Spring Turkey Hunting part 2, Blinds and Decoy Placement

Now that you've got your calls mastered and your decoys cleaned and looking good it's time to figure out where to set your blind up and put those decoys out.

There are several types of blinds you can use, some are fully enclosed and some are a sheet of camouflage material. I have used both and depending on the weather I prefer the sheet of material unless it's going to rain or snow. When using a sheet of camouflage material it seems best to have a sheet at least 10 foot long and between 24 and 30 inches high. I like to backup to some very heavy brush or a large tree. I will place three or four stakes in the ground and wrap the material around them. When using sheet material I will sit on the ground or a low-profile chair, the 24” to 30” inch tall material will be at eye level in most cases. Keep the material tight so it will not flap in the wind. The turkey has excellent eyesight and he will see any movement. If you can sit on the inside corner of an agricultural field with the woods behind you will have a great view down the tree line, because no matter which way you think the turkeys are going to come from you never actually know. Of course a fully enclosed blind will work just as well and be much more comfortable in poor weather. Again if an inside corner is available it's a great choice. If an inside corner is not available set the front of your blind flush with the woods edge.

Try to get in and set your blind several days or a week ahead of time, this will acclimate the birds to the setup. If you know where the turkeys are roosting you will have a great advantage. If you have a clear sight line from the roosting tree, blind and your turkey decoys you will have an excellent chance to call them directly into your decoys in the morning.

I prefer to place my decoys approximately 20 yards from my shooting position when hunting with a shotgun. Turkeys are notorious for "hanging up" out of shooting range. Place your decoys in a triangle formation with two hens approximately 10 feet apart and a tom or Jake decoy approximately 10 feet behind with the hens closest to the woods. The hen decoys will be approximately 20 yards away and the Tom or Jake decoy will be approximately 22 to 23 yards away, still well within shooting range. If the turkey should hang up, have patience because he may go back in the woods and come out somewhere else. Just because your turkey did not come in the first time doesn't mean he won't the second, third or fourth time. Set your decoys on the highest point of land within shooting range, it doesn't do any good to have decoys if they can't be seen from a distance. You can attach a piece of monofilament fishing line to the tale of a decoy so you can get some movement out of the decoy on days with no wind. Again if there is movement a turkey will see it.

Next time we will discuss shotguns and opening morning.