Aggressive Style Turkey Hunting:

The first point I'd like to make is being aggressive in the Turkey woods will not always work out the way you think it will. That's what makes Turkey hunting so fun and exciting. It's literally a chess match every time you walk into the woods. I cover a lot of ground with my preferred method of how I turkey hunt. I like to scout by map, cruise the back roads and use good old fashioned boots on the ground to find as many areas as I can before the Spring rolls around. Going into an area with an idea of what it looks like with a vision of how the terrain is laid out helps me determine my approach when I have a Turkey fired up Gobbling. I can be aggressive with my approach. I don't mean over calling to the point of scaring the turkey into the next county. What i'm talking about is how you locate, set up, and then call. Location has everything to do with putting yourself in a good position to be aggressive in your setup to call and get the turkey to come into where you have a chance to kill him. Getting into the best setup is a lot of times the difference between going home with a turkey in the vest and going home with an empty vest.

Let me just say that those 3-4 mile hikes are not always as fun as you would want them to be. I expect to have some kind of success when I select an area for a hunt. Scouting areas with my boots on the ground and past hunting experiences provide me with the knowledge and confidence I need to make those long 3-4 mile hikes. As I mentioned in the "2 O'clock Tom Article", I save the areas that I like that I've hunted before as potential hunting spots in my phone on my Onxmaps App. I typically go into these areas with a specific spot that I want to listen from in mind. My next move always depends on the early morning daylight action. I like to give a few soft tree clucks early in the morning and a fly down cackle. If you know there's a Tom roosted nearby then you can locate him using this method. My next move depends on the location of the Tom's gobble, what kind of terrain is between me and the Tom, and if I'm above the Tom. When I pinpoint the location of the turkey I move as fast as possible to close the distance and set up in an area that I think the Tom will feel safe. I love being in an area where I've seen a Tom strut or a great terrain feature like a long ridge with a point on the end of the ridge. I will set up on the side of the point almost on top as close as possible without spooking the Turkey. Two things to factor: has the Turkey flown down off roost yet? And if he hasn't, how close can you get without spooking the bird in the tree? I always try to stay on the edge of the ridge away from the Turkey. That way you're keeping ground (terrain) between you and the Turkey. Being just on the other side of the ridge just below the top allows you to be in position to set up quickly on the ridge; which is a typical place for a Turkey to fly down and strut or meet a Hen. Toms want to strut and be seen by Hens, but they also want the feeling of security. Turkeys feel secure when they are in an area where they have the ability to use their greatest instinct, their eyes. This is especially true for a mature Tom when he is gobbling. Never underestimate the instincts of a wild turkey's eye sight. It absolutely cannot be taken for granted. The aggressive part of the hunt is getting into position to have a good setup so that the turkey feels comfortable coming into shotgun range. The other thing to consider during the early part of the season is that you're competing against real Hens. I try to get as close as possible for that very reason before I do any calling. I will cluck and yep softly to check the location of the Tom while trying to position my set up. I do this only if I have to and it also depends on how vocal and the location of the bird. However, if the Tom is gobbling on his own accord I quietly position myself in my setup as close as I can to the Tom without giving him an opportunity to use his greatest survival instinct, his eye sight. Turkey hunting on mountains, miles from the truck usually requires you to set up a few times while pursuing a gobbling bird. You can be aggressive in your approach but smart and cautious at the same time. Remember you're on Turkey time and put yourself in a situation to make it happen. I always try to look at it from the Turkey's perspective. Do you think the Tom is comfortable in the present situation? And what instinctual survival steps would I take when approaching a Hen?

Turkey hunting is an aggressive style of hunting no matter what your approach is. Turkey hunters are trying to change the opposite of what naturally happens between a Tom and a Hen. Hens go to the Tom in most scenarios in the wild. The setup and concealment is the most important factors for any turkey hunter while chasing Turkeys in the Spring. Good Luck, Hunt Safe, and Hunt Aggressively this Spring.

-PLM

Not only is this spot in the picture beautiful but it's also a great turkey hunting location.

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