Turkey Acting Like Pheasant

Recently, while turkey hunting, I observed a turkey behavior I have never seen before. I was walking around a hedgerow between two fields. I had been calling for some time on the other side of the hedgerow, and had heard only a few very soft gobbles. I suspected there might be turkey on the other side, but no toms. As I came around the corner, I spooked a hen feeding in the grass. In all the previous times I have spooked a turkey, it either quickly ran or flew away. This turkey did neither. Instead of fleeing, this bird hunkered down in the grass. It curled its back and ducked down. It hid more like you typically see from pheasant rather than turkey. The whole bird was fully out of sight, including the head and neck. Based on the way the turkey used its wings, it reminded me of a turtle in the grass. This grass was not very tall. It was maybe 6 or 8 inches in height. Even still, that turkey disappeared in that grass. If I had not seen it, I would have walked right past it. Even if I got relatively close, I would have been likely to think it was a rock. I just stood and waited. Eventually the bird flushed and flew to safety of a tree.


I was not aware that turkey hid like this in the middle of fields. I thought this was interesting behavior that I had never seen before. I guess every day in the field is an opportunity to learn something.

Turkey Hunting Tip #8: Locator Calls – Owl vs. Crow Calls

When turkey hunting, it’s preferable to locate turkeys with a call other than a hen call if possible. For this purpose, the two most popular calls are the owl call and the crow call. Both are typically available at stores that sell turkey calls.  I've heard different theories regarding why turkeys gobble to a crow or owl call.  I won't get into the reasons why they respond with a gobble, but just trust me that they do respond to these locator calls.


I’ve read some articles in popular hunting magazines discussing the superiority of one over the other. From experience, I can tell you that in Connecticut, turkeys will gobble a response to both an owl and crow locator call. I have successfully used both calls to locate turkeys in Connecticut.

If I had to pick only one, I would go with the crow call. The crow call is louder. Additionally, real crows are actively calling throughout the day. I’ve been told that an owl call can also be used all day long, but real owls shut up during daylight. I like my calling techniques to mimic nature as much as possible. My method is to use the owl call first thing in the morning. Crows are usually quite during the early morning hours. Once I hear the first real crow call, I switch from owl to crow locator. However, throughout the day I may switch back and forth between the two if I’m not having good luck with my crow call as the day goes on. With that in mind, I’ve used a crow call before sun up and an owl call in the heat of the day to locate turkeys. Regardless, the above method has been the most successful more of the time for me.

Turkey Hunting Tip #7: Patience

Saying that hunting requires patience is certainly not some great new revelation. Every one who has ever spent any significant time hunting any game animal knows that patience is a key requirement for a successful hunter. It’s perhaps a seemingly obvious statement to say that hunting requires patience. However, it’s so fundamental to successful hunting that it is worth repeating.

Before the game at a professional sporting event what do you see? You see some of the most skilled players in the world working on their fundamentals. You see them practicing some of the same drills that are done by young kids just starting out in sports. Even though these people are the best in the world at what they do, and they play nearly every day, they still work on their fundamentals. Additionally, when you see a mistake or error, more often than not it’s due to breakdown in some of the basic fundamental skills rather than some high-level skill. If you watch baseball games regularly, you will eventually see an infielder misplay an otherwise routine ground ball. Often the reason for this misplay is that the infielder does not square his body to the ball and get in front of it. He might get a little lackadaisical and try to play it to the side, or maybe take his eye off the ball for a split second. These are lessons that this Major League infielder learned as a 5-year old in little league baseball. Yet, these are still areas that have room for improvement. This is how developing the skill of patience is to a hunter. Every experienced hunter knows they need to be patient, but it’s a skill that is never totally mastered, and must be worked on constantly.

I would not consider myself an old-timer, but I have significant experience in the woods. Even still, when the excitement of the hunt is underway, I struggle to maintain my patience. On one recent turkey hunt I displayed great patience, and over eagerness all at the same time. I spend 2 ½ hours calling a tom across a large field. That 2 ½ hours included about 45 minutes in which the tom was behind some grasses and bushes where I could not see him, and since he was not gobbling I could not hear him either. I displayed great patience to sit with the turkey close by, but having no confirmation either visually or audibly of his presence. Of course, during those 45 minutes I was questioning myself. I was questioning whether sitting tight was the right move (or non-move in this case). I was questioning whether the tom was still there, or had he ducked into the woods. I was questioning whether he had moved to an adjacent field, and by waiting I was missing my chance. All these things went through my mind, but I knew that by sitting tight, regardless of how difficult that might be under those circumstances, I had the best chance to land the bird. Yes, he may have ducked into the woods, but if that was the case there was nothing moving from my location would have done. However, if he did happen to still be there, moving would have certainly given away my position and that turkey would have ran off like the road runner in the cartoons. Turns out, I sat tight, and eventually that turkey made his way towards the middle of the field where I was able to see him. Turkeys have a different sense of time than humans. He was on turkey time, taking his sweet time, not human time. Now, that was my example of patience. In that same hunt I was also over eager. When the turkey got close to my position, I started getting nervous that he would duck into the woods, and I fired earlier than I should have. I underestimated my distance and the turkey was out of range. I should have held my position and waited for him to get closer. Yes, he may have ducked into the woods, but by waiting I would have given myself some chance to better my position. As it turned out, I fired and put myself in a situation in which I had no chance of getting the bird. If I had waited, perhaps I had a 50% chance of him ducking into the woods, and a 50% chance of him coming closer within range. Even though it was a coin flip, it was still significantly better than the 0% move I made by firing too early. The fact that I was so patient earlier in the hunt, made it that much more infuriating that I was not patient later in the hunt. Many swear words were spoken to myself after blowing it with that bird.

Patience is sometimes difficult to execute in the field when your heart is thumping. It’s a hunting skill that’s developed over time. Using patience will help you play the percentages, and make you a better hunter.

Turkey Hunting Tip #6: Use Decoys to Estimate Distance

I missed a turkey this spring because I underestimated how far he was from my position. Unfortunately for me, since this bird was in an open field I did not have the luxury of setting up decoys, or pacing off some landmarks to help estimate distance. However, if possible, it’s a good idea to pace off some landmarks from your set up spot to help you estimate distance when that tom comes strutting in. Even with turkey loads, it’s my recommendation that you want your bird to be within 40 yards before taking a shot. If no easy landmarks are available, use your decoys to help estimate distance. After setting up your decoys, be sure to count the paces back to where you are sitting. I like to have my decoys about 20 yards from my position, but depending on circumstances I may have them from 15 to 25 yards away. Knowing the distance from your decoys can be useful to help you estimate your distance before taking that shot. Good luck.

Early Turkey Season Observation: Less Gobbling

I spent 3 days in the woods during the first week of the 2010 Connecticut spring turkey season. One observation I made is that there is less gobbling than normal so far in 2010. I don’t mean that the turkeys are not there. What I mean is that turkeys that are there are tending to keep quiet. I have heard some gobbles. I heard one respond to an owl call at first light. I also had one reluctantly respond to some blind calling I was doing. However, in general, gobbling seems to be down. This makes it more difficult to locate turkeys.


Consider this example:

One recent morning, I spotted a gobbler in a field. He was following a hen moving down the field, so I set up some 500 yards or so down field and made some soft calls. I called to this gobbler for 2 ½ hours as he slowly made his way down to my area. During this time he strutted, flapped his wings, bobbed his head, and did everything short of a ballroom dance, but at no time did he gobble. We spent 2 ½ hours calling and strutting and not one gobble. I ended up not bagging this gobbler, but when I got up to collect my decoys, I say another tom that was just out of my sight over the other side of a small hill. He was also coming to my stand without a single gobble.

I’m not sure why I’m observing less gobbling. Perhaps it’s due to the fact that the season started one week earlier than in past years. Perhaps the weather patterns have something to do with it. Regardless of the reason, this has added another level of challenge to my turkey hunting in 2010.  Keep your eyes open.

Connecticut Grouse Population on the Rise?

I’ve heard more ruffled grouse in the woods this spring than any year in the recent past. This is hardly a scientific study, but I’ve spent a lot of time in the Connecticut woods, so this anecdote has some validity. I heard several wings thumping while turkey hunting this past week. Last fall, I saw a hunter harvest a ruffled grouse. I hope these signs mean the ruffled grouse population in Connecticut is on the rise.  In previous posts I have written about the lack of ruffled grouse in Connecticut when compared to the woods of New Hampshire.


I hope to find some population data from the DEP to confirm my observations.

Leave a post if you have had similar or conflicting observations.

Turkey Hunting Tip #5: Emergency Decoy

When I first started turkey hunting, I started out with foam decoys. They were light, easy to carry, and most importantly – they were cheap. They did the job fine, but eventually wore out. Since they were only foam, tears developed, and I eventually had to scrap them. I upgraded to a nicer plastic set. They are still foldable, so easy to stuff into a vest, but they look better and are sturdier than the cheaper foam decoys. I usually use two decoys. I set up one hen and one jake. I believe this is a good all-around decoy set up. Having the hen attracts gobblers, but the jake also gets them fired up. Also, the jake is less threatening to other hens. I’ve used this two-decoy set up to bring in several birds.


However, there is still some use for the foam decoys. Consider keeping a foam hen decoy as an “emergency decoy”. Although my normal set up consists of two birds, I like to keep a third foam hen decoy rolled up in the bottom of my vest. Usually, it will not be used. Since it is foam, it is light and does not take up much space. The purpose of this emergency decoy is for the times when you can’t approach your standard set up for fear of being seen. Consider this situation: You have your standard decoys set up in an open field. You see a bird, but he’s down field and not moving towards your decoys. You want to set up closer to this bird, but you fear you will be seen if you try to retrieve your decoys. This is the circumstance in which you would use your emergency decoy. Leave the two decoys you already have set up where they are, move to a down field position, and use your emergency decoy.

As stated earlier, most of the time this third decoy will just remain rolled up on the bottom of your vest. However, there are circumstances where you might want to consider carrying this emergency decoy.

Turkey Hunting Tip #4: Binoculars

Generally, less is more when it comes to hunting gear.  Each piece of equipment is another thing to lug through the woods.  Retailers market binoculars as an essential piece of hunting equipment.  In the New England deer woods binoculars are often dead weight, with the forest too thick for them to be of much use.  However, binoculars may be a piece of equipment to consider for turkey hunting in Connecticut.

Since much of turkey hunting is done in open fields, binoculars can be useful.  They are useful to be able to identify if a turkey a long distance away is a hen, jake, or that gobbler you're after.  Sometimes they are even useful to tell if that lump in the field is a rock or a turkey.  On public land, binoculars are useful to determine whether that turkey you see in the field is a decoy from another hunter, or a real bird.  I've wasted time creeping up on turkey set ups, only to get a little closer and realize they are decoys from another hunter.  In addition to a time waster, this is also a safety issue, as you don't want to be getting to close to another hunter.

You can get away without them, but if you have some extra room in your vest, binoculars can be a useful turkey hunting tool.

Start of the Connecticut 2010 Spring Turkey Season Shows A Display of New England Extremes

Spring Turkey season opened this Wednesday in Connecticut.  In just these first four days of the season, hunters have seen all the weather variation New England has to offer.

On opening day (Wednesday) it was bitter cold for late April.  Snow fell as I drove into the turkey woods.  The wind blew strong and steady.  I did not hear a single gobble, nor see a bird under these tough conditions.

Thursday was just a bit warmer.  The morning was calmer.  One bird was heard and spotted, but by mid-morning the wind was blowing so hard that it was nearly impossible to hunt.

By Friday, conditions had improved considerably.  The birds were moving, but still not gobbling a lot.  However, I was able to see several birds.

Saturday featured nearly mid-summer heat with highs in the mid to upper 80s F.

So, conditions went from snow on Wednesday to near record heat on Saturday.  This is the nature of hunting in New England, and it presents unique challenges in the woods.  Turkey hunter needs to prepare themselves for the different conditions and adapt their tactics accordingly.

My recommendation is to always dress in layers while turkey hunting.  It's better to be too warm because one can always remove a layer.  This is even more easier with turkey hunting than other forms of hunting because unwanted clothing can easily be stored in your turkey vest.

I have no scientific data, but it's been my experience that turkeys tend to stay more in the woods during cold and windy conditions.  As temperatures warm and wind dies down, you will see them move in to fields more easily during the day.  Windy and rainy conditions are the most difficult in which to hunt because your calls, as well as the response calls of the gobblers, can not easily be heard.  The heat is OK for turkey hunting, but presents difficulty for the hunter with just plain hotness and the bugs.  The heat brings the bugs out.  A small bottle of bug spray is a good item to keep in a turkey vest.  Remember, turkey do not use their sense of smell, so feel free to cover yourself with the spray.  It's also a good idea to use the spray to keep ticks away as the season wears on.

Future columns this month will continue with turkey hunting tips, as well as a recap of some recent hunts.

Turkey Hunting Tip #1: Dress in layers.  Remove unwanted layers and store them in your turkey vest as the temperature rises.

Turkey Hunting Tip #2: If you only have one day to hunt, and you have a choice, consider wind and rain conditions first.  Turkey hunting is difficult in windy and wet conditions.

Turkey Hunting Tip #3: Carry a small bottle of bug repellent in your turkey vest.

More to come later.

Good luck.