I live in south central Montana and want to try turkey hunting. I’ve been a deer/elk hunter since I was a teenager, but I’ve never even been on a turkey hunt and I don’t have a clue where to start. Does anyone have some advise on what kind of areas to start looking for them? Any advise about turkey’s would be appreciated, I don’t know anything about them.
Scout out wooded areas. Particularly where creeks pass through, and where there may be food nearby, like a bean field (they have those in Montana?). You can get a turkey call, there are several types but the box call tends to be the easiest to use for beginners. When you use it, if Turkey’s are within ear shot of that call, they will reply with gobbles. Slate or mouth calls are also great but those will require more practice. Generally, you want to figure out where the turkeys are at first toward end of day in the week or two leading up to the hunt, then go out to your chosen spot just before dawn and set up a couple of decoys in a clearing or on the edge of a field that borders the woods where they are roosting. You want to position yourself 20-30 yards from your decoys (full camo or use a tent blind) and hopefully you have patterned your shotgun in advance at distances ranging between 25-60 yards, so you know what your pattern is capable of and how best to aim whether a turkey comes right up to the decoys or if they are a bit shy and are hanging out further like 50 yards, you might still have a shot provided you know your gun & load. You will want a turkey choke for your gun, which is tighter even than the full choke. I use a Mossberg 500 with the Carlson turkey choke and a Trijicon RMR which I mounted to an aftermarket pic rail by EGW. There are also some turkey-specific variants of popular guns like the Remington 870, Mossberg 500, or Henry Single Shot. All of those are great for turkey. The trend in recent years has been to go with small bore (410), but I have no idea why. Stick with 20 or 12 gauge, and TSS is the Cadillac of turkey loads in any of them, so it will do well for you.
As the sun comes up, start calling 'em into your decoys. It is an exercise in patience, but well worth it when you get your first Tom! Good luck, sir!
Thanks! That helps a lot. We don’t grow a lot of beans in Montana but we have all lots of farm land that I’m hearing turkeys will come out on. I really appreciate the info!
I’m going on my first turkey hunt at the end of the month. I’ll be hunting with a friend on his property and fortunately for me, he knows where the turkeys are on his land. I’m using a Mossberg 935 and like Alex mentioned, my friend recommended the Carlson turkey choke, which now adorns my shotgun. Good luck on your hunt and let us know how you do.
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