Many turkey hunting regulations specify you kill a male or “bearded turkey” during the spring hunting season. Sometimes a bearded turkey is a sad-looking long beard, an average jake, or even a hen. So it really comes down to what you are comfortable shooting.

Do you shoot male or female turkeys?

During the spring hunt, only mature male turkeys, known as toms, or juvenile males, known as jakes, may be harvested. Most jurisdictions allow the harvest of both males and females during their fall hunts. ... Females, known as hens, are generally a drab brown from head to toe. Gobblers are also larger than hens.

What is the easiest turkey to hunt?

Because they tend to live in more rugged areas, Merriam's are considered to be the easiest subspecies to hunt. Unpressured birds in the West are usually more eager to answer a hunter's call and stroll into decoy setups.

What is the hardest turkey to hunt?

1. Easterns: Hunter pressure in tight habitats make this subspecies the most difficult in the country. More turkey hunters roam Eastern states than any of the others. An Alabama Eastern three-year-old longbeard might be the most difficult turkey of all.

What size shot is good for turkey?

Many hunters favor size 6 shot. If your gun does not pattern tightly, using 6 makes sense out to 35, maybe 40 yards. I patterned both lead 6s and heavy-shot 6s to see what really was taking place. Out to 40 yards, the 6s really threw a great pattern, providing many vital head and neck hits.

Turkey Anatomy and Proper Arrow Placement

Is 4 or 5 shot better for turkey?

4 shot, with more than enough energy at then-accepted turkey killing ranges of 40 yards or less can glance off bone. Bourjaily goes on to write, “as a rule of thumb, lead 6s are reliable to 35 yards, lead 5s to 45.

Is 3 shot good for turkey?

Those giant, shoulder-punishing 3 ½–inch shells simply aren't necessary. A standard 2 ¾-inch or 3-inch magnum tungsten load is more than enough for killing turkeys out past 50 yards. Additionally, the advantages of tungsten shells make 20-gauge shotguns indisputably effective turkey killers.

How can you tell the difference between an eastern turkey and a Rio Grande turkey?

Eastern wild turkeys can be differentiated from Rio Grande wild turkeys by the coloration of the tips of the tail feathers and the upper tail coverts (feathers of the lower back, covering the base of the tail feathers).

How can you tell an Osceola turkey?

Osceola - The Osceola (or Florida) turkey has the narrowest range, occurring only in central and south Florida. They closely resemble Easterns except they tend to be leaner with longer legs, and their primary wing feathers have heavy black barring, as opposed to Eastern where the black-white barring is more even.

Where is the best place to turkey hunt?

• Montana: Best State for Resident Turkey Hunters.
• Nebraska: Best State for Archery Hunting.
• New Hampshire: Best State for A Passing-Through Hunt.
• Tennessee: Best State for 'Turkeys in Every Field'
• Wisconsin: Best State for Getting in the 'Turkey Zone'

How often should you call for turkey?

Call every few minutes, and act like a disinterested hen going about her daily routine. Moving also helps in such situations, because turkeys rarely sit and yelp in one place for long.

Can you hunt turkey with a 22?

This is why most of the states that do allow you to hunt turkey with a rifle, only allow small calibers such as a . 22 long rifle, . ... With a rifle, you want to aim for the neck or the head. This can be a difficult shot at long ranges so it is also effective to shoot turkeys in the lungs/liver and the heart.

Should I turkey hunt in the rain?

Turkey Hunting in the Rain. Not all wet days affect turkey behavior the same way. Some rainy conditions actually make turkeys gobble more, whereas others shut them up. Thunder shocks toms into sounding off; steady drizzle and overcast skies seem to prolong gobbling activity well into the day.

Can you hunt turkey on your own property?

California's wild turkey populations are healthy and growing. ... Where safe and legal, hunt wild turkeys on your property, or allow others to hunt them. A hunting license and upland game bird stamp are required. Legal methods of take include shotgun, archery equipment, or air rifle.

How do you tell if a turkey is a gobbler?

The body coloration of a gobbler is distinctly dark, almost black. In contrast, hens have a smaller, bluish-gray head, lack spurs and prominent wattles, and are brownish in appearance. Finally, gobblers strut, fan their tails and gobble; hens do not. The sex of a turkey "in hand" is readily determined.

Where do you aim a turkey?

When aiming at a turkey, keep the bird's head above the bead. A common practice is to aim for the turkey's wattle. Killing a turkey with a bow is much more difficult than killing one with a shotgun.

What's the difference between Eastern and Osceola turkeys?

In general, Osceola turkeys— named for the famous Seminole leader Osceola—are smaller and a bit darker than eastern turkeys, and have less white barring on the flight feathers of their wings. ... If you see one walking around, the wing patch will look pretty white on an eastern, whereas on an Osceola it's darker.

What is considered a large wild turkey?

On average, male turkeys weigh about 18 pounds. The largest wild turkey on record weighed 37 pounds. Females are smaller and duller. They weigh between 8 to 10 pounds.

Whats the difference between a jake and a tom turkey?

A jake is an immature male bird. ... A gobbler or tom turkey is a mature male bird.

What does a white head on a turkey mean?

Turkeys' heads change color to express their emotions. ... Turkeys can change the color of the skin on their heads from red to blue to white, depending on whether they are calm or excited. This characteristic is so distinctive that it's earned turkeys the name “seven-faced bird” in Korean.

What is #2 shot used for?

With a smaller pellet diameter than all other sizes of buckshot, #2 shot grants you a larger number of pellets per shot. But even though #2 shot is a versatile ammo choice, it isn't ideal for use when hunting deer, moose, bear or other large game. Most use steel shot for hunting waterfowl and predator control.

Which choke is best for turkey?

Full choke has tight constriction. The shot holds together even longer, making this choke good for squirrels, turkey, and other game shot at 40-yard and longer ranges. Turkey hunters sometimes use Extra Full or Turkey choke for even denser patterns at long range.