3 Unique and Effective Tactics for Turkey Hunting

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The K.I.S.S. principle (Keep it Simple, Stupid) is perhaps never more valid than it is in the turkey woods. Turkey hunters these days have a tendency to overthink their way right out of a great hunt.

With that in mind, here are three effective tactics that will help just about any turkey hunter. None of these tips require better calls, better calling or better decoys. They don’t require hours of practice. They only require doing things a little differently than other hunters.

THE E-BIKE ASSAULT

The whole e-bike thing had always been intriguing to me, but one scenario a few seasons ago convinced me to bite the bullet and buy one. One day, I was about 100 yards off a road, working a bird that was slowly but surely closing the distance, when the sound of an approaching truck rumbled down the two-track. Soon enough, the truck came to a stop and two hunters emerged and started ripping on a box call. The bird had been vocal the entire time I had been calling to it, and I knew I was about to have company in the woods as soon as the tom answered these interlopers.

They called, called and called again with no response. I just sat there listening, and as quickly as the truck had approached, it drove off. I stayed put and didn’t make a sound for at least 10 minutes. Finally, I made a few soft yelps and the bird responded immediately from the exact position he’d last gobbled from. It was as if the tom had been waiting for the truck to leave. Within 5 minutes the bird was less than 20 yards from my setup, and within 10 minutes he was slung over my shoulder for the walk out.

Fast forward to the next season, and I had a brand-new e-bike in my arsenal. I waited until the third week of the season to pull out the machine. I picked an area a few ridges back from the point of access and far enough back that road callers wouldn’t get a response. I chose an area that allowed for my bike to traverse with ease and cover ground in a fraction of the time it would have taken me to walk it. It was a little later in the morning, and birds were in their comfort zones.

Approaching the farthest ridge on the property, I stopped, waited for a passing plane to clear and things to get quiet, then let out a call. When I did, I thought I heard a bird respond in the distance.

Ditching the bike, I dropped into the woods and out onto an open, grass-covered point. My calling was soon met with two gobbles from opposite directions. I was set up more than a mile deep into the woods and far away from any normal hunting pressure. Within a few minutes, both birds popped up over the ridge and I dropped one of them in its tracks.

PUSH THE BOUNDARIES

Boundaries and property lines can only legally be pushed where and when you have permission to do so. If you hear a bird way off the property you’re hunting on a piece you don’t have access to, and you’re too far for it to cut the distance and cross onto the land you’re hunting, there might be something you can do about it.

A couple years ago, a buddy and I faced this very dilemma. We were closing the distance on a gobbler when we reached the boundary of the property we were hunting. The land across the boundary was open to the public for hiking and biking but closed to hunting. If I had taken one step over that boundary with my shotgun, I’d have been illegal. So, I handed my gun to my buddy, removed my turkey vest and emptied my jacket and pants pockets of any shotshells and crossed that line as a non-hunter.

I walked to the top of a hill as my buddy set up about 40 yards back into the legal land. As I crested the hill, I struck the bird. I waited until the gobbler began to approach my location and then slowly slipped back toward our hunting property, making sure to stay close enough to keep his interest, but far enough away to not be seen. Little by little, I dragged the bird and waited for him to cross that border where my friend would have a shot.

Often, these birds don’t experience the pressure that more accessible ones do, so calling them in can be easier than you think. Just be 100 percent sure that the property you are crossing onto allows access.

SIDESTEP THE ROAD CALLERS

If you’re blind-calling a promising area from a road, you can rest assured you’re not the first to have done it. When this happens time and again, birds get acclimated to the road pressure and will react accordingly. If you do strike a gobbler from the road, one of three scenarios typically takes place: The bird shuts down after the one courtesy gobble, it continues to gobble but stays in the same place or it walks off gobbling.

When I approach a likely a spot, I shut off the truck and make a call. If there’s no response to my calling, I turn the key to the accessory position, shift the truck into neutral and let it drift further (this is most easily done when heading downhill). If and when I finally strike a bird, I let the vehicle coast farther down the road (sometimes as much as a quarter mile), get out quietly, ease the doors shut and make my approach.

I never go straight toward the bird; this is what everyone else does. Take your time and make a big loop to come in from the opposite direction. Use a crow call when moving into position to keep tabs on the bird. Try your best not to use a turkey call until you’re up close and personal. Once you’ve gotten around him, set up and start by making light calls. This tactic sometimes takes the better part of an hour to execute, but more times than not, it results in a punched tag.

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• This article was featured in the April 2025 issue of Game & Fish magazine. Click to subscribe.

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