First time turkey hunting ever!

[Phunnyfarm]

Hey fellas...I drew my first tag this year, and am hunting C-season in north central MN. I can not WAIT! I've been dreaming about it every night since February!

So, I know turkey hunting is a very difficult sport. But if you were going to give a guy one piece of advice to remember before his first spring morning in the woods, what would it be?

Thanks a lot, and best of luck to everyone!

[DonBo]

Persistance, patience. Sorry, guess that's two. Fact is the guys that stick it out are the same people who typically go home with a bird in back of the truck.

Just because that tom that answered you 10 minutes ago isn't showing up yet doesn't mean you should move. He may be coming in slow and quiet.

Just because the gobbling stopped completely at 7:00 doesn't mean you should go have breakfast at 7:30. Those birds are out there all day, you should be too.

Listen to the birds around you to gauge how often/loud you should call. If there's a lot of activity, you can probably call loud and often. If there is very little or no activity, tone it down considerably.

Good luck and enjoy!

[Tom7227]

Pick your spot and have something comfortable to sit on because you're going to be there as motionless as you can and wait for the action. If you turn your head an inch at the wrong time the birds will be up and gone before you can react. Dress warm. Enjoy the best hunting experience you can have in Minnesota.

[GatorBait]

Definately Patience is key to this sport. Some days these birds will run into your setup, other days they will take hours to get there. Be sure to know your shot pattern so you can easily judge a good shot distance. Entice the toms with your calling, overcalling will usually leave him to go find something else to do. Be ready to shoot at all times, their eye sight is unbelievably good so the less movement the better. Enjoy it, though the birds may not cooperate all the time, it's all experience to use for the next day. Good Luck!

[leech~~]

1) Get a good choke tube and practice! 2) Put some markers out at 20-30-40 yards which can be just sticks, so you know how far the bird is and he's with in range. 3) Find a good seat you can sit on all day or your butt will be sore! 4) Have fun!

[123fish]

Scout your area. Find the spot on the spot in your area and put to use the great advice the other guys have given and you will do just fine. Without a doubt patience is the key. You have to be out there to make it happen. Like my buddy always says " You can go from a zero to a hero in the blink of an eye." Good luck and have fun.

[sticknstring]

Scouting, patience, & confidence. Do your homework, pick a spot, and stick it out. Have a blast - you'll be hooked now forever!

[bigbucks]

My advice will be a little different. If you sit for an hour or two & nothing's happening don't be afraid to go looking for them. Quite frankly I've ambushed most of the turkeys I've ever shot & usually while I was on the move. This is probably not a good idea on public land, but on private land if you know you're the only one hunting, it can save your hunt. You probably don't want to do this until the last day or two you plan to hunt though. A lot of this may depend on how much property you have to hunt & how much vacation time you're willing to use.

[Basseyes]

Woodsmanship.

bigbucks has a realistic approach. Many turkeys in MO are bush whacked. Purist don't like it but oh well as long as it's done safely.

As for calling do it very sparingly and softly. If you can get under that magical yard markage for each turkey usually under 75 yards before letting him know you're there with you're calling all you need if he's already bred his hens is a soft purr or ultra soft single cluck or 2 with some leave scratching. That can have him in your lap right quick.

Being a good woodsman can help you recognize so many things. Like if he's in an area he's not going to leave. Learn that area and be where he wants to be the next morning and wait him out. I'd take late morning early afternoon strutting grounds any day of the week over gobbling roosts. It's fun as heck to listen to them gobble but tipping them over is fun too. It will also help you to understand if he's got a dominate hen with early morning that might be willing to come over and give you a shot at her gobblers head. That's when aggressive calling can be as fun as anything there is in turkey hunting. Get a hen ticked and most times she'll led your tom away but sometimes it can get every tom in the woods going. There's no givens and they can make any hunter look foolish.

[Phunnyfarm]

Thanks for all of your words of wisdom fellas!

Thought I should update you guys on how my first hunt went.

45 minutes after sitting down under a tree, 15 yards in front of my 3 decoys, calling like crazy...I heard a response...a GOBBLE from 100 yards away in the woods! I couldn't see anything, but when I called, I got a response!

A couple minutes later, 4 jakes came sprinting out of the woods, running across the field straight at me and my set up! I picked the largest one out of the line and dropped him right in the middle of my set up!

I will NEVER forget the rush I got when I heard those calls coming from the woods...and getting closer and closer with each response!

I am officially hooked, and I'll be back out there again next year (or likely 2 years when I get another tag draw)!

Thanks again guys!

[Borch]

Congrats.

[mws4dux]

Great job!! Sounds like an exciting hunt

[DonBo]

Congrats on a great fist encounter. Those jakes have gotten many people hooked on the sport.

[sticknstring]

What a hunt! Congratulations.

[Cheetah]

I am officially hooked, and I'll be back out there again next year (or likely 2 years when I get another tag draw)!

Congrats on your first bird!

Don't worry about the tag draw, there are plenty of surplus tags in MN and WI even if you aren't drawn for an early season. If you don't mind driving a little further you can head south and west to lots of other great turkey states as well.