Turkey hunting
Encyclopedia
Turkey hunting is a sport involving the pursuit of the wild turkey
. Long before the European
settlers arrived in North America
, the Native Americans
took part in hunting wild turkeys.
There are six species of wild turkey pursued as game animals in North America. The most common are the Eastern, Osceola, Rio Grande, and Merriam's turkey. To "bag" a bird from each of these species is known in turkey hunting circles as a "Grand Slam". The less-common of the species, the Gould's and Ocellated wild turkey, are also pursued. To take a bird from all six species is known as a "World Slam".
Spring hunting coincides with the wild turkey mating season, where gobblers can be called into gun range with calls that mimic the sounds of a hen. Fall seasons occur when turkeys are in flocks, and the typical fall hunt strategy is to "bust up" or "scatter" a flock of turkeys, and then use turkey calls to bring the game back.
The shotgun
is a popular weapon for hunting wild turkey. Shotgun gauges used in turkey hunting include 10, 12, 16, and 20 gauge. #4, #5, and #6 lead shot is often used in 2 3/4", 3", or 3 1/2" shotshells. Bow and arrow is starting to become popular among hunters. Common hunting broadheads are used for body shots while "guillitine" style broadheads are intended to remove the head with the shot. Some states even allow small caliber rifles to be used while pursuing turkeys. Turkey hunters usually wear full camouflage, from head to toe, to conceal themselves from the wild turkey's excellent eyesight. This includes pants, shirt, hat, boots, gloves, and a mask. Many hunters wear a turkey vest with a cushion and compartments to sit on, carry their calls, and dead turkeys.
Calls used in turkey hunting fall into two categories, air and friction activated. Air calls include diaphragms, wing bone yelpers, trumpet calls, and snuff tube calls. These calls cheap on the market but they are the toughest to master. Friction calls include box calls, pot and peg calls, scratch boxes, and push pin calls. These calls are relatively easy to use and even a beginner can use them to call in turkeys.
Wild Turkey
The Wild Turkey is native to North America and is the heaviest member of the Galliformes. It is the same species as the domestic turkey, which derives from the South Mexican subspecies of wild turkey .Adult wild turkeys have long reddish-yellow to grayish-green...
. Long before the European
European ethnic groups
The ethnic groups in Europe are the various ethnic groups that reside in the nations of Europe. European ethnology is the field of anthropology focusing on Europe....
settlers arrived in North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
, the Native Americans
Indigenous peoples of the Americas
The indigenous peoples of the Americas are the pre-Columbian inhabitants of North and South America, their descendants and other ethnic groups who are identified with those peoples. Indigenous peoples are known in Canada as Aboriginal peoples, and in the United States as Native Americans...
took part in hunting wild turkeys.
History
By the early 1900s, the turkey population had been decimated in North America because of habitat destruction, commercial hunting, and lack of wildlife regulations. Hunters, wildlife agencies and conservation organizations intervened and turkey populations rebounded dramatically. More than 7 million wild turkeys now roam North America, with populations in every U.S. state but Alaska. Wild turkeys are also hunted in parts of Mexico and Canada.Species
Main article Wild TurkeyWild Turkey
The Wild Turkey is native to North America and is the heaviest member of the Galliformes. It is the same species as the domestic turkey, which derives from the South Mexican subspecies of wild turkey .Adult wild turkeys have long reddish-yellow to grayish-green...
There are six species of wild turkey pursued as game animals in North America. The most common are the Eastern, Osceola, Rio Grande, and Merriam's turkey. To "bag" a bird from each of these species is known in turkey hunting circles as a "Grand Slam". The less-common of the species, the Gould's and Ocellated wild turkey, are also pursued. To take a bird from all six species is known as a "World Slam".
Techniques and equipment
Depending on local rules and regulations, the wild turkey is hunted either in the spring or fall. Spring hunts target gobblers (male turkeys) and fall hunts usually pursue hens (female turkeys) or both.Spring hunting coincides with the wild turkey mating season, where gobblers can be called into gun range with calls that mimic the sounds of a hen. Fall seasons occur when turkeys are in flocks, and the typical fall hunt strategy is to "bust up" or "scatter" a flock of turkeys, and then use turkey calls to bring the game back.
The shotgun
Shotgun
A shotgun is a firearm that is usually designed to be fired from the shoulder, which uses the energy of a fixed shell to fire a number of small spherical pellets called shot, or a solid projectile called a slug...
is a popular weapon for hunting wild turkey. Shotgun gauges used in turkey hunting include 10, 12, 16, and 20 gauge. #4, #5, and #6 lead shot is often used in 2 3/4", 3", or 3 1/2" shotshells. Bow and arrow is starting to become popular among hunters. Common hunting broadheads are used for body shots while "guillitine" style broadheads are intended to remove the head with the shot. Some states even allow small caliber rifles to be used while pursuing turkeys. Turkey hunters usually wear full camouflage, from head to toe, to conceal themselves from the wild turkey's excellent eyesight. This includes pants, shirt, hat, boots, gloves, and a mask. Many hunters wear a turkey vest with a cushion and compartments to sit on, carry their calls, and dead turkeys.
Calls used in turkey hunting fall into two categories, air and friction activated. Air calls include diaphragms, wing bone yelpers, trumpet calls, and snuff tube calls. These calls cheap on the market but they are the toughest to master. Friction calls include box calls, pot and peg calls, scratch boxes, and push pin calls. These calls are relatively easy to use and even a beginner can use them to call in turkeys.