Items you will need for successful turkey hunting include a shotgun, a bow or rifle (if legal where you hunt), ammunition for your weapon of choice, full camouflage, head net or face paint, and a turkey call.

The first thing you need to do is make sure you have turkeys in your area. If you are unsure, a good way to find out is to contact your local wildlife conservation officer. If you know for a fact there are wild turkeys in your area, you will need to locate them. This can be done by watching open fields when you are driving around. If you live in a mostly wooded area, one of the best ways to locate turkeys is by going to the top of a hill early in the morning before the songbirds start singing. Find a good place to sit and listen while trying to cover as much area as possible. When you locate them by hearing the familiar turkey gobble, make a mental note or make a note in a small notebook where they were heard.

My recommended weapon of choice is the 12 gauge 3” shotgun with a full choke. While not necessary, a gun that has been camouflaged is desirable as turkeys have keen eyesight and tend to notice things that are not natural to their environment. Make sure, prior to hunting, that you familiarize yourself with your weapon. By shooting the weapon, you will then know for a fact how tight of a pattern the gun will shoot. This will give you your point of impact so that you will know where to hold on the turkey for a clean kill.

There are many different types of ammunition available for shotguns, but one thing you need to know is what brand and/or shot size shoots best in your gun. Recommended shot size is a minimum of size 6 shot and maximum of size 4 shot. You will want to have a minimum of at least 10 bb’s into the kill zone of the turkey which, by the way, is the head and neck area. Paper turkey targets are available to familiarize your self with the kill zone and size of the wild turkey.

There are many different camouflages available. One key thing to pay attention to when out scouting for the wild turkeys is the surroundings. Is it predominately woods or fields? This will help you in making a decision on what camouflage to choose. I like to mix my camouflage and an example would be the difference between my pants and jacket. I would want a leaf pattern for the pants, as that is usually what is on the forest floor, but I would want a tree bark pattern for my jacket as you will have your back up against a tree. This will help to break up your outline. Make sure you pick up a good pair of camouflage gloves to help mask any hand movement while running a turkey call.

When choosing a camouflaged head net, choose one that will give you an unobstructed view of the sites on your shotgun. Nothing can be more frustrating when aiming at a turkey only to have your face mask blocking your view. Another advantage of the head net is to keep insects away from your face which can be quite bothersome as the weather warms up. Another option is a camouflage paint which is like a make-up that hunters use to help hide their face.

There are many turkey calls available to the turkey hunter today. Box calls, slate calls and diaphragm or mouth calls all do a good imitation of the wild turkey when used properly. All have their place out in the field while hunting but I would recommend using either the box call or slate call then, when ready, you can advance to a mouth call. Practice using which ever call you decided on until it is second nature. Make sure if you have been practicing indoors to head out into the area where you will be hunting and practice as well. It does sound different.

These few tips will help you in becoming a more skilled turkey hunter.