Turkey

Turkey

• Hunting
• Turkey

How to Kill a Silent Tom

Apr 2, 2021One of the most frustrating parts of chasing longbeards is having them go silent. We've all been there—and we've all failed to kill these birds. When this happens, start by asking yourself "why?"What part of the breeding cycle is it? If it’s late season, toms are likely cruising the landscape looking for a lone hen to breed. Maybe you're hunting highly pressured birds on public land? That's a common reason toms go queit. Theorizing what caused the birds to go silent should dictate what tactics you deploy.The Science of Silent TomsMike Chamberlain, also known as @wildturkeydoc on Instagram and Steve's favorite follow, is a professor of wildlife ecology and management at the University of Georgia. For those interested in talking turkey, Mike has also been afeatured guest on the MeatEater Podcast. His years of studying wild turkey behavior can teach us a thing or two about hunting silent toms.

One of the most frustrating parts of chasing longbeards is having them go silent. We've all been there—and we've all failed to kill these birds. When this happens, start by asking yourself "why?" What part of the breeding cycle is it? If it’s late season, toms are likely cruising the landscape...

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Turkey

• Hunting
• Turkey

When to Get Aggressive Calling Turkeys

Feb 19, 2026Back in the early '90s when I drew my first Minnesota gobbler tag, turkey hunting advice was all the same: Yelp three times and shut up. Give the toms time to commit and, whatever you do, don’t over-call.This advice was mostly bullshit. You can call in toms by yelping three times every hour, but you can also justwait for them to see the decoys and commit. You can call in a tom by scratching in the leaves once in a while too, but where’s the fun in that?A lot of hunters started out with the belief that there was no sin greater than turkey talking too much. If you pay attention to live hens (which you should) you might realize that the actual birds you’re trying to mimic and engage in conversation don’t follow this advice either.

Back in the early '90s when I drew my first Minnesota gobbler tag, turkey hunting advice was all the same: Yelp three times and shut up. Give the toms time to commit and, whatever you do, don’t over-call. This advice was mostly bullshit. You can call in toms by yelping three times every hour, but...

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Turkey

• Hunting
• Turkey

3 Common Mistakes Turkey Hunters Make

Apr 2, 2026Sunrises, ticks, and mistakes are allparts of turkey hunting. Some days the planets align and we can sling a dead turkey over our shoulder regardless of how many errors we made. But most other days we leave the woods frustrated and empty-handed. Sometimes it’s because the turkeys simply didn’t want to cooperate. Other times it’s because we screwed something up along the way.Failing to thoroughlyscout your hunting areasorpattern your turkey gunare cardinal sins, and calling too loud and too often are probably the biggest gaffes of them all. However, hunters make far more subtle mistakes that can be just as ruinous. Here’s a look at three common issues and how to correct them.Calling Too Early
Whether it’s opening day or the last of the season, it’s important to understand that you’re stepping into a world where a turkey lives year-round. You’re an uninvited guest to the party and shouldn’t be the first one to introduce yourself.

Sunrises, ticks, and mistakes are all parts of turkey hunting. Some days the planets align and we can sling a dead turkey over our shoulder regardless of how many errors we made. But most other days we leave the woods frustrated and empty-handed. Sometimes it’s because the turkeys simply didn’t want...

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Turkey

• Hunting
• Turkey

How to Reap a Turkey

Mar 27, 2025The beauty ofspring turkey huntingis that success can be achieved through multiple hunting styles. You can run-and-gun with a shotgun or set up shop in a hub-style blind with your bow. You can crawl around and bushwhack them, or put outa whole spread of decoysand only take the safety off when a gobbler struts in to put on a show. Or you can reap.Reaping is the act of crawling into a longbeard’s guard and popping up a fan or a decoy built specifically for the task. It’s exciting, but it can also bedangerous. In states that allow center-fire rifles for spring birds, it’s a nonstarter. Don’t do it. And on public land east of the Missouri River, forget it. This is simply too risky to pull off in places where you might encounter other hunters.This also goes without saying, but make sure reaping is legal in your state. For safety reasons, some places in the East and South don't allow hunters to reap.

The beauty of spring turkey hunting is that success can be achieved through multiple hunting styles. You can run-and-gun with a shotgun or set up shop in a hub-style blind with your bow. You can crawl around and bushwhack them, or put out a whole spread of decoys and only take the safety off when a...

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Turkey

• Hunting
• Turkey

How to Hunt Urban Turkeys

Apr 2, 2021It is no secret that urbanization is progressing rapidly across the nation—often at the expense of wildlife habitat. While development can bebad newsfor many species that depend on undisrupted habitat, some animals flourish in urban settings, especiallywild turkeys. Calling on the edge of town might not be everyone’s preference, but the opportunistic hunter can take advantage of robust and often unpressured urban turkey populations.The Merriam’s turkeys that reside near my home in the Black Hills of South Dakota have about 1.2 million acres of forest at their disposal, yet many of them prefer the habitat in and around civilization. I reached out to Taylor Chamberlin, host of the Hunt Urban YouTube channel and Hang and Hunt Podcast to compare notes on the subject. Chamberlin resides in the suburbs of Washington, D.C., and excels at hunting deer and turkeys in the heart of suburbia. Here are some tried-and-true tips and tactics we’ve both found for chasing urban gobblers.Locating Urban Sanctuaries
Chamberlin starts his search by identifying “green pockets” or undeveloped funnels that connect large chunks of timber. “These little pockets are often floodplains and other areas simply too wet to develop, creating great wildlife habitat,” he said. “Sanctuaries come in all shapes and sizes, and no property is too small to hold birds.”

It is no secret that urbanization is progressing rapidly across the nation—often at the expense of wildlife habitat. While development can be bad news for many species that depend on undisrupted habitat, some animals flourish in urban settings, especially wild turkeys. Calling on the edge of town...

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Turkey

• Hunting
• Turkey

When to Use or Ditch Your Turkey Decoys

Apr 16, 2026I’d been having a back-and-forth with a bird since he flew down from the roost. I would stroke a few whispered yelps on my pot call, and he’d thunder back a response that echoed off the hardwoods. He was working his way toward me, but it was slow going. It was obvious he wanted the hen he thought I was to come to him. He didn’t want to step a single toe into the little clearing where I set up.I set a hen decoy just at the edge of the brush where I sat, hoping it might be enough to coax that wary gobbler off the neighbor’s property and into my lap. After a solid 20 minutes of small talk, I finally caught a bob of red, white, and blue just inside the neighbor’s tree line. Then he threw up a fan. I yelped a few more times, striker against glass. He dropped the fan, and I thought the jig was up. But then he let loose one more gobble before making a beeline for my decoy. I squeezed the trigger on the 20-gauge before he closed half the distance.Decoys aren’t magic. For every successful decoy hunt, there are probably five busts. Done right, they can turn a wary gobbler into dinner. Done wrong, they can send him running. Butgetting the placement, posture, and timing rightcan help tip the odds in your favor. Decoys aren’t a failsafe. There are times when you’re better off without them. Here are a few things to consider before you lug that full decoy spread into the woods.

I’d been having a back-and-forth with a bird since he flew down from the roost. I would stroke a few whispered yelps on my pot call, and he’d thunder back a response that echoed off the hardwoods. He was working his way toward me, but it was slow going. It was obvious he wanted the hen he thought I...

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Turkey

• Hunting
• Turkey

How to Pattern a Shotgun for Turkey Hunting

Dec 4, 2018When it comes toturkey shotguns,modern choke-and-load combinations are capable of throwing ultra-tight patterns out to 40 yards or more. At the same time, turkey hunters should remember that a properly outfitted scattergun’s pattern is likely no larger than a baseball at 10 to 15 yards.I learned my lesson many springs ago in Nebraska when I missed a Sandhills gobbler at 10 yards thanks to not taking the time to sight in and pattern my gun. I went into that hunt blind and cocky, thinking I could just load up the ol’ 870 with some No. 6 Hevi-13 and call it good.The fact that I whiffed on that beautiful hybrid gobbler still haunts me. Since then, I take the necessary time each spring to guarantee my gun’s pattern and ensure I know exactly where it’s pointing.

When it comes to turkey shotguns, modern choke-and-load combinations are capable of throwing ultra-tight patterns out to 40 yards or more. At the same time, turkey hunters should remember that a properly outfitted scattergun’s pattern is likely no larger than a baseball at 10 to 15 yards. I learned...

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