In just a few days, the one day Pennsylvania Youth Spring Gobbler Hunt will take place — Saturday, April 24th to be exact. On the following Saturday, May 1, our statewide Spring Gobbler Season gets underway. These are the days many of us have been daydreaming about for weeks, so let’s take a look at a few tactics that may insure success in the spring turkey woods.

Regarding the Youth Hunt, depending on the age and stature of the youth you will be taking, it may be wise to have them use a 20 gauge or even a .410, rather than a 12 gauge shotgun. Hopefully, you have already taken the time to pattern the gun and had the youth take a few shots as well to become comfortable with the gun. A couple more shots on a paper target of a turkey would be a real confidence booster before you head out on the Youth Hunt. The availability of the newer TSS shot is a real improvement on turkey loads, and that is especially true for use in the 20 gauge or .410. While it may be a bit pricey, using it will go a long way to insure success, especially when you are mentoring a youth and want all the advantages you can muster.

Turkey hunting can certainly be very exciting, but there are times when things may drag a bit, particularly for a young or inexperienced hunter. I would normally discourage having a video game device in a hunting blind, but this is the one circumstance where it just may keep the youth from dozing off and losing interest when the activity slows a bit!

During the opening day of the regular statewide season and throughout the first week or so, the turkeys in the area you plan to hunt should be relatively undisturbed. They will generally accept some tactics that later in the season they will have been educated to and, thus, will be less likely to respond to. I refer to decoys, calling and positioning.

Many of the turkeys may never have seen a decoy before (in the previous spring or fall season). In a woods setting, a single hen decoy placed along a logging road or an opening in the woods will help draw the interest of a gobbler. If setting up in a field edge or other large openings, it would be better to use multiple decoys. Two hen decoys and a jake decoy make an ideal setup to bring in a mature gobbler who is looking to defend his territory and his hens.

When it comes to calling, simply don’t overcall. Too often, we “learn” our techniques by watching videos or TV shows, where aggressive and continual calling seems to be the norm. What they don’t depict on these shows and in the videos are the long periods of silence that occur in real life as they patiently wait for a response from a nearby bird. A period of 20 to 30 minutes between calls will be much more realistic in the woods, and then a single cluck or two, or a short series of yelps will sound much more like a live hen. Continual and aggressive calling will tend to educate nearby turkeys that there is a hunter in the area!

Choosing an exact position from which to hunt, hopefully well before the season opens, can be a key factor in a successful hunt. Select a large tree near a roost area or in the area where the turkeys travel or feed, and make sure there are clear areas through which to shoot and that there is no brush to obstruct a clear view and clear shot. The ideal tree will be at least shoulder width in size. Ideally, there will be several sites in the area where you will be hunting that you can use as your setup location. It is easy for the turkeys to pattern you when they hear calling coming from the same exact location day after day.

Remember to carry more calls than you think you need. You should have a box call or two, and one or two slate calls, and several mouth calls as well. You can never know ahead of time just which call will work best on a given day. By having multiple calls that offer a variety of tone and pitch, you will have a much better chance of interesting a passing gobbler.

Good luck, and remember, it is critical to positively identify your target and the surroundings before you squeeze the trigger!