2013 General Turkey Hunt Review

That is a nice video, I'm sure it will be something you'll watch many years from now and enjoy with your kids.

I'm also no turkey expert, however, I've been hunting them for about 7 years now and spent a lot of time in the field and have figured a few things out. I don't know how to say it nice, so I'll just say it, you could use some work on your calling. I would suggest getting a box call or a pot call and working it over. With the right cadence, I think they are easier to get good turkey sounds than most mouth calls. Most general season birds have been called to death, they've heard it all. They only get a little bit of calling, I may yelp to find a bird then it is only soft clucks and purrs and cackles when I get desperate. My experience is loud frequent yelps send birds the other way. In high pressure areas, sometimes don't call at all, setup where they are going to be and wait for them.

Nothing wrong with getting skunked on the GS turkey, only about 1 in 4 people fill a tag, it is a tough hunt and takes persistence and luck to fill a tag. I helped 3 other guys this year after taking my birds and all of them had tag soup, of course, they only went out a couple times. We've seen GS tags fall from 10K to around 4K tags, it is not for everybody. Like you said, out hunting is better than staying home.

I enjoyed the video! Thank you so much for putting that together. It was fun to ride along with you and your boys.

I don't know how to say it nice, so I'll just say it, you could use some work on your calling.

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I didn't want to come across as rude, so I had originally chosen not to reply here. The truth is I agree with this. I would also recommend buying one of these:

http://utahwildlife.net/forum/28-trading-post/41585-slate-glass-turkey-calls.html

Your boy gave you a good suggestion when he told you to stalk that hen. I learned the sounds hens make by hanging around with groups of hens. They almost never hammer down like you were doing to that first tom. The hens I have watched always make subtle little clucks and purrs.

I don't know that you need to find new areas. You were into birds. That's all a guy can ask for. Hunting turkeys in Utah is about like hunting elk. You're going to put in some hard work and bringing one in is not always easy.

I also hesitated posting in fear of being rude, but really UH678 u need to go back to basics, read about hunting Turkeys.

Video was great, glad u got the kids involved

First thing:
Throw away the camera, turkeys will spot u every time.
Sorry but the mouth call got to go, or more practice maybe.
Next the blind, only use if u have scouted and know where there going to be.
Decoys suspect later in the hunt, rarely do I use, but do work in the right conditions.

Find there rooost from a distance
Be up aleast an hour before they r, and set up, be invisible, no talking
Set up above or even with no barriers like creeks, gullies etc...
They will fly a distance to an opening or an open meadow.

Let them gobble on there own if u know their there, then only give a soft tree yelp to see if they know ur there, if they answer give no more, listen for them to hit the ground, then only give 3-4 soft yelps ( I mean soft) Like in the bedroom, if they answer no more. The more they gobble only brings other hens to them.

I like to make them nervous and let them gobble back to me, like I left.

Be ready gun up ready to fire, they will spot u, and at times u never know they did, they will come silent.

I also walk away calling to get them to follow if hung up.

As for birds , this season was great, we kilt 4 mature birds and called in 5 matures and 5 jakes the first day, then in May only got better....Southern Utah is all I'll say

If all this doesn't work they I resort to multiple calls, spit & drum, purrs, fighting purrs early in the season and so on.

And the best advice, go back out there at noon where u heard them and set up again, alot of times hens move to their nest and the gobblers are alone in the area.

Just a bit of info to share, I shot my first bird in Utah 1985, been hunting ghost birds since.

Last years video, those turkeys where on to us, we were lucky, Listen to there calls

Good luck next year, be glad to help out, give me a PM next spring

Skally said:

I saw way more turkeys this year than last year. so not much of an issue here.
Less tags = more turkeys in the future doesn't it? So whats the problem with less general tags sold?

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First off, less tags this year actually means nothing about next years bird count. Turkeys, like all upland game birds, can have wide swings in numbers due to winter and spring weather conditions. Hunting and tag sales has very little or nothing to do with it. Populations change on a yearly basis.

Now, the reason less tags are being sold following the introduction of an over the counter (general season) is that many new hunters give up turkey hunting after "giving it a try". The reasons for these hunters to stop hunting turkeys is many...difficulty in filling tags, don't enjoy that style of hunting, etc.

Goofy Elk is always trying to find some reason to stop general hunts and have all hunts limited entry. He has some strange idea that he can use the falling tag sales as a tool to further his LE...code for limited opportunity... agenda with the DWS people. The Goofy Elks of this world are one of the reasons we are in the wildlife/hunting mess we are in today.