Every time you walk into the woods hunting turkeys, you also want to walk out of the woods! Some hunting safety measures are obvious but others, are not. On this episode I talk about 14 practices that can help keep you and others safe and how they specifically relate towards hunting turkeys. 

14 Ways To Not Die Hunting Turkeys

  1. Never chamber a shell until you are hunting. – There is more to this than you think.
  2. If you realize other hunters are in the area you plan to hunt, go elsewhere.
  3. Don’t use decoys on public land.
  4. Do not wear anything with red, white, and blue.
  5. Never lend a hunter a gun he is not familiar with – And don’t hunt with a gun you haven’t shot.
  6. Assume every sound is a hunter. This sounds easy but most hunters do exactly the opposite. 
  7. Never call while you are moving. Always stop.
  8. Never stalk a calling turkey. You will find yourself walking right into other hunters.
  9. Never split up with a hunting partner. Hunt together or in different locations. 
  10. Try to be perfectly still while waiting to ambush a gobbler.  This is good safety and good hunting.
  11. Sit up against a tree that is big enough to protect you from being shot from behind
  12. Wear orange walking in and out of the woods. A small hat is all you need.
  13. Be very careful when you are exhausted. This HUGE.
  14. Be very careful when you are excited. This is EVEN BIGGER. 
  15. Listen to the episode for all the details!

Some of these things I have learned the hard way. Some I learned from turkey hunting legend, author, and mentor, John McDaniel.  He is the one who inspired me to do an episode on this topic to try and save people pain and worse while engaged in one of the most joyous pursuits in the woods. 

Few things hinder turkey hunters more than believing untruths. So, on this episode I am going to bust some commonly held turkey hunting myths to help empower you with good information to find more success in the woods.

I am not sure how some hunting myths get started but in general I think it is some combination of urban legend, lazy thinking, poor science, overzealous marketing, bad tradition, or down right sabotage.

Every sport has its myths, but turkey hunting has some serious ones that will keep you out of the woods and far from potential opportunities if you let them steer you. But the truth will set you free!

Listen to the episode to hear the myth busting.

Trail cameras can be very helpful for turkey scouting but to get the best results you need to use them differently than you do for other game. On this episode I share four major tips to use game cameras specifically for turkey scouting.

Take Aways:

  • The best trail camera strategies for deer are not the best for turkeys
  • Gobblers are shorter than deer
  • Turkeys move through areas that deer often pause in
  • Turkeys have less size and mass to set off camera sensors
  • Birds can walk through areas that deer may go around
  • Never trust the specs on a camera, always test it
  • Test every camera you put up to make sure you have the ideal angles and detection range
  • Check cameras during the middle of the day when turkeys are not likely to be in morning hunt areas
  • Listen to the episode to learn how to use game cameras for spring turkey scouting

Can you start scouting for turkeys too early? Or better still, when do you get the best returns for time spend scouting? On this episode I talk about the best times and situations for spring turkey scouting.

Take Aways

  • In the winter turkeys seek out habitat that helps them survive the winter, by spring they move into other areas.
  • As the breeding season approaches, turkey flocks break up and movement patterns shift.
  • Scouting in the winter can afford some value but because so much changes, the learnings can only provide general help.
  • After the breeding season, turkey habits and movements change again as poults are born and raised.
  • Then turkeys begin to flock up again and their habitat shifts.
  • So there are specific times that have high value for scouting.
  • Listen to the episode to hear the best times to scout for spring gobblers

Every turkey season we should gain new insights that will help us become more effective hunters. And the only thing better than learning from your own experiences is learning from other people’s too! On this episode I share the most important thing I learned about hunting spring turkey last season.

Take Aways

  • Being in the right area can help new turkey hunters overcome many other shortcomings.
  • No amount of skill can make up for being in the right place at the right time.
  • You cannot take turkeys if there are none in the area. 
  • You can get about 80% of the benefit of calling gobblers from about 20% of the skill.
  • It is not as much about finding the right exact spot on the ground as putting yourself in the right area and adjusting your spot as needed.
  • Listen to the episode to hear about the most important thing I learned last season!

Has a myth ever hindered you? The truth can lift burdens and bring freedom. On this episode I debunk 7 hunting myths that make it hard for people to start hunting or to pursue new types of game.

Hunting myths can mostly be broken down into two main categories, internal and external. 

Internal Hunting Myths

  • These are things you believe about yourself.
  • Things no one told you.
  • They may be started or perpetuated by a bad experience or observation.
  • You never questioned them because they seemed to always there.
  • Now is the time to question things!

External Hunting Myths

  • These are things someone else told you were true.
  • They are based on tradition, folklore, experiences, and something basically nothing.
  • Things are said enough times and over enough generations that people assume they are true.
  • You never thought to question these things because you never had a reason.
  • This is the time to start questioning!

Listen to the episode to hear the 7 myths that bog down new hunters.

A bad hunting habit can cost you a lot of opportunities while pursuing predators. But fixing a bad habit can readily boost your chances of success hunting coyotes, foxes, and more while seemingly doing nothing different. On this episode I identify several bad habits for predator hunting and how you can easily fix them.

Take Aways

  • Predator hunting can seem relatively simple at times, but it is a very skillful activity.
  • What you do, how you do it, and what you omit makes all the difference.
  • A bad hunting habit can appear invisible to you if it is not called to your attention.
  • Doing everything right can often be overshadowed by the negative effects of a bad habit.
  • A habit is not a one-time mistake, it is a regular tendency, something that follows you hunt-after-hunt. 
  • No one is immune to picking up a bad predator hunting habit. It can and will happen unless you intentionally work against it.
  • Every bad habit that you fix can make a big difference in how successful you are.
  • Listen to the episode to hear about the three bad habits for hunting coyotes and foxes.

Coyotes and foxes are most often hunted at night, but can you hunt these predators in the daytime too? You can, and it can be a lot of fun. On this episode I share tips about how to hunt predators in daylight.

Show Notes

  • To hunt predators in daylight, you need an area that gives you certain advantages, but first and foremost there needs to be predators around to hunt!
  • You need to find an area that has low daylight hunting pressure.
    • In some areas with a lot of daytime pressure, predators will lay low all day and move around freely after dark, and they can be hunted easily at night because they at not used to people being near at that time.
  • To have fair odds of success you need to scout for daylight movement. If they do not move during the day in your area then your odds will be very limited. Watch, listen, set up cameras, and talk to locals when possible.
  • Use terrain to your advantage, travel out of sight and hearing from predators and then sneak into positions with long lines of sight.
  • Listen to the episode to hear all of the tips.

So you want to hunt pheasants but don’t have a dog. No problem! Not only can you hunt pheasants without a dog you can be very successful at it. On this episode I share 3 strategies for hunting these birds without canine assistance.

Take Aways

  • Pheasants are ground birds, they live, sleep, and eat on the ground. The main reason they fly is to escape from danger.
  • These birds need heavy cover that holds up year-round and does not lay down on the ground with snow and ice.
  • Pheasants are not native to North America, and often thrive in transitional habitat here which means they come and go based on the state of vegetation as fields grow up into forests.
  • Pheasants flush to escape from impending danger, sometimes when a threat is several yards away but sometimes not until you are close enough to touch them.
  • Hunting pheasants on foot requires either sweeping large portions of thick field to get them to flush or becoming well versed in how these birds live and interact in order to locate them while they are calm.
  • Listen to the episode to hear the three strategies for how to hunt pheasants without a dog.

Can you still be successful hunting geese in the late season? Not only can you do it, some people have the most success in the middle of winter! On this episode I share strategies and tips for late season goose hunting.

Take Aways

  • Not all geese leave during the winter, and new birds can still migrate into many areas even through the end of the winter.
  • To hunt in the late season, you need to focus on what geese are looking for in YOUR area.
  • Winter can be beneficial because birds become more focused on the few waterways that have not frozen over.
  • Decoys help with goose hunting but you do not always need to buy them, you can build and improvise goose decoys for very cheap.
  • Geese are easily drawn to decoys that are nothing more than a flag, plastic bags, or black cardboard in a field.
  • Staying warm and dry in the late season is paramount for your enjoyment and safety.
  • Having good shotgun shells helps in the late season because birds have their thickest feathers.
  • Listen to the episode to hear the three strategies for winter goose hunting.