1.) Don't be ashamed to kill a jake, for the beginning Turkey hunter, a jake is a trophy

2.) Flow w/ the Gobbler........That is, when a gobbler approaches, he usually doesn't come running in, they will move slowly and cautiously, so when the bird has decided his direction of travel to your setup, slowly,slowly,slowly follow him with you cameoflague weapon of choice. Unless your gun is camo, this may not be good advice. A turkey is scanning for the hen and as long as your movement isn't sudden or abrupt, you can get away with minimal movement.

3.) Silence is Deadly while hunting late season public land. The birds have already been pressured by almost every imaginable call on the market. From mouth calls to slates to box calls, along with a few others in there........these birds have heard it all. We all get a charge when first light hits, and we rip out our best rendition of a Barred Owl, Pilleated Woodpecker, or a Barking Crow, and on the next ridge, a few gobblers rip out their coveted love song......G-O-B-B-L-E!!!!!!!!! My point is, they get used to it, the are able to associate the Locator calls with 10 minutes of dead silence, then your best rendition of a love sick hen. Last season while hunting in public land, I seldom used a Locator call, and many times I met with a successful hunt, not every time we got birds, but it enabled us to set up close to the gobbler without any chance of him noticing anything different. A lot of times a local hen or an owl will help you out instead.....Give it a try.

4.) What to do when your pinned down? Everything is going right, you setup close, he responds to everyone of your calls with an enthusiasm that hasn't been felt since your first time (you know what I mean), all of a sudden he shuts up and you don't know what to do or where he went......Then there he is, staring at you off of your back-left shoulder. There is no way in hell you'll be able to get a shot off, unless it's a quick spin-n-hope poke. Nine times out of ten he will be air born before you get your gun off of safe, and anyone who has ever hunted spring gobbler knows how thick the woods are with undergrowth. What do you do......Let him walk on by, It sounds easier than done. There will be a lot of emotions running through your head, but in this instance, it is the smartest move that can be made at this moment. You already know his direction of travel, and in a lot of instances, you can readjust your setup, and call him right back in. But if you had to, and he wont respond to your calls, circle him and call softly, scratching the leaves occassionaly to simulate the sounds of a feeding hen.

5.) Dealing with Chatty Teasers........Sometimes too much calling is exactly what a weary old bird requires. As it has been said in all too many situations, throw everything but the kitchen sink at him. I have seen in numerous situations when aggressive calling is the key to an early trip back to the truck. Last spring, while hunting with Deergrunt, we came upon 4 birds that would not respond to anything aggressively, but my cutting and cackling like a flock of hens possessed. Needless to say, that when these birds finally had enough, they covered a quarter mile in the time that may have qualified them for the Summer Olympics. My best advice to you is to start with subtle and loving calls before cranking it up like a love starved hen.

6.) The Traveling Gobbler.......These are the birds that gobble to everything you throw at them, but you don't hear from them until they are 150 yards further out. They are kind of like the Energizer Rabbit, they just keep on going and going and going. I highly suggest that unless your in great condition to leave this bird and go searching for another. If you were to battle this spring sprinter, then fill up you water bottle and be prepared for a long morning. You may try to call to him, then run back 40 yards or so and keep moving back. If he decides that he is losing you, it may just be the trick he needs to send him running your way. If this does work, be ready because most likely he will show up in a flash. Another way of tackling this bird is to map him, if you have a topo map, try to find his direction of travel, and get there before he does. Most likely he is heading to a strut zone, and if you can get there before him, you'll be filling out your tag soon enough.

7.) The Use of Decoys........I never go out in the woods with less than two decoys, whether it be a hen & a jake, or 2 hens. This is a great way to get the gobblers thoughts off of where the calling is coming from. Once you can see the gobbler, go silent and allow the decoys to lure the bird in to shotgun range. One good tip is to pace off how many steps the decoy is from your setup, I usually place my decoys at 20 yards, that way I can easily distingush when the gobbler steps into the 40 yards usually required to kill a bird with most of todays weapons.

I hope these tips help you harvest the big one this year. And don't forget to print them out because they will be changing every two weeks. Good Luck , DEERGRUNT