Get ready to learn from other people’s mistakes as I cover 7 turkey hunting blunders that are funny and based on real experiences such as; not estimating your range well, talking and socializing while hunting, setting up right on top of other hunters so close they could get shot at and messing up their hunts, finding people illegally camping in flood control areas of public land who are spooking out the turkeys, people trying to return a turkey hunting shotgun to a store without ever patterning it and more. Thanks to Tetra Hearing for sponsoring this episode. Get your FREE Tetra Hearing 2-Year Extended Service Plan when purchasing a device. Simply add this Service Plan to your cart and use this code at checkout: NEWHUNTERSGUIDE.
Of all the errors that turkey hunters can make, there is one that spoils more hunts than any other. If you can fix this one thing, you can drastically improve your effectiveness in the turkey woods.
Patience is a rare virtue today but sometimes there are good reasons why you may be pressed for time and need to find turkeys fast! On this episode I talk about how to find turkeys quickly on public land. This episode is sponsored by Midwest Gun Works, use the code NHG25 at checkout to get free shipping on your first order at www.MidwestGunWorks.com, some exclusions apply, see website for details.
Every year many excited hunters venture into the turkey woods, but sadly some never make it home. The vast majority of the time, this is completely preventable. This episode is more than a safety briefing, it delves into many things that few people talk about and gives easy to follow steps that can very literally save your life.
The hardest part of turkey hunting for beginners is usually finding that first bird. On this episode I dig into how you can locate your first gobbler and the many tactics that can help you realistically find an area with active turkeys.
This is your beginners guide to turkey hunting, starting at level 0. Of course, there is no way for one podcast to give you everything you need to know, but I do try to point you to everything you need to do from wanting to hunt turkeys to getting into the woods after them.
Turkey nuggets are many people’s favorite part of taking home a turkey, but what is the best way to cook them? Well, I do not think there is a “best” way but there are lots of great ways to do it depending on what you like. On this episode I share five different ways to cook and prepare this spring delicacy.
Turkey nuggets are almost always fried, but there are many ways to fry a good nugget and there are other ways they can be cooked.
- Deep frying is the most common approach, this involves using enough hot oil to completely submerge the nuggets in some kind of a pan or pot.
- Pan frying is another option that requires enough oil too to partially submerge the nuggets in the pan and then flipping them halfway through cooking.
- After this you have the sauté method that requires a small amount of oil or butter. This is one of the only cooking techniques that you can use butter for. Here you end up with a little bit of a healthier product and possibly more flavorful, but it does not have that regular deep fried nugget texture.
- The next way too cook turkey nuggets is with an air fryer. These contraptions are very useful, but they take up a lot of space and are harder to clean. Here you can use very minimal amounts of oil and a much more controlled cooking environment that will enable you to find a good recipe and replicate it easier every single time. But there are those downsides which I mentioned.
- The last technique is the sear method. Rarely used for nuggets because you are not able to use much breading, searing the nuggets can still product a very flavorful dinner but this technique needs a little moisture to shine its brightest. So, consider pairing it with a sauce, such as a blueberry wine sauce, finished with a little butter. More details are in the episode.
Beyond the actual cooking technique, you have a variety of breading approaches that you can pair with each, such as dipping in flour, using milk or egg wash to get more flour to stick, or even double breading them. You can use corn starch instead of flour, breadcrumbs, or gluten free flour as well. Some people will dry dip the meat into corn starch, then dip it in buttermilk before dipping into flour.
Every breading method has pros and cons, I personally prefer less breading because I don’t want it to soak up too much oil and initiate a bad post meal experience…
Listen to the entire podcast episode for all of the detials!
Is it possible to improve the turkey population in your local area by actually hunting more? Well, yes, yes, it is. But it’s not what you think. Killing more turkeys won’t result in a bigger turkey population, but hunting and trapping turkey predators that have grown to out of balance proportions in your area can make a difference.
Depending on where you live, predators like coyotes, foxes, raccoons, crows, possums and other predators may be overpopulated and causing undue issues with the turkey population, and potentially the populations of other game animals. Hunting or trapping these overpopulated predators can improve the wildlife balance and give turkeys better odds at survival.
Turkeys are especially susceptible to predators when they are young and unable to fly. They are in even more danger as eggs, before they hatch when almost anything from crows to raccoons can eat an entire nest. After they survive their first winter, they are much hardier. But making it to that point can be very difficult if the predator population is out of balance.
Coyotes are one of the most widespread problems nationally as their populations have been expanding unchecked in many areas. They can not only kill turkeys but also drive them out of ideal habitat which impacts their ability to survive in other ways. If you and a group of friends are able to exert concerted efforts to hunt or trap these kinds of predators you can make significant difference in your area. But it may take some sustained effort before it pays off.
You need to learn about your local wildlife and identify what populations are out of balance first. Going after foxes for example if the fox population is average or below average will not help, in fact it could cause other issues. We do not want to kill all predators, we only want to help restore population balance, especially when the populations have gotten out of balance due to manmade situations, which is often the case.
Then you need to study your local hunting and trapping laws to see what your options are. For many of these animals, trapping is more efficient and easier than hunting. Particularly with racoons and coyotes. Whatever efforts you may take, stay safe, legal, and ethical in all that you do.
If turkeys are not gobbling, moving, or in any way detectible, how do you hunt them and salvage your season? In this episode I dig into the details of how to hunt gobblers when all else fails.
If turkeys are gobbling and not coming in that is one set of challenges, but this is different. This is when all the turkeys seem to completely disappear from the woods and you cannot find any action anywhere. I’ve been there. The answer is simple, but not easy. You have to change your mindset and your tactics from turkey hunting to turkey finding.
Set out looking for birds and sign, similar to pre-season scouting but unique in that you are looking for concentrated movement areas that you can then setup in as if you were ambush hunting. I like to start in the low lands, where there are streams, puddles and soft ground where turkeys will leave tracks. I am not just looking for a stray track here and there but lots of regular fresh tracks that will let me know that lots of birds come through this area on a regular basis and spend time eating, socializing, or trying to find mates in this spot.
The goal of this scouting is to locate areas that have birds that you can come back and hunt, but you also want to move quietly. After all the season is on and you have a shotgun, you do not want to disturb the birds that you discover since you plan to hunt them that day or the next. Instead you want to move quietly, gun in hand but being careful to analyze the ground and watching for turkeys on the other side of every hill you crest and every field you move into.
When nothing is working, you come to feel like there are no birds in the woods and it can be very discouraging, but if you can find the birds, and fresh sign, it will put wind in your sails and motivate you to get out and get after the birds.
Also keep in mind that as the season goes on, the habits of birds can change. As one area grows up it may push birds into other areas. So a spot that is cold today could warm up in a week or two or three. Do not abandon historically good areas but diversify where you spend your time. Perhaps rotate between spots in order to keep on top of places that might heat up later but do not spend your entire turkey season in a spot with no action.
Listen to the whole podcast episode for all of the details!
A blunder is a big obtuse mistake that can be easily avoided. If you are making turkey hunting blunders, there is good news. It may be easy for you to stop doing things that are costing you gobblers. In this episode I call out seven big turkey hunting blunders and how to fix them! Tetra Hearing Free 2-Year Service Plan. Just add this Service Plan to your cart and use this code at checkout: NEWHUNTERSGUIDE
Hare are 7 top turkey hunting blunders that you need to stop right now!
- Not testing your gear. This has to do with shotguns and patterning yes, but also shoes, boots, base layers, calls, decoys and more. Remember, you are going to be walking into the woods often in complete darkness and needing to operate everything without turning on a light. What you wear must be comfortable. What you need to setup and operate must be simple and intuitive. You need to be able to be effective, quiet, and fast at doing complex things in the dark. You will have to work with your gear in advance to be able to do this well.
- Not being stealthy enough. So many turkey hunters make too much noise, fidget too much, and walk openly in the wrong places and at the wrong times. Turkeys have great ears and great eyes; they are birds after all. Stealth while turkey hunting is paramount. You need to be very quiet and still at all times. This more like deer hunting than it is duck hunting from a blind while telling jokes and cooking breakfast. The turkeys could be feet away from you without you even knowing it.
- Not scouting. You cannot hunt turkeys if there are no turkeys in the area. You must find birds before hunting can be effective. So many turkey hunters spend the first few “hunts” of the season doing little more than scouting, trying to find the birds they should have looked for before the season began. You need to get out and find the birds you want to hunt. Get some binoculars, a crow call, maybe some cheap trail cameras and scout before you hunt. Your hunting will be much better for it!
- Not being patient when you have scouted. Lots of turkey hunters are quick to move on out of an area if they don’t encounter action early on. There are times this is the right thing to do, but if you have scouted an area and know there are regularly birds around, then you need to sit tight, focus, and trust your scouting to put you in the right area. If you know birds come through during the morning most days, this will give you the faith you need to sit still and keep focused on the hunt. And well informed patience will be rewarded.
Listen to the whole podcast episode to get more details and find out what all seven turkey hunting blunders are.