John's Journal...

Use Creative Tactics to Find and Take Turkeys Mid Day

Day 5: You Can Take Turkeys by Crossing Mountains, Floating to Them and Hunting Land No One Else Can Hunt

Cross Two Mountains:

Click for Larger ViewTo take an easy turkey at any time during turkey season, you must locate a turkey that most hunters won’t hunt. Also, you must understand more about the turkey hunters on the land you hunt than you know about the turkeys that live on that land. For instance, getting to your hunt site 1 to 1-1/2 hours before daylight by climbing up and down two mountains before gobbling time requires plenty of effort just to take a turkey. Since hunters generally won’t go to that much trouble, most hunters won’t even hear the turkey you’ll take, if you scout in areas where other hunters don’t go. When you’re scouting for turkeys on public land or heavily-hunted private lands, the more effort you put out before daylight, the less effort you’ll have to expend to take a turkey when the sun rises. If you use the cross-two-mountains scouting technique before you start hunting, you’ll automatically have virgin turkey territory where the road hunters never will go. Once again, learn the tom’s routes, what tree he gobbles from, which way he flies out of the roost tree, and which way he goes when he hits the ground, and label these places in your hand-held GPS receiver. Also use your GPS to navigate before daylight. Often, with this tactic, you’re not only in the woods before other hunters arrive, you’ll leave the woods successful before most other hunters even get close to a gobbler.

Float to Find Turkeys:

Click for Larger ViewTaking a canoe or a johnboat turkey hunting is a hassle. However, if you’re hunting in places with intense hunting pressure, you’ll often find and take more turkeys than the hunters who walk in or ride in to an area when you float into that region to scout or hunt. You have some tremendous advantages when you scout and hunt by boat. You’ll:get to land that other hunters can’t; make little or no noise as you float or paddle down a quiet river or creek; and locate a gobbler and call to him from a direction no other hunter has called from or approached the turkey from before.

Hunt the Land No One Else Can Hunt:

Click for Larger ViewEverywhere I’ve ever hunted I’ve seen land no one can hunt, perhaps because the landowner has had people hunt there before who have acted inappropriately. Therefore the owner has banned every hunter from his property. Often, you’ll find these places loaded with turkeys because at best, they’ve had no or very-little hunting pressure. Meet the landowner, and tell him that you enjoy calling in turkeys for other people to take – not just pulling the trigger. Offer to leave your gun at home, and call turkeys for the landowner and his family and friends during the season. You’ll learn the land and the turkeys that live there this way. But more importantly, the landowner will learn about you and your scouting and calling techniques. Most of the time, I’ve found that if you make friends with the landowner and his guests, at some point, he’ll allow you to hunt his land and take turkeys there. He’s confident in the knowledge that you’ll protect his land, become a steward of his turkeys and help his family and friends enjoy the property. As World Champion turkey caller and longtime avid turkey hunter Eddie Salter of Evergreen, Alabama says, “The number-one thing I need to be successful when I’m hunting turkeys isn’t my equipment, my gun or my ability to call, but rather is having turkeys to hunt. If you don’t have turkeys where you’re hunting, then you don’t have anything, which is why scouting before the season is so important.”

To get these Kindle books by John E. Phillips, including: “The Turkey Hunter's Bible,” click here; “PhD Gobblers;” click here; and “Turkey Hunting Tactics,” click here, or go to http://www.amazon.com/kindle-ebooks, type in the names of the books, and download them to your Kindle, and/or download a Kindle app for your iPad, SmartPhone or computer.

About the Author

John Phillips, winner of the 2012 Homer Circle Fishing Award for outstanding fishing writer by the American Sportfishing Association (AMA) and the Professional Outdoor Media Association (POMA), the 2008 Crossbow Communicator of the year and the 2007 Legendary Communicator chosen for induction into the National Fresh Water Hall of Fame, is a freelance writer (over 6,000 magazine articles for about 100 magazines and several thousand newspaper columns published), magazine editor, photographer for print media as well as industry catalogues (over 25,000 photos published), lecturer, outdoor consultant, marketing consultant, book author and daily internet content provider with an overview of the outdoors. Click here for more information and a list of all the books available from John E. Phillips.


Check back each day this week for more about "Use Creative Tactics to Find and Take Turkeys Mid Day"

Day 1: How to Hunt Opening-Week Gobblers
Day 2: Why and How to Hunt Brunch Time Gobblers
Day 3: Tactics for Hunting Mid-Morning Turkeys
Day 4: Hunting Tough Tom Turkeys
Day 5: You Can Take Turkeys by Crossing Mountains, Floating to Them and Hunting Land No One Else Can Hunt

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Entry 710, Day 5