April 2023 - 30
Using decoys can be an effective way to draw tukeys closer.
Scan this QR code
to access the 2023
spring turkey
hunting regulations.
Exasperation might prompt hunters to
think they can sneak up on birds blindly
obsessed with mating. Good luck with that.
My son, Jeff, is the only person I know who
has had success with that tactic. Three gobblers
were courting two hens in a small opening in
some timber. We sat for two hours waiting
for the hens to disperse with no luck. Jeff,
back from basic training with the Marines,
whispered, " I'm going to try to get closer in
that timber behind them. " I had a ringside seat
to what I thought would be a certain failure.
Backing out of our position, he circled to
where he could come in undetected. Marine
Corps training paid off. At about 75 yards he
began slowly belly crawling, inching closer.
The brush was low enough that he quietly
slithered up to a tree within 25 yards of the
birds. Concealed by the tree, he sat up and
peered around the tree ready to shoot. The
boss gobbler he shot had an 8-inch beard.
30 | April 2023
DECOYS
So, spot-and-stalk is possible, but rarely
successful. A turkey's survival is dependent on
its eyesight. Once you spot the birds, a better
strategy is positioning yourself close enough
where they can potentially see a decoy. Several
manufacturers produce realistic decoys that
can fool gobblers. Ideally you want to have
decoys of at least a hen and an immature
gobbler, known as a jake. Gobblers are hyperaggressive
in the breeding season, and if they
sense a jake is moving in on a hen, they can
storm in to take over.
Jurgens and I were hunting at the edge of a
hayfield where we regularly saw turkeys. Concealed
in brush, we'd set out a jake and two
hen decoys. Made of foam rubber, the decoys
pivoted on a pointed stake which allowed
them to move with a slight breeze. We both
called, giving the illusion of a couple of hens,
and occasionally made a gobbler call. At the
https://wgfd.wyo.gov/regulations#Upland-Game-Bird,-Small-Game-and-Waterfowl
April 2023
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https://www.nxtbook.com/wyominggame/WyomingWildlife/october-2024
https://www.nxtbook.com/wyominggame/WyomingWildlife/september-2024
https://www.nxtbook.com/wyominggame/WyomingWildlife/august-2024
https://www.nxtbook.com/wyominggame/WyomingWildlife/july-2024
https://www.nxtbook.com/wyominggame/WyomingWildlife/june-2024
https://www.nxtbook.com/wyominggame/WyomingWildlife/wyoming-wildlife-may-2024
https://www.nxtbook.com/wyominggame/WyomingWildlife/april-2024-e-edition
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https://www.nxtbook.com/wyominggame/WyomingWildlife/january-2024
https://www.nxtbook.com/wyominggame/WyomingWildlife/december-2023
https://www.nxtbook.com/wyominggame/WyomingWildlife/october-2023
https://www.nxtbook.com/wyominggame/WyomingWildlife/september-2023
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https://www.nxtbook.com/wyominggame/WyomingWildlife/december-2022
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https://www.nxtbook.com/wyominggame/WyomingWildlife/september-2022
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https://www.nxtbook.com/wyominggame/WyomingWildlife/june-2022
https://www.nxtbook.com/wyominggame/WyomingWildlife/may-iak-special-issue
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https://www.nxtbook.com/wyominggame/WyomingWildlife/january-2022
https://www.nxtbook.com/wyominggame/WyomingWildlife/dec-2021
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https://www.nxtbook.com/wyominggame/WyomingWildlife/september-2021
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https://www.nxtbook.com/wyominggame/WyomingWildlife/January2021
https://www.nxtbook.com/wyominggame/WyomingWildlife/December2020
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