Wild turkey hunting is one of the most invigorating of all the game pursuits, with a good deal of skilled knowledge required, coupled as always, with a fair slice of luck. For the beginner these illusive birds can seem almost impossible to snare, but there are many turkey hunting techniques that can be adopted which will swing the advantage back in the favor of the hunter.

The first thing to do is to actually locate the turkeys, so concentrate initially on general areas of their habitat before simplifying the task by narrowing them down to just one or two places. Then it is important not to go rushing in without a proper strategy, as without forward planning the whole hunt will be a complete waste of time. Good, and crucially, up to date maps should be scrutinized, identifying the back roads, ridges, high points, power lines, open creeks and river bottoms, all places where the sounds of gobbling are potentially going to be.

Spring turkey hunting techniques, differ significantly from fall turkey hunting techniques. For starters, the hunter will need a great deal more patience in the latter season, as the males are no longer interested in the females, due to mating being off the agenda during this period. Consequently, any type of calling would have to reflect the noises made by other Toms, such as low clucks, yelps and fighting purrs.

Consistency is the key, and scouting has to be right up at the top of any list because, whilst it is always possible to stumble onto a flock, it would be very fortunate and moreover, it would be once in a blue moon. Much better to track the flock, monitoring their movements over a period of time. The calling tactic is sound, and of all the fall turkey hunting techniques, it very probably is the most successful, but it stands to reason that a hunter is going to experience far greater success if they can entice a bird to a location that they actually are interested in visiting. So by tracking them over time, it will enable a pattern to emerge - this will act as a key indicator.

It is possible to purchase specially designed turkey calls, and after a while a hunter will get used to the sounds and should be able to attempt a reasonably decent impersonation of the gobbles, clucks and yelps, that frequent the woodland areas. Another very successful approach and one of the strongly favored turkey hunting techniques, is what is commonly referred to as still hunting. This method requires stationing oneself in a kind of blind spot, near their path to a feeding field. It probably does not bring as much satisfaction, simply because the hunter happens upon the turkey, rather than skillfully tempting them into their trap, but it does bring excellent results.

Turkey hunting dogs are also very good at flushing the flock out into the open and then scattering them to enable reasonable targets. In the main these will be a breed of spaniel, but others can be trained as well. Part of that training should include making them aware of the need to stop and bay at a flush site, whilst waiting for the hunter to catch up. There is always a way of outsmarting the game, and the techniques for turkey hunting make life just that little bit easier.