2011 Spring Turkey - Newbie

[BCsniper]

Hey guys,

After recently moving to BC from MB I have had some challenges making the transition from prairie hunting to the mountains. Not used to the terrain and the initial challenges of becoming a billy goat.

After this weekend's 3D tournament I was informed that the girlfriend wants to go turkey hunting this spring..... JACKPOT. Looks like all the subliminal whispers worked when she goes to bed i'll whisper things like "Lets go turkey hunting, kill them before they kill you, dream about the turkey looking at you with those beady eyes....... he is now hunting you, claws ready to attack, his nose bloody from his last fight with a girl, its you or him" Thats when she usually wakes up in a cold sweat, tears running down her face and I comfort her by telling her that she owns a pretty pink bow - her last line of defence against rabbits, grouse, squirrels and turkey's. And I try to support those claims with fake statistics.

I have had 2 fall seasons in BC and last year was definitely feeling a little more like home in that the initmidation of the woods was gone, adjusted to the thought of cougars and grizzly's in the woods with me. Even bought a can of bear spray to fit in. Now its on my hip instead of at the bottom of my pack.

But this spring we are looking for turkeys and I am thinking of trying the Christian valley (Saw some while hunting deer). Was wondering if I could get some advice on how you set up for them, typical terrain that would be best suited and the like. I will be doing lots of reading here and on other sources to get prepped as I would like us to be able to find some gobblers.

So far this forum has real hunters with some great insight.

Please feel free to let me know if there are other places with higher densities or that might be a better place for new turkey hunters.


Thank you!


BCsniper

Thanks to the Sagittarius Archers for putting on such an amazing 3D tournement! GREAT TIME!

[16ga]

If you don't mind driving a little further you could try the WK, especially around Creston, Castlegar, or the Pend D'Oreille, there are lots of turkeys here, as a bonus bring your fishing rod, lots of walleye in the Columbia just below the confluence of the Pend D'Oreille and Columbia, good luck.

http://www.panoramio.com/photo/34634882 from google.

[bcmulie]

I've hunted turkeys around Creston before, with some success. Here's an article (part 1) I wrote for Outdoor Edge a few years ago, FWIW:

For a time it looked like we would have a storybook turkey hunt after all. You know the kind of hunt that I’m talking about – a hunt to write home about, where everything falls into place so perfectly that you wonder whether it’s all just a dream; a hunt where you and your partner call in two toms at once, and manage to fill both your tags.

For two days my old man and I had been scouring the hardwood forests in the Creston valley, desperately searching for a gobbler, any gobbler. Two long, fruitless days had us questioning whether or not it had been worth making the eight hour drive from Vancouver to hunt, no, not a majestic bighorn sheep, elk, or mule deer, but a mere bird – and a downright ugly one at that.

Those two long, dry days were forgotten in a heartbeat, though, when two toms crossed the logging road in front of us and headed into an open forest of mixed hardwoods and conifers. We hurriedly stopped the truck, donned our camo, and headed into the woods after the gobblers. Finding a likely looking spot we set up side-by-side about 10 yards apart (our second mistake) and got ready to begin calling. We didn’t set up any decoys, not having bothered to purchase any (our first, much earlier, mistake), and chose a location where we could see a long way through the forest (our third mistake).

My first hesitant clucks on a mouth call drew, not one, but two explosive gobbles from the lustful toms who were clearly as desperate for hens as we were for the sight of a mature tom. For the next 15 or 20 minutes the toms and I exchanged gobbles and clucks, cackles, and purrs, while they gradually moved closer and closer to where we were hidden. Finally, the gobblers came into view, at a distance of about 100 yards. As I worked the toms closer and closer, I could see that they were peering ahead through the sparse underbrush in an attempt to locate the hens that were luring them in with mellifluous voices.

All went well until the toms reached the fifty-yard mark, where it appeared that suspicion had overcome lust, the lack of visible hens cooling their ardour. Notwithstanding the use of my most seductive calls, the gobblers refused to come within range of our shotguns and eventually began to fade back into the forest. Undaunted, I switched to a box call and again called both turkeys to within 50 yards. One tom, apparently more desperate than his comrade, ventured to within 40 yards of us. I waited in vain for my father to shoot, but unbeknownst to me he lacked a clear shooting lane.

Again the gobblers began to depart, but a few well-timed purrs had them gobbling explosively and edging closer a third time, again looking for hens. Alas, contrary to the cliché, the third time was not lucky and the gobblers eventually departed, leaving my father and I sadder but wiser.

Calling all Turkeys

Where did it all go wrong? The calling certainly could not have been at fault. For weeks in advance of our hunt (my wife claims it felt like years) I had practiced diligently with a variety of mouth, box and slate calls, listening to and watching numerous tapes and turkey hunting videos in an effort to soak up every piece of calling knowledge that I possible could. I think I sounded pretty good, too. Turkeys are supposed to sound like a wounded cape buffalo in heat, aren’t they?

At the end of it all, I claim to have learned, if not mastered (enough with the snickering), five basic turkey calls: yelping, clucking, cackling, purring, and cutting. Each of these calls can be generated using one of a number of calling devices. The basic calls used by turkey hunters are the box call, slate call, push-button box call, and diaphragm or mouth calls.

The box call is a thin-walled wooden box (some box calls are now made of synthetic materials) with a paddle-like lid attached to one end. Drawing the paddle across the box, both of which are chalked, generates Turkey calls. To yelp with a box call, slide the paddle across the edge of the box with s single, sweeping stroke. Using a shorter, sharper stroke will generate a cluck, while drawing the paddle lightly and slowly across the edge of the box creates the purring sound. Cutting is achieved by striking the paddle across the top of the box several times in rapid succession.

The slate call consists of two parts: the “slate” (go figure) and a striker, which is drawn across the slate to create hen sounds. Slate calls now come manufactured from a variety of substances, including Plexiglas, aluminum, and the traditional slate rock. The methodology for creating sounds with a slate call is similar to that for box calls, as both use friction to generate sound. To cluck, place the striker on the calling surface and draw it toward you quickly, popping it off the surface. Cutting is achieved by making several rapid clucks in succession. To yelp, use longer circular strokes, keeping the striker in contact with the surface at all times. To produce a purr, draw the striker across the surface slowly and relatively lightly. It may take some practice to master the correct angle at which to hold the striker, but slate calls have a significant advantage over box calls in wet weather.

The push-button box call, which consists of a small box with a spring-loaded striker, is by far the easiest to use. All you need to do to reproduce hen sounds is push on the end of a peg, which drags a striker across the box. One advantage of the push-button call (aside from its ease of use) is that it can be taped to the forearm of a shotgun for use during the last critical moments when a turkey is coming within range. Varying the speed at which, and distance over which, the peg is pushed will result in the appropriate turkey sounds.

Mouth diaphragm calls are one of the most effective, and also the most difficult types of calls to use. Consisting of a horseshoe shaped piece of aluminum with thin piece of latex stretched across it, the diaphragm call is used by placing it against the roof of your mouth with the open end of the horseshoe facing forward. Your tongue is pressed against the call and is used to control the flow of air over the call. Given the difficulty of using this call, I recommend purchasing an instructional tape or video.

The various hen calls can be generated with a mouth call by saying the following words: for a cluck, “plock”; for yelps, a slow, rhythmic “chalk, chalk chalk”; for cutting, “pot, pot, pot”; and for cackling, an increasingly more rapid “chalk, chalk, chalk”. To produce a purr, blow outwards while vibrating your lips and tongue, or alternatively your vocal cords in a manner similar to gargling.

Some hunters have difficulty with a gagging sensation created by the mouth diaphragm call. If you find yourself gagging on a diaphragm call, try trimming it down to a smaller size. Mouth calls aren’t for everyone, but they have the advantage of keeping your hands free to maneuver your shotgun into a shooting position when that old boss gobbler shows up.

Whichever call you use, practice enough that you can at least competently make one or two basic sounds (the cluck and yelp are probably the key calls). A little calling will go a long way with most toms, and you don’t need to be a master caller to be a successful turkey hunter.

In addition to calls for making turkey sounds, you may wish to purchase a “shock” call, such as a crow call, owl call or screech call to help you locate turkeys. Gobblers will often respond to loud and startling noises by gobbling vigorously, thereby giving away their location. Such noises can include everything from a slamming truck door to an owl’s hooting. Using shock calls late in the evening is a good way to locate roosting toms that you can set up on first thing in the morning.

[bcmulie]

Part 2 of the article:

The Setup

If calling wasn’t the problem with our hunt, then what was it? All fingers, in this case, point to the all-important setup as having caused the downfall of our storybook turkey hunt. Here are a few tips that may help you to avoid our mistakes.

First, good camouflage is essential. Turkeys have excellent vision and will easily spot and avoid a poorly camouflaged hunter. Being well-camouflaged means not only wearing the appropriate clothing (including a face mask and gloves), but also setting up where the surrounding trees, stumps, logs, or brush will break up your outline. Don’t set up behind these obstacles, though, as that will deprive you of a clear shooting lane when an old tom finally comes in to your calls. Set up in front of but close to a brush pile, a tree, or a log. This will break up your outline but leave you free to make that shot count.

Second (and this may seem counter-intuitive), avoid setting up where you have a lengthy unobstructed view in the direction you expect turkeys to come from. If you have a clear view of a tom at 100 yards, then he likely has a clear view of you, or at least of the location where some hen is supposedly calling from. If he can see where the calls are coming from, but can’t see the hen making them, a wise tom is unlikely to come within shooting range. Your best bet is to set up in a location where you can only see about 30 yards, the approximate maximum range at which you can reliably take a turkey with a shotgun. As fun as it is to see an old tom coming from a long distance, with tail fanned out and gobbling like crazy, you’ll be successful more often by not seeing the turkey until he’s within shotgun range.

Third, be aware of obstacles between your position and the location where you expect old long-beard to be hanging out. While gobblers are keen to mate during spring turkey season, they may also decide that there must be more accessible hens when faced with the effort of crossing a fence, creek, or other barrier in order to reach your location. Simply put, the easier it is for a tom to get to the source of the hen calls, the more likely he is to come. Setting up on a natural travel corridor, such as an old skid road or deer trail, will enhance your odds of bringing in a tom.

Fourth, two hunters are working together can greatly increase their odds by setting up appropriately. The shooter should find a spot about 20 yards out in front of the caller, to give him or her that slight edge. Then, when a big tom hangs up 50 yards from the caller, he’ll be nicely in range of the shooter.

Lastly, using a decoy may enable you to coax that old tom in the last few yards needed to bring him within shotgun range. I’m convinced that decoys would have made the difference in our hunt. The two toms were clearly looking for a glimpse of a hen through the open woods. Their failure to spot a hen (or a well-placed convincing decoy) tipped the scales against us and kept the toms out of shotgun range.

All’s Well that Ends Well

When it finally appeared that our two toms had left us and weren’t coming back, my dad and I decided to relocate and try calling from a different direction. To that end, we circled up above the two toms and my dad set up in a shooting position on an old skid road. I planned to set up about 20 yards above him to call. I’m sure that our strategy would have worked perfectly – had the toms still been below us. As it was, when I walked around the corner to where I planned to call from, I ran smack into the two toms. With some luck and some fast shooting, a tom was mine. Just goes to show that you need to read the whole book before you know how it’ll turn out . . .

[bcbrez]

where about s are you located?
We got our birds every season. Have got them with my bow as well. There are lots of places to try here in the WK's. If you out this way at all during the season let me know.

[beni]

I've wanted to do some Turkey hunting for a while too. Looks like tons of fun

Has anyone had any Success in Reg 8? Have friends in Enderby/Armstrong area's and they've never once seen a turkey in that area.

The only turkey i've ever spotted was a Hen while on my way to a jobsite near Barrier lakes. Have heard for a few years they're moving into that area.. maybe one day =D

[Singleshotneeded]

I was deer and turkey hunting this past hunting season around GF and Christina lake, where there used to be a decent amount of turkeys.
I got a decent whitetail buck but didn't see a single turkey or any sign. I talked to a few locals and they told me that there have been so many hunters there after turkeys that they're not surprised. If you're after turkey we're going to have to go further east! The few turkeys in the South Okanagan and just east are pretty much on private land, and you'd need permission...might be tough to talk them into letting you deplete their holiday turkey supply!

[bcbrez]

I know the bobcats are getting very good at taking out turkeys now. There going up the trees at night after the birds have roosted and then it's easy pickings. Also your seeing alot smarter birds with more and more people pounding the bush.

[BCsniper]

Thanks for the great information guys! I really appreciate the great information and wasn't expecting that much detail.

[nomad]

Turkeys are alot of fun! I've hunted them in southern Ont. Just over Christmas/New Years, I was back there and saw flocks of thirty in some fields! All local private farm lands there with a TON of hunting pressure! My family back there saw a flock of around 75 birds just before I got there! These flocks don't move too far throughout the year. I'd scout early to find the flocks! Go shed hunting and keep an eye out for the birds!

[sfire436]

FYI Christina Lake is A GONG SHOW! More so for the opener, used to be a nice spot but has not been polluted with quad hunting folk and such. I love hunting Toms but think I will be heading further east this year.

[BCsniper]

Well the advice from you guys is definitely helpful. Thanks for all the PM's. Looks like we will be scouting in March to see if we can find some action between Grand forks and Trail. So far that seems to have narrowed down our search.

[OutWest]

Christina Lake is definitely a zoo but it's mostly from guys cruising up and down the roads stopping and thinking they're going to call one right to them. We have a group of 5 or 6 guys that always go and we bag our limit. Learn what calls to use at what times and don't be scared to get off the roads.

[BCsniper]

Update: Looks like things are shaping up for my turkey season. You guys have been very helpful and yesterday I had my birthday gifts sitting in the living room when we finished supper. I was thinking I probably was getting some pants or shirts. I opened them and saw that the girlfriend bought The Flambau Full Strut Turkey and the next box was a flock of turkey decoys from Flambau. Beats a pair of pants hands down any day.

Also thanks to the guys on here looks like we have narrowed our hunting area down to Christian Valley to Trail. From there we are going to narrow it down further and any help is still appreciated. If someone is out scouting for other animals and comes across turkey sign I would be very thankful to get those locations. I am having a hard time getting out there to do it myself, so far. But I plan on getting out there in Late March/Early April.

It's like Christmas coming up I am so jacked to be going for gobblers this spring.

[finngun]

legal guestion please...
for my understanding..only shotgun is allowed to turkey hunting...right?
what about my rifle and shotgun combo gun ,can i legally use it without using rifle-part of it?
of course you want real shotgun,with but just curiosity and legal point of view i like to know..thanx

[huntwriter]

legal guestion please...
for my understanding..only shotgun is allowed to turkey hunting...right?
what about my rifle and shotgun combo gun ,can i legally use it without using rifle-part of it?
of course you want real shotgun,with but just curiosity and legal point of view i like to know..thanx

It is legal to use:
.22 Rimfire rifles.
Shotguns.
Crossbows.
Traditional and modern compound bows.

Note:It makes me wonder who's making these regulations up. The .22 rimfire is the worst possible choice for turkeys. I've seen more times than I care to remember that .22 LR bullets just bounce of the birds. If your lucky you might kill the bird with a head shot but more times than not the bird will be lost or fly away no worse for wear.

To answer your question you can use your shotgun rifle combo. It's perfectly legal.

[finngun]

holy turkey...you are right...legally 22short too????
but no 30-06....does somebody really hate turkeys and want them to suffer?? regulations makers..what is inside their heads--stuffing...like winnie-the-phoos head?

[Moose Guide]

It is legal to use:
.22 Rimfire rifles.
Shotguns.
Crossbows.
Traditional and modern compound bows.

Note:It makes me wonder who's making these regulations up. The .22 rimfire is the worst possible choice for turkeys. I've seen more times than I care to remember that .22 LR bullets just bounce of the birds. If your lucky you might kill the bird with a head shot but more times than not the bird will be lost or fly away no worse for wear.

To answer your question you can use your shotgun rifle combo. It's perfectly legal.

Really???
If I ever need to shoot more than once I'll let you know!!! (I hunt them every year and often with a .22 and I haven't wounded one yet)
Turkeys were hunted for centuries with squirrel rifles!!!
Talk to any farmer with turkeys on his farm and I'll bet he lets you hunt, turkeys are a pain in the butt

[OutWest]

Not a fan of allowing rim-fire for turkeys either. Seen the birds hit and fly off and the hunter fail to retrieve them a number of times now. Not to mention in areas like Christina Lake where hunters are in very close proximity to each other. Dangerous to say the least.

[huntwriter]

Really???
If I ever need to shoot more than once I'll let you know!!! (I hunt them every year and often with a .22 and I haven't wounded one yet)
Turkeys were hunted for centuries with squirrel rifles!!!
Talk to any farmer with turkeys on his farm and I'll bet he lets you hunt, turkeys are a pain in the butt

I've guided turkey hunters for over then years and the first year I let clients use .22 where legal. After the first year of hunters loosing an average of 32% turkeys with rimfire I banned that caliber from all of my camps.

"Turkeys were hunted for centuries with squirrel rifles!!!"
Not true, the number one choice for turkey hunting, even during the times of market hunting, had always been the shotgun. Occasionally small caliber rifles where used but abandoned because they were inefficient and today are outlawed for turkey hunting throughout America and some of the Canadian Provinces.

"Talk to any farmer with turkeys on his farm and I'll bet he lets you hunt..."
It's not that easy to get permission to hunt on private land. I've knocked on many doors and have been turned down more often than gained permission. Many farmers actually like turkeys. Turkey's main diet consists of grubs, insects and weeds, all the things farmers do not want in their crop fields and fruit orchards.

[huntwriter]

Not a fan of allowing rim-fire for turkeys either. Seen the birds hit and fly off and the hunter fail to retrieve them a number of times now. Not to mention in areas like Christina Lake where hunters are in very close proximity to each other. Dangerous to say the least.

Not to forget the hunters that shoot at decoys and in at least one case almost shot the hunter (last year) and then run off. Or the idiots shooting turkeys in peoples backyard and in one case right off of the front porch of a house. Then there are those that get into fistfights over a stand location. I went to Christina Lake three years in a row and each year it got worse. What a great way to promote hunting to the general public. Christina Lake used to be a good place to hunt turkeys before all the yahoos arrived. Now the locals hate all hunters.

[OutWest]

Not to forget the hunters that shoot at decoys and in at least one case almost shot the hunter (last year) and then run off. Or the idiots shooting turkeys in peoples backyard and in one case right off of the front porch of a house. Then there are those that get into fistfights over a stand location. I went to Christina Lake three years in a row and each year it got worse. What a great way to promote hunting to the general public. Christina Lake used to be a good place to hunt turkeys before all the yahoos arrived. Now the locals hate all hunters.

I've seen it get worse year after year since it opened to GOS. Last season was definitely the worst. We bagged our limit and had plenty of action where we go but from talking to other hunters it sounded like an absolute gongshow. Happened to talk to the guy who almost got shot. Quite the story.

[GrouseRiver]

Just a friendly note to let everyone know that we will be hosting a Turkey calling clinic in Kelowna on Saturday, March 19th.

Details can be found on the website here.
(http://www.grouseriver.com/category_s/449.htm)
The event will be feature local professional hunter, writer, and outdoor expert Othmar Vohringer in a morning seminar and Q&A session followed by two in-depth field sessions where Othmar will take you all the way from basic turkey hunting techniques to the advanced strategies that will put the odds in your favour on the biggest, baddest Toms. In order to ensure a quality experience, space is limited for the two field sessions.

Please feel free to email info@grouseriver.com or call 1-877-547-6873 should you have any questions or to purchase tickets. Tickets may also be purchased directly from the website by clicking the link above. We look forward to seeing you there!

[bcbrez]

To anyone interested, we are trying to get a turkey hunting contest going for this year. If you want more info or to join check out the thread called "Turkey contest".

[bc_archer]

I'm not sure if anyone has mentioned this yet, I haven't finished reading through the string, but the .22 is not the only rifle legal to hunt turkeys. Check your regs, it says "Rimfire" not .22, so a .17 which is a rimfire used for varmint hunting that has a much larger cartridge (not bullet) and has a lot more powder, velocity etc. will definitely do the job for you.

[OutWest]

I'm not sure if anyone has mentioned this yet, I haven't finished reading through the string, but the .22 is not the only rifle legal to hunt turkeys. Check your regs, it says "Rimfire" not .22, so a .17 which is a rimfire used for varmint hunting that has a much larger cartridge (not bullet) and has a lot more powder, velocity etc. will definitely do the job for you.

It's been mentioned. Plucking a turkey with a .17 or .22 from 100+ yards certainly takes away from the hunt not to mention the obvious danger of having other hunters in close proximity.