In this guide on how to hunt turkeys in the spring, we’ll take you through everything you need to know to successfully harvest a turkey. Spring is the perfect time to get started, and with the right tools and techniques, you can improve your chances of success.
We will cover everything from finding the right hunting spot, to cleaning and cooking your harvest. Our goal is to provide the most complete guide on how to hunt turkeys in the spring for beginners. If you have any questions at the end of this guide, please send us a message!
Scouting for turkeys is an essential part of any successful hunt. In this section, let’s talk tips and tricks for scouting and finding the right location for your turkey hunt. These turkey scouting strategies for beginners will help you scout with a purpose.
Once you have located a general area, get on google maps to see a big-picture overview of the area. Look for wooded areas, fields, and water sources. Creeks and rivers next to agriculture fields often provide good turkey hunting habitat. Put extra focus on any area that might be difficult to access or view from the road.
A lot of online advice tells you how to look for turkey sign. We are talking about feathers, turkey droppings, scratching in the dirt, tracks, etc.
These signs might be the size of a dinner plate, across many square miles of ground. Talk about a needle in a haystack.
For experienced hunters, these signs can give clues into a turkey’s routine. However, this guide is on how to hunt turkeys in the spring for beginners.
If you are trying to shoot your first turkey, I suggest you don’t spend a lot of time looking for sign. Your goal is to locate the general area of an actual turkey. And the best way to do that is to listen for that tom to gobble.
Lots of hunters scout from the road or move through an area too quickly. I strongly recommend that you spend at least 30 minutes sitting silently and listening.
Oftentimes you might hear the faintest of gobbles from way off in the distance. Something you would never hear if you were rustling through the leaves on a hiking path.
It might take you a few weekend scouting trips, but at this point, hopefully you have been able to roughly locate some turkeys. It is time to put a plan in place for how to hunt turkeys in the spring.
There are hundreds of different strategies and techniques for turkey hunting but I am going to cover 4 tried and proven methods for turkey hunting that will help you get started as a beginner.
If you have done your scouting and located birds, hunting turkeys in the morning is a natural progression. Turkeys often don’t leave the roost until after sunrise, but you want to be set up and waiting well before that. I usually try to be ready to shoot about 45 minutes before sunrise.
I will use a headlamp to get to the main field, but if I need to cross an open field to close the gap, or whenever I start to close in on the target hunting location, I like to turn the light off. The goal is to get in as close as possible without spooking the roosted turkeys.
It is important to remember that while you might know the exact tree a single tom is roosted in, there is a good chance there are other turkeys in the surrounding trees. It is always best to set up an extra 100 yards away further than you think you should be. This is a critical part of the hunt. Especially on public land with weary birds, you don’t want them to know you are there.
As daylight starts to break, you should start to hear turkeys calling from the trees. Resist the urge to call right away. I wait until they are making a lot of noise from the trees and just about to fly down before I let out a few soft calls on my slate call.
Once you hear or see one turkey fly down out of the trees, you can know that the rest will follow within the next 5-10 minutes. Let out another soft call and then be patient and read how the birds react. With any luck, they will be headed your way.
Even if your morning hunt wasn’t successful, mid-morning can give you another chance. It is important to understand turkey behavior during this time to give you the best chance at finding birds. Turkeys are moving towards open fields to feed and loaf. If you are in a good area and can hear birds, it is worthwhile to keep the same setup until late morning.
Later in the season, hens will leave the toms to nest. That leaves the toms all alone, looking for hens. Earlier in the season though, they are likely to stay in groups longer. For early spring turkey hunting, if I don’t hear or see turkeys near my morning roost spot, I go back into locating mode.
Maybe you heard turkeys a mile off or more in the early morning. Start closing that gap and making your way toward them. As you are headed in that direction, stop every so often and see if you can locate a bird. You can use loud calls like a box call, or a locator call like an owl hoot, to try and get a tom to react with a gobble.
In the best-case scenario, you hear a tom gobble and close the gap to a reasonable distance. Then, set up and try to call him to you. Don’t overcall, every 20 minutes is plenty. When you can tell he is headed in your direction, your best bet is to stay silent except for some soft yelps if he seems to lose interest.
If you can find some turkeys but they are still grouped up, shift your focus to finding where they are headed, and try to beat them to that spot. It can be next to impossible to call a tom away from his group of real hens.
Early afternoons are not exactly the most exciting times to be turkey hunting in the early spring. If turkeys are still grouped up, you can expect a tough hunt. I will often pack it in and head home for a late lunch and a nap. However, if it is a few weeks into the season, the afternoon is a time to set up in a good area and wait it out.
Find a secluded part of a wheat field. A place where there are some trees, or maybe an area where the rolling hill blocks off most of the field from view. You are looking for field edges. You can also look for a meadow or a short pasture next to a creek. Set up your decoys and be prepared to wait.
For afternoon hunts, I might only set out 1 hen decoy. Having a ground blind or some way to conceal yourself is helpful for those long afternoons. I suggest calling every 20 minutes or so. If a gobbler responds, don’t get over-excited. There is a good chance he is headed in your direction. Be prepared because they can show up quickly and quietly.
As the daylight starts to fade, turkeys are headed back to roost. Hunting turkeys in the evening is a great time to pack light. I don’t like using decoys or anything that might deter the turkeys from taking their natural path back to the roost.
Your goal is to find the field where turkeys have been feeding and loafing for the afternoon. Position yourself on the turkeys exit of that field on the way to the roost. Get set up well in advance. Turkeys will be very weary and will likely easily spot you along the field edge if you are trying to slip in once they are already in the field.
If you are in place and then find that the turkeys are taking a different route, you will likely have better luck trying to change your ambush point than calling them off their route. But, if the turkeys are making their way out of the field and you find that they are going to walk past just out of range, don’t be afraid to let out some soft calls. That can be enough to pique their curiosity enough to get into shotgun range.
One quick tip for how to hunt turkeys in the evening. Don’t sit too close to the roost tree. Keep in mind that turkeys may need to fly for 30 yards or more, possibly up to 100 yards, before they get to the roost tree.
There is a lot of turkey hunting gear available and it can be tough to sort through what the essentials are. I am going to list out gear in order of most important to least important so you know what you need for turkey hunting.
In most states, both shotguns and archery are legal equipment for hunting turkeys. For the sake of this beginners turkey hunting guide, we will stick to shotguns.
Turkey hunting doesn’t require a fancy shotgun. A 12 gauge used to be the most popular but with special tungsten shotshell options, 20 and .410 gauge are very viable shotguns for turkey hunting (check your state laws to see if .410 is legal).
Most turkey hunters use a full or extra-full turkey choke for hunting turkeys. These will give you tighter shot patterns, giving you more pellets on target at distances up to 30-40 yards.
If you don’t mind paying a little extra, special tungsten turkey loads will give you the most distance. Tungsten is 1.7 times denser than lead, giving you more knock-down power over longer distances. For a beginner, I think the premium ammo is worth it, and it will improve your chances of harvesting a turkey.
If price is a concern, regular lead (or steel if non-toxic is required in your hunting area), has worked just fine for decades. Shot size 4-6 is typically recommended in steel/lead, and 7-9 for tungsten.
Affiliate Disclaimer: We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program and other affiliate programs. We may receive a commission at no cost to you if you use our links to purchase a product.
Turkeys have excellent vision and sitting still with good camouflage is essential. Spring turkey hunting can bring cold mornings and hot and humid afternoons, so dressing in layers is a smart choice. The great thing is, you don’t have to go out and buy specialized gear. Make use of what you already own to get started, and upgrade components as you gain experience and want better comfort.
Consider a more traditional boot if you plan on long hikes, but I like a good pair of rubber boots with medium insulation for turkey hunting. They allow me to cross wet fields and shallow creeks without worrying about getting my feet wet.
I often use these RedHead boots for spring turkey hunting. They only last a few seasons before they get small cracks and are no longer waterproof, but for the price they are tough to beat.
I prefer a pair of lightweight coveralls or bibs for turkey hunting pants. The pockets are great for carrying extra gear. Waterproof isn’t a requirement but it sure is nice on mornings with lots of dew on the ground.
These aren’t waterproof, but they don’t have insulation either, making them a great choice for later in the season.
Again, as a beginner, you don’t need specialized turkey hunting clothes here. Early season I will often wear a camouflage hoodie and transition to a long sleeve camo t-shirt if it warms up in the afternoon.
If you don’t have a turkey hunting facemask, that is one piece of gear I would highly recommend you purchase. Sitting on a field edge, your face will likely be the most visible part of your body. If you don’t cover that up, you will likely stick out and spook turkeys.
A lightweight mesh is great for late season hunts but something like this 3/4 spandex will be good for early to mid-season.
Another highly recommended piece of camo would be a pair of lightweight camo gloves. It is critical to make as little movement as possible when a turkey is in close, but your hands are likely to be making the most movement as you swing your shotgun into position.
Most of my beginner recommendations for turkey gear are the middle of the road option. Cheaper, but will work for a lot of scenarios. After wearing out 3 pairs of gloves, they are one piece of gear I think it is worth spending extra money on for higher quality.
After you have your shotgun and camo covered, calls will be the next turkey hunting gear you should consider. For beginners, I recommend a box call for loud volume on windy days, and a pot or friction call for the soft, early morning calling.
See the full post on the 6 best turkey hunting calls.
Box calls are a popular and versatile option for turkey hunting beginners. They are easy to use and can produce a range of turkey sounds, from soft purrs to loud yelps.
The two most common materials for pot call surfaces are slate and glass, with each having its own unique sound characteristics. Slate produces a softer, more subtle call, and glass creates a higher-pitched call.
I own both types but my favorite for early morning is glass. It can get very quiet while the higher pitch travels better, allowing the turkeys to hear it without getting aggressive on the call.
If I go on a spring turkey hunt, I am taking all the gear above, every time. The gear next on the list are things that I will occasionally hunt without. As a beginner, they aren’t exactly required, especially if you are trying to stick to a budget. However, these turkey hunting essential accessories can help you have a more successful hunt if you use them correctly.
A versatile option for turkey decoys is a jake decoy and a hen. I will often set them both up in the morning, and switch to just the hen in the afternoon. Later in the season, decoys can be less effective as mature gobblers will hang up outside of range. But for hunting turkeys in the spring, having a pair is usually a safe bet.
One of my favorite pieces of turkey hunting gear is a low-profile chair. On long hikes where I don’t want to take a blind, having a comfortable chair makes a huge difference in my ability to sit still for long periods. For a beginner turkey hunter, a low-profile chair might not look very comfortable. But trust me, it is a great option for long sits, and being low to the ground helps you stay hidden.
A turkey hunting blind isn’t a great option for run and gun style hunting, but if you are planning on long afternoon sits, it can be a great piece of turkey hunting gear. A blind can provide cover and concealment from the keen eyesight of a turkey, allowing you to get away with more movement while setting up for a shot.
If you are a spring turkey hunter beginner, I would focus on the gear listed above. But if you have all those items covered, it is worth considering adding a few extras to your gear list.
Headlamps are a helpful tool for walking to your spot in the dark. Just try to shut them off as you get closer to the roost.
A pair of pruning shears always comes in handy during the setup process. I use them to clear small branches that are in the shooting lane, allowing me to tuck back further into the trees for better camouflage.
Binoculars are great if you are field hunting for turkeys. Being able to get a better view helps you read the turkeys behavior and decide how to react. Magnification is an entire subject on its own but I like 10×42 for turkeys.
Decoys can be a valuable tool but it’s important to know how to use turkey decoys effectively. Turkey hunting in the spring is one of the best times to utilize a jake and hen decoy combo. Early season, toms have seen less pressure, so they are typically less weary of decoys. They are also establishing their territory and looking for opportunities to breed, so they are more likely to challenge a less dominant bird.
A typical turkey hunting decoy setup involves a jake and hen decoy set a few feet apart, about 20 yards away from the hunter. Once a dominant tom spots the jake decoy, he can become aggressive and try to assert his dominance by attacking the decoy. This can lead to some exciting turkey hunting as the toms can come in quickly, gobbling all the way.
It is important to use caution when using decoys, especially in public hunting areas or areas with high hunting pressure. You don’t want another hunter sneaking up on your decoy mistaking it for a live turkey.
The most common types of turkey calls are box calls, friction calls, diaphragm calls, and locator calls. See the 6 Best Turkey Hunting Calls. Box calls are great for producing loud and sharp sounds that can reach far distances.
Friction calls produce softer sounds that mimic the purring and clucking of turkeys. Diaphragm calls are placed inside the mouth and produce various sounds when air is blown over the reeds.
Locator calls, such as owl hoots or crow calls, can be used to locate turkeys and get them to gobble. Although, I find that you need to be fairly close to a turkey to begin with for the call to be loud enough to get the turkey to gobble.
I recommend a box call and a friction call for turkey hunting beginners. These calls are relatively easy to learn the basics and they will cover a wide range of scenarios.
The HS Strut Combo listed above has my favorite friction call, along with some of the other types to experiment with. It is a great turkey hunting call option for beginners.
Turkeys will stay in the roost for a fair amount of time. I find that they fly down around sunrise as a general rule. It will be plenty light enough to see well. Depending on how much noise the turkeys make, I will start making a few soft calls 5-10 min before sunrise, making sure to leave 5-10 min in between calls.
If you are set up by the roost spot in the morning, timing your turkey calling is very important. You will want to make soft, subtle calls. This is not the time for loud box calls. I like to use a glass friction call to make high pitch, soft-sounding purrs and clucks.
For a beginner turkey hunter, calling every 20 minutes is a good rule of thumb. Hunters often make the mistake of overcalling, which can spook birds. You need to be able to learn how to read the turkeys response and adjust accordingly. This will come with practice, time spent in the field, and watching real turkeys.
If you are set up with decoys in a good location, and not getting any response, I recommend making a loud 4-6 note yelp roughly every 20 minutes. If a gobbler responds right after a call, I may wait as long as 30 minutes before calling again. However, if it sounds like the gobbler has not moved very far from the first call, I will start to increase the calling aggressiveness and frequency.
Turkeys make a wide variety of sounds in the spring. The most common are gobble, yelp, cluck, purr, and putt. You will likely hear other turkey sounds and variations of these calls, but these are the most important for being able to talk turkey.
The turkey gobble is an unmistakable sound and is easily recognized by even people that don’t turkey hunt. As a hunter, this sound is exciting to hear as it means turkeys are near, but you won’t find yourself making this very often.
It can be used as a locating call, as other dominant toms will often respond with their own gobble when they hear another turkey gobble. It can also draw in aggressive toms who think another turkey is in their area. But in general, I find this to be a fairly low-use call while hunting.
The turkey yelp is an important call for spring turkey hunters. It is a series of single-note sounds that are often described as “kee-kee-kee” or “yelp-yelp-yelp” and can vary in pitch and speed.
Yelps are used for various purposes such as communication and locating other turkeys. When I make a turkey call on the 20-minute interval, the yelp is the default call. You can make this call with various intensity and volume depending on how the turkeys are responding.
A turkey cluck is a short, sharp, single-note vocalization made by both hens and toms. It is a soft and subtle sound, often used to communicate with other turkeys at close range.
A turkey purr is a soft, rolling call used to indicate to other birds that they are content and relaxed.
Between the yelp, cluck, and purr, you will be able to make 95% of the sounds needed for any type of turkey hunting.
This is a sound you don’t want to hear while you are turkey hunting. It can be a single, or several sharp notes. Turkeys use this to signal danger and alert other birds. It is often accompanied by the turkey freezing in place and raising its head and neck to locate predators.
If you hear this sound, know that the turkey will take off at the slightest movement. If you have a chance at a shot, you better take it quickly because you don’t have much time before the turkeys leave.
This is also an important call to understand as a turkey cluck can sound similar, so you don’t want to accidentally make a putt when you are trying to lure in a weary tom. The putt is louder, sharper, and can be described as a single note ‘pit’ sound.
So far in this guide, you have scouted and located turkeys, got the right gear, set up your decoys, and called a nice tom into range. Now it is time to make the shot.
For a beginner, shot placement for turkey hunting is pretty simple, but it’s important to understand before heading into the field.
The most effective shot placement is aiming for the turkey’s head and neck area. The head may be small, but it is the most vulnerable area. An on-target shot will result in a quick and clean kill.
Don’t be tempted to shoot at the body. It is a large target, but the vitals are small and protected by lots of dense feathers, meat, and bone.
The head and neck area is the general target area. If you want to know where to specifically aim when turkey hunting, the answer is at the neck. Ever see a chicken peck at the ground? Their head moves pretty quick. Turkeys do the same, along with gobbling. By aiming at the base of the neck, you make sure your pattern is perfectly centered in the optimal range, even if the turkey happens to make a quick movement.
Turkey hunting can be a challenge, but you now have all the basic tools and information needed to get out in the field and start chasing turkeys. Next, we need to cover what happens after the hunt.
There are several methods to clean a wild turkey. They have anatomy similar to a chicken, so you can remove the breast meat, legs, and thighs separately, or you can leave the bird whole. For a beginner turkey hunter, I recommend separating each cut of meat. It is the easiest way to clean the bird and will give you nice cuts of meat to cook with.
You can lay the bird on the tailgate of your truck or other similar cleaning table surface. Flip the bird on its back with the head pointing away from you and the feet towards you. Use your finger to find the breastbone that runs down the middle of the turkey. At the base of this bone, make a small incision.
Use your fingers to pull back the skin away from the meat to expose it. Continue pulling the skin back until you can see the turkey legs and the wings.
Run your finger down the length of the breastbone. Insert your knife to one side, and slowly fillet the meat off as cut straight down. After cutting an inch or so straight down into the meat, you will feel the ribcage. Gently pull the meat back so you can see and fillet the meat as you work your knife close to the bone.
Go back and pull the skin off the rest of the legs and thighs, all the way to where the feathers connect to the rest of the foot. Push the thigh down and away from the bird to expose the socket. Use your knife to cut the joint and then finish cutting the thigh away from the turkey, leaving as much meat on the thigh as possible.
You can then bend the lower joint until it snaps. If you are having a hard time, bend the joint and then carefully slit it with your knife to expose the socket. Then you can cut it the rest of the way with the knife.
If the meat is dirty, rinse it off with clean water before patting dry and putting it in the fridge. After your hunt, you want to get your meat cooled off as quickly as possible to avoid spoilage or any off-taste. If you travel a long way to get to your hunting spot, it can be a good idea to have a cooler with ice ready for your turkey.
Wild turkey is one of my favorite game animals to eat. It can be delicious. But proper care of the meat post-harvest is essential to avoiding that classic ‘gamey’ taste that many people complain about.
I recommend cooking the thighs/legs and the breast meat separately. They have different cooking requirements, and it is easier to get great-tasting meals out of each if you cook them separately.
Just like any wild animal, turkey meat is lean and can easily dry out during the cooking process. That is why it is important to brine the breasts before cooking. Here are my two favorite easy wild turkey recipes.
This is a perfect recipe for the turkey breast. It goes great as the main course with any traditional Thanksgiving-style side but also makes some insanely good sandwiches the next day.
4 cups of water
¼ cup salt
¼ cup brown sugar
1 onion sliced
2 bay leaves
2 tsp each of various herbs (peppercorns, garlic, thyme are a good starting point)
Dissolve ingredients in water and cool for the turkey brine. (DO NOT skip this step if you plan to smoke a wild turkey!)
Brine the turkey for 12 hours or overnight.
Lightly season the turkey with any poultry rub or your favorite seasoning. I wouldn’t recommend adding any seasoning mixture that has salt.
Smoke the turkey at 225°F for 3-4 hours, or until the temperature reaches 160°F.
Slow-cooking turkey thighs is my favorite turkey leg recipe because they are tough and full of tendons. Deboning the thighs after the cooking process is a bit of work, but it is 100% worth the effort.
1 c. yellow onion
1-2 c. diced celery
1-2 c. diced carrots
1 bay leaf
16oz cream of mushroom soup
1/2 c. chicken stock
8-16oz mushrooms (optional)
Season turkey thighs generously with salt, pepper, thyme, and oregano.
Add vegetables to a crockpot. Lay turkey thighs on top and cover with soup, chicken, and mushrooms.
Cook on low for 6-8 hours or until the meat is tender. Debone the meat and stir it back into the crockpot.
Serve over egg noodles or thicken with cornstarch and serve with mashed potatoes.
Turkey hunting in the spring can be an exciting and rewarding experience for beginners. With a good knowledge of turkey hunting tactics, enough time spent scouting, and the right gear/setup approach, you can increase your chances of harvesting a bird this spring.
I hope this guide helped you in your goal of learning how to hunt turkeys in the spring for beginners. As an avid hunter myself, I love helping others get involved in the various aspects of hunting that I find so enjoyable. Have more questions? Be sure to check out our FAQ list below or contact me directly to talk turkeys.
If you enjoy our website, make sure to sign up for our email list to get exclusive email content. You control what information you want to see, and you can unsubscribe at any time. I get tired of companies spamming my email inbox daily, so I only send out emails that I would be excited to receive.
Get Exclusive Deals and Expert Insights Delivered to Your Inbox!
One of my favorite turkey hunts was done late in the season on a rainy morning. The dirt road was so muddy I couldn’t get my little 2wd truck to the parking spot, so I left it at the corner on the gravel road and hiked almost a mile just to get to the parking spot. The work paid off as I finished that rainy hunt with a tom I had been chasing most of the season. So the short answer is yes, you can turkey hunt in the rain.
Hunting in the rain can be uncomfortable if you don’t have the right rain gear. Additionally, you will find that turkeys are less likely to move around and may stick to cover. I personally don’t turkey hunt when an all-day rain is forecasted unless I have a specific plan and location in mind where I expect to see turkeys. But don’t let a morning or afternoon shower keep you out of the field. The rain can keep other hunters home, resulting in less pressure in the woods and a possibility of success for anyone who gets off the couch to try.
Turkey hunting can be challenging because they are naturally very weary birds. They have excellent vision and will quickly leave the area if they see something out of place. Especially on heavily hunted public land, turkeys seem to have a knack for avoiding hunters’ decoys and setups.
Turkey hunting tactics are varied, and they all have a place in a successful hunter’s arsenal. It takes time and experience to learn how to read turkeys and use the right tactic to give you the most opportunity for harvesting a bird.
Turkey hunters may be required to wear orange during fall rifle seasons if that is something a specific state allows. However, it is not required during spring shotgun seasons.
Make sure to check your local laws as some states do not allow turkey hunting in the evening. For the rest of us, turkey hunting in the evening can be another approach used to try to bag a turkey.
Remember that in the evenings, turkeys are likely headed to roost. They won’t be easily coaxed off course. Evenings are a good time to set up near a roost site to try to ambush turkeys along their route.
Yes, you can turkey hunt in the wind, but it can be more challenging to locate and call birds. Turkeys will be less vocal and can be more cautious.
On windy hunts, I plan to use a louder call like a box call and look for areas that are protected from the wind to set up.
The exact dates of turkey season can vary by state, but typically turkey hunting takes place in the spring and/or fall. Spring turkey season can start as early as March or April and lasts through May. Fall turkey season generally takes place in October and November. It is important to check with your Department of Natural Resources or Fish and Wildlife for specific dates and regulations in your area.
Easy Shipping & Returns
Priority Customer Support
Secure Online Shopping
(620) 386-4781
Questions? Call or Text
