Sponsored by: Harmon Deer Scent & Cass Creek
By: Mitch Smith
Turkey hunting can be addictive and many hunters are now selecting turkey hunting over deer hunting. While deer uses their smell as their primary defense, turkey uses their sight. Turkey has excellent vision.
Most everyone knows that when calling in a turkey you call softer and less calling when that turkey gets in close. Also decoys can play a major roll in getting that turkey in. When the turkey comes in and hangs up just out of gun range a decoy can help to bring that turkey in when you are not able to call for spooking the bird because of human movement.
Now if a hunter has always hunted in the flat country it can be a little different when hunting where there are mountains and hills. The calling methods and the usage of decoys is basically the same but your setup can be different.
If you have never hunted in the hill country for turkey and you have a chance to go then you may want to always keep this in mind. If you located a turkey near the bottom you can go ahead and set up and try calling that bird in. Now if you locate a turkey while you are at the bottom of a mountain or hill and the turkey sounds like it is on top of the mountain or hill or anywhere above you then you want to use a different setup.
For an example. When you locate a turkey and it appears to be somewhere above you then you need to stop calling and try getting a little ways from the turkey and try climbing the mountain or hill and try to either getting on the same level or above the turkey and then set up and start calling. I am not saying that you can’t call a turkey down hill but I have always had better success calling a turkey up a hill than down.
Knowing how to hunt turkey in all kinds of terrain has helped Robert Hoague take a number of Grand Slams.
If you have ever had this problem while hunting for turkey where there are many hills and mountains remember to get a little ways from the turkey before you start to climb the hill. Don’t start climbing the hill straight toward the turkey from where you heard it but get a little ways from it before climbing.
I hunt in the steep rugged mountains of West Virginia. The best method I have found is to start along the ridgetops and call in the hollows. Usually a tom is going to be below you that way. When I find one, I decide how to set up and yes decoys help tremendously. Just remember, set the decoys to the side of where you are. If you set the decoys in the line of sight between you and that longbeard, the end result is he will most certainly “bust” you. It takes practice trial and error, but the rewards are great. Remember to hunt responsibly and that hunters are the only true conservationists.