While trying to fill my last turkey tag in eastern Nebraska, someone told me rain was on the way. I planned to avoid the storm and head back home at nightfall … until I checked my ScoutLook Hunting weather app and it offered a glimmer of hope: The rain wasn’t supposed to start until later the next morning. I slipped in before dawn, killed a gobbler and headed home dry.
While I was excited to get to Kansas and chase gobblers this spring, I always dread the state’s relentless winds. But when I checked my HuntStand Hunting app, I was shocked to learn the forecast called for sunny days with very little wind! Game on. Me and John Geiger, Senior Editor of Game & Fish, get in tight on a roost during the first morning of our hunt. We were hoping for a flydown kill, but the gobblers didn’t commit when they hit the ground. However, it didn’t take long for a couple of aggressive longbeards to make their way back to our setup. [CallingAllTurkeys.com]
Looking to increase your turkey success? Scouting is the key: before, during, and after the season. Don’t rely on your memory; be sure to mark and log the spots where you see and hear turkeys, using your HuntStand app.
Whether you’re hunting turkeys with shotgun or bow, with a blind or without, how you set up is critical to your odds for spring hunting success. After checking your HuntStand app to determine lay of the land, here’s how to place your blind and decoys, and pick the right spot for an effective gobbler ambush.
After a long day of hunting, roosting local birds at last light can test your stamina, but just might lead to early morning success. Pay attention to how the birds approach the roost, then use your HuntStand app to determine where they came from, and plot a smart access route for the next morning.
Increase your odds of waylaying a big spring tom by combining smart use of locator calls with your HuntStand app. Once you fire up a distant gobbler drop a pin where you suspect he’s holed up, then evaluate the surrounding terrain for the wisest approach and setup.
Consistent turkey success starts with a smart setup. Gun hunters who don’t employ ground blinds might be missing the boat; use this simple, deadly tip to double your effective gun range.
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Hunting where others aren’t willing to go is a time-honored tactic for finding unpressurred populations of public-land deer and other big game. Guess what? It also works nicely for turkeys.
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Smart turkey hunters know when a particular gobbler is better off left alone in favor of chasing an easier target. When you mark the locations of several birds on your HuntStand app it’s a simple matter of moving on to find a more-receptive bird.
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When it comes to spring turkey hunting, options are good. No matter the day or season, getting in the habit of logging turkey encounters in your HuntStand app allows you to increase your turkey knowledge and expand your local hunting opportunities when bad weather looms.