John's Journal...
Entry 188,
Day 2
MARK DRURY'S TURKEY-HUNTING TACTICS
Don Shipp's Tips For Calling Turkeys In The Rain
EDITOR'S
NOTE: Don Shipp of Clinton, Arkansas, an avid turkey
hunter and caller, has won three Championship turkey-calling titles from
1997 through 1999.
QUESTION: What have you learned about hunting turkeys
in the rain?
ANSWER: Turkeys don't gobble nearly as well in the rain. I like to go
to areas where the turkeys are more visible, such as in fields or on roads.
You can get a turkey to gobble immediately after a rain. You have to know
your terrain and where the birds probably will be. They're going to come
out in the open because they're uncomfortable staying in the woods.
QUESTION:
Tell me about a time when you took a turkey on a rainy hunt.
ANSWER: About three years ago, we were on some hunting property when the
rain hit. I knew of a thick wooded area where we had taken some turkeys
two days earlier. There were some roads nearby, and I felt a gobbler might
leave the woods and walk out onto the road. I soon spotted a tom moving
away from us. We went around him and began calling. He started to strut
and came on in toward us. On rainy days, the best thing a hunter can do
is figure out where the turkeys want to go.
QUESTION: Do you ever deliberately go out into the rain
to hunt turkeys?
ANSWER: When you're guiding, and you've got hunters who have paid for
their hunts, you don't really have a lot of choice about hunting in the
rain. You've got to take them out. But that's why you've got to know where
to look for the turkeys.
QUESTION:
What are some advantages to hunting in the rain?
ANSWER: When there's thunder, the turkeys are going to gobble quite a
bit. You can move in much closer to turkeys when rain is falling because
they can't see or hear you as well as they can on a sunny day. Rainy days
are also good days to scout prior to the turkey hunt. You've got to learn
where the turkeys are in the rain.
To learn more about hunting turkeys and the experts'
tactics, click
here.
TOMORROW: A NORTH MISSOURI TURKEY HUNT
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