HOW TO KILL YOUR FIRST GOBBLER
Author: The Meat Eater
Published: February 24, 2023
A new how-to article from The Meat Eater!
“Almost as soon as the tom landed in the clearing, he gobbled and puffed up. After four days of getting beat by the birds, it was a surreal sight. It was even more surreal when he dropped out of strut and bee-lined it for the logging road I was positioned next two with my 20-gauge laid across my knee.
That suicidal two-year-old took me from a turkey hunter to a turkey killer. In the nearly three decades since that moment, there have been plenty of toms and jakes, but that one was special because he was my first.
If you are still looking to clear that first-tom hurdle, don’t lose hope. There are many ways to set yourself up for success this spring, but the first and most important is to scout.
Turkeys Now, Turkeys Soon
Flocks of hens are predictable, and where the ladies go, so do the boys. Hens have distinct feeding, traveling, and roosting patterns that don’t change much until they either get messed with or the weather warms up enough to offer them fresh food sources.
Until then, what they do today, they often do tomorrow. This means that if you want to know where turkeys should be when you hunt them in April, start watching them now. Just remember, it’s not enough to see some strutters in a field that are trying desperately to get a jump on breeding season.
Pay attention to exactly where they are in the field. Pay attention to how they walk into the field, and how they exit it. Pay attention to exactly when they feed in certain spots. If you glass turkeys enough or run trail cameras (do both), you’ll realize how tight of a schedule birds usually keep. It’s incredible, and prying into that regimented world is the first step to success.
The second is to get to know your weapon, really well.”
The full article can be found here.
Photo Credit: Original Author
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