5 run-and-gun tactics for hunting spring turkeys in the deep woods

Crashing through the forest with footsteps so heavy he sounded like a deer, a monster tom finally came running headlong towards me after hours of calling back and forth. He’d been hung up on higher ground a few hundred metres out, and I knew he wasn’t going to budge unless something changed. Minutes earlier, I’d taken a chance and crawled prone through a tangle of hobblebush to close the gap and call again. My gamble was entirely dependent on using the relief of the forest floor to keep me hidden, the wind to cover the sound of my movements, and the bird to behave the way I hoped he would. The risk paid off, and that 23½-pound bruiser butterball was soon on the ground.

While hunting wild turkeys in fields can be productive and rewarding, there’s no greater excitement or challenge than taking a trophy tom under the canopy of Canada’s awakening spring forest. Here are my five key pointers for ensuring a successful hunt.