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

#4  USE TOPOGRAPHY

With a 270-degree field of view and clarity that’s three times sharper than a human’s 20/20 vision, wild turkeys have incredible eyesight—their primary defence against predators. Good quality camo and the use of natural cover to break up your outline are great for concealment, but the best way to avoid getting busted is to deny turkeys the chance to pick you out in the first place. This is where the forest itself really becomes your hunting partner.

By using the relief of the terrain to your advantage, you can find places to set up for shots where you’ll be completely obscured from a gobbler’s view as he approaches. If you can master the landscape, you can master the bird. Setting up on high ground, where you can’t be spotted from a neighbouring hill, is often the best place to start. If there’s no accessible high ground to start from, set up in a bowl or dip in the forest floor with a circumference that roughly matches your preferred shooting range.

Calling from an elevated spot has the added advantage of carrying your calls a greater distance to reach birds that are further away. This strategy comes with the caveat that toms typically expect hens to come to them, and they can be difficult to call uphill. But be patient. If your calling is on-point and a tom is responding regularly, he will eventually climb the hill. Should he refuse and hang up for some reason, however, you can use the backside of the hill to move down and around to him instead.

Once you get a gobble back from a fired-up tom, quickly assess your best cover options and reorient yourself to face the direction he’ll be coming from. When he finally crests the hill, or arrives at the edge of the bowl you’re sitting in, you’ll immediately have a bead on his wattle. Before squeezing the trigger, first take an extra moment to make sure the turkey has a beard. Toms are often accompanied by hens, and it’s not unusual for them to get ahead of him.