Any type of hunting you choose to do will have its challenges from time to time, especially if you are new to the sport. Below, an established gun store in Olathe, KS shares a fall turkey hunting guide for beginners.
Fall turkey hunting in Kansas
There are some things you need to know before hunting turkeys in the fall in Kansas. First, you can only bag one turkey per permit, but licensed hunters can purchase up to three extra game tags. So, what’s the appeal of hunting wild turkeys in Kansas? Here are just a few of them:
- Weather: The warm weather you’ll experience in Kansas during turkey hunting season is ideal. Warm weather means less chance for nature to dump a storm on you during the middle of your hunt.
- Proximity: When you’re in Kansas hunting turkey, getting up close to the birds is a possibility. Also, there tends to be more turkeys in the area, making patterning them easier.
- Number of birds: If there are a lot of birds in your hunting zone, you have a better chance of filling the tags and taking home enough turkey to fill your freezer for the season.
Turkey hunting tips for beginners
Is this your first time going turkey hunting in Kansas? Here are some useful tips to ensure you have a better chance of success:
- Move before sunrise: Like a lot of other birds, turkeys are easily startled. For this reason, your best bet for bagging a turkey or two is to make your way to or from your hunting spot a couple hours before sunrise. If scouting a site, go as close to nightfall as possible, as turkeys roost at night and feel safe enough to not flee at the slightest sound.
- Locate a hunting site early: A successful hunt is dependent largely on your willingness to do some preseason scouting for turkeys. Scouting helps you locate a few roosting trees, and gives you an opportunity to determine a flock’s roost rotation. While a hunter can scout sites during any time of the year, the best time is two weeks prior to the start of the turkey hunting season in your area. The closer to the season you scout, the greater your chances at finding an active roost.
- Stay hidden: It’s a good plan to blend in with the surroundings of your chosen hunting site. You could go all out, dressing in tactical camouflage and face paint, but it’s not necessary. Just be sure to conceal yourself and your movements from nearby wildlife. Practice minimizing how much you move and the noise you make—such as when using calls and readying your gun—while listening hard for turkeys nearby.
- Perfect your turkey call: Sure, there’s a chance you’ll just happen upon a turkey, but chances are greater that you’re going to have to call them at some point. Learn turkey calls from YouTube videos or seek lessons from a fellow turkey hunter. When learning the basics, be sure to include watching videos of real wild turkeys making calls. The goal is to sound like the turkey, not like the person teaching you.
If you’re in the market for a new hunting gun, visit Harrison Street Pawn. We’re your go-to gun store in Olathe, KS!