moves too much while in the setup area. However, the hunter may also make unnecessary noises while in the woods that causes a turkey to spook.

How To Limit Spooking

The best way to limit the spooking of a turkey is to always be cautious when moving. By controlling how the hunter moves and when the hunter moves, the chances of a turkey getting spooked will reduce. This will apply to any movement.

Walking

When walking through the woods, always take advantage of natural terrain cover such as hills, ditches, trees, and bushes. Walk slowly and watch and listen for any signs of the turkey. Use good camouflage techniques to prevent being seen.

Roosting Areas

When approaching a roosting area, always make sure to stay far enough away as not to alarm the turkey. The terrain and vegetation thickness should dictate how close to get. If cover is limited, stay further back. Only move closer if absolutely certain of the turkey location and if cover permits.

Setup Areas

When in a setup area, try to be seated comfortably. This will allow for longer sitting periods with less chances of wanting to move. Try to adjust sitting positions in a way that will provide easy follow through when its time to shoot. If last minute adjustment is needed, make sure to move slowly to prevent spooking the turkey.

Gobble Sounds

Learn to properly estimate the distances of a gobbling turkey. This will allow the hunter to move in to an area with a better understanding of how far away the turkey really is. Improper gobble range estimates will usually result in the hunter getting too close and spooking the turkey.

Noise

Another issue to consider is noise. A turkey will also become alarmed due to unnatural, loud, or otherwise suspicious sounds that occur nearby. This could be a vehicle door being slammed shut, moving through a thicket or other area that creates excessive noise, turkey calls in a backpack squeaking, or other such noises. Always try to limit the amount of noise made.

The hunter that takes extra care when in the woods to prevent spooking the turkey will usually have better results. If the turkey does not hear or see the hunter it will not spook.

Related:

Turkey Hunting Tips

This turkey hunting season continues a sad tradition on the part of hunters. There have been news bulletins all across the country just about every week in which a hunter somewhere shot and killed or injured a fellow hunter. Of course these are classified as accidents.

Whenever I read these stories it usually boils down to a hunter that fails to take into consideration the basic rules of hunting safety. The primary rule being never shoot at a target that has not been properly identified.

In many cases the hunter has seen some movement, and without safety concern, shoots into the direction of the movement without identifying what the moving object really is. Sadly this ends up being another hunter.

These types of so called accidents should be the easiest to avoid. Unfortunately, there are still hunters out there that fail to use good judgement each and every year. This results in undue suffering on the part of victims and family members.

No one should have to learn of a relative or friend that has been involved in such a tragic story. The worst part about it is that in most cases, these accidents not only could have been avoided, but in all reality, they should have been.

As hunters, we owe it to ourselves, fellow hunters, and the general public, to at all times be responsible while hunting. We should always strive to take safety measures into consideration under all circumstances.

Go out and take a hunter safety course to refresh the thought process. Follow the rules of safety, don’t get lazy, and use good judgement and common sense while hunting.

For those hunters that continue to be careless remember one thing, you are not the only one that has to deal with your disregard for safety.

Related:

• Hunting Safety Tips
• Turkey Hunting Safety

Since there are many variables that can come into play, being able to judge gobble distances can be challenging and take some time to learn. From the most part this will come from experience in the turkey woods. Often the hunter can be fooled when it comes to accurately determining distances. The gobbler may appear either closer or further away than he actually is.

There are two main factors that alter the gobbling sounds. The first is the actual standing position of the turkey in relations to where the hunter is located and listening from. If the gobbler is facing away from the hunter while gobbling, then the gobbles may appear further away than they actually are. If the gobbler is facing the hunter, the sounds may appear closer.

This misinterpretation can occur often when listening to a gobbler on the roost. Many times the gobbler is facing away from the hunter, upon gobbling, the hunter will move towards the gobbler thinking that the gobbler is several hundred yards away. While searching for a setup spot, the hunter spooks the gobbler off the roost and the hunt is over.

The second factor with distance judging is the terrain. Depending upon how early the turkey hunting season starts in a certain area, the terrain may or may not be full of new spring growth. As the leaves on trees and undergrowth is developed, gobble sounds will be muffled. As this occurs, being able to pinpoint a gobblers location can be misjudged. In most cases the gobbler will be closer than he appears.

Another part of terrain is how it is made up. If there are ridges or hills, then there are also lower level areas. If the gobbler is standing in a low area a couple ridges away, then the gobbles will again be muffled giving the appearance of being further away. If the gobbler is on top of the ridge, the sounds will appear closer. Other terrain changes that a gobble may bounce off of will also distort gobble sounds.

Generally, most hunters will learn to judge gobble sound distances through trial and error. By spending time in the turkey woods either out scouting or during the actual hunt, the hunter will become familiar with turkey positioning, the make up of the terrain, and how each will effect the distances of how far away the gobbles actually are.

By listening to gobbling activity, knowing the area, and making a good estimate on the ranges, the hunter will be able to have a better idea for setup areas for turkeys. When unsure, it is always better to stay further away than to get in too close.

1.  When searching for a good setup location, try to find a spot that the gobbler will have a reasonably simple access to and that is more likely to respond to.

2.  In most cases, avoid setting up in areas that are near fences, creeks, thickets, or other type obstacles. Generally gobblers will be less likely to cross such barriers.

3.  Use a setup area that is somewhat open, but still offers adequate cover for both the turkey and the hunter.

4.  When possible, sit against a wide tree. This offers better comfort, helps with safety issues, and also provides for better concealment for the hunter.

5.  Make use of any limbs or ground vegetation to help with better camouflage. Just remember to have a good field of view when doing so.

6.  To minimize being picked out by a gobbler, sitting on the shady side of a tree is usually better than sitting in direct sunlight.

7.  Make sure to have a cushion or turkey seat. The more comfortable one is, the less likely that one will be fidgety. This will result in less movement.

8.  Since vision is the turkeys main line of defense, make sure to limit movement when sitting on the ground. A hunter that moves too much is more likely to be detected.

9.  A hunter should make efforts to be familiar with the land to be hunted. This is helpful in choosing areas that are less likely to have a turkey hang up in.

10.  When sitting, the hunter should position the shoulder of the non trigger hand in the direction in which the gobbler will probably come from. This reduces a lot of movement if shifting is needed.

11.  Make sure that the weapon of choice is able to move freely around the setup area. Trim away any limbs or other growth that may prevent easy weapon movement.

12.  Become familiar with judging the distances of a turkey that is gobbling. Being able to estimate how far away a gobbler is will be helpful with proper setups.

13.  When a turkey is gobbling, it may be necessary to cut the distance to the turkey. Try to move within 150 yards. Just don’t get too close as to spook the turkey.

14.  When a turkey is gobbling from several hundred yards away, slowly move towards the turkey. Stop every fifty yards or so to determine the gobblers location before continuing to within 150 yards.

15.  Become familiar with the daily movement activities of the turkeys. Having an understanding of where the turkeys are probably going will offer a good insight as to where to setup.

16.  Although turkeys will certainly walk in wide open woods or fields, it is usually better for the hunter to setup along corners or terrain changes of these areas.

17.  Take advantage of any dirt or grassy roads or paths that wind through a wooded area. A turkey will often use them when passing through an area.

18.  When hunting near hills or ridges, it is often best to be positioned above or along the same level as where the turkey will be coming from.

19.  When hunting near thickets or other obstacles, locate where the obstacle ends and setup along those edges. Often the gobbler will circle around an obstacle rather than going through or flying over it.

20.  Decoys are an excellent tool for use in setup areas. Place the decoys in an area that offers some visibility but not too much as to cause a gobbler to hang up. They should be within 20 yards of the hunter. In the woods, place them in an area that offers no more than 45 yards of visibility for the turkey. In open fields, try to position them around a corner or other area that requires the the turkey to come within 45 yards to see them.

21.  Sometimes it is necessary to setup several times on an individual gobbler. When this happens, make sure to move slowly and as quietly as possible as not to be detected by the turkey.

22.  When relocating is needed, often it is a good idea to change calls once in a new location. Also if moving closer to a gobbler, reducing volume of the calls will be beneficial.

23.  When setting up near a roosting area. Don’t get too close as to spook the turkey in the other direction. How close will depend upon the leaves and other cover in the area. Also, a gobbler will often fly off the roost and begin walking in a direction that will keep him from walking directly into the sunlight.

24.  Being able to locate areas that are frequently used for strutting can be excellent areas for setting up. Those locations may be used throughout the day. There should be gobbler tracks and wing drag marks around the area.

25.  An important factor to remember while waiting for a gobbler to arrive is to be patient. Always give the gobbler plenty of time to respond before moving to another setup area.

Related Articles:

• Improve Turkey Hunting With Better Setups
• Turkey Set Up Locations
• When To Move