Beginning to Gobble Lend an Ear as a Turkey Hunting Sage Enlightens Article by Jeff Williams | Photos by Mike Wintroath Birds are wary creatures. It’s no easy task to bag a turkey gobbler, even during spring when he’s driven by instinct and his mind is on, well, other things. Veteran hunters know all the tricks. If you’re lucky, you know one willing to pass along experience gained by hours of waiting under a tree or behind a bush for a trophy to strut within range of shotgun pellets. If you’d like to join the legions of turkey hunters who flock to the woods each spring but don’t know the first thing or an experienced hunting buddy, we can give you a starting point. Our colleague Curtis Gray’s day job is coordinator of the Arkansas National Archery in the Schools Program, which has been phenomenally successful during the last few years. In fact, the ANASP State Tournament is coming up March 15-16 in Hot Springs. When he’s not planning archery tournaments and helping teams, Gray tends to turkey hunt – in season, of course. He’s hunted in several states and he has a passel of tips and tricks that only a veteran turkey hunter can acquire. Gearing Up Getting started will cost a few dollars but it certainly doesn’t have to be expensive. “You can start turkey hunting for $25 if you want to,” Gray said. His advice begins with clothing. “You hear a lot about camouflage – you have to be sure you blend in,” Gray said. “Think about where you’re hunting and your camouflage pattern. You might be in bottomland hardwoods but if you’re in the Ouachita Mountains, you might want a little more green in your pattern. “You don’t want someone with a red, white and blue T-shirt that looks like a gobbler – leave your red handkerchief at home.” Even novice hunters and some people who don’t hunt at all are likely to have some camouflage clothing. It’s not so much about the pattern as it is about breaking the silhouette of a hunter’s body. Like Gray says, blend in. “Fred Bear was doing this stuff with a red flannel shirt on not too many years ago,” Gray said. He suggests two important items are gloves and a facemask to cover exposed skin. “Go get a comfortable facemask and a pair of gloves. Some masks are uncomfortable – they hit your nose the wrong way. Don’t wait until the day before you go hunting to get one that’s comfortable. “Gloves can be as simple as brown jersey or camo that cost $50. You will have to move your hands a little (when you’re hunting) and gloves will help hide that.” Like deer hunting, turkey hunting often requires long periods of sitting still. “Bring a comfortable cushion,” Gray said. That can be as simple as a boat cushion or one made especially for turkey hunters. Not only does a cushion aid in comfort, it keeps a body off what could be a wet, cold ground. LEFT: Jackson Morton works a box call with advice from Curtis Gray. BELOW: A simple slate call does the trick for most turkey hunting situations. 6 ARKANSAS WILDLIFE MARCH • APRIL 2013 Following the comfort theme, bring bug spray or a ThermaCELL. But couldn’t a turkey smell bug spray and be spooked? “Turkeys won’t smell bug spray but they have great vision,” Gray said. “My grandpa always told me that a turkey will change its mind at 100 yards." A flashlight’s another good idea. “It’s gonna be before daylight when you leave the truck but you don’t have to buy something special.” One Call Maybe you’ve seen page after page of turkey calls – box, slate, tube, diaphragm, wing-bone and others – in sporting goods catalogs. The sheer variety can be overwhelming and they can cost a lot, too. Gray says keep it simple. “People think they have to buy $75 calls – you don’t need that. The first hunt I had was with a call made from roof slate. There probably wasn’t $3 in that hunt. “Don’t worry about a big selection of calls. Find one that you can work – a pot and peg kind of call, usually slate. You don’t need to sound like 15 different birds; you need to sound like one good bird. Try a box call, get a diaphragm, whatever. Learn to work one. Slate calls are the easiest. “A lot of people have calls that mean something to them – they belonged to their grandpa or somebody in the family. Leave that call at home. You’ll be upset if you break it or lose it.” Start Walking If you feel good about the gear you need, spend time in the woods – without a shotgun or a call. This is perhaps the most important part of the hunt and one some hunters overlook or sell short. “Get a topographical map of where you’re going,” Gray said. “You’re looking for water and roosting sites. Ask yourself: Where will they go? Look for ridges and saddles where they get in the sunlight and dry off that dew in the morning. “When you’re scouting, don’t call. Just go listen. Every time you encounter a turkey, you educate it. Save it for when you’re hunting. Just because nothing gobbles early in the morning, that doesn’t mean there won’t be gobbling later. Take binoculars and scan the woods. The only way to get that knowledge about movements is by being there.” Gray says his scouting begins in early March. “Success on any public ground will boil down to scouting, seeing what’s available. Don’t get in the habit of going to one spot to listen for a gobble. If you hear one, move to another place and listen. Don’t put all your scouting eggs in one basket.” Gray says to check food plots for dust and sand where turkeys will be scratching. Look for other sign like drag marks along logging roads. MARCH • APRIL 2013 ARKANSAS WILDLIFE 7 of the truck and start blowing a call. “Novices start hitting a hoot owl call, then they walk through the woods blowing it,” Gray said. “Don’t do that. Let (turkeys) gobble and they won’t know you’re there.” Hunters must be prepared when the action starts. “When they hear a gobble, most people want to start calling. First figure out where to sit. When you hear that first yelp, you better be ready. They can be on top of you in a heartbeat. Have your gun ready before you make a call.” Look for a tree that will break up your body’s silhouette. “Maybe a cedar bush to back into,” Gray said. “In open woods, find a big oak tree. Rake the leaves back so they won’t rustle if you have to move. Look at shooting lanes. Beginners don’t think about that until everything starts happening. Think about scenarios. Think about what the bird might see.” This may be jumping the gun, but should you score a trophy, consider what you’d like to do with it before you have it. “Pay attention to bringing it out of the woods,” Gray said. “You might want to have a tail fan mount. If you tear it up on the way out of the woods, the mount’s not going to look good. Have a sack to put it in.” Gloves, a couple of calls and a facemask are tools of the trade. Plan for Permits The application period for permit turkey hunts on AGFC wildlife management areas begins in mid-December and ends in mid-January (check www.agfc.com). Applications are limited to one per person for each type of permit hunt. Youth hunters must be 6-15 years old the day the hunt begins. Permit winners are notified by email (an email address must be included with each application). Application is free, but successful applicants must pay $10 to receive WMA hunt permits. Call 501-223-6440 or 501-223-6359 for more information about AGFC permit hunts. For any kind of hunting, check www.agfc.com for the list of Sweet Sixteen WMAs. Any hunter must have a free Sweet Sixteen Area Use Permit for those areas. The permit expires June 30 each year. National wildlife refuges also hold permit turkey hunts. Here’s a list of those areas and how to find out more (visit the websites for each refuge or call these numbers): • Bald Knob, Cache River and Wapanocca NWR: 870-347-2614. • Felsenthal and Pond Creek NWR: 870-364-3167. • Holla Bend NWR: 479-229-4300. • White River NWR: 870-282-8200. 8 ARKANSAS WILDLIFE MARCH • APRIL 2013 “There’s a lot of walking. Wear good boots and be willing to walk. Take some food and water.” Be aware that what you hear and see while scouting may not translate to what happens when the season opens, at least in Arkansas. “That first peak of gobbling before people start hunting is an unbelievable two or three days,” Gray said. “They are all vocal trying to court a lady. You hear birds you probably won’t hear again. “When you’re scouting, realize that turkeys will move through the day. A lot more turkeys are killed by ambush than by calling.” Another important part of the hunt should occur long before opening day. “Beforehand, you want to pattern your shotgun,” Gray said. “I was hunting in Georgia with a guy who had a shot at a turkey 32 steps away. He shot and missed when it was 25 steps away. His shotgun had never been patterned.” Gray says first figure out if you want to use No. 5 shot or No. 6 shot. To do that, buy a box of each. Shoot a paper plate at 15 yards to see how much shot is hitting the plate (patterning). Shoot again from 20, 25 and 30 yards so you’ll know how the shotgun patterns at different distances. Draw a turkey head on the plate and practice. You want to hit the neck at the bottom of the waddle (red, wrinkled skin below the head). Beginners can make fatal mistakes when the hunt arrives, probably caused as much by nerves as inexperience. Owl calls (one of several locator calls) are used to startle turkeys into gobbling, and beginners can’t wait to jump out Just Some Ideas Finding a place to begin can be daunting for anyone planning a first turkey trip. We asked Jason Honey, AGFC turkey program coordinator and Gray for a few suggestions about hunting on wildlife management areas and other public land. Winona WMA covers 160,000 acres in Perry and Saline counties. Its Ouachita Mountain ridges and valleys are known for turkey, although it is close to population centers and can be crowded early in the season. Gene Rush WMA along the Buffalo River is among several areas in the Ozark Mountains that draw people. Food plots for elk attract other big game, including turkey. Gulf Mountain WMA in Van Buren County and Sylamore WMA in Searcy, Marion, Stone and Baxter counties also produce good numbers of birds each year. Moro Big Pine Natural Area WMA in Calhoun County, long known for excellent deer hunting, holds a healthy turkey population. It’s among the better areas in southern Arkansas. Bayou Meto WMA in southeastern Arkansas means ducks to most hunters but it’s also good for other birds. There’s not much pressure during turkey season; a boat is a good idea. Also look into Trusten Holder WMA and the expansive White River National Wildlife Refuge in the same neighborhood. As always, know the regulations before you go. AW Regulations for Turkey Season Arkansas Tu Hunting G rkey uidebook The statewide bag limit for turkey hunting season is two adult gobblers or bearded hens; no jakes. Hunters 6-15 years old, however, may harvest one jake as part of the two-bird limit (including the youth hunt). No more than one turkey may be taken per day. Shooting times are 30 minutes before sunrise until 30 minutes after sunset. Archery tackle and shotguns (10 gauge and smaller) are legal. 2013 This guideb This ookguid is also eboava ok isilab www.agonli also avai onllabl neco ineeebo guid at www.a leThis fc. at ok is m gfc.com also avai labl onli ne at ww c=85 m=19 c=15 m=29 e w.agfc.com y=0 k=0 y=33 k=0 c=57 m=80 c=100 m=0 y=100 k=45 y=91 k=42 c=20 m=0 c=30 m=0 y=40 k=6 y=5 k=0 April 20-28 Zones 4, 4A, 5A, 9A Zone Bag Limit – Hunters who kill a turkey in one of these zones must travel to any other zone to harvest a second turkey. April 20-May 5 Zones 1, 2, 3, 4B, 5, 5B, 6, 7, 7A, 8, 9, 10, 17. April 13-14 –Youth Hunt Zones 1, 2, 3, 4, 4A, 4B, 5, 5A, 5B, 6, 7, 7A, 8, 9, 9A, 10, 17. Only youngsters 6-15 may take part in the youth hunt. Youngsters who have Hunter Education cards must be accompanied by a mentor 18 or older; those who do not have Hunter Education cards must be under direct supervision of a mentor 21 or older. Hunters must follow bag limits for the zones in which they hunt. Tagging and Checking When you harvest a turkey, don’t move it. Immediately remove the appropriate turkey tag from your license and complete everything (except check number) in ink. Attach the tag to a turkey leg. The tag must remain on the turkey until processing and storage. Hunters with a Disability License, 65-Plus Lifetime License, hunters under 16 and Mississippi licenseholders under the reciprocal license agreement should substitute a piece of paper with name, date, time and zone number of harvest written in ink. Call 866-305-0808 or log on to www.agfc.com to check the turkey within 24 hours of harvest. Entrails may be removed, but evidence of the animal’s sex must remain until checked. No big game animal may be taken across state lines before it’s checked. If you give away any of your game, a game transfer form (in turkey guidebook) must be used. MARCH • APRIL 2013 ARKANSAS WILDLIFE 9