The Elusive Osceola Turkey

I have written many articles on equipment, techniques and how to’s, so know I am going to put a lot of this valuable information to the test and spend this Wild Turkey hunting season in pursuit of one of the most elusive of the Grand Slam Turkeys, the Osceola.

If you have no clue what an Osceola Turkey is, or where it is found, this isn’t really the article for you as I will go into those details in another piece. This article is for those individuals who are established Turkey hunters who are preparing for the upcoming season and pretty much know where and how they plan to proceed. It’s meant to just tweak their realm of possibilities and tell my ongoing quest as well.

So here we go. For the past two years I have not been able to secure private land to hunt so I was forced to endure the large number of crazies that head out to the public land such as JW Corbett and Three Lakes, in South Florida to try and take a bird. Now don’t get me wrong, there are quite a few established and excellent hunters who consistently take birds off these wildlife management areas, I unfortunately am not one of them. But, I have learned some techniques that may help those who know the routines, but are still coming up a bit short.  I remember sitting against a cypress tree at an ungodly early hour, at what I thought was the perfect set up, only to have three rather large men carrying an aluminum ladder through the woods making enough noise to drown out a marching band. Not fun!

Notice the Osceola Turkey tail in left corner

OK, so here is a great tip I learned, please comment on this if you think it makes sense as I have thought about this possibility and feel it is one of the reasons some consistently harvest birds while others do not. First, as usual you must not only know that birds are in the area, but also prior scouting should also give you some indication of their patterns. They quite often follow a predictable pattern after flying down from the roost, and on private land or lightly hunted land you can put yourself in an interceptor position to take advantage of them. Or, you can run and gun with out being cursed or shot at for interrupting another’s hunt. This is pretty much on par with some guy walking through the woods and blowing your favorite decoy to bits.

So here’s my plan for this year, if I am hunting on public land.  Having already scouted the area and knowing the possible patterns of the birds and where a vast majority of other hunters will be moving through, I am planning on hunting the birds, not so much on where they usually will want to go, but where the other hunters might possibly push them! So this weekend I will start looking at angles and trails and paths of least resistance that the elusive Osceola Turkey would consider moving through to give a wide berth to the throngs of hunters that will be in the woods this season. So what do ya think? Or am I merely putting myself in the crosshairs of someone’s scope? Last tidbit of info although most know this already; do not practice your calling where you will be hunting! If you are as bad with a mouth call as I am, you are merely telling a Wild Turkey that you are there and conditioning him to run at that sound.

By the way, this year I have been able to get hunting rights on a 250 acre piece of land that is used for cattle. The edge of which is adjoining a popular WMA. I will keep you informed of my progress in hopes of bagging the elusive Osceola Turkey!

Calling a Turkey to bring him closer to you, or coaxing him to give away his position is probably the most enjoyable method of Turkey hunting, and since this incredible bird is gifted with incredible eyesight, calling the Turkey is probably the best way to get into position for a shot. Combine this with proper decoy management and you have a great chance of harvesting a nice Tom. Remember, it only takes one bird to let you know what direction he is, and then you will have to judge the distance for yourself. When the birds are silent it can seem as if you are all alone in the woods as they can go completely quiet when alarmed.

Dave Sumner of Turkey Dave

Turkey’s breed primarily in the spring months of April and May, during this period they can become extremely vocal and learning the differences in each sound can tell whether your quarry is a Tom, Jake or possibly even a hen. One of the first things I was taught when using my calls was what type of sound to imitate to elicit the desired effect. Sitting in the dark an hour or so before dawn during Turkey season is very exciting and when the sound of a mature Tom breaks though the darkness it will be something you won’t ever forget!

Turkey’s can be located using a variety of calls; you can imitate a hen, or the unmistakable call of a big Gobbler or even those sounds such as crow and owls. The sounds of thunder have also been known to cause a Wild Turkey to give away his position. These locator calls are a hit and miss situation and usually work best in areas that you know Turkeys have been seen in sufficient numbers. Locator calls are used to identify position not to bring birds in.

With so many calls on the market, its hard to figure out what might work best for you, but the bottom line is know how to properly use the call before taking it into the field. I prefer the box call as it is easy for me to use since my attempts to use a mouth or diaphragm Turkey call have similar results to Roseanne Barr singing the national anthem. However, the diaphragm calls give the hunter who can properly use them, are great bit of versatility. The problem with a box call is that there is motion involved and the hunter will need to put down the call in order to lift his shotgun.

Typica Box Call

Turkeys make a number of different sounds depending on what they are doing at the time; it can range from a series of purrs, clucks, yelps or a combination of sounds. Remember on windy days your sound will be limiting in the distance it projects and trying to hard to increase volume might through off the proper sound. Cadence is also of great importance and it’s usually a good practice for novice hunters to merely try to match the sounds of birds they can hear. Combine this with some life-like decoys set out at a know distance such as 20yds and you are just about ready. In some areas, the use of decoys may actually hamper your hunt as the birds have been pressured greatly and are wise to the decoys. But all in all, 1-3 decoys depending on the circumstance should suffice, and by the end of the day you may have an incredible dinner that the whole family will enjoy and a great story to tell around the table.

No, “hey bartender” is not the correct answer to this question, but the actual answer to this question is really based on what you are trying to accomplish with the call. At its base, calling a gobbler in is the most rewarding part of the hunt with the exception of sitting around the table with all the family enjoying the harvested bird. It is also the most tried and true method among Turkey hunters and one in which skill with a turkey call becomes a vital part of the hunt.

Before we get into the types of calls used and the circumstances surrounding the use of the call, it is important to understand that calling poorly can be as detrimental to a hunt as walking through the field with your radio blasting an anthology of Van Halen tunes. The most adept of turkey hunters can easily move through the woods and take their share of Gobblers without the use of a call, so in addition to being proficient with the call, the hunter must all have an understanding of Wild Turkey habits and be a skilled woodsman as well.

Common Box Call

The first part of Turkey hunting is finding the birds, and as so many of us begin our turkey hunting careers by sitting in a blind at some ungodly hour, we will start our discussion with locator calls. Locator calls are used to draw a response from a bird, thereby giving away his position, without alerting him to yours. Turkeys are known to respond to loud noises such as thunder or the noises made by other animals. I was once sitting in a blind in the dark on the edge of a southern Wisconsin field when a coyote began to howl. About a second or two later it seemed like the entire woods had become the Turkey boy choir as Tom’s began gobbling from every direction. Many calls on the market today are made to simulate other animals, such as crows, and owls, and even thunder has been know to cause the Turkey to respond. Wild Turkeys can hear your call a long way off and it’s important to keep your calls short, keep very quiet and immediately listen for even the faintest response. The response to this type of call is referred to as a “shock gobble” as it is a fear reflex.

I have had very good success the night before a hunt using an owl locator call and standing in an area where I have previously seen Turkeys late in the afternoon. If I can pinpoint a direction and distance to a response, I can set up a blind in an area that I feel the turkeys will fly down to or will want to pass during their morning habits. I my predictions are correct I can usually then wait for them to come or use another type of call to bring them into range.

Calls and CD for practice

Turkey Calls that are intended draw the little beasties into range may be in the form of what is called a friction call or a mouth call. Both are capable of simulating the various yelps, clucks purrs and putts that Turkeys use to communicate with one another. Friction calls are probably easier to use but both have their advantages or detractions. I have found that since I am probably the most tone deaf person around the box call works the best for me; however it requires a bit more movement in its use and then placing it down when a bird moves in. It is quite simple to use although some practice is required to properly make the variety of sounds used in various situations. There are numerous other types of friction turkey calls such as the slate and peg call and the push pull box. At some point it becomes a matter of preference and proficiency.

Diaphragm calls are another extremely popular call and are considered the most versatile of all Turkey calls. These types of calls are merely reeds strung across a frame shaped in a “U” and then placed in the mouth. Many hunters prefer this call as it is small, relatively inexpensive and can be used on an approaching bird with no visible movement. The only disadvantage for this type of Turkey call is it could be difficult to learn to use properly.  Many Diaphragm calls on the market today come with a CD that demonstrates the various sounds, which makes its mastery quite a bit easier.

Although there are many other types of excellent Turkey calls on the market, these are by far the most popular. I would suggest practice with these types of calls to get a good knowledge of not only what the sounds should be like, but also when to use them.  Again, a poor call can ruin a Wild Turkey Hunting experience.  It’s also important not to practice calling in those areas you or others wish to hunt as once again, poor calling and overcalling can have a negative effect.

Spring Turkey hunting is just around the corner and in many states in the country there is a lottery drawing to determine who will receive the limited number of permits that will be available for specific areas. It is important for all you wild turkey hunters to decide if you want to put your name in for the drawing, but also to decide on what particular zones, (if your state uses zoning for permits) you wish to hunt. If you are on good terms with land owners of prime wild turkey habitat, you may want to check with them first to see if others have already requested hunting time on the in-demand area.

This is also a good time to get in touch with your state DNR (Department of Natural Resources) to ask questions as to what public lands you may be allowed to hunt on and what the Wild Turkey harvest has been in previous years. Some states have quotas as to the number of hunters and time periods that prime wildlife areas can be accessed for hunting, such as Florida, however there is enough public land to at least have a shot at taking one of these magnificent birds.  Hunting public land for the elusive Wild Turkey may have its added challenges, but just being out there at first light and hearing a gobbler calling is worth the effort. We encourage you to post your thoughts on accessible public land in your area or state, after all, not everyone has access to private land.