Turkey Season Gear Breakdown
One of my favorites times of the year is closing in on us…TURKEY SEASON. My love for hunting and the outdoors can be traced back to turkey hunting with my dad when I was a little girl. There really is nothing that gets my heart pumping faster than hearing a tom spit, drum, and gobble as he works into the decoys.
Since it’ll be here before we know it, I wanted to give a breakdown of my must have turkey hunting gear and also give a few simple turkey hunting tips!
I’ll start with clothing. It’s no secret that SITKA Gear is my brand of choice for all types of hunting. I choose to invest in high-quality gear that is built to last, fits me well, and is designed for specific styles of hunting. The gear I wear for spring turkey hunting is in the pattern “SUBALPINE”. Straight from the SITKA Gear website: “GORE™ OPTIFADE™ Concealment Subalpine is designed for stalking and ambushing from ground level in tree-covered and vegetated terrain. Subalpine is optimized for engagement ranges of 50 yards and less.” Now you can’t tell me that just doesn’t perfectly describe turkey hunting. Not only is the pattern great for concealment against the amazing eyesight of a turkey, but the features of the gear make a huge difference. Removable kneepads, waterproof knee and seat areas and built in face masks, just to name a few.
Let’s start with my go-to Women’s turkey hunting system.
SITKA Gear Mens system breakdown
Boots
I start off the mornings hunting the roost, typically. Wet grass and cooler temperatures means I’ll be wearing rubber boots. Once I decide to go “running and gunning” after birds or go try to reap one, I’ll change into a boot more suited to hiking.
Women’s
Men’s
Weapon
I’ve been shooting a Mathews bow almost as long as I’ve been bow hunting. Hunting turkeys with a bow is very challenging but very exciting and rewarding. In 2020, Mathews Archery released the PRIMA. A brand new women’s bow designed for serious female archers. You’ll see me using it all spring and fall on all of my archery hunts.
In the chance I decide to use a shotgun, I shoot a Beretta A400 semi-automatic 12gauge.
Basic Turkey Hunting Tips
Scouting
Go listen in the areas you’re wanting to hunt right at daylight in the days leading up to your hunt. Hopefully you’ll hear turkeys gobbling and you can start establishing a pattern for where they’re roosting.
In the evenings, head to the same areas and listen and watch closely. If the conditions are right, you can hear and see them fly up into their roost trees. This is helpful for knowing where to set up right at daylight.
Calling
I’ve heard my dad say countless times “the best way to call in a turkey is to be right in the middle of where he’s at, and where he’s wanting to go.” And I stand by that, haha. Don’t beat yourself up if you don’t sound like an NWTF calling champ…find some calls that you like and practice, practice, practice. I like to use mouth calls and slate calls….and trust me, I’m no professional. I believe learning how to communicate with the turkeys is more important than sounding like a pro.
Don’t be afraid to actually call to them. When in doubt, throw out some soft purrs and clucks, and slowly work up to some more aggressive sounds. I try to read the body language of the bird I’m calling to and base my calling tactics off that. If he’s more quiet, I’ll be more quiet. If he’s gobbling his head off, I’ll call more to him to keep his interest.
Switch it up. Say you’re calling at a stubborn tom and he’s not responding using a mouth call, switch to a slate and see if he responds differently. Or vice versa. Or try a box call! Sometimes a little bit of a different sound peaks their interest.
Bow Hunting Turkeys
I like to start my morning hunts off typically using my bow. While I have had luck with no blind, I definitely prefer bow hunting out of a ground blind. Turkeys have amazing eyesight so this allows me to get away with more movement when drawing my bow.
I like to set up my decoys about 12 or so yards from my blind. I like them close! I use a “breeding pair” decoy set up. This is a quarter-strut Jake and a hen. I also put out a regular hen decoy. In my experience, I prefer the quarter-strut Jake because it’s not as intimidating to a lone gobbler. A full-strut gobbler can definitely work, but like I said I just believe it can scare off a tom from time to time. I want the bird I’m calling to to think he’s going to come whoop up on the decoy and win the fight!
As the tom comes in to your decoys, don’t rush your shot. Chances are he’s going to be more interested in the decoys, so wait until he’s providing a ethical and deadly shot.
Running and Gunning
Now this is probably my favorite style of hunting turkeys. This happens after I’ve had no luck hunting the roost. The first step is to locate some birds. Try using a crow call, hoot owl call, or sneak slowly through your property letting out some hen locating calls to try to get one to gobble. It helps a lot to have eyes on a bird or hear him gobble close by and try to call him in. If I feel like he’s not too close and I have time, I’ll put up at least one hen decoy and start responding to his calls. I try not to over-call, but I definitely want him to know something is going on and he needs to come check it out. Be careful doing this all the time, but especially on public land or in places where you’re not the only hunter.
Reaping
Reaping turkeys has gotta be the most exhilarating method of hunting them. This refers to holding a full-strut decoy out in front of you and crawling right towards the birds. Companies are now making specific reaping decoys, but you can even get away with using just a turkey fan, if you have one. The turkeys think you’re a new tom coming after their hens and straight up come to fight you.
I find this to work best when you’re hunting an aggressive tom or there are at least two of them together. Scout some out and get eyes on them, and start your move.
BE CAREFUL with this method. Most reaping decoys have some sort of blaze orange on them to help other hunters identify them.
The best thing about turkey hunting is that there’s no pressure on it. Don’t get it done at daylight? Go strike up some new birds. Spook one off reaping? Give him some time and try to get around him and set up and call him in. Have fun with it! I hope these simple tips are helpful to anyone who is just getting started. Turkey hunting is an absolute blast and it’s a great way to introduce new hunters to the sport simply because of how vocal they can be and how action packed it is. Holler at me on my instagram if you come up with any questions, or just to share some turkey hunting stories!
Wishing y’all a safe and successful turkey season! Cheers!
