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March 23, 2007 02:32 PM

Scout for Deer While Turkey Hunting

Hey Marty,

I am a southern WV native and would like to know, what is the best way to call in turkeys during spring gobbler season?

This season starts April 19th. The time limit is 30 min before sunrise to 1:00PM, so I really don't get the time I'd like to have to tag a bird.

The laws and regulations say electronic calls and baiting are illegal. I know where the turkeys’ dens are, but I cannot seem to call them in while I'm scouting. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks.

Zachary

Zachary,

Thanks for your turkey hunting question.

Let me first start my reply by saying while I do focus on deer hunting, I have had a fair amount of success calling to and locating turkeys. I have a good wild turkey population on my deer hunting land. So I do practice calling.

I was once told by a wise old turkey hunter, “If turkeys could smell, no one would get them.”

Turkeys have extremely good eyesight, and their hearing is exceptional.

Having a turkey respond to your calling can help you pin point its location.

Early morning is a great time to begin your turkey calling efforts. Most turkeys will let out a morning call when they leave their morning roosts and flutter to the ground.

If you aren’t hearing their morning calls use a crow call, owl call or a coyote call. These mouth blown calls are considered “shock” calls and, in many cases, a turkey will gobble once they have heard any of the three.

Once you have located where the turkey is gobbling from, rethink your position. Are you close enough to the turkey to set up and be ready for a shot? If not, carefully move towards the turkey being sure the turkey will not see you. If you feel the turkey is close to your location, set up and begin a series of turkey calls that are not “shock” calls.

There are a few different turkey calls, which replicate actual turkey sounds, I use when out in the turkey hunting woods. These sounds include the turkey yelp, cluck, cackle, cut, purr and putt.

The Turkey Yelp

Once you have located the bird and he has gobbled back at you start your calling by yelping three to seven times. The number of yelps you use is not as important as the rhythm of the calling.

Whether using mouth blown diaphragm calls or friction-type calls, focus on rhythm more than worrying whether your calls are raspy or smooth.

A great way to learn the rhythm of real turkeys calling is to purchase a CD or cassette tape of actual turkey sounds. Listen to the recordings, and practice your calling technique. Remember, it is not just practice which makes perfect…it is perfect practice that makes perfect calling.

Turkey Clucking

Turkeys often make clucking sounds while feeding.

You can replicate the turkey cluck with most calling devices on the market today.

Again, go to your local sporting goods store and pick up a tape to learn the sound of turkey clucking so you can practice replicating.

Turkey Cackle

Some turkey hunters call the cackle the true turkey mating call.

The cackle is made by turkey hens as they leave their evening roosts and fly to the ground in the morning.

The call is similar to the turkey yelp. Here is the difference between the cackle and yelp. The turkey yelp starts more rapidly as the hen leaves the tree limb and heads to the forest floor.

Then the turkey yelp tapers off and slows down as the hen lands on the ground.

Words of warning, if you can’t cackle extremely well, don’t use this call. If your reproduction of the cackle sounds unnatural to the turkey, you will not pull them in. This call certainly requires perfect practice to get right.

Turkey Cutting

Cutting is a sound made by adult hens. It is a series of short, excited yelps.

Turkey Putting

The turkey putting sounds are made by both male and female turkeys. A short, loud series of putts is made by turkeys as an alarm sound. Soft putts, mixed with purrs, are sounds made by more relaxed and content turkeys.

Turkey Purr

The turkey purr is a soft call made by a hen turkey. Purring is a great sound to use to draw your tom turkey in the last few yards for a good clean shot.

Perfect Practice Makes Perfect Calling

The key to locating a big long beard turkey is getting him to answer your turkey call. Use a crow, owl or coyote call to entice turkeys to gobble back at you. As soon as the gobbler answers and you are set up in a good location, use the “non-shock” turkey calls listed above to help you bag your turkey.

Remember, perfect practice makes for perfect calling skills. Go to your local sports store and pick up a tape with actual turkey calling sounds. Listen to the turkey calls and practice replicating them.

With a little perfect practice you could call in your next big long beard turkey.

Good Luck and Great Hunting!

Marty Prokop
www.free-deer-hunting-tips.com

Posted by Marty Prokop at 2:32 PM | Comments (0)

March 21, 2007 08:02 AM

Which One Would You Shoot?

wich one would u shoot

Dakota

Dakota,

Thanks for the email.

Before I would consider shooting either buck, I would first look at my watch and determine whether or not it is legal shooting time.

If it was sunrise, I would wait for the two bucks to separate to make sure a clean shot could be taken on one, insuring the other buck could not be wounded.

Once they had separated, and I determined it was legal shooting time, I would prefer to harvest the huge non-typical buck…although, either buck is spectacular.

If it was sunset and legal shooting time had passed, I would let them both walk and pray they showed up the next morning.

Thanks for the great question.

Good Luck and Great Hunting!

Marty Prokop

www.free-deer-hunting-tips.com

Posted by Marty Prokop at 8:02 AM | Comments (10)

March 18, 2007 01:51 PM

Deer Calling Strategies

How often should a person grunt call, doe and fawn bleat call and/or rattle call? Does it matter if he grunt calls, then doe and fawn calls and rattle calls all mixed together at the same time?

Thanks.

Marcel

Calling white tailed deer is a fun and exciting way to up your odds of seeing a big buck. Knowing when and how long to call deer will depend on what stage the deer season rut is in during your deer hunt.

Whitetail deer have a wide range of vocalizations including grunts, bleats, snorts, the snort-wheeze and others. Another sound a hunter may hear while out deer hunting is deer antlers being hit together. This of course happens when two bucks fight. Reproducing this sound is called rattling and can be done using real antlers or rattling devices.

Can You Call, Grunt or Rattle Too Much?

This is a heavily debated topic among deer hunters. I believe deer respond to deer calling differently in different parts of the country.

This past deer season I tested different deer calling strategies. I aggressively called during the deer season rut including rattling antlers, grunts, and bleats. I even went days without deer calling at all.

Here is what I found on my deer hunting land.

During the rut, I tried blind calling. This is deer calling and antler rattling when you do not see deer. I climbed into my deer hunting tree stand and settle in. Then I grunted four to five times softly. Then I rattled deer antlers for three to five minutes. I followed by four more soft deer grunts. I waited for thirty minutes and repeated the process.

On days I did blind calling, I pulled in one small spike buck deer. I did have a mature buck deer snort at me, but I never saw him through the brush.

I also grunted when I saw deer, trying to pull them closer to my tree stand. After I located a deer in the woods I would deer grunt two to three times — softly at first and progressively louder by the third grunt.

Each time I did this I was able to call the deer – both bucks and does — to within 15 yards of my deer hunting tree stand.

If a big buck would hang up and start to walk off, I would make a fawn bleat. The buck would stop in his tracks and look towards the sound.

During deer season, when I spotted a nice size buck deer in the distance, I tried to lure him in by rattling.

This did not work as well here on my deer hunting land in the Wisconsin. I feel the doe to buck ratio is still too high in my area. There are many more does than bucks; so the buck figured he would move on to find an easier doe to breed.

One deer call that works extremely well is the snort-wheeze. The snort-wheeze is a sound a dominant buck deer makes when he challenges a lesser buck.

I took a nice, non-typical 8-pointer this year using the snort-wheeze call.

This large 8-point buck deer came in at about 120 yards. His head was down. He was moving to a large scrape about 80 yards to my right. I let out a snort-wheeze call; his head jerked straight up. He came running towards my tree stand. The buck deer stood broadside to me at less than 50 yards when I took aim.

I feel the best way to see if a certain deer call strategy will work in your deer hunting area is to try several different deer calling patterns and see what works best.

One call to try, regardless of where you hunt, is the snort-wheeze.

If you have a big, mature buck deer in front of you and he hears a snort-wheeze, he will come running.

Good Luck and Great Hunting!

Marty Prokop
www.free-deer-hunting-tips.com

Posted by Marty Prokop at 1:51 PM | Comments (7)

March 13, 2007 09:13 AM

Deer Hunting Ground Blind Building Plans

Hello my name is Zachary T and I have placed your link on my myspace page http://www.myspace.com/deerhunter7369 and I would also like to know if you could help me out. I am building a ground blind for this years turkey and deer seasons and would like to know if you would happen to have any building plans. I'm looking to build something about 6X6 or 8X8 me and a friend will be hunting out of it. Any help will be greatly appreciated.

Thanks.

Zachary

Zachary,

Thanks for your email.

There is nothing quite like taking a deer or turkey from a ground blind.

You are eye-to-eye with the animal, which can increase the difficulty of harvesting a deer or turkey. Deer and turkeys have great eye sight and hearing and are masters of their terrains. Any wrong movement from a ground blind or unnatural noises are sure to be noticed causing the deer or turkey to bolt, usually before a good shot can be made.

Deer Hunting Ground Blind Site Location

The first thing you will need to do is find the location for your deer or turkey hunting blind. Make sure you have plenty of deer and turkey sign in the area. If you are able to, set up a trail camera or cameras in three or four different locations prior to setting up your hunting blind.

When I set up my trail cameras, I usually check each camera at least every other day. This does a couple things for me.

First, it allows the deer on my hunting land to get used to my scent. Secondly, it allows me to see what areas are holding the most animals, which shows me the best locations to set up my ground blind.

Type of Hunting Blind

There are many different styles of ground blind you can make.

One of my favorite ground hunting blinds to make and deer hunt from is made of natural materials gathered from my hunting land.

When deer and turkeys approach hunting blinds made of natural materials…like downed trees, branches, grasses and shrubs…they seem to be a bit more at ease. This could allow you a great shot.

Since you will be turkey hunting and deer hunting with a buddy in the same ground blind I suggest you go with the 8x8 option. This will give you both enough room to sit comfortably and safely.

The Free-Deer-Hunting-Tips.com community of hunters have asked for plans on building ground blinds and elevated shooting houses. Currently my deer hunting land is covered in a blanket of snow and the ground is frozen solid. As soon as spring thaw arrives, I will be in the field building and filming the step-by-step instructions on how to build a natural material ground blind and an 8x8 elevated shooting house.

Make sure you get the Free Deer Hunting Tips Newsletter by subscribing (and it’s free which is great) at http://www.free-deer-hunting-tips.com. Then, watch your email for details on plans for building ground blinds and elevated shooting houses. As soon as spring comes in my neck of the woods, I’ll be out building and filming.

Here is what you could do between now and then…

Selecting a Ground Blind

Until then, consider purchasing one of the pop-up style hunting blinds available. I just purchased one this year and hunted from it.

They are easy to pack in to your turkey hunting and deer hunting areas, take seconds to set up and will offer you shelter from the elements.

When selecting a portable hunting blind look for one with a scent blocking lining and a black interior. You will also want large shoot-thru windows. The hunting blind I use has a rear access door which makes getting into and out of the blind easier.

After setting up your portable hunting blind, use natural grasses, twigs and shrubs to help conceal the blind. The more natural you can make the portable hunting blind appear, the more natural the animals will react to its presence.

I have had turkeys come right up to my portable hunting blind the day I set it up. Deer, on the other hand, took a little longer to get used to the portable hunting blind.

Good Luck and Great Hunting!

Marty Prokop
www.free-deer-hunting-tips.com

Posted by Marty Prokop at 9:13 AM | Comments (4)

March 8, 2007 06:05 PM

Attract More Deer to Your Hunting Land

Thanks Marty. I enjoy your letters and web site.

I have a question about seeding trails for deer. I live in east central Minnesota and have 40 acres with mixed hard wood trees on 16 acres and the rest is hay fields. All around me are fields of corn, beans and some times alfalfa fields that the deer use a lot. My hay fields are mostly grass, and I have some trails through the woods. I would like to know if it would pay to seed the trails with something this spring to get more deer to come in and stay. And if so what should I plant?

Thanks for any help Jeff

Jeff,

Thanks for the great question concerning food plots.

Being surrounded by corn, soy bean and alfalfa fields may cause deer to travel off your land in search of food. Corn and soy beans are like candy to deer, and if given the choice of plain grasses or alfalfa, deer will generally go the extra distance to eat the higher protein alfalfa.

“How to Grow Quality Deer Food Plots” was the topic of a recent Free Deer Hunting Tips newsletter. In the newsletter, I cover choosing a food plot location, picking the best seed for your area, the importance of soil testing and much, much more.

To view the full newsletter click this link http://free-deer-hunting-tips.com/articles/quality_deer_food_plots.htm

If you are not receiving your Free Deer Hunting Tips Newsletter and would like to, you can go to http://www.free-deer-hunting-tips.com to sign up today.

To help attract and hold more deer on your hunting land, and since you have a fair amount of grass hay fields, I would do the following:

Attract More Deer

Since you have grass hay fields bordering your woods, plant several smaller food plots along the edges of your wooded acreage. I have spoken to a seed company representative and food plot expert who said small strips planted along the wood edge will help keep the deer from wanting to travel to neighboring farm fields to graze.

These strips need only be about ten feet wide. You can either plant a food plot border along the entire wood edge, or you can make several smaller food plots of varying lengths along the wood edge.

In regards to planting the trails you have into your woods, by all means plant them. In order for the food plot on the trails to grow, I recommend the trail be at least six foot wide.

I have created walking paths in my woods, and the deer use these regularly. The key is the walking paths must be sheltered or in locations where the deer feel safe. Having your walking trails double as a food source for deer should help keep a few more deer on your land.

The more food you have available to deer on your land, the less likely deer will be to move into neighboring fields in search of food.

Choosing the Best Seed

Choosing the correct seed is important to your food plot’s success. There are several factors that go into choosing what is best to plant in your area. I covered choosing the right seed and creating the best food plot in a recent newsletter called, “How to Grow Quality Deer Food Plots.”

To view “How to Grow Quality Food Plots” in its entirety, click this link http://free-deer-hunting-tips.com/articles/quality_deer_food_plots.htm

Soon I may be offering food plot seed developed to grow very well in the northern part of the United States and seed that grows well throughout the United States and Canada. I will let you know as soon as this becomes available through www.free-deer-hunting-tips.com .

Good Luck and Great Hunting!

Marty Prokop
www.free-deer-hunting-tips.com

Posted by Marty Prokop at 6:05 PM | Comments (3)

March 1, 2007 02:11 PM

Placing Bait for Deer

If the deer only come to your tree stand at night what can a person do? I was told to cover your apples at night with blankets. Tie a rope to the blanket and when morning comes and I am in my stand to just pull the blanket away with the rope. I was told, when I climb out of my tree stand, to put the blanket back in the evening.

I don’t usually have too many apples to give the deer so how many apples should I put down? Again I was told 4 buckets first until they come every day, then cut down to one bucket.

I know the deer might taste better but money wise I can afford that many apples every day. It might sound cheap, but I’m on a strict budget.

Marcel

This question has to do with baiting deer and the proper amount of bait to use. I personally do not hunt over bait piles, but I do provide food plots on my deer hunting property, some in areas I hunt and others in areas that I do not hunt.

Check Regulations

Make sure to read your local deer hunting rules and regulations to see how much bait a deer hunter in your area can put out at his bait site (or if baiting is allowed). Many states have rules and regulations regarding maximum amounts of bait a deer hunter can place while deer hunting.

In my state for example, deer hunters are allowed to put out up to 2 gallons of bait. Baiting is only allowed in certain areas. There are certain deer hunting zones where baiting is not allowed at all.

Deer Bait on a Budget

If your deer hunting area has no limits as to the amount of bait you can put out, a large pile of apples is better than a small one. The more bait you have out, the longer it will last between refills.

If money is tight, try the two gallon option. Two gallons of apples is about 10 pounds or so and should be enough to draw in deer. However, if there are a lot of deer in your hunting area, two gallons could disappear very quickly.

If you have a local orchard near your home you may want to check if they have apples that can not be sold for human consumption. Often times, orchards will sell these very inexpensively. Another cost-savings tip is to see if you can make arrangements to pick up the apples from the ground that can’t be sold. This could save the orchard on labor costs.

Another source for apples in the fall could be your local feed store. My local feed store gave me five 50 pound bags of soft, half-rotten apples free when I bought some shell corn. The deer loved them, and the price was definitely right.

Deer Bait Tips

Trying to program deer to come in and feed during shooting hours can be a challenge. The idea of you covering your apples at night with a blanket has some merit. There is a deer feeder on the market now called the Nocturnal Nightmare. You can program the feeder to close its lid at dusk and to open the lid during daylight hours.

The theory is deer will get used to coming in during daytime hours to feed, thus providing a deer hunter with a shot.

Covering your bait pile with a heavy blanket could work. As long as you are using a very heavy blanket the deer can’t move aside, it should work to protect your bait.

Covering the bait with a blanket will not work if you have bear in your deer hunting woods. Bear will simply pull off the blanket and feast on your deer bait.

Using a blanket could pose other issues for you while you are out deer hunting. Introducing something new, such as a heavy blanket, to your hunting area during deer season could affect deer behavior. Deer may shy away from the area if they see a large mass sitting on the ground or hanging in a tree.

I feel the best way to keep your bait site stocked is to bring in the bait each morning. Instead of putting out a truck full of bait at one time, bring 2 ice cream pails with you each day. This way you know you will have bait to hunt over when you are on your tree stand. Deer may get used to smelling the apples each morning when you arrive at your treestand, prompting them to get out of their beds to have a bite.

Good Luck and Great Hunting!

Marty Prokop
www.free-deer-hunting-tips.com

Posted by Marty Prokop at 2:11 PM | Comments (2)